Please turn with me to Titus 2.  This morning we’re going on in our look at the right stuff of Godly manhood.

First - a quiz.  We’re going to see what you all remember from last Sunday.  How many of you like these?  Last Sunday I couldn’t give these away.  Who remembers what the Greek verb “orego” means?  Oreo with a “g.”  “To aspire.”  It has the idea of stretching one’s arms out - heart - soul - body - mind - in passionate desire - even lusting after - extending - reaching - longing - grasping - pursuing - aspiring after what it means to be God’s man.  (1 Timothy 3:1)

When we looked at Titus 1 - especially in verses 6 to 9 - we looked at this list that Paul gives of what Godly manhood looks like.  Remember these?  A  very clear list of what Godly manhood looks like.

Last Sunday we saw that there’s a real danger for us as men - when we see a list like what Paul gives us - that we’ll see our relationship with God as some task list to be accomplished.  That we’ll head off trying to do the things on that list - checking off items as we accomplish them.

There’s a real danger for us men - and women - that we can be so focused on ourselves - and not God - then we can very easily reduce our relationship with God to a set of self-deceiving things to do and convince ourselves that if we do all these things that we’ll be doing what God requires of us.

Where we came to last Sunday was the realization that - trying really hard by our own efforts - even if we could produce all these qualities within ourselves - even if that were possible - and it isn’t - I can tell you that from personal experience - even if we could accomplish everything on Paul’s list we’d still fail at being a Godly man.

Because the bottom line is that a Godly man pursues God from the heart.  What God desires is our hearts.  To aspire to Godly manhood - pursuing God - becoming God’s man - begins when we surrender our lives to Him.  When we allow God to transform us into the man He’s created us to be.

Are we tracking?

Coming to Titus chapter 2 - Paul begins in verse 1 - But as for you - meaning Titus - as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine.

Through Paul - Titus had come to trust in Jesus as his Savior.  Titus became a disciple of Paul.  Where Paul went - Titus went.  Titus learning about ministry from Paul.  In time, they came to the island of Crete where Paul left Titus in charge to finish doing those things which would bring the church spiritually to the place where God will use it to share His gospel with others.  Which is the purpose of this letter.  Paul giving instructions to Titus on what he - Titus - should be doing.

The culture where Titus was pastoring - the Cretans - these people were lazy gluttons - focused on whatever pleasures they could get in life for the least effort.  The Greek word “kretizo” comes from the word “crete” - meaning “to lie.”  Does this sound familiar?  Everything is okay.  Get ahead - grab what you want - any way you can - lie - steal - cheat - as long a you don’t get caught.  If you do get caught, blame someone else.  Sound familiar?

The Cretans were wicked - evil.  Women and slaves were objects on the lowest level of society.  If you can imagine it - it was part of the society - and then some.  They treated each other like animals - undignified.  Crete was a dangerous - unsafe - immoral place to be.  Kind of like a society based on professional wrestling.

Have you seen this?   Try this one.   You see Rudolph sitting there with the shotgun.  “All the other reindeer used to call him names.”  Now they’re mounted trophies on the wall.  Don’t get mad.  Get even.  We live in a society where its all about me.  Are we tracking?

One of the things Paul left Titus to do was to appoint Godly men to leadership in the church.  Here in verses 1 to 10 Paul focuses on what a Godly man does.   “But as for you, speak - a word in Greek that has the idea of repetition - like birds chirping - over and over and over again - repeatedly - speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine.”

Sound is a the Greek word “ugiano” which means “healthy” - being in sound - tip top - buff - physical condition.  Doctrine comes from the Greek word “didaskalia”  Comes from a word related to “didaktos.”  Which is where we get our word what from?  Didactic - something that’s meant to give instruction.

Titus - in the midst of this ungodly - immoral - evil - society -  speak those things - teach the doctrines - that will produce something different - something totally in contrast to Cretan society - that’ll produce something different in the in the lives of those following Jesus.

Coming to verse 2 - Paul is going to focus on five groups within the church that Titus is to speak to.

Five Groups Within The Church

First, verse 2:  “OLDER MEN are to be temperate, dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, in perseverance.”

Older men, see yourselves as God sees you.  You’re a model to the young men coming after you.  They need to hear about your spiritual walk and see in you a living relationship with God.

Be Temperate:  The Cretans were dedicated to the national pastime of drinking.  Godly men are to be examples of sobriety.

Be Dignified:  Godly men are to live in a way that brings honor and glory to the name of Jesus.

Be Sensible:  Rodney Dangerfield once said, “I don’t know why young people love me.  Maybe its just because I never grew up.”  Be sensible - don’t be a foolish man.

Be Sound In Faith:  Be spiritually healthy - live your life based on the word of God - know Jesus personally and intimately.

Be Sound In Love:  Godly older men are to have a healthy understanding of God’s love for them - and to love God with everything they are - and to love their neighbors as themselves.

Older Godly men - living with this type of Godly character - will stand out like lighthouses in our society - will have a tremendous impact on generations to come.

Second group - verse 3:  “OLDER WOMEN likewise - with the same attitude and goal as the men - older women are to be reverent in their behavior, not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, teaching what is good,”

Older women are to be Reverent In Behavior:  Display Jesus in how you live your life.

Don’t Be Gossips:  You don’t have to raise your hands - but, how many of you know someone who’s left a congregation because of what’s been said about them - or others - or maybe yourself.  Something said either to them or behind their back - malicious - attitudes spread by words.  Ministries have been crippled because of gossip.  Children have been driven away from the church because of the poisonous words they’ve heard at home. 

Its hard to hear this.  But we need to be honest.  Malicious gossip is very serious - very damaging - and a very easy trap for all of us to fall into.  Paul says, “Don’t spend your life sitting around, slandering other women, tearing them apart.”

Then Paul says - Don’t Be Enslaved To Much Wine:  Wasting your life away trying to avoid reality.  Addicted to wine - or drugs - shopping - or anything that we might be tempted to use to fill in the hole in our lives that only God can fill.

Instead - Teach What Is Good:  Sometimes women come to a point in their lives - their children are grown - out of the house and raising children of their own - their spouses have died - and its easy to feel like there really isn’t a purpose to their lives any more.  What’s left?

In a society like ours - where older people who have so much to offer - where older people are marginalized - discounted - where youth is everything - imagine the value - the purpose - the radical example of Christ’s love - the transforming of lives - if older Godly women would see the value of devoting themselves to discipling younger women in godliness.

Then verse 4 - third group:  “so that they - the older women - may encourage the  YOUNG WOMEN to love their husbands, to love their children, to be sensible, pure workers at home, kind, being subject to their own husbands, so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”

In Crete marriages were arranged by parents.  Women were handed out to profitable suitors.  Children were born without the consent of the wife.  In other words - women were seen as just the means of having more children.  Children were seen as laborers for the family.  The home wasn’t a place of love - of refuge - of peace and beauty.  It was a place of ongoing conflict and immoral behavior.

Older Godly women are to encourage younger women - first - to love their husbands.  

What Paul writes assumes that marriage is between a man and a woman.  There may be some confusion about this in our society today - just as there may have been on Crete.  Let’s be clear.  The ideal of marriage - as God defines marriage - is a partnership of a Godly man and a Godly woman.

The man is the head and the woman is the neck.  Right?  And she can turn him any way she wants.  That’s funny because its true.

If a man is going to be a Godly husband and to live as a Godly man in the church and community - its not essential - but it is really crucial that he has the encouragement of a Godly wife.  Crucial that there’s a Godly partnership between husband and wife.

Second - Older Godly women are to encourage young women to love their children.

Paul is not putting women down here.  “It’s the women’s job to raise the kids.”  He’s not saying that men and women are not equal in God’s sight.  Nor is he abrogating men of their responsibility to their family.

His point is that women have a crucial role - a valuable ministry with their children - raising up the Godly men and women of the next generation.

Today - children are raised in day care centers by strangers - latchkey kids come home to empty houses - while both parents pursue careers - and money - and status - larger houses - more toys - expensive cars.  Who’s raising the kids?  Who’s teaching them morals and values - and about a relationship with Jesus Christ?

There are times when both parents must work - that’s a reality.  But Paul is addressing a society in which the next generation was being mortgaged for status - for wealth.  As believers we can set a very different example in our society.  That example can be set by women - women who see the value of their ministry to the next generation.

Verse 6 - fourth group:   “Likewise urge the YOUNG MEN to be sensible.”

Younger men have great dreams - great self-confidence - great hopes.  But they have no experience - they lack the discipline and understanding to put it all together.  They need role models - peers and older godly men - to come alongside them and encourage them - to be patient with them - to walk with them in life - teaching them godliness.

Verses 7 and 8 are specific instructions to Titus.  We’re going to skip past these for now and come back to them later. 

Group Five:  Paul writes about our relationships at work:  Verse 9:   “Urge BONDSLAVES to be subject to their own masters in everything, to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering - not stealing - those little perks we award ourselves - but showing all good faith - but showing yourselves to be trustworthy - so that - here’s the purpose - so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every respect.

Many - many - years ago - back when I was in school and had a part time job - I was a deliveryman for a florist shop.  In reality I was the only man working for that florist shop which was managed by a woman who had “issues” with men.  To put it mildly - she was somewhat antagonistic towards men - me - being the immediate representative.

She’d hired these high school age girls who spent their time batting their eyes at customers - playing with flowers - giggling over whispered jokes - and basically kissing up to the boss - this women with “issues” with men - while I generally did all the grunt work possible - drove around delivering flowers - and was generally hassled the whole time.  There were two ways to do something:  The bosses way and the bosses way.

To “adorn” - verse 10 - is the word “kosmos.”  Which is where we get our word “cosmos” from.  The ordered universe which declares the glory of God.  Live - adorn yourself with what’s right - so that when your master looks at you - how you’re living - your master will see Jesus at work in you.  So that God will be glorified.

Admittedly that isn’t always easy.  True?

In the Roman Empire there were over 60 million slaves.  They came from every conquered nation, tribe, and social level.  They had no rights.  A slave was under the supreme authority of his master.  He was a living tool - thought of like a pick or shovel.  If he rebelled in any way he was crucified - no questions asked.  He lived his whole life in fear and at the mercy of his master.

Slaves must have hated their masters - despised them - would think nothing of stealing from them - or slandering them.  And yet, many of these slaves were becoming Christians.  Imagine what that must have been like - slaves and masters - side by side worshipping God.

Paul writes, “How you slaves treat your masters - or today - how you employees treat your employers - testifies to the truth of the Gospel of Jesus Christ.”

Do you see what Paul is getting at here?   Paul is encouraging  Titus to  repeatedly speak with the believers about living sound doctrine - example after example - character trait after character trait - of what it means for a Godly person - to live out our relationship with Jesus - in our homes - here in God’s congregation - in our places of employment - at school - to live together in such a way that we really do testify - in contrast to the society in which we live - that we testify that we really are followers of Jesus Christ.

By way of thinking this through for us today - the implications for Godly manhood - I’d like to go back up to verses 7 and 8 - what we skipped past earlier - and take a closer look at what Paul writes - specifically to Titus.

Verse 7:  Titus - “in all things show yourself to be an example of good deeds - live morally above board - with purity in doctrine - what you teach - don’t allow it to be corrupted by the ungodly religious ideas of those around you - stay true to God’s word - dignified - with a reverence for God - live with an understanding of God’s authority over your life - sound in speech which is beyond reproach - what comes out of your mouth should be pure, not corrupted by the vocabulary and attitudes of the society around you - what comes out of your mouth should demonstrate a heart sold out to God - so that no one can legitimately question your relationship with Jesus - so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us.”  Literally - so that someone making an accusation about you - about the reality of what it means to be a follower of Jesus - the opposition - with their accusations - is going to look really foolish.

Bottom line:  Put simply -  Actions speak louder than what?  words.

There’s a scene in the Roman Polanski version of Oliver Twist that stands out as an example of how actions really do demonstrate what’s going on in our hearts.  How many of you have seen this movie?  How many of you have read the book by Charles Dickens?

This is the scene where Oliver asks for more gruel.  While you’re watching this notice two things.  First - pay attention to the signs on the wall - there are three of them.  Second - notice the contrast of food.

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Did you see the signs?  What were they?  God is Holy.  God is Truth.  God is Love.  Great truths about God.  But not echoed in the attitude of the orphanage leadership.  They’re eaten high on the hog while these orphans are starving.

Paul writes to Titus - in verse 1 - “speak the things that are fitting for sound doctrine” - for how people are to live.  Words.  In verse 7 he writes, “show yourself to be an example” - action.  Live what you say you believe.

The word “example” in Greek is the word “tupos” which is where we get our word “type” from.  Anyone remember what a typewriter was?  People don’t type anymore.  They text.  Back in the days when we had typewriters - press the key and that little hammer would slam a type through the ribbon and make an impression on the paper.

“Tupos” literally means to make a dent in something.  Think about at 350 pound linemen running full speed into a 190 pound quarterback.  That’s making an impression on someone.

Titus can talk all he wants - but to make a “tupos” on his listeners he’s got to live what he says.

Grab this:   Godly men are an example to others.  Say that with me, “Godly men are an example to others.”

Good or bad.  We are the example in our homes - at church - at work - we are the example of what it means to pursue God.  How we live our lives impacts generations - impacts our families - our community - where we work - at school.  Each of us has a greater impact on more people’s lives than we will ever know this side of heaven.

There’s a challenge in what Paul writes.  Can you hear it?  Put simply:   Be the example.  Say that with me:  “Be the example.”  Let your actions speak louder than your words.

What Paul is challenging us to is a life that takes everything we are relying on everything that God is.  Letting go of  whatever holds us back from God’s purposes in our life.  To live trusting Him regardless of what the personal cost may be.

Saturating ourselves in the things of God - His word - worship - service.  Devoting ourselves to prayer.  Being passionate about the things that God is passionate about.  Surrender to God so that He is able to transform our speech and actions - to freely transform us at the very core of who we are - our emotions - our heart - our mind.  To transform us to be who He’s created us to be.

Paul’s challenge requires a lifelong commitment to be God’s man here in the greater Merced metroplex - at CEFC - at work - in our family - a school - wherever God calls us to live for Him.

One question - man of God:  Do you want to make an impact for God?  Be the example.

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Unless otherwise indicated, Scripture taken from the New American Standard Bible®, © 1960, 1962, 1963, 1968, 1971, 1972, 1973, 1975, 1977, 1995 by the Lockman Foundation.  Used by permission.