Sermon Tone Analysis

The 21st Century Woman of Grace:

Not Slanderers—Speaking Gracefully in a Graceless World

Titus 2:3b

As we open to Titus 2, at this very moment, Satan is roaming the Earth trying to mess up God’s plan.

His methods of attack are very focused, and are revealed in God's Word by his many names.

Each of Satan’s well-known names describes a facet of his evil plan.

He is called:

• Lucifer the Cherub who fell because he proudly wanted to share in God’s glory;

• Satan the constant Adversary of God’s plans and people;

• The Serpent from of Old who deceived Eve in the Garden of Eden;

• The Dragon who relentless seeks to destroy Israel the Chosen People of God;

• The Deceiver who enslaves the minds and hearts of the whole world;

• The Murderer from the Beginning who came to kill, to steal, and destroy; and

• The Roaring Lion who seeks to devour the unsuspecting believer.

But today, as we gather in Christ's Church, the most unsuspecting and damaging of all his names, is also the method Satan brings perhaps greatest damage to Christ's church.

That other name of his is The Devil, diabolous or literally:

The Slandering

Accuser

God's Word shows us how Satan accuses believers before God’s Throne in Job 1. Jesus stands at the Right Hand of the Father, and as our Great Intercessor and Advocate, defends us.

But sadly, Satan has enlisted many helpers, in his attack on Christ's Church.

Almost all of them are unsuspecting of the terrible part they play in destroying the effectiveness of believers, church leaders, and entire churches.

In fact, after 30 plus years as a minister of God's Word I have never seen anything as deadly to the church as the Devil, the Slanderer, enlisting gossiping believers to become tools in his hands to slander other believers, tear down the Biblical leaders in Christ's church, and by their accusations, neutralize an entire local church.

That danger is what leads us to Paul’s words in Titus 2:3.

As we stand this morning and read God’s amazing list of desires for all women, listen to His second expectation for the woman of grace who follows Christ:

Titus 2:3-5 the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things NKJV

Pray

Remember that God has shown us what spiritual maturity looks like; and His description is not vague.

A godly, spiritually mature woman can be seen in the ways she corresponds to the clear expectations that God has told us are His desires for every woman.

These areas that a woman can choose to focus upon gradually shape her life into becoming more and more a:

Godly Woman of

Influence

Titus was instructed to be sure that the women of grace are tuned to what God considers most meaningful and profitable for Christ's church.

God says, be sure that each of the older women is taught that these five qualities are to become the life-long priorities for all grace-energized women.

v. 3 “…the older women likewise, that they be”:

1. “Reverent in behavior” as the Greek word ieroprepeis katastematai is rendered in the NKJV, ESV, NAS, and NIV.

The only church-wide curriculum for women starts with this call for all women to behave as representatives of God.

This means that our God desires that every woman in Christ's church: Live Holy in an Unholy World;

2. “Not slanderers” as the Greek words me diabolous are rendered in the NKJV, ESV, and NIV; and “not malicious gossips” in the NAS.

God is looking for godly, mature women who will never allow their speech to get hijacked by the ultimate terrorist.

God desires that all women be known as those that Speak Gracefully in a Graceless World;

3.

Not Given to Much Wine: Disciplining appetites in an undisciplined world

4. Teachers of Good Things: Modeling Godliness in an ungodly world

5. Admonish: Investing in others in a detached world

That second quality, the Greek word translated “slanderers” here in Titus 2:3 is diabolous, which is the very name of Satan, used of him 34 times in the New Testament.

Satan has always been a false accuser; and so each time he incites a believer to do the same, they are doing Satan’s work.

Satan is the ultimate source of all evil, the root of all wrong behavior; and since the tongue is capable of causing great evil, Satan is always close at hand.

The essence of what Titus was told to teach was that godly Titus 2 women are never to surrender their tongues to the devil.

That means we all need to think carefully about:

The Power of

Our Words

With this second quality for women of grace, Paul turns the spotlight on the hardest member of the body to control: our tongue.

Twice in his epistles Paul targets a woman’s habits of their speech, saying it is a spiritual qualifier or disqualifier.

Though this is a universal problem we all face, Paul specifically says to women who want to serve Christ's church—“Guard those tongues”.

Look back at I Timothy 3:11.

1 Timothy 3:11 “Women must likewise be dignified, not malicious gossips, but temperate, faithful in all things.”

(NAS).

John MacArthur as he taught through this verse makes this concluding observation:

“Whereas men tend to be rough or violent in their actions, women have a tendency to be rough or violent in their words.

Older women who find themselves with time on their hands can be tempted to allow their conversations to lead to gossip, criticism, and slander”.

Now turn towards the end of your Bible, a few pages, to James 3. In this very first of the New Testament books written to Christ's Church, James the earthly brother of Jesus explained that our words and our talking can be either the most constructive or the most destructive of all our activities.

James tells us that a tongue out of control indicates a life out of control.

He goes on to warn how huge can be the damage of uncontrolled words.

James 3:2, 6 For we all stumble in many things.

If anyone does not stumble in word, he is a perfect man, able also to bridle the whole body.

6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity.

The tongue is so set among our members that it defiles the whole body, and sets on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire by hell (NKJV).

Note that God reveals through James, that ultimately, the source of all wickedness, especially of an uncontrolled tongue, is hell, or the Devil himself.

Never, ever forget that: Satan is the one who stands at the root of all gossip, behind each lie, in the midst of all harmful talk, and around every single word of slander.

If your words are damaging the reputation and/or the ministry of another believer, you have unwittingly become a tool of the devil.

We must always remember that:

Satan’s Goal is to

Infect our Communication

Right after James’ discussion of the tongue in 3:2 and 6, he explains in v. 15-16 that our motivation for what we say can either comes from below (Satan’s realm) or above (God’s realm).

We can tell where the words emanated from by the results of our words and actions.

Note his warning in James 3:15-16:

This wisdom does not descend from above, but is earthly, sensual, demonic.

16 For where envy and self-seeking exist, confusion and every evil thing are there (NKJV).

Whenever what we say causes this list of woes from James 3:15-16: “jealousy, selfish ambition, disorder, envy and every evil practice” God hasn’t prompted our words.

We are not walking in the Spirit.

We are not energized by His grace.

When our flesh prompts us to try to outdo someone, or show them up, sooner or later we will descend into the devil’s desires.

James goes on in v. 17-18 to frame the work of grace in our lives that God desires.

We all should be asking of the Lord on a daily, then on a moment-by-moment basis for His control of our tongues.

This is what the thoughts, words, and deeds of everyone who wants to please the Lord should look like:

James 3:17-18 But the wisdom that is from above is first pure, then peaceable, gentle, willing to yield, full of mercy and good fruits, without partiality and without hypocrisy.

18 Now the fruit of righteousness is sown in peace by those who make peace (NKJV).

To avoid being an unsuspecting tool in the hands of the devil, be sure that what you say is made up of: absolutely pure words, words that lead to peaceable responses, gentle words, words that don’t hammer people but are willing to yield, and words that are full of mercy.

This is God’s desire for your words before you say them—but if your words are less than this, you will severely lessen your ministry effectiveness as a godly Titus 2 woman!

What is the antidote to bad habits of saying words that do the work of the Devil?

Turn to the middle of your Bible, and find the 141st Psalm.

Make sure that some of the most crucial verses about regulating your tongue are marked, highlighted, and on the list of verses you really want to memorize.

God’s desire for each of us is that we all make Psalm 141:3-4 a habit; and each of us is to pause before we speak and be sure that we set a guard at the door of our mouth.

Psalm 141:3-4 Set a guard, O LORD, over my mouth; Keep watch over the door of my lips.

4 Do not incline my heart to any evil thing, to practice wicked works with men who work iniquity; And do not let me eat of their delicacies.

Now slip back to Psalm 39, where David is even more to the point.

Here is what we all should cry to God:

Psalm 39 (NKJV) To the Chief Musician.

To Jeduthun.

A Psalm of David. 1 I said, “I will guard my ways, Lest I sin with my tongue; I will restrain my mouth with a muzzle, While the wicked are before me.”

David was the man after God’s own heart because he was willing to surrender his words to the Lord!