Sermon Tone Analysis

Titus 2:1-8.

"The Character of a Healthy Church".

Safe Haven Community Church.

Sunday October 24th, 2021

Titus 2:1-8.

But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.

2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. 3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine.

They are to teach what is good, 4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.

7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, 8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.

(ESV)

Manufactures, distributors, shippers and consumers are all realizing the effects of present product disruptions.

Supply chain disruptions have affected the manufacturing and distribution of almost everything.

People are warning of shortages of goods, and we see it in the delay in receiving orders and increased costs all around us.

When supply chain disruptions are almost universal, it is foolish to think that almost everyone will not be affected.

It would be selfish to only look to the here and now and not concern ourselves with solving broader problems.

Like a leak in the far end of a boat, it is foolish to think that the problem will not eventually reach us.

As Christians who interact with the world, it is all too easy to get an immediate, consumer mentality even when thinking about the things of ministry.

"The Character of a Healthy Church" is one where people of all age groups need to stop thinking as consumers and having their individual needs met, and each person start thinking as ministers, to take personal responsibility to solve problems and look for opportunities to serve.

A church needs both the old and the young, and they should minister to one another.

The grace of God enables us to bridge the generation gap in the church.

One way to do this is for all members, young and old, to live up the standards that God has set for our lives (Wiersbe, W. W. (1996).

The Bible exposition commentary (Vol.

2, p. 264).

Wheaton, IL: Victor Books.).

In Titus 2, the subject changes from pastors to congregations, from leadership to laity.

The entire chapter deals with the evangelistic impact of a spiritually healthy congregation and gives direct, practical instruction about how believers are to live for the purpose of showing sinners the power and joy of salvation.

What is true of individual believers is, of course, also true of the church as a body.

A church that is grounded in spiritual truth and protected from spiritual falsehood is to be spiritually healthy and productive through the way in which its members live.

The fruit of right doctrine is righteous living.

The opening works in verse 1 "But as for you" indicates a transition by contrast between the false teachers in the churches, who, although they professed to know God, denied Him by their unholy living and were therefore "detestable and disobedient, and worthless for any good deed" (Titus 1:16).

Those men had been tested and found to be useless, even dangerous.

The pronoun You is intended to emphasize that Titus belongs to a very different category from the trouble-makers.

It is hardly correct to claim, as many scholars do, that the writer merely denounces heresy, for in this case he clearly believes that truth is the best antidote to error (Guthrie, D. (1990).

Pastoral Epistles: An Introduction and Commentary (Vol.

14, pp.

212-213).

Downers Grove, IL: InterVarsity Press.).

Titus therefore was commissioned by Paul, and by extension all believers, to challenge their false teaching and false living and to teach/speak what accords/the things which are fitting for sound doctrine, in order to strengthen the testimony of the churches for the gospel of salvation.

This teaching translates a present imperative of laleō, which refers to ordinary conversation.

The present tense carries the idea of continuity and persistence, and the imperative makes the verb a command.

Titus, and the elders he appointed (1:5), were commanded to teach/speak about right living as well as right doctrine.

They were not to deviate, capitulate, or be intimidated.

They were to be as aggressive in their teaching of sound doctrine and its corresponding godly lifestyle as the false teachers in the Cretan churches were in their unsound doctrine and its consequent ungodly lifestyle.

Sound translates a participle form of the verb hugiainō, which has the basic meaning of "being well and healthy" and is the term from which we derive "hygiene."

The Elders are to give regular and careful pastoral instruction about practical Christian living and about the godly attitudes and actions that result from believing and obeying divine truth.

They were to live lives that properly reflected their salvation from sin and were a worthy affirmation of the transforming power of their Savior.

The gospel and its implications must be articulated.

It is important to note that the apostle is not here focusing on the teaching and preaching of sound doctrine itself, as he does in 1:9.

He is rather focusing on practical instruction about what accords with/the things which are fitting for, that is, based on and appropriate to, the sound doctrine that already has been taught.

Prepō (what accords with/fitting) carries the basic meaning of "being prominent or conspicuous" and came to be used of a distinguishing characteristic.

It represents that which is fitting, appropriate, proper, seemly.

Truth requires certain behaviors that reflect and are appropriate to it (cf.

Eph.

5:3).

(Utley, R. J. (2000).

Paul's Fourth Missionary Journey: I Timothy, Titus, II Timothy (Vol.

Volume 9, p. 106).

Marshall, Texas: Bible Lessons International).

In Titus 2:2-8, the Holy Spirit prescribes a series of binding requirements that are necessary for members of a healthy church to have an evangelistic impact.

The injunctions in verses 2-10 are strong, straightforward, and specific.

Because they are so contrary to proud and self-willed human nature, they often have been unpopular and controversial, even in the church as a whole.

At no time have they been more unpopular and controversial than in many churches today, where personal opinion and cultural standards take precedence over God's truth and self-fulfillment is more important than holy living.

"The Character of a Healthy Church" is reflected here in patterns of holy living that make for effective witness.

They are here given as the distinguishing marks of the Christian groups addressed to: 1) Older Men (Titus 2:2), 2) Older Women (Titus 2:3-4a), 3) Young Women (Titus 2:4b-5), and 4) Young Men (Titus 2:6-8).

"The Character of a Healthy Church" that has an effective witness strives for holiness from:

1) Older Men (Titus 2:2),

Titus 2:2 2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.

(ESV)

Old age is often associated with such things as maturity, wisdom, and patience (cf.

Job 12:12).

But that is not always the case.

Increased age typically brings decreased energy, diminished vision and hearing, more aches and pains, and often more depression, hopelessness, and cynicism.

The instruction here to Older men translates the single Greek term presbutēs, which Paul used of himself (Philem.

9) when he was in his sixties.

As Paul's injunctions in this verse indicate, even older men sometimes need to be admonished to exemplify certain basic virtues.

All older men are to live holy, exemplary lives before the Lord, before the church, and before the world.

They are to abandon the recklessness, impetuosity, thoughtlessness, and instability that are characteristic of youth.

In Paul's first-century AD context, this refers to men over age 50 (Barry, J. D., Mangum, D., Brown, D. R., Heiser, M. S., Custis, M., Ritzema, E., ... Bomar, D. (2012, 2016).

Faithlife Study Bible (Tt 2:2).

Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press.)

First, they are to be sober-minded/temperate.

The adjective (nēphalios) carries the root idea of being free from intoxication.

In the New Testament it is used metaphorically of someone who is moderate ((1 Cor.

15:34; cf. 1 Pet.

1:13; 4:7; 1 Tim.

3:2, 11).

A sober-minded/temperate person avoids extravagance and over-indulgence.

The sober-minded/temperate older man is able to discern more clearly which things are of the greatest importance and value.

He uses his time, his money, and his energy more carefully and selectively than when he was younger and less mature.

His priorities are in the right order, and he is satisfied with fewer and simpler things.

Older men should first strive to be examples that personify these qualities, applying their discernment in collective decision making and help prioritize the use of time, talent, physical resources.

In order to do these things, one must be sober-minded/temperate for being under the control of substances, including excessive drinking (along with gluttony) was often the prelude to the display of other vices following the dinners and banquets that instruction such as this aimed to discourage (Towner, P. H. (2006).

The Letters to Timothy and Titus (p.

720).

Grand Rapids, MI: Wm.

B. Eerdmans Publishing Co.).

Second, older men are to be dignified.

Semnos (dignified) originally carried the idea of revered and venerable, but later came to be used generally of a person or thing that is honorable.

The word does not carry the idea of arrogance or high class but of somberness in its best sense.

The dignified person is never frivolous, trivial, or superficial.

He never laughs at immorality, vulgarity, or anything else that is sinful and ungodly.

Nor does he laugh at that which is tragic or at the expense of others.

In an era of over casualness, the godly older person will recognize the gravity of situations, and sensitively honor what or who properly is due reverence.