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.”

Last time we saw Paul calling Elders to deal with the disobedient, those who claimed to be Christians but are actually living carnal lives. We were confronted with a challenging question are we really Christians or are we counterfeits? Now as we turn to Titus chapter 2, we see the focus change from the elders to everybody, as we see Paul’s passion for people to live out the transforming power of the gospel of Jesus Christ. It’s here that Paul draws a sharp contrast between the life of a Christian and that of the culture. The culture in which Titus was called to live out Christ was much like ours. Crete was a major cesspool filled with people who were focused on following the flesh not God the Father. They were not driven by a desire for righteousness, instead life revolved around self and the pursuit of personal success. This was the culture in which Titus was called to live out his Christian faith. We need to remember that the church has always been called to live out Christ in a corrupt culture. Morality is like the tides of the sea it ebbs and flows, sometimes it swallows up much of the sand while at other times it leaves it mostly exposed. We can kid ourselves into thinking that we are living in a Christian nation but the truth is most people are practicing a pagan life not a pure one. The people of Crete were known for getting drunk, and having a lack of self-control. The challenge of living in this culture is that it’s easy to fall away from your faith and start to participate in pagan practices. When you’re surrounded by people who are tell dirty jokes, it’s easy to fudge your faith, to laugh and join in. When you’re struggling in your marriage and you are around people who bash and belittle their spouse, it could be tempting to join in and trash the very person God has called you to treasure. It’s called peer pressure, and its attacks at every age. We live in a pagan world and we need to be careful that we are not drawn into its carnal culture. Because in the midst of this pagan world, one the most powerful forces for God are the words and walk of Godly people. We are not called to be chameleon Christians trying to blend our beliefs with the world so we can fit in. Real faith is a lot like oil it’s never going to mix well with water. As Paul challenges Christians to live out their faith he starts first with men by calling those who are mature men to mentor those who are moldable. Paul is not picking on men here rather he is reminding us that we are called to be the spiritual leaders of our homes. Paul challenges us first because as men we set the spiritual temperature and tone of our homes. You set the thermostat of truth in your home, how hot or cold the climate is for Christ greatly revolves around the pace that you set.

Titus 1:9-16

“9 He must have a strong belief in the trustworthy message he was taught; then he will be able to encourage others with wholesome teaching and show those who oppose it where they are wrong. 10 For there are many rebellious people who engage in useless talk and deceive others. This is especially true of those who insist on circumcision for salvation. 11 They must be silenced, because they are turning whole families away from the truth by their false teaching. And they do it only for money. 12 Even one of their own men, a prophet from Crete, has said about them, “The people of Crete are all liars, cruel animals, and lazy gluttons.” 13 This is true. So reprimand them sternly to make them strong in the faith. 14 They must stop listening to Jewish myths and the commands of people who have turned away from the truth.15 Everything is pure to those whose hearts are pure. But nothing is pure to those who are corrupt and unbelieving, because their minds and consciences are corrupted. 16 Such people claim they know God, but they deny him by the way they live. They are detestable and disobedient, worthless for doing anything good.”

After recognizing the rebellious Paul calls us to

2.         Rebuke the Rebellious

Paul not only tells Titus what these people are like but he calls Titus to confront and not to cower. Titus is charged with the responsibility of reprimanding the rebellious, but notice that he is not called to dialog or debate or discuss, he is called to silence. The idea is to literally close the mouth by means of a muzzle. Why was Paul so adamant that these false teachers not be allowed to speak because Paul didn’t want them spreading their venom. They were advocating that the only way someone could be saved was by keeping the Old Testament Law. In other words, they were teaching that salvation does not come about by the death of Jesus on the cross, but rather that people can save themselves by keeping the Law. Paul had zero tolerance policy for a “works-based” theology because he knew first-hand that it did not work. Remember Paul was a religious rebel before he ran into Jesus on the road to Damascus. He also knew that this kind of teaching was trying to gut the doctrine of God’s grace. The word “rebuke” is in the present tense, meaning that this is something that must be done continuously. And Titus is to make sure that he rebukes “sharply” and not softly because of the stakes. The picture is to knock down a door with an ax when a house is on fire so as to save the occupants. You see the goal of a rebuke is not just to reprimand but to restore. Paul tells Titus to rebuke sharply “so that they will be sound or strong in the faith.” We’re not to blast someone just because we’re angry. A rebuke should lead to realignment and repentance. The goal is not to blast but to bless. The word “sound” is where we get word “hygiene” from and is used metaphorically to describe someone who is spiritually healthy. When the Bible speaks of “sound doctrine”, “sound faith” and “sound speech”, it is talking about “healthy doctrine”, “healthy faith” and “healthy speech”. This is the kind of doctrine, faith and speech that makes people healthy. A spiritual rebuke should have as its motivation a return to spiritual health. Galatians 6:1: “Brothers, if someone is caught in a sin, you who are spiritual should restore him gently.” Jesus taught in Matthew 18:15 that we are to go to someone when they have sinned against us, not to destroy them, but to rebuild the relationship: “If your brother sins against you, go and show him his fault, just between the two of you. If he listens to you, you have won your brother over.” So let me ask you is that your goal when you discipline your kids? Are you just yelling or are you striving to help them make changes? When you confront fellow Christians, don’t holler and vomit all over them instead help them to become healthier and holier.