Faithful Conduct Pt 1

And read verse 7 with me. God blesses us that all the ends of the earth may fear him. And so, Father, we do pray that you would continue to be gracious upon us. Lord, we ask for your continued blessing. And Lord, may we walk in obedience so that that blessing can continue. And so, Father, we praise you for who you are in Jesus' name. Amen. You may be seated.

And if you would, open up in your Bibles to the book of Titus, chapter 2. Titus, chapter 2.

Well, as Paul gave Titus instructions, first of all, on what faithful leadership looked like, he gave him not only the description or the qualifications of what faithful leaders were supposed to look like, but then he gave him the necessity for faithful leadership. And the great necessity for faithful leadership is that there was false in the world, and there was false trying to creep into the church. And so, they needed strong leaders who could protect the people, that could shepherd the people and keep them away from the things that are false. But as we get into chapter 2, we really get into the heart of what Paul really wants Titus to know.

Because remember, Titus lived in a very difficult area where people struggled to really keep up with their walks with Jesus Christ. And so, what he does is he's going to point out to Titus that the greatest thing that he can do is to teach the people about godly conduct. Because really, the heart of Titus is to teach the people about godly conduct. And the heart of the book of Titus is that godly thinking and godly teaching will ultimately produce godly conduct in our lives.

And it's interesting because the heart of the gospel is really very similar to that. Because the heart of the gospel is that lives are transformed through the grace of God, through the power of the Holy Spirit, through the message of the gospel. But that those transformed lives will ultimately produce godly thinking and godly conduct. They will ultimately produce fruit that leads to holiness in our lives.

And so, the heart of the gospel is wrapped up here in the heart of titus and so paul in chapter 2 deals with godly conduct and there's two things that he's going to do he's going to give instructions on godly conduct and then he's going to give us the grace for godly conduct this morning we will cover the first part which is the instructions so picking up in chapter 2 verse 1 this is what it says but as for you speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine older men are to be temperate dignified sensible sound in faith in love and in perseverance older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine teaching what is good

so that they 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 likewise the young men to be sensible in all things show yourselves to be an example of good deeds with purity and doctrine dignified sound and speech which is beyond reproach so that the opponent will be put to shame having nothing bad to say about us urge bond slaves to be subject to their own masters in everything to be well-pleasing not argumentative not pilfering but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of god and not be subject to the doctrine of god but to

doctrine of God our Savior in every respect. So there's a handful of different groups of people that Titus, that Paul goes through here in this book of Titus to teach about what godly conduct is supposed to look like. The first of those individuals that he gives instructions for godly conduct to is to Titus himself, the pastor of the church. And this is what he tells Titus. He tells

Titus, speak what is fitting for sound doctrine. Speak what is fitting for sound doctrine. One of the commentaries that I read put it this way, and I really like this, give right teaching for right living. And the Amplified Bible translated it like this, and I really like this. It says, that which produced men and women of good character whose lifestyles identify them as true Christians. That's the idea of sound doctrine there.

That which produces men and women of good character whose lifestyles identify them as true Christians. In other words, the role of Titus was to teach the people exactly what, who God is, and exactly what God expects of us as individuals. And sometimes that's a really exciting thing to be able to do. Sometimes those messages are filled with great emotion, and they're filled with great passion, and they're a calling to repentance, or they're a message that stirs the emotions of the people. And sometimes it's

a message that's just very personal. And sometimes it's a message that's just very personal. And sometimes it's a message that's just very personal. And sometimes it's a message that's just very practical in nature. And sometimes as a pastor, you love to be able to give the message that stirs the response. You love to be able to give the message that stirs everyone to be moved in

their heart, and there's emotion that's produced, and there's response that's produced, and it's just a beautiful Sunday morning where it seems like the entire world is being turned upside down with your message. And then there's messages like this one that are just very practical in nature. And we all wish that we could always give the emotional message. But sometimes as pastors, we don't need to give the message that has everybody at the foot of the altar, we need to give a message that has everybody in the Word of God learning what it means to follow God in a practical way every day. And so he says, don't just give yourself over to the emotional

stuff. Give them sound doctrine. Teach them the things that will show them what it looks like to be someone whose life truly follows the truth of the Word of God, whether it feels good, whether it feels exciting or not. And so he urges Timothy as the pastor to make sure that he's giving out sound doctrine. And the biggest reason why is because of what he had just said in the previous

chapter, because there are those who are teaching not sound doctrine. And the people need to be able to identify that which is good so that they can also identify that which is false. And so he tells Titus, speak what is fitting for sound doctrine. The second group of people that Paul addresses here are the older men. The older men, and he gives them a handful of things that they need to do,

a handful of things of what it means to have godly conduct. Number one, they are to be temperate. They are to be temperate. And that word temperate in the Greek carries with it two different ideas. The first idea, the main idea is that they are not given to much wine, that they are not one who is given over. They either abstain from it altogether or are not given over to excess in the area of alcohol. That's what the word temperate there

actually means. But in a broader sense, it can mean being careful in all areas of your life, having an aspect of self-control in all areas of your life. And so the older men are to be temperate in their lives. And it's kind of interesting because you think, but he's talking to the older men. Aren't these the seasoned individuals who have learned what it means to be temperate in all things? Do you know in the Bible when most great men

of God have fallen? Most great men of God have fallen in Scripture later in their lives because they've already faced all of the hardships. They've faced all of the battles. They have a certain amount of security. They have a certain amount of wisdom. They have a certain amount of maturity. And rather than continuing to pursue God wholeheartedly, rather than continuing to

remain vigilant in their temperance, they let their guard down. And when they let their guard down, either pride slips in, immorality slips in, perhaps according to this word drunkenness slips in, and pretty soon they find themselves slipping away from the things of God because they had become entirely too content. They had become entirely too relaxed in their maturity and they had stopped being temperate. And so Paul tells the older men, be temperate in what you do. The second thing that he tells them is that they need to be dignified.

The word dignified means worthy of respect. And again, I think that this is an interesting phrase that's used for older men because older men think that they deserve what? And they do. They deserve respect. Right? I just need a little respect in my life. Well, then be somebody who's worthy of respect. If you want respect, you need to prove yourself to be respectable in the areas of life. Too many men in our culture and oftentimes too many

men in the church desire respect that they are not worthy of. And so they're not worthy of respect. And so they're not worthy of respect. And so they're not worthy of respect. And so they are not earning. Desire respect that they do not deserve. And he tells these older men, you need to be dignified in the things that you do. The third thing he tells them is that they need to be sensible, sober, or of a sound mind. Now, I'm going to hit the

younger guys a lot harder on this one. And I don't really know which of these categories I fit into right now. I was trying to decide this as I was studying. Okay, so which of these should I be the most offended by? Should it be that I'm one of the older men and I need to be more dignified and more sensible? Or am I one of the younger men and I need to be more dignified and I need to be more

sensible? Maybe I'm just somewhere in the middle. I'm not really sure where I fit. Probably depends on which group I'm speaking to that day. But they need to be sensible or of sober mind in the way that they live their lives. And then he hits them even harder. He says they need to be sound in faith. Sound in faith. That word sound means to be whole or to be

healthy. In other words, in your faith in Jesus Christ, there should be an aspect of being whole or healthy. As an older man, you need to be sound in faith. You need to be sound in the Lord. And as an older man in faith, you should eventually begin to become someone who is not swept away by every wind of doctrine. That is not caught up with every new thing that comes along. But you should be sound in your faith. Not only in where

you stand in the faith, the teaching of what God's word has to say, but in your faith, remembering what God has done for you in the past and continuing to stand strong on it in the present. He says they need to be sound in faith. But the other thing that they need to be sound in is that they need to be sound in love. Again, I think that it's interesting that this is addressed to older men. Because we all know that older men, I love y'all.

Okay, I'm going to offend the rest of you in just a minute. Don't worry. The older, y'all can get grumpy sometimes, right? Like there's a reason why there was a movie called Grumpy Old Men, right? It's because there's a stereotype. And there's a reason for stereotypes, okay? Like dudes get older and they get a little bit grumpy because all they want to do is

sit around and wear an ice cream, okay? This is just reality. Look, I worked at an old community. I know what it's like, okay? I know exactly what's going on here. And they get a little bit grumpy. You get irritated with things in life because you don't have the patience for things that you used to. Part of it's maturity, but part of it's that you're just tired of dealing with stuff all the time. And he says you need to be sound

in love. In other words, you can't just be grumpy all the time. You need to be someone who continues to show love, listen, even if you don't think people deserve it. I hear it all the time from some of the older fellas. These kids these days. You know what your parents said about you? These kids these days. These kids these days. And you know what you needed? Love. And you know what these

kids need? Love. And so you need to be sound. You need to be whole or healthy in the way that you love people. Sometimes that means showing grace and patience. Sometimes it means having accountability. But either way, there's love that's involved. And the last thing that he tells the older men is that they need to be sound in perseverance. Now, this word's a very interesting word. The word perseverance can also be translated steadfastness. And

in one of my dictionaries, it said this, and I thought this was great. Perseverance is the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his purpose and his loyalty to faith by even the greatest trials and sufferings. I'm going to read that to you again. It's the characteristic of a man who is not swerved from his purpose and his loyalty to faith by even the greatest trials and sufferings. You know why? Because

you've been tested and you've been proven and you know what it's like to continue to hold up under the trials of the world. And you have proven yourself to be steadfast. There's a movie that I used to watch. Great, great movie. Listen, it's very violent. I'm not saying you should go watch it, but it's a fantastic war movie. It's called We Were Soldiers. And there's this one character in

the movie, We Were Soldiers, played by Sam Elliott. And he's some sort of like a drill sergeant or a major or something like that. I don't remember what rank he is, but he's just this gnarly old guy. Because it's Sam Elliott. I don't think he knows how to play anything else. And this young sergeant comes up to him every day as they're training to go into this battle. And he says, good morning, sir. And every time, I can't use this word,

but every time he looks at me and says, how do you know what kind of a morning it is? And that kid's just like, well, I was just trying to be nice. And so they go through the movie and they go through this horrific battle, true story about this battle, this horrific battle that they go through. And those that survived are standing there. Of course, Sam Elliott's one of them. He's a battle-tested guy. He looks at the young kid

that would come up to him every morning and say, good morning, sir. And he looks at him as the sun is rising and the battle is finally over and they've survived. And he's like, I'm glad you survived. And he looks at him and he says, this is a good morning. You know why? Because he knows what it's like to be steadfast. He knows what perseverance is. And he knows what it's like to hold up under the difficulties of life. And he has not stopped,

even though it's hard. And he now truly understands what it's like to have a good morning because he has stood up under the test of trials. And men, this is who we need to be, older men especially. We need older men who have proven that they can continue to survive. And so we stand up under trials. That's why God gave you broader shoulders. That's why God gave you stronger muscles. That's why God gave you less emotions and more grit, is

because he wants you to stand up, not so that you can be a jerk to people, not so that you can be mean to people, not so that you can lord authority over people, but so that you can stand up under the trials so that the younger generation can look at you and say, it can be done. And you can tell them, this is what a good morning looks like. He says, you need to be sound in your prayer. In your perseverance. Next he addresses the older women. See, I told you I'd get to everybody.

He addresses the older women. And he tells them a handful of things. I think it's kind of interesting that there were more instructions for the men than the women because I think that the women listen a little better than the men, but that's just me. The first thing that women need to be is they need to be reverent in their behavior. Reverent in their behavior.

The idea behind this is that behavior that is fitting for a person consecrated to God. Again, age does not equal holiness. And we need to remember that because there's a reason why the show Golden Girls was made. Right? It is because age and holiness, they're not the same thing. And so as we get older, we need to remember that holiness is just as important at the age of wherever you are now, as it was when your parents were telling you

to not give in to peer pressure. There should be a reverence in the behavior that you show to other people that you follow. you have. The second thing that they are told is the older women are not to be malicious gossips. Do you know what the, we covered this in 1 Timothy as well, but do you know what the Greek word for a malicious gossip is? It's diabolos, right? I think we all know what that word means. But the

idea behind that word is a slanderer. Listen, I'm just going to be honest about something. I'm going to make some people mad, but it is what it is. This is what the Bible says. The older women tend to get themselves in trouble with all the talking. It's just, this is just reality. I'm telling you what the Bible says right now, and I'm telling you what I know from life, what I know from being

a pastor, is that that malicious gossip becomes the root of bitterness within a church. That malicious gossip is what becomes the division within a church, because that malicious gossip becomes one person forming an alliance against another person, and it ends up causing issues either within that friend group or within the church. And that's what the Bible says. Sometimes even within the church, and again, I'm not trying to step on toes when I say this. This

is just the reality of life, and there's a reason why it's addressed in multiple letters in the New Testament. It's because it was an issue, and the issue is that malicious gossip, that slander, that destruction of character that can take place through all of the talking. I think it always goes back to the words that our mothers told us when we were small children. If you can't say anything nice, you can't say anything nice. If you can't say anything nice, you can't say anything

nice. So if you can't say anything nice, you can't say anything nice. If you can't say anything nice, you can't say anything nice. And that's why I think it's probably best to not say anything at all. And so he tells the women not to be malicious gossips. He tells them not to be enslaved to much wine, similar to what he tells the older men. But then he gives the older women this other interesting

instruction, and I think this is very neat and something that is very needed. He says to teach what is good. And then he goes on to say especially to the younger women. Especially to the younger women. Listen, there is a unique relationship between older women and younger that is so needed in the church today. There's a unique relationship between those who have raised their kids,

who have loved their husbands, who have lived life and gone through the difficulties of life and being able to say, I've lived this, I've seen this, let me tell you how I survived it. Let me tell you what God did in my life in this process. There's a unique role that older women play in the lives of younger women and I think it's underplayed within the church and I think it's greatly needed within the church. I think we need older women coming alongside the younger women and teaching them because just because you're a little bit older doesn't mean that you don't have a place in the church.

As a matter of fact, sometimes I see older women saying, you know, I've been in ministry for a long time now. I've been teaching Sunday school for a long time now. I've been doing this for a long time now. I'm just tired. I'm done. And you know what the problem with that is? When you become done with that, we have an entire younger generation that is not receiving the wisdom that God has given you over the years

because that's exactly what you have. Listen, I would say that a good number of women in this church were like mothers to me and while I'm not one of the younger women, it is 2025, but I do not identify as one of the younger women. I have gleaned from their wisdom because as they have gone through things and they have taught me, I know what a joy it's been to me and I can only imagine what it would be like to be a young mother who is trying to deal with all of the pressures of motherhood, all of the pressures of maybe trying to also work alongside motherhood, all of the pressures of maybe trying to also work alongside motherhood, all of the pressures that a husband faces that she is trying to meet the needs of

and trying to deal with all of that without the wisdom of someone who's been there to say, it's okay, you're going to survive this. Your kid is going to sleep through the night again. They are going to stop needing you for every little thing. Enjoy these times while you can. You need that from someone. And so it says that the older women are to teach what is good,

especially to the younger women. And this is what godly conduct, for the younger women, is supposed to look like. First of all, it says that they are to love their husbands. The older women are to teach the younger women to love their husbands. That word for love there is not the agape or anything like that. It literally means a lover of their husbands. And it speaks of every aspect of life.

Every aspect of life that they love on the guy that the lord has brought into their life. Now listen, I'm going to uniquely speak from a husband's perspective right now to especially you younger ladies. That are married, I want to tell you something. We need to know that we're loved too. Like I just, men need to know that. They need to know that what they do is important.

And I am so blessed to have a wife that makes sure that I know that on a daily basis. Because she does everything within her power to build me up. She does everything within her power to love me. And that's one of the reasons why I was so drawn to her. I was so drawn to her because she just loved me for who I was. And warts and all. As a matter of fact, long story, I won't get into the whole thing.

But when I first met my wife, we first started dating each other. We'd both been through some pretty rough relationships that led up to that point in time. And I will never forget telling, and she'll remind me of this to this day. I will never forget telling her, I can promise you one thing, I'm going to be a roller coaster ride. Because I was in a really rough emotional spot at that point in time because of a really failed relationship.

I said, I'm going to be a roller coaster ride. And I'm going to be filled with a lot of emotions. And so if you think you can handle that, then let's do this thing. Or something along those lines. And she was like. Okay. Right? Like what kind of a woman does that? Right? Like that's amazing. And that's why I was like, well, she's mine. She's got to keep her right there.

But that's the idea is that, listen. Listen, we as men, we go through some really hard things. And we need to know that we have somebody beside us through all of those things. Just like you ladies go through hard things. And young men, I'm going to talk to us in just a minute. I think I fit into that category still. About what it looks like. Because we need to come alongside our wives.

To love their husbands. The second thing it says. That the older women are supposed to teach. The younger women to do is to love their children. Is to love their children. Now you would think that that's a very natural, normal thing. But listen. All of us as human beings are selfish by nature. And we need to be taught what it looks like to love these people.

That God has given to us to pour our lives into. And to remind us that loving them is sometimes discipline. That loving them is sometimes telling them no. And loving is sometimes showing them grace and patience. And you have to know the difference. And discern the difference between the two. And it's wonderful to have an older woman who has been there before.

Who has watched her kids go through the rebellion. And through the ups and the downs to say, listen. You got to stand firm on this one. You have to stand strong on this one. Because this is where you're going to fight that battle. And the older women need to teach the younger women those things. The third thing that it says that the older women are to teach the younger women is to be pure.

The word pure there means modest and free from carnality. Modest and free from carnality. Listen. We live in a culture right now that praises a lack of modesty. We live in a culture right now that praises self-expression. And in a culture that praises self-expression and a lack of modesty. We need some of the older women to come alongside the younger women and say,

I understand self-expression. But that's not very modest. That has to be done very delicately. And we need to know that. It has to be done very delicately without a judgmental spirit. But it still needs to be done. And moms, it always starts with you. But he says, teach them to be modest, to be pure in the way that they handle themselves. It says, teach them to be workers at home.

Speaking of things that are going to get me canceled today, right? Like, that is an unpopular statement. Harrison Butker still is dealing with statements like that because of what he said at a commencement speech. But listen, the fact of the matter is, God has blessed you women with a desire to make sure that your home is taken care of. You know how I know that?

Because HGTV exists. Right? I'm sorry, but that's just all that there is to it. And I'm not saying every single woman loves to watch that. But most of them that I've ever met do. You know why? Because they care about their home. It is so important to them that their home look good. That their home be well decorated. That their home be well taken care of. You know why?

Because God has innately put that within a woman. You know why men don't care about it? Because God has not innately put that within us. That's why he gave us a wife. Otherwise, we would live in a garage with a gym and a bed. Right? That's all we would live in. And a great spot for all of my sneakers. Right? That's all I would have. I've thought about this several times here recently.

I'm like, if it was just me living in this house, I wouldn't live in this house. I'm pretty sure I'd still be living in a one bedroom apartment with a bed and a dresser and a sneaker closet. That's all I'd have. And a great gym. Right? But God gives us these wives because they care about the home. And so they need to be reminded of what it looks like to work at home.

And what it looks like to work at home is to care for the things that God has given them. Listen, I think we need to restore this to culture today. We have robbed women of a God-given desire to raise their kids. Of a God-given desire to care for their home. And of a God-given desire to love their husbands. And if you want to do that, the world tells you you're backwards.

The world tells you you're a freak. That somehow you are living under some sort of control of a man. Listen, that's not ever what God intended. But it is what God has given to you. And so he says, Teach them to be workers at home. Teach them to be kind. And then the last thing he says to teach them is to be subject to their husband. Now the first thing I'm going to tell you is what that does not mean.

This is what that does not mean. First of all, that does not mean that every woman should be subject to every man. Right? Just because someone's a man doesn't mean he can tell you what to do. Just because someone's a man doesn't mean you have to submit to his authority. That's not godly. That's cultish in its thinking. So first of all, it does not mean that you have to submit yourself to every single man.

Second of all, it doesn't mean that you should ever be a lapdog, where you have no opinion, where you have no say, where you have zero vote in anything that takes place within your home. It does not mean those two things. It does not mean that you should ever become a punching bag, either verbally or physically. It does not even mean that your husband should lord his authority over you.

The idea behind this word of being subject is it's a military term. And the idea is to be under an order, or in rank. Now I've never been in the military, but I've spoken to people in the military. They will tell you two things. Number one, they're smarter than the person that's over them in rank. Number two, they still have to respect that authority. Because that's the authority that was given.

And within the home, that's the authority that God has given. And listen husbands, you'll either use that authority properly and answer to God for it, or you'll use that authority improperly, and answer to God for it. Or you'll give up that authority to your wife, listen, and you'll still answer to God for it. Because God will still hold you accountable. And so ladies,

what this is saying here is that the older women are to teach the younger women to understand the God-given authority within the home. That it doesn't mean that you're a lap-dog who has no say. It means that you are the support system for your husband, and that he ultimately is the one that is responsible for your home, and so you should support him. That means that A, you need to let him be the leader in your home.

And it means B, you need to empower him to be the leader in your home. Let him, meaning don't be the one that always tells them what to do, because there's way too many households that I see where the wife is in charge. And there's usually disorder, and there's always insecurity, we just need to know that. But the other thing that I see is, is I see places where it's not that the wife doesn't want their husband to be in charge, it's that their husband won't take charge.

And they need to be empowered, by their wife, to be told, no, you need to make the decision, but I don't want to make the decision. Doesn't matter. You're the one. You're the one God's going to hold accountable for this. So you decide. Listen, I have to be told that sometimes, because I don't like making decisions. Really odd for the job that I'm in. But I don't always like to be the one that has to make the decisions about things.

And my wife is really good at saying, no, but you need to. This one's you. You've got to move forward. And so ladies, it says, older women, urge the younger women to be subject to their husband, to understand the God given order, and to make sure those things happen, the way they are supposed to happen. The next group that he addresses, is he addresses the younger men.

Actually, I'm just going to read this part to us. It says, Likewise, urge the young men to be sensible. In all things, show yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in doctrine, dignified, sound in speech, which is above reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say about us. The first thing that he tells the younger men that they need to do, is that they need to be sensible.

They need to be sensible. That word sensible means to be sober-minded, or to exercise self-control. Now, I've thought about this from a couple of different angles. And some of you young men that are in here right now, I'm just going to let you know this right now. You know why young men have to be told to be sensible? Because sometimes young men are morons.

That's just all that there is to it. When do we all do the dumbest things in our lives? When we're young. Right? You think you're invincible at that point in time in your life. You think nothing can hurt me, I can do anything I want to do, and nothing's ever going to bring me down, and we make dumb decisions. Right? My favorite statement about young men that I've ever heard,

came from the boss that I work construction with, and he was talking about his nephew that worked with us, who, well, he made unwise decisions in almost everything he did in his life. He had just graduated from high school, and I remember somebody, we were working really late one night, and somebody came to him and said, hey, your nephew did this. And he said, one thing we know about my nephew is that, well, his frontal lobe isn't fully developed just yet. And I remember thinking, that's the truest statement about that kid I could have ever thought about making in my entire life.

Because his decision-making skills, pretty poor. I wonder if his frontal lobe is developed yet. I don't hold down hope. But anyway, that's neither here nor there. But that's why young men need to be told to be sensible. You know why young men can't drive a rental car until they're 25? Because they're not very sensible. Do you know why young men's car insurance,

mine included, my parents had to drop me off of their insurance at one point in time. You know why their car insurance is so high? Because they're not very sensible. And so in a world where young men are making bad decisions all the time, and doing stupid things all the time, you young men that love Jesus in here, be different. You young men that love Jesus in here,

count the cost and be a disciple. Be someone who understands the gravity of decisions, who understands the gravity of relationships, who understands the seriousness of the world that we live in, and doesn't make decisions based on how it feels right now. You are to be sensible in the way that you live your life. But the second thing, the second idea behind sensible, is not just sober-minded, but to exercise self-control.

To exercise self-control. Again, the culture today tells young men, you should sow your wild oats while you're young. That term probably isn't used anymore, but that's still the idea that's given. Right? Ah, just go have fun while you're young. Be a kid while you can. No, don't be a kid while you can. Grow up. Start to grow up in life. We don't expect enough of young men in this world,

I think. I think we don't expect young men to be mature, and we should expect young men to be mature. But it means to exercise self-control. That means that sexually speaking, you should exercise self-control in your life, and not just look at every single woman as someone that you're supposed to take over. That you view technology as something that should be used in a positive way,

not in a lust-fulfilling sort of way. That you don't look at alcohol as something that you should consume to the point where you don't know what you did the night before, but that you decide that your life is going to be self-controlled. If I could give advice to young men, I would give them a handful of pieces of advice. Number one, show up to work every day on time.

That's being sensible, and exercising self-control. Get a job, show up to work every day on time, and do what you're told. Number two, get a good workout routine. Because you need to maintain your body so that you can be fit for the kingdom of God, so that you can be fit to be a husband and a father. Because I'm here to tell you right now, you know what takes a lot of energy?

Being a husband and a father. It takes an incredible amount of energy. Listen, you can't be your kid's jungle gym if you're not in good shape. That's just all that there is to it. And once you hit a pool, game over, right? Because those kids are all over your business. And you're like, ah, drowning, because all of the kids are on top of you. And listen, if you're the dad that's out playing with the kids,

you just need to know, every other parent will look to you to be the one that plays with their kids too, and you can be that good example for them too. Because now you've just been given the opportunity to show Jesus to the entire neighborhood's kids, because you're the dad that's in shape enough to do it. Get yourself a good workout routine. Get a job and show up every day.

Get a good workout routine. And listen, be in God's word every single day. Okay? Because if you can stay physically fit, you can stay spiritually fit. And if you can stay spiritually fit, then you can be the man that God has called for you to be. You can be someone who is sensible, who is sober-minded, and who exercises self-control. Listen, there's a reason he gives these instructions for godly conduct,

and that's because they are necessary for the life that you're going to live in Christ, but they are also opposite of everything that the world teaches. Young men, be sensible. The second thing he tells them to do is that they are to be an example of good deeds. They are to be an example of good deeds. I got to be honest, I have the opportunity to be surrounded with some young men right now

who are this. There's some young men that I work with at the high school that I get to watch them be examples of good deeds. Some of them even go to this church. And they are examples because they help out in every way that they can. They are always the first ones to volunteer to do things. Be an example of good deeds. Listen, give an example to the older generation.

Being an example to those who are older because it's a wonderful thing to look at a young man and watch him give himself to the work of the Lord because it makes the older people go, you know what, I'll jump in and help you too. Because it becomes an example not only to your peers, but to the people that are around you. Be an example of good deeds. The third thing he tells young men that they need to do is that they need to have purity of doctrine.

Purity of doctrine. The idea behind that is a strict regard for integrity and truth. A strict regard for integrity and truth. Listen, integrity in your lives, because that's purity of doctrine. The idea of integrity is you're the same person in public that you are in private. Or maybe better yet, you're the same person in private that you are in public. The view that everybody else sees of you with good deeds

is the same person that you are behind closed doors when no one can see the decision that you're making except you and Jesus. You are to have purity of integrity, but also a desire for the truth. A strict regard for the truth. Listen, you should not settle, you young men in here, you should not settle just for what I have to say. You should search it out for yourself.

You should not just settle for what your parents have to say about God's word. You should search it out for yourself. You should not just settle for what the internet tells you is true about God's word. You should search it out for yourself. Because you should be those who regard truth as the most important thing in the world. Because listen, you young men most of all

are the ones who will one day set the standard for truth using God's word. You better know what it has to say. Because if you start falling for the false in even the smallest ways, you will end up so far off course that you will become unrecognizable. And so will the truth. He says, teach the young men to be pure in their doctrine. The fourth thing he tells them

is that they are to be dignified. They are to have honor, and they are to have purity. That's the idea of being dignified against someone who is respectable. Okay, I gave the old men a hard time for this. I'm going to give you young men a hard time for this. You know what? Almost every single fight between young men starts over. Well, two things. Either a girl or disrespect.

And usually one plays into the other. Because everybody wants respect. Right? And that's what young men want too. And they say, well, I'm growing up. You should respect me for the fact that I'm a man now. Well, prove yourself respectable. Be respectable in the things that you do. Be respectable in the way that you act, and the way that you speak, and the way that you carry yourself.

I see too many young men walk around like this all the time. Right? And it's like, look, if you want people, if you want respect from people, stand up straight, look people in the eye, shake their hand. You know how many young men that I see on a daily basis that will not look somebody else in the eye? They will not look a man in the eye, and they won't stand up

and just look at him and shake his hand. There's a bunch of wonderful young men out there, but they need to be taught to be dignified, to handle themselves in a respectable sort of way. The fifth thing that he tells the young men that they need to be is they need to be sound in speech. Sound in speech. The idea there is beyond reproach in the way that they speak.

I think I could speak to old men and young men about this. I don't think this one's necessarily just for the young fellas, but we as men can sometimes get into trouble with our speech. Can we not? And the problem is that things are funny. That's my biggest problem with my speech is that things are funny, and so sometimes we get a little carried away and we get a little bit crude in our speech.

And the problem is the rest of the world hears that and they say, you're just like me. Your speech doesn't sound any different than mine. You're to be beyond reproach in the way that you speak. Listen, I know what it's like to be in a locker room with a group of guys that are all using some pretty foul language, and I know what it's like to have that rub off on you.

I know what it's like to be on a construction site with a bunch of men seven days a week that speak words that your mom won't let you say, and how much that gets into your head. I know what that's like. I lived it. And you have to be beyond reproach in your speech. I've shared it before, but I'll never forget when I was working at Blue Valley High School up in Kansas City

and I was around rough talking guys all day long, and I usually held myself together really, really well, but we were working seven days a week and I got myself to a place where I just got really, really mad at a subcontractor, and they left, and they left a whole bunch of work for me to do. They left an entire area of the roof uncovered, and there was rain coming in, and they said, that's your job, and they left. And I remember I used a choice word with them, and I felt so bad afterwards. I had to apologize to the kid that I was working with.

I had to apologize to the other people that were around, and I thought that was not being beyond reproach in my speech. That was not being sound in speech. And I've had to keep guarding my mouth because I know what can come out if I'm not careful. And it becomes the greatest detractor to your witness that there is. He says, he tells the young men to be sound

in their speech. And the reason why he says, and I love this in verse, the sixth thing that he says here at the end of verse eight, he says, so that the opponent will be put to shame having nothing bad to say about us. That's been a theme throughout the pastoral epistles, hasn't it? Is that why is our conduct so important? Well, it's important not only because that's who I am in Christ

and my life that I live, the life that I live should match the claims that I make, but it's also important because the world is watching. Because the world is watching what we do. It's watching how we act. And everything that we do becomes an opportunity to blaspheme God if we're not careful. And so he says, the reason why this conduct is so important is so that the opponent

will have nothing to say. And so he dealt with the pastor. He told Titus, he said, speak what's fitting. He dealt with the older men, the older women, the younger women, and the younger men. And now he deals with one separate group, the bond slaves. Notice what he says in verse nine, urge bond slaves to be subject to their own masters in everything. To be well pleasing,

not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our savior in every respect. Now as I do oftentimes when we come across phrases like this, I'm gonna deal with the elephant in the room and that's the word bond slave here before I deal with what I think is the heart of what we need to pay attention to in this section. Slavery in the times that the Bible was written was a reality. The Bible never condones slavery.

The Bible controls slavery. The Bible, especially the New Testament, teaches how we live as free men in Christ no matter what position that you're in. It doesn't advocate for a violent revolt against an authority that ultimately is trying to enslave you. Instead it teaches you how to live free in Christ whether you are the one in charge or whether you are the slave.

But anywhere that the gospel has gone out, freedom has ultimately come about for everyone, whether it be the free man or the slave. It ultimately took place within the Roman Empire. It took place in England. It took place in the United States of America. That anywhere that the gospel is spread, freedom is what ultimately comes about because of it. Because if we are free in Christ,

then we are free indeed. And that will ultimately lead us to be free in the world that we live in today. So that's kind of the elephant in the room. The Bible gets a lot of criticism for this. But since we don't deal with that as a culture, we could actually substitute the word bond slave there for employee. So really this is good conduct for those of us that have jobs,

those of us that have some sort of a boss in our lives. Which, whether you're the owner of the company or the worker in the company, everybody has a boss. Now, Ryan, the owner doesn't have a boss. Yes, he does. We call them the customer, right? Because ultimately, there's still an employee of the customer that is paying them. And these are the things that he says

to pay attention to. Number one, he says they are to be subject to their masters. In other words, you are to put yourself under the authority of the person who is your boss. But Ryan, I'm smarter than him. That's not what it says. It doesn't say if you're smarter than him, tell him what to do. It says, no, you have to be under the authority of your, but he treats me terrible.

Really, he's talking to slaves here. Come on now, right? Put yourself under the authority of the person in charge of you. I watch this happen a lot. When rules are made. This isn't a boss situation, but it is a rule situation. I know in Dexter, they've made some rules about this. I know in our city, they've made some rules about this, and it's what they do with phones now.

And everybody's trying to figure out what you do with kids and phones. I love it. I'm like, we'll just take them all away. They're like, well, we tried that, and they won't keep them put away. So now they've bought some sort of bags or some such thing like that at the high school that they put them in that locks them down. I think that's the funniest thing in the world.

You have to go in and put your phone in some sort of a bag. Anyway, that's neither here nor there. But this is what I hear people say. Well, I'm just not gonna do it. I'm just not gonna put my phone in that bag. I'm just gonna keep it with me, and maybe they won't say anything. I said, do you realize the reason why they bought these bags is because you wouldn't follow the first rule?

They're like, I wish they could just, you know, tell us to leave our phones in our lockers. And they're like, we did, and nobody did. Nobody enforced the rule. Here's the thing. Here's the thing with being under authority. If you don't follow rules, listen to me. Listen, they make more rules, right? And that's kind of the way. You go to your job site. You go to where you work,

and you're like, why are there all these rules? Well, because nobody obeyed the short list of rules. Why are there 632 commandments in the Old Testament? Because we couldn't keep the first 10, right? If you don't keep the rules, they make more rules. Unpopular statement, I know, but as a youth pastor for a lot of years, I just know the reality of it. And that's all that there is

is the reality of these things. And it's a terrible thing when you see somebody show up at work that claims to be a Christian and won't do what their boss tells them to do. They always come up with their own plan. They always come up with their own way, and they will never be under the authority of their boss. And it creates a really bad witness at your job site.

He says they are to be subject to their masters. Number two, oh, it's like the hits just keep coming. They are not to be argumentative. They are not to be argumentative. You know what argumentative means? Don't keep talking back. Boy, we could just do a whole lesson on that phrase right there, right? Like sometimes you just need to do your job and not tell why you don't like doing your job

or not tell why you think that the boss is wrong or why you think it's not gonna work. You just need to do what the boss tells you to do. If it doesn't work, who's the one that's gonna be held accountable for it? The guy that told you what to do. No, Ryan, they'll hold me accountable. Jesus knows. You have one job. Do what God's called you to do. And don't be argumentative about it, right?

So the third thing he says is not pilfering, not stealing. Do you know that the typical issue within the Roman Empire at that point in time with slaves was them stealing from their masters? Do you know that the slaves that brought the most money on the slave market were the Christian slaves? You know why? Because when they knew that they were a Christian, they knew that they were going to respect their master,

they knew that they were going to not talk back, and they knew that they were not going to steal from them because they held themselves to a higher accountability. And so I have a question for you. Is that you at work? Are you the person that doesn't steal from work? Do you clock in earlier than when you really start working? Well, listen, if I show up 10 minutes early,

I can clock in and I can sit and play solitaire on my computer for 10 minutes and I get it. By the end of the week, that's 50 minutes. That's almost an hour's worth of overtime. That's called stealing. Are you taking stuff home all the time? Oh, they won't miss that. Nobody ever misses those little things. Listen, it's stealing at some point in time. Or do you just plain show up and not do your job?

Because that's stealing. He says, if you're going to be a good employee, you can't pilfer. You can't be someone who's always stealing from the boss. Listen, we need to be those that hold ourselves to a higher accountability because, listen, we're held to a higher accountability. He says, tell them to not be pilfering and tell them to show all good faith, to show their faith in everything

that they do. Why? So that they will adorn the doctrine of God, our Savior, in every respect. You know what that means? It means that they will decorate the doctrine of God in every respect. In other words, their lives will become like a decoration for the gospel. Not only is it amazing what Jesus is able to do for the gospel, but look at what the gospel produces

in the lives of people. I can see it because I can see the decoration of them all over the gospel of Jesus Christ. Brothers and sisters, godly thinking, godly teaching is only good if in our lives it produces godly conduct. And so this morning we've looked at the instructions. It's a lot to take in, but next week, tune in next time, because next week we'll look at the power that we have

to live out this godly conduct. Amen? Well, this morning is Communion Sunday, and so I'd like to invite the worship team to come on up. And before we partake together, I'm going to take just a few minutes to discuss what communion is. And so as always, nothing too new here. As always, inside of these trays are some cups that are stacked on top of each other.

Of course, the top cup has the juice in it, the bottom cup has the cracker in it. As always, in and of themselves, pretty insignificant items that don't have much meaning in and of themselves, apart from what they represent for us as believers in Jesus Christ as we partake of this meal together. Because what they represent for us is something incredibly spiritual, something incredibly meaningful, and something incredibly deep. Because that cracker represents the body of Jesus Christ.

On that last great night of the feast when Jesus took that bread and he broke it, he said, this is my body, which is broken for you. And we're reminded that that's exactly what took place for Jesus, that his body was pierced, his body was striped, his body was broken for us, for the penalty of our sins that was laid upon him. Because by his stripes we are healed. So every time we partake in that little cracker, we are reminded and we proclaim the death of Jesus Christ, that his body was broken for us.

And inside that little cup with the juice is representative of the blood of Jesus Christ. Jesus took that cup, that last cup of the Passover feast, the cup of redemption, and he said, this is the cup of my blood that is spilled for you. And so we are reminded when we partake in that juice that the blood of Jesus Christ is what covers our sins. It's what cleanses us as white as snow.

It's what makes us brand new. It is the declaration of the one hope that we have. And that's that the body and the blood of Jesus are now a part of who we are by faith. And so we partake in them to be reminded of the fact that we are part of the one hope that we have, is Jesus and his shed blood for us. And so we are told to make sure that we do that in a worthy manner.

And so again, if you're here this morning and you're not a believer in Jesus Christ, this meal won't mean anything to you. So it's a good time to make sure that that part of your life is right with him. And it's as simple as believing that the sacrifice of Jesus Christ is enough and repenting of your sins. And as you do so, he will come and make his home inside of you.

And it will be rolled to you like it does to us. But for those of us that are believers in Jesus Christ, to partake of it worthily means to know what it means to understand the gravity of this meal that we partake in. But also to make sure that there is nothing that separates us right now from the Lord. That there is nothing that is broken fellowship that needs to be restored.

Because broken fellowship can only be restored through confession. Not to me, but to Jesus, our one true high priest. So as they sing this last song and as the ushers come forward to hand out the elements I would just ask that you would allow the Lord to do whatever work in your heart needs to be done this morning. And as you receive your elements if you would stand and we'll all partake together.

Would you bow with me? Father we come to you now. And Lord I thank you for the body of Jesus Christ that was broken for us. Lord wounded for our transgressions, bruised for our iniquities. The punishment for our peace laid upon you. And by your stripes we're healed. Father we thank you for the body of Jesus Christ broken for us. Father I thank you for the blood of

Jesus Christ that is shed for us. Lord shed for the forgiveness of sins. Lord able to take the greatest stains and make it as white as snow. Father the blood that flowed from the side of Jesus Lord. I thank you for the shed blood of Jesus Christ. And Father as we partake in this now I pray that we would always keep in mind Lord the gravity of the meal. And Lord

that as we proclaim this death and as we proclaim the fact that taking you in by faith is the only way that we can be saved. Lord may we truly grasp the great salvation that we have in you. In Jesus name. Amen. Let's partake. And if you'd bow with me one last time. Father be with us now as we go out from here. Father may your words sink deep into our hearts. Father may

we seek you and your strength. Lord may we seek you and your wisdom. And Lord may we live lives that honor you in everything that we do. In Jesus name. Amen. Be blessed.