Titus 3:8-15

⁸ This is a trustworthy saying. And I want you to stress these things, so that those who have trusted in God may be careful to devote themselves to doing what is good.These things are excellent and profitable for everyone. ⁹ But avoid foolish controversies and genealogies and arguments and quarrels about the law, because these are unprofitable and useless. ¹⁰ Warn a divisive person once, and then warn them a second time. After that, have nothing to do with them. ¹¹ You may be sure that such people are warped and sinful; they are self-condemned. ¹² As soon as I send Artemas or Tychicus to you, do your best to come to me at Nicopolis, because I have decided to winter there. ¹³ Do everything you can to help Zenas the lawyer and Apollos on their way and see that they have everything they need. ¹⁴ Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good, in order to provide for urgent needs and not live unproductive lives. ¹⁵ Everyone with me sends you greetings. Greet those who love us in the faith. Grace be with you all.

1. Go after Good things – 8b – 

The last part of verse 8 tells us to go after what is good.  Recipients of grace are to be givers of good. Worship should lead to works where our salvation is expresses in acts of service. This idea of going after good things is the “basic message” of Titus. The expression “good works” occurs fourteen times in the letters to Timothy and Titus. One of the greatest ways we can share God is by doing good. The best exercise spiritually for a healthy heart is to bend down several times during the day and serve someone else. Peter pointed to this when he said in 1 Peter 2:12: “Live such good lives among the pagans that, though they accuse you of doing wrong, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day he visits us.” When teaching those with financial means in 1 Timothy 6:18, Paul challenged Christians not just to be rich in dollars but to be rich in deeds: “Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share.” If we want to cultivate a heart of harmony in the church, we need to champion Christ’s cause and make the goal doing good. When we stop sharing salvation story and go after what is good we end up become crabby Christians with critical spirits instead of cheerful ones. When we stop doing good it isn’t long before the griping and the grumbling starts. Third:

2. Avoid Arguments – 9

Titus is to go after good things and run away from foolish things. The NIV uses the word “avoid” while the New American Standard uses the word, “shun” meaning to turn your back and walk away from controversial conversations. Don’t entertain or engage in pointless arguments. It is important to note that this is in the imperative tense, meaning that it is a command, not a suggestion. Paul is not saying that we shouldn’t discuss or defend the truth. Rather, he is warning against “foolish” controversies. The word “foolish” here is where we get the word “moron” In short Paul is telling us to move away from moronic arguments, steer clear of stupidity. In the early church, there were those who manufactured myths centered on genealogies about angels. We need to be careful about this type of emphasis even today. Bestsellers hit the stores claiming that there are special codes and hidden meanings in the Bible that can predict the future. Other false teachers overemphasized aspects of the Old Testament law, arguing that certain things are “clean” while other are “unclean.” But we are not called to live under the law. Don’t get caught up in these foolish discussions that lead nowhere and have the potential to lead you astray. There are also those who just love to argue. They get off on getting under other people’s skin? Paul calls these people out and says that not only are these people foolish but we don’t have to follow them. If we are not careful we will waste a lot of time and energy arguing over things that in light of eternity are trivial while people around us are heading to hell. Don’t get caught up in petty and pointless arguments that take you away from stressing the salvation story or going after what is good. 

Titus 2:1-8

“As for you, Titus, promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching. 2 Teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely. They must have sound faith and be filled with love and patience. 3 Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God. They must not slander others or be heavy drinkers.[a] Instead, they should teach others what is good. 4 These older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their children, 5 to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes, to do good, and to be submissive to their husbands. Then they will not bring shame on the word of God. 6 In the same way, encourage the young men to live wisely. 7 And you yourself must be an example to them by doing good works of every kind. Let everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching.8 Teach the truth so that your teaching can’t be criticized. Then those who oppose us will be ashamed and have nothing bad to say about us.”

It’s here that he calls Titus to:

1. Modeling Maturity – Verse 1, 7-8

In contrast to the culture Titus is called to teach God’s truths not just with his words but with his walk. As Elders the way that you lead the laity is to walk the talk. Paul is calling pastors to practice what they preach. Pastors let me remind you that your primary responsibility is not preparing the sermon each week it’s practicing your sermon throughout the week. Because the greatest leadership lessons are not taught in lectures but in life. It’s the difference between the classroom model and the coach model. We need to walk truth not just talk truth. Parents when it comes to our kids we need to be careful that we don’t just preach principles but that we provide practices. Mentoring involves modeling the message not just mouthing it. Our kids need to see scripture in action, they need to see the Gospel being lived out not just lectured about. Now when we talk about modeling maturity unfortunately today too many preachers have become preoccupied with being liked instead of with leading. Their focus is on having a fan club instead of producing followers of Christ. Mentoring involves motivating people to love Jesus not moving them toward liking me. What are you teaching through your walk and your talk, are you modeling truth or teaching trash? It’s here that Paul distinguishes between two groups of men, those who are mature and those who are moldable, putting the focus first on:

2. Mature Men – Vs 2

The phrase “older man” is used by Paul in Philemon 9: “I then, as Paul-an old man.” We know that when he wrote this letter he was around 60-years-old. We can safely say that Paul would have qualified for his AARP card. Interestingly demographers are now talking about the Graying of America. Here are a few stunning statistics: In 1995, 21% of people were 65 or over by 2030 that percent will be 35. The number of older people in the U.S. has increased ten-fold since 1900. People over 85 are the fastest growing segment of the American population. Most Americans have an adverse reaction to aging, in the past year, Americans spent over $2 billion on age-erasing procedures, which is an incredible 43% jump since 2002. We live in a culture that craves youthfulness, and tends to disregard the aged, but the Bible is clear that we are to elevate the elderly. Unlike the world that values youth the word values wisdom. Because the measure of a man is not found in his masculinity but in his maturity. Unfortunately many men have become preoccupied with looking good instead of living for God. Remember Paul is not talking about getting gray he is talking about growing up. Some of you have gotten gray you have just never grown. Now Paul not only prizes mature men but he puts them at the forefront of ministry by calling them to be mentors. You see the term old man does not just revolve around age but is a more relative term referring to those who are older than others. We are all called to be both mentored and be a mentor, because mentoring is not something that is reserved just for ministers.