Introduction

1. The home more than any other the place is where true Christianity is to be seen in action. The difference the gospel makes to your life must have a visible impact on your home. The greatest testimony to the power of the Gospel is seen in the relationships within the family. The importance of family life as an aspect of the Christian's witness can be seen in the Biblical requirement that an Elder must be a blameless man ‘the husband of one wife, having faithful children not accused of dissipation or insubordination' Titus 1:6. The importance of the Gospel's influence in home life can be seen in the way Paul describes the task that Titus needed to deal with in the congregations on the Island of Crete. The Christians on Crete needed to live a lifestyle that was in accord with sound doctrine. Titus needed to teach them how to live in the newness of life brought by the power of the gospel. The power of Christ's cross and crown needed to be evident in their lifestyles.
   
   
2. Listen to the instructions Paul gives in Titus 2:1-6,  

   ‘But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine: that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience; the older women likewise, that they be reverent in behaviour, not slanderers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things- that they admonish the young women to love their husbands, to love their children, to be discreet, chaste, homemakers, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be blasphemed. Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded.'

3. The Christian homes in Crete needed a reformation in their attitudes and relationships so that the Word of God would not be blasphemed. Paul gives instructions to Titus concerning older and younger men and women. Who falls in to the category of older men and women? You are an older person when you have problems with baldness, bifocals, bridges, and bulges. While we are not given a specific definition of what Paul means by older, we can glean a broad definition from the qualities he sets out for the various categories. As verse 4 tells us that younger women are married with children, we can conclude that the term younger does not fully correspond with our term youth. In very general terms older men and woman would be those with some married children. An older man therefore is one who is married and exercises headship over his family and is mature and experienced in his understanding of life. Similarly an older woman is one who is a married woman with some married children who from experience has learned how to be a loving wife and mother bringing honour to God in her conduct and in her submission to her husband. If we need to place an age on the matter of older and younger it would safe to say if you are forty something you have arrived or are moving into the category of the older.This morning we will focus our attention on what Paul sees as qualities lacking in older and younger men. Listen again to what Paul says on this matter:‘But as for you, speak the things which are proper for sound doctrine:^ that the older men be sober, reverent, temperate, sound in faith, in love, in patience,' ‘Likewise, exhort the young men to be sober-minded.' Paul lists six qualities that need to be promoted in men. The first three are outward qualities that need to be evident in their dealings with others. The second three are inward qualities that must rule and regulate their inner lives to the glory of God.

1. The fruit that sound doctrine needs to produce in younger and older men.

1. The characteristics needed to be found in men can be divided into two sets of three. The three outward qualities that need to be evident in men are sober, reverence and temperate.
1. The first outward quality that needs to be promoted in older men is that of being sober. The Greek word used by Paul is ‘nephaleos' which can be translated as - sober, vigilant, or moderate. This word literally means to free from intoxicants. We can be sure that the descriptive terms evil beasts and lazy gluttons included frequent bouts of excessive drinking. Like the Cretans we live in a society where the excessive use of alcohol creates extensive and serious social, health, psychological, and economic problems, but nothing is done to stop the abuse. Alcohol is abused by many to cope with life's pain, loneliness and frustration. Christians do not simply cope with life, but in the power of Christ live a God-centred life full of meaning and purpose. Christian men need to have full control over their mental faculties in order to glorify God. Living according to the Word by the power of the Spirit requires a clear mind which can discern the will of God and deliberately do it. A clear mind is needed if you are going to follow the injunction of Romans 12:2 which says, ‘Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable will of God.' On Crete the majority of men developed a dependency on alcohol as they got older. A Christian needs a sober mind to discern more clearly the things that are of the greatest importance and value. He needs to use his time, his money, and his energy more carefully and selectively than when he was unconverted.
   
   Turning his attention to younger men Paul tells Titus to promote sober-mindedness among them (Titus 2:6).  The problem Titus is to deal with is that young men are inclined to be reckless; they do not give enough thought to their words and actions. Concerning young men Matthew Henry says, ‘They are apt to be eager and hot, thoughtless and precipitant (Acting with or marked by impulsiveness in thought or action; rash); therefore they must be earnestly called upon and exhorted to be considerate, not rash; advisable and submissive, not willful and head-strong; humble and mild, not haughty and proud; for there are more young people ruined by pride than by any other sin.' John Calvin thought young men needed to regulate themselves according to the Word and not follow the desires of the flesh. In today's terms Paul is telling Titus to get young men to ‘grow up' to stop being ‘childish' and to be more ‘mature' and exercise self-control. In a number of advertisements men are portrayed a being silly, immature, self-centred or a bit slow - I find it ironic that this is particularly the case in beer ads. Too much beer brings out the ugliness of the sinful nature. Young men seem to be less mature than young women. Titus must teach sound doctrine to promote responsibility, accountability, reliability and thoughtfulness in young men. Obviously you cannot be sober-minded if you are intoxicated - young men and alcohol are a bad mix. Christians need to regulate themselves by leaning on the Holy Spirit and using the Word to think about what they say or do. The mind is the control room of the individual. A self-controlled mind draws behaviour into line. How does one develop self-control of the mind? The link between the heart and mind must never be forgotten. A heart that truly loves the Lord promotes thoughts about pleasing God. As self-control is also a fruit of the Holy Spirit we can rightly expect him to be at work in believers to promote self-control.
   
   
2. Reverence is the second quality that needs to be promoted. The Greek word ‘semnos' can also be translated as honest, serious, or dignified. The translators of the New Living Bible use the term worthy of respect. This is a difficult word to translate as it has a general rather than a specific meaning. This is not the quality of being dour which means silently ill-humoured, gloomy, cheerless, glum and morose. The modern equivalent to the Greek word is probably the phrase cool, calm and collected, which means to behave in a composed and appropriate manner under pressure. This quality does not mean the absence of fun and laughter both can be enjoyed at the proper time and place.
   
   
3. Temperate is the third quality Paul wants Titus to promote in older men. The Greek word ‘sophron' has also been translated as self-controlled or sensible. This is the quality that develops when a man is no longer ruled by his passions, feelings and emotions, but by deliberate submission to the word. This is not a rash, reckless or impulsive man. In 1 Corinthians 9:27 Paul says, ‘But I discipline my body and bring it into subjection, lest, when I have preached to others, I myself should become disqualified.' Paul controls his lifestyle in such a way that no one can accuse him of preaching the gospel while contradicting it by the life he leads. Paul exerts himself physically and mentally for the benefit of the gospel; he shows his listeners that what he preaches to them is a reality in his personal life. This is the kind of self-control Paul wants Titus to promote in older men.
   
   
2. The three inner qualities that need to be evident in older men are sound in the faith, love and patience.
1. The first inner quality that needs to be promoted is being sound in the faith. The word sound means to be fully functional and operational. To be sound in faith means to constantly walk in the presence of God with a conscious dependence upon him and his rich grace. A sound faith is a faith that is so full of the glory of God that it crushes all pride and produces holy humility. This is an unshakeable trust in God and his word. When trouble comes like a tidal wave a sound faith clings to the sovereignty of God and looks to him for grace. When life and limb are threatened sound faith fixes its eye on the Author and Finisher of the faith. When Satan comes with subtle accusations and uses every trick in the book to sow seeds of doubt sound faith flees to Christ's blood and righteousness. When the fight against temptation rages at its fiercest sound faith answers with divine authority it is written. Sound faith is not a feeling, but a conviction and certainty in the trustworthiness of the only true and living God.
   
   
2. Titus must also have older men promote sound love for God and his people. We all know the commandment Jesus gave to his disciples in John 13:34-35 ‘A new commandment I give to you, that you love one another; as I have loved you, that you also love one another. By this all will know that you are My disciples, if you have love for one another' yet we make very little effort to put it into practice. You show love through deliberate action that denies yourself for the sake of the other person. Our love for one another ought to be constant rather than evident only in times of God's dark providence. The standard of the quality and quantity of our love is set by Jesus' love for us. Love more than anything else works in opposition to self-centredness. Love if correctly understood focuses on the object of love and not self. Love always carries a cost and believers are prepared to exercise love even when the cost is great and calls for sacrifices to be made. We need to recognise that the proper exercise of love is not a natural thing. By nature we are self-centred and self-serving which leads us to use and take from others to meet our own desires - loving is not taking and using, but serving and giving. If love came naturally Paul would not urge Titus to promote the exercise of love among older men and young women. Young women according Titus 2:4 are to be encouraged to love their husbands and children. We need to remind ourselves often that the exercise of love does not come naturally to us.
   
   
3. The third inner-quality that Titus needs to promote is sound endurance. Translators have also used the words patience and steadfastness to translate this Greek word ‘hupomone'. The meaning of the word is best gleaned from its technical use - it was used to describe the ability of a plant to live under extreme and harsh conditions. Think of cacti growing in the desert, the temperatures are extreme, rainfall is minimal, the soil is impoverished, yet the cacti not only survive, but flourish, flower and multiply. It is a description of joyful tenacity. It is not the patience that sits down and bows its head and passively endures all the hardships of life, nor is it the patience that grits its teeth and grimly waits for the storm to pass. It is the spirit that bears all things not with a fatalistic resignation, but with hopeful expectation; it is the spirit that perseveres because it knows the Lord is in control and that the ultimate goal is the glory of God. Paul captures the concept behind this word when talking about all our troubles and hardships on earth when he says, ‘For our light affliction, which is but for a moment, is working for us a far more exceeding and eternal weight of glory, while we do not look at the things which are seen, but at the things which are not seen. For the things which are seen are temporary, but the things which are not seen are eternal, (2 Corinthians 4:17-18).' This virtue enables one to look with the eyes of faith beyond the present to the glory of being with the Lord. This is the virtue Joshua needed when he was told to be strong and very courageous. This virtue is seen in Stephen who even while being stoned to death for proclaiming the truth, prays for the forgiveness of his killers. This virtue is found in a Christian who has passed through many trials and learnt from experience that the Lord is always faithful and true. Experience has taught them to fix their eyes on the Lord and not on the troubles they are passing through. This is the confidence Paul expresses when in Romans 8:27 he says referring to the worst possible trials, ‘Yet in all these things we are more than conquerors through Him who loved us.' Those who are more than conquerors are victors who rejoice with exceeding joy.

2. The obstacles sound doctrine must overcome in order to produce these fruits.

1. There are some Christians who think that temptation to sin decreases as you get older. Solomon had the reputation of being the wisest man in the world, yet in 1 Kings 11:4-5 we read, ‘For it was so, when Solomon was old, that his wives turned his heart after other gods; and his heart was not loyal to the Lord his God, as was the heart of his father David.^ For Solomon went after Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians and after Milcom the abomination of the Ammonites. Solomon did evil in the sight of the Lord, and did not fully follow the Lord, as did his father David.' Rather than blame Solomon's foreign wives for leading him astray, take note that it was Solomon's heart that was not loyal to the Lord his God. In his youth Solomon's heart remained steadfast in the Lord, but in his old age his dedication to the only true and living God collapsed. Old age brought temptations to Solomon's heart that were more powerful than those he knew in his youth. Never think that older people have fewer temptations. Sound doctrine must counter all false perceptions concerning the real on-going struggle believers have with sin - sin that dwells within and the temptation to sin that comes from without. Our fight against sin is real and we must be relentless in the fight against it.
   


2. We need to recognise that our spiritual lives need constant attention even though we have been born from above our hearts are still inclined to be fickle. We are still inclined to fall back on habits learned when the sinful nature was in control. The Cretans had a very low moral base and so self-control or self-discipline were not virtues found often among men. Sinful habits abounded as the culture on Crete promoted a very permissive, self-indulgent, and pleasure orientated way of life. Breaking bad habits is always very difficult, as a habit becomes a kind of reflex or programmed response and it is done without thought. Living according to habits is like cruising on auto-pilot, it is an easy life. We need to take ownership of our fickle hearts and commit ourselves more to doing what the Word of God says. Paul tells Titus to encourage believers on Crete to break free from their past way of life and live according to the Word by the power of the Spirit.

    

3. The third obstacle that needs to be overcome by sound doctrine is contentment with partial obedience. In the Lord's Prayer we are taught to prayer ‘Thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven'. The angels obey completely, omitting no aspect of the Lord's command. We are inclined to do God's will in halves, we pick and choose what and how we obey. Listen to Thomas Watson, ‘Some will pray, but not give alms; some hear the word, but do not forgive their enemies; others receive the sacrament, but do not make restitution...Hypocrites profess fair, but when it comes to sacrificing the Isaac, crucifying the beloved sin, or parting with some of their estate for Christ, they pause and say with Naaman, "In this thing the Lord pardon his servant."' Our obedience needs to be thoroughgoing and done with all the heart. We need to be fully committed to obeying all God's commands.

Conclusion

All Christians are a work in progress; we are being perfected for heaven. Fighting sin is a task we need to give ourselves to everyday for God's glory. May God give us grace to see our sinfulness and truly repent and strive to overcome sin. As we are in the process of being made more like Christ, we need to strive to put off sinful and put on godliness in our thoughts words and deeds.