Nothing evil to say

Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded,  in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility,  sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you. - Titus 2:6-8

It can be tough being a godly young man. It is not the cool thing to do and it really never has been. Most young guys have so much to look forward to and so much that they want to see and do and go that it is foremost in their minds.

And that’s a good thing. Where would we be in life if young folks didn’t have that kind of mindset. Nothing would ever get done!

But at the same time there is a way that Christian young men should be different. They are to known for their good works, be solid in their doctrine, be reverent, not only incorrupt, but unable to be corrupted and have sound speech.

I see a lot of folks harping on the ills on the youth saying how the world is in such big trouble because of this next generation. The young men, and women, have a perfect chance to do something different. They need to be living such exemplary lives that no one can say anything about them

None of us can give the world cause to speak evil of us. A lot of folks are embarrassing the cause of Christ through their behaviour. We can’t do anything about anyone else – but we can do something about what they can say about us. May their only complaint be that we are too much like Jesus.

Peculiar and zealous

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. - Titus 2:11-14

He gave Himself for us to redeem us to purify us as His peculiar people who are zealous to do His good works.

What means this ‘peculiar people?’ Newer translations use words like ‘special’ and ‘his very own’ and those are fine translations. I like the word peculiar because, well, it is kind of peculiar to our ears and it piques my interest.

This word ‘peculiar’ in 1611 dealt mostly with property. It was a legal term that dealt with total ownership. When the mortgage was paid the property became ‘peculiar’ to you and no one else. That’s a great translation it refers to us as God’s special, chosen possession belonging only to Him. It was a costly possession, but He made it to make us His own.

As His peculiar possession we are now to act in a way that proves us zealous of good works. It means that we are fervent and fired up about doing good works. This always makes me think of sporting fans who are dedication to their team and will do anything to support. These are kind of rugby fans who will sit in the lashing rain on an windy, freezing cold, miserable February afternoon to cheer Ireland on to victory. Nothing can dissuade them.

When we think about how precious we are to God that kind of zeal should not sound unreasonable. It ought to be the most natural thing in the world to have that desire to serve when we realise how peculiar we are to Him.

Can I be as zealous for God’s work as I am Irish rugby?

Live looking

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. - Titus 2:11-14

What does it mean to ‘live looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our Lord and Saviour Jesus Christ?’

Some folks think it means that we live scanning the headlines to see what new event catches our eye and what we can try to fit into God’s timeline. I think though that Paul gives the best picture of what it means to live looking in 1 Thessalonians 5. At first, he tells the readers not to be worrying about signs and times. He says that while we wait, we are to:

11 Therefore comfort each other and edify one another, just as you also are doing.

12 And we urge you, brethren, to recognize those who labour among you, and are over you in the Lord and admonish you, 13 and to esteem them very highly in love for their work’s sake. Be at peace among yourselves.

14 Now we exhort you, brethren, warn those who are unruly, comfort the fainthearted, uphold the weak, be patient with all.

15 See that no one renders evil for evil to anyone, but always pursue what is good both for yourselves and for all.

16 Rejoice always, 17 pray without ceasing, 18 in everything give thanks; for this is the will of God in Christ Jesus for you.

19 Do not quench the Spirit.

20 Do not despise prophecies.

21 Test all things; hold fast what is good. 22 Abstain from every form of evil.

That’s quite a list, but it describes what it means to live looking for His coming.

Use time we have. It’s like the angel told the disciples – why do you stand here waiting?

Grace that teaches

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age, looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ, who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. - Titus 2:11-14

Grace not only brings salvation as wonderful as that is. It also teaches us. The grace of God teaches us about life and how to live. It is no longer the Law, but grace that teaches us to:

Deny ungodliness

Deny worldly lusts

Live soberly

Live righteously

Live godly in this present age.

Under the Law man was called up to adhere to a strict set of severe and oppressive and restrictive rule and standards. No one could possibly do it. That’s why Jesus came – to pay the price for our failure. We respond to God’s grace, not His Law. His grace will always so a work in our lives. We do the things not because we have to, but because we get to allowHis grace to be seen in us so that others may be turned to Him.

Grace is a much better teacher than Law because enables and empowers us to obey. Only by grace can we deny ungodliness and live godly and all the rest because that flies in the face of what our flesh wants.

By grace we are saved into good works. We can’t do it without God’s amazing grace.

Grace has appeared

For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men, teaching us that, denying ungodliness and worldly lusts, we should live soberly, righteously, and godly in the present age,  looking for the blessed hope and glorious appearing of our great God and Saviour Jesus Christ,  who gave Himself for us, that He might redeem us from every lawless deed and purify for Himself His own special people, zealous for good works. - Titus 2:11-14

While the whole world was lost in the darkness on the sin grace appeared on the scene like a shining light! A world of hopelessness and despair was enlightened when grace appeared.

The same thing happened in my life in 1974. I was lost is darkness. I was away from home for the first time and wanted to experience the world but finding it pretty empty. In February though the light of grace came on in my life.

There is nothing like God’s gift of grace. If the grace of God had not appeared salvation would never have come. John Newton put it this way, ‘Amazing grace h0w sweet the sound that saved a wretch like me. I once was lost, but now am found, was blind, but now I see.’

Blindness was destroyed when grace appeared. The grace of God has appeared, and it brings salvation to all men will accept His grace.

God’s grace not only brought salvation, but it also taught us a few things that it still teaches us today.

Nothing evil to say

Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded,  in all things showing yourself to be a pattern of good works; in doctrine showing integrity, reverence, incorruptibility,  sound speech that cannot be condemned, that one who is an opponent may be ashamed, having nothing evil to say of you. - Titus 2:6-8

It can be tough being a godly young man. It is not the cool thing to do and it really never has been. Most young guys have so much to look forward to and so much that they want to see and do and go that it is foremost in their minds.

And that’s a good thing. Where would we be in life if young folks didn’t have that kind of mindset. Nothing would ever get done!

But at the same time there is a way that Christian young men should be different. They are to known for their good works, be solid in their doctrine, be reverent, not only incorrupt, but unable to be corrupted and have sound speech.

I see a lot of folks harping on the ills on the youth saying how the world is in such big trouble because of this next generation. The young men, and women, have a perfect chance to do something different. They need to be living such exemplary lives that no one can say anything about them

None of us can give the world cause to speak evil of us. A lot of folks are embarrassing the cause of Christ through their behaviour. We can’t do anything about anyone else – but we can do something about what they can say about us. May their only complaint be that we are too much like Jesus.

Older women

But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behaviour, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things—that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. – Titus 2.1-5

The longer Mary and I are married the more grateful I am for her. Now that we are slider into the older men and older women stage of life I appreciate her now more than ever.

Right now we are the only older people in the church. Most of are couples are younger and we are seen in kind of a mom and dad and Grammy and Grampy role. I kind of like that role.

But Mary is the consummate ‘older women.’ She has been a mom so long that motherliness is a part of who she is now. She sets an example by her own life and is willing to teach and show the younger women how to act.

It is not enough that the older women supposed to be reverent and temperate and sound in their own faith, they must be ready and willing to teach the younger women because the future of the church rest largely on the younger women, even today often working behind the scenes.

Teach them to love their husbands

Teach them to love their children

Teach them to be discreet and chaste

Teach them to care for their homes

Teach them to be good

Teach them to submit to their husbands

We love in a day where the world hates gender roles – really hates them. It wants us all to be the same, but the Bible standards have not changed. I think it may be harder than anyone else for godly women to obey God because the world makes women out to be second class citizens if they don’t conform to their standards.

Set a pattern older ladies, and younger women follow their example.

For the older men

But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience;  the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things—  that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. – Titus 2.1-5

This is such a precious section of scripture. Paul talks about the folks of people in the church, men and women, young and old.

First on the list is the older men. Quite the standard was set for them:

Be sober

Be reverent

Temperate

Sound in love

Sound in faith

Patient

The role of old men in summary is to be a pattern of good works for others to see. People must know by our lives that the word of God works and it works in the long run. We need to have grown out of most of our silliness and impetuosity and wavering. We may still get a little silly at times and things like that, but our lives should be known for something more.

There ought to be a soundness about us. We need to be well grounded love and faith so that people know that they can depend on us. These are areas where we need to be rock solid.

And by now, as hard as it is, we should have learned a measure of patience. By now our experience should have taught is to be willing to wait and watch God work. That certainly doesn’t imply laziness. We do what we can do, but then we have to wait on God. Decades of following Him should teach us how important that is.

Our lives should be a pattern for others.

All things are pure

To the pure all things are pure, but to those who are defiled and unbelieving nothing is pure; but even their mind and conscience are defiled. They profess to know God, but in works they deny Him, being abominable, disobedient, and disqualified for every good work. – Titus 1.15-16

At the ned of the day there are only two classes of people, the pure and the defiled. There is only one difference between the pure and the defiled. The pure are those who have been made pure by the blood of Christ and the defiled are those ho have not been made pure.

False professors are a real problem. They settle in the church and their false professions begin to spread through the true church and their defilement begins to affect our purity.

In the church either people have been made pure or they haven’t.  There is no in between. This is a clear saying for us to beware of the false professors, but it is a challenge to us to make sure that we are pure.

For those of us who are true believers our purity must seen in all we do. Purity defines our lives and that is what separates us from the lost.

We must be pure, not only in sexual matters as we normally think, but in all things. We must be pure in our thoughts and our attitudes and our actions and reactions and on how we talk to and treat others. Our motives must be pure. Our dealings with the law must be pure. Purity means there is nothing untoward about us.

Manifest through preaching

God could have chosen to manifest His word to the world in any number of ways. He could have emblazoned it in the heaven like a daily broadcast. He could have fashioned the stars to proclaim His word. He could have sent of us an personal angel as a messenger from heaven.

In a general sense any proclamation of the gospel. Every singe believer must preach the gospel of Christ and carry out the ministry of reconciliation. It is up to us all to proclaim the gospel and we must be about it.

But specifically here Paul wrote to Timothy, a young preacher. God has chosen to make Himself known through the preaching of the gospel. God has called some us to publicly show Jesus to the world through our preaching. Remember how Paul told Timothy to ‘preach the word.’

Those of us who sit under preaching need to make sure that the preaching we hear manifests God, preaches about Him, and honours Him.

There is no other way to make Him known. We can show Him in our lives, but faith comes by hearing the word of God. Lets make sure that our preaching, and the preaching we seek out, makes God known to the world.

God who cannot lie

Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began,  but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Saviour; 

Now Paul moves on to another what we call pastoral epistle. As he wrote to Timothy, now we see Him writing to Titus. Titus was left at Crete to start and church and Titus was left to plant and pastor the church.

He starts with the most important thing He could start with – the gospel. God promised salvation to all who trust Him, and since He cannot lie He can’t go back on that.

That alone is enough to cause rejoicing, but there is a lot more we can take confidence in because God cannot lie.

I preached a message recently and mentioned this concept. If indeed God cannot lie that means that we can, as instructed in Thessalonians always rejoice, always pray and always give thanks because He has promised that, among other things:

He loves us

He knows what we are going through

He is able to handle it

He is good

He cares about our circumstances

He knows what is best

He is with us and will never leave us

He is praying for us

He is faithful

With all that in mind we can rejoice and pray and give thanks no matter what we are going through.

Truth and godliness

Paul, a bondservant of God and an apostle of Jesus Christ, according to the faith of God’s elect and the acknowledgment of the truth which accords with godliness, in hope of eternal life which God, who cannot lie, promised before time began, but has in due time manifested His word through preaching, which was committed to me according to the commandment of God our Saviour;  - Titus 1.1-3

What is truth?

In our current post-modern era which claims that there is no truth, everyone will decide for themselves. What is true for you may not be true for me and what is true today may not be true tomorrow. The world’s definition for true is pretty much worthless.

But truth is truth because God’s word is truth. The greatest truth of all is the truth that leads to eternal life. Truth brings eternal life to those who put their faith in Jesus Christ.

This, and this alone, is the truth that pertains to godliness. It is the truth that Jesus Christ came to save sinners and it is the only way to godliness. The plethora of ‘truths’ in this world lead to nothing but hopelessness and despair, but the truth, God’s truth, the truth that is in accordance with holiness, leads to eternal life. 

But the Lord stood with me

But the Lord stood with me and strengthened me, so that the message might be preached fully through me, and that all the Gentiles might hear. Also I was delivered out of the mouth of the lion. And the Lord will deliver me from every evil work and preserve me for His heavenly kingdom. To Him be glory forever and ever. Amen! – 2 Timothy 4.17-18

Paul may have stood all alone in human terms, but he had something far greater to rely on ‘Nevertheless, the Lord stood with me and He strengthened me so that the gentiles could hear and He will keep me safe for His heavenly kingdom. 

Things are going to happen and there are going to be times and we are going to feel alone. I’ve felt that way myself at times.

But whenever that happens I must remember that I am not ever really alone. Jesus has said ‘I am with you always.’ We are also told that He will never leave us or forsake us.

No matter that we face today or tomorrow or the next day, no matter what headlines appear, no matter whether it is good or bad or if we are alone or in a crowd the Lord is going to stand there with and be there till we can say I have finished my course, I have run the race, and I have kept the faith by His grace.

He will never ever leave me and never ever forsake me.

All alone

Be diligent to come to me quickly; for Demas has forsaken me, having loved this present world, and has departed for Thessalonica—Crescens for Galatia, Titus for Dalmatia. Only Luke is with me. Get Mark and bring him with you, for he is useful to me for ministry. And Tychicus I have sent to Ephesus. Bring the cloak that I left with Carpus at Troas when you come—and the books, especially the parchments.

Alexander the coppersmith did me much harm. May the Lord repay him according to his works. You also must beware of him, for he has greatly resisted our words.

At my first defense no one stood with me, but all forsook me. May it not be charged against them.- 2 Timothy 4.9-16

It is the end and sadly Paul finds himself alone. Some he had sent off to minister but some had just abandoned him. Some loved the world more than God and some had even attacked him. At his last trial he stood alone and was sentenced to death.

I hate aloneness. My grandson AJ and I are alike that way. He we find Paul well and truly alone. You can sense his loneliness in his words. Get here as quick as you can. Please come before winter. Bring my cloak. Bring my books but especially the parchments. These were the manuscripts which would become the basis for our Bible.

There will probably be times in our lives when we are too feel like we are alone. But there is one thing we can be assured of even at our loneliest time. Jesus said He will never leave us or forsake us.

These are sad words, but Paul follows them with words of joy.

All alone, but not alone.

Ready

For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure is at hand. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith. 2 Timothy 4.6-7

It is done. Paul’s ministry is over. The time for his departure was at end. He was facing execution. 

Sad days, huh? He must have been discouraged. Surely he was battling depression. But, he could say at the end ‘I am ready. It is time.’

Look at his testimony though:

I have fought a good fight

I have finished the course

I have kept the faith

If I were to find out next week that my life was about to end could I say the same thing? Could I say tonight that I am ready?  Have I fought a good fight? Have I finished my course? Have I kept the faith?

I don’t know when my day of departure will be hand. I need to striving by the grace of God to run the race, to finish the course, and to keep the faith.

Fulfil your work

But you be watchful in all things, endure afflictions, do the work of an evangelist, fulfil your ministry. – 2 Timothy 4.5

Finish the job. Finish the job. Get it done. If you have a job to do stay it with it until it’s through.

That’s some good advice from a children’s Christian song. It’s a great reminder for all of us. We have a work to do and we need to stay with the task and fulfil the ministry.

Quitting, or losing heart, is not an option. We stick with it until we do what God called us to do.

In another letter Paul wrote to a fella named Archippus, ‘take heed to the ministry that you received from the Lord that you fulfil it.’

Starting is good. Continuing is great. Finishing is the real test though. Anyone can lose heart, even the best of us.

The great truth is that as we try to fulfil our work, we have a God who will stick with us to the very end. He is the completer of the work He started. He will never leave us or forsake us.

So we plod away. We rely on His presence and we just keep on keep on till our work on earth is done.

Itching ears

For the time will come when they will not endure sound doctrine, but according to their own desires, because they have itching ears, they will heap up for themselves teachers; and they will turn their ears away from the truth, and be turned aside to fables. 2 Timothy 2.3-4

The time is going to come when people are not going to want to hear sound teaching, but who are only going to want to have their ears tickled with things that fancy them and what they like to hear.

I love that Greek phrase because it is so descriptive. We don’t really have a good English translation, but we sure know what it means. It means that people like to hear what appeals to them. People will look for the answer they want until they find it.

We all want people and we want people to like what we so. Most of us don’t want people to get angry at us. Most of us are not looking to pick a fight.

So it is easy to decide to scratch those itching ears.

As preachers we can't ever afford to tickle ears. As hearers we must not be content to have our ears scratched like some dog getting what he wants. Our desire should be to have our ears burning so our hearts will be challenged.

Preachers, don’t give in to itching ears. Hearers, don’t be satisfied with having your ears scratched. Demand the word and the word alone,