WEBVTT 00:00:18.160 --> 00:00:24.160 I invite you to open your Bibles to the passage we just read, Titus chapter 2. 00:00:25.199 --> 00:00:27.199 There should be a Bible in front of you. 00:00:27.440 --> 00:00:36.880 I do encourage you to open the Bible because I want you to see that what I am saying is found in the Word of God, and we're going to go uh we're going through this chapter verse by verse. 00:00:37.039 --> 00:00:39.679 So as you're turning there, let me pray one more time. 00:00:40.479 --> 00:00:54.240 Heavenly Father, we pray that if there's anyone here who does not know Christ as their Lord and Savior, who might know the truth intellectually, but has never actually rested in Christ. 00:00:55.920 --> 00:01:01.119 I pray, Lord, that you would open their eyes to the truth and that you would bring them into the kingdom this morning. 00:01:01.280 --> 00:01:06.879 We pray, Lord, that you would sanctify all of us as we study your word. 00:01:07.200 --> 00:01:12.400 Pray, Lord, for a special power and anointing this morning as I preach your word. 00:01:13.040 --> 00:01:15.200 We pray this in Christ's name. 00:01:15.680 --> 00:01:16.319 Amen. 00:01:17.840 --> 00:01:22.640 Well, I said last week that we had the Father's Day message come early. 00:01:22.799 --> 00:01:34.239 This is the Mother's Day message come late, because we are we are studying how godly women are to be in the church. 00:01:34.400 --> 00:01:38.400 And this is part of a series that we're looking at in Titus chapter 2. 00:01:39.359 --> 00:01:47.359 In the book of Titus, Paul is giving Titus instructions on how he is to teach and build up the churches. 00:01:47.439 --> 00:02:06.959 And what Paul is saying to Titus is that in all these churches on this island of Crete, there is to be a distinct culture within the church, that the church is to look different from the world, because the church is a reflection of the kingdom of God here on earth. 00:02:07.200 --> 00:02:13.120 And I might say that I really think one of the problems with the American church is how worldly it is. 00:02:13.680 --> 00:02:23.919 That in so many ways the church looks just like the world and even plays secular music at times and all these things. 00:02:24.000 --> 00:02:30.639 And I think what has happened in our society as America has become more secularized. 00:02:30.800 --> 00:02:33.280 And that word secular means godless. 00:02:33.599 --> 00:02:39.439 As our society has become more secularized, the churches have become more secularized. 00:02:39.680 --> 00:02:42.479 It's like the churches have moved away from this ideal. 00:02:42.560 --> 00:02:50.159 But what Paul is telling Titus is that in the church there is to be a reflection of the kingdom of God here on earth. 00:02:50.400 --> 00:02:54.400 The church is to be an embassy of the kingdom of God. 00:02:54.800 --> 00:03:00.000 And one of the ways that's reflected is in the character of the people within the church. 00:03:00.159 --> 00:03:02.000 So last week we looked at older men. 00:03:02.159 --> 00:03:06.800 This week we're going to look at older women and younger women. 00:03:07.039 --> 00:03:16.719 But what Paul says generally, these are some general presuppositions, and we we looked at these last week, but if you weren't here, I'm going to cover them very briefly because they're important. 00:03:17.120 --> 00:03:26.159 But what Paul says is that the character of the believers, those in the church, demonstrates that they are citizens of the kingdom of God. 00:03:26.639 --> 00:03:30.560 Your character should demonstrate that you are a citizen of the kingdom of God. 00:03:30.719 --> 00:03:34.879 So if you look at verse 12 of Titus 2, look at verse 12. 00:03:41.680 --> 00:03:46.800 You renounce the passions of the world to live self-controlled. 00:03:46.879 --> 00:03:56.000 That word is used especially regarding sexual purity, self-controlled, upright and godly lives in the present age. 00:03:56.240 --> 00:04:09.759 I read earlier this week in 1 Thessalonians 2.12, Paul says, We exhorted each one of you and encouraged you and charged you to walk in a manner worthy of God, who calls us into his own kingdom and glory. 00:04:10.000 --> 00:04:16.720 So there it is, Paul saying that the grace of God teaches you to live different from the world. 00:04:17.360 --> 00:04:26.480 Secondly, the purpose of Christ's death was to redeem a distinct people. 00:04:27.279 --> 00:04:40.480 We talk about justification, and justification is the reality that in Christ, all those who come to Christ in faith are forgiven of their sins and declared righteous because of the imputed righteousness of Christ. 00:04:40.720 --> 00:04:48.639 That's the doctrine of justification, that God declares you forgiven, God declares you righteous in Christ by faith. 00:04:48.959 --> 00:04:56.879 But Jesus not only purchased your justification at the cross, he also purchased your sanctification. 00:04:57.120 --> 00:05:04.959 And the moment you become a Christian, the Holy Spirit begins to do this work of making you more like Christ. 00:05:05.360 --> 00:05:08.079 And that is called sanctification. 00:05:08.319 --> 00:05:15.120 So if you look at verse 14, notice that Paul attributes your sanctification to the work of Christ on the cross. 00:05:15.360 --> 00:05:18.639 Jesus gave himself for us to redeem us. 00:05:18.720 --> 00:05:27.519 Look at this, from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. 00:05:27.680 --> 00:05:28.800 Did you notice all that? 00:05:29.040 --> 00:05:30.800 We get this backwards all the time. 00:05:30.959 --> 00:05:36.079 People think that becoming a Christian means that you clean up your life to come to Christ. 00:05:36.240 --> 00:05:37.040 No, no, no. 00:05:37.199 --> 00:05:40.639 You come to Christ and then he cleans up your life. 00:05:41.439 --> 00:05:46.000 So that is the transforming power of the gospel. 00:05:48.160 --> 00:05:51.279 The gospel sanctifies you. 00:05:52.399 --> 00:06:10.720 And if you get this wrong, what you're going to do is you're just going to do a lot of behavioral modification to try to become a Christian without realizing that Jesus Christ and the power of the gospel, when we say the gospel, we're talking about Jesus' death, burial, and resurrection, his righteous life. 00:06:11.199 --> 00:06:16.079 That power that's in the gospel is a transforming power. 00:06:16.639 --> 00:06:23.519 If anyone is in Christ, new creation, the old has passed away and the new has come. 00:06:23.680 --> 00:06:32.399 And so when you come to Christ in faith, in repentance, the Holy Spirit transforms your life. 00:06:33.040 --> 00:06:39.040 And that power was purchased by Christ at the cross. 00:06:39.439 --> 00:06:50.319 And I emphasize this because sometimes I think people say, Yeah, yeah, I believe the gospel, but then I need this counseling program to clean up my life, or I need this to clean up my life. 00:06:50.399 --> 00:06:51.120 No, no, no. 00:06:51.279 --> 00:06:52.720 You need the gospel. 00:06:54.319 --> 00:06:56.399 You need to trust in Jesus Christ. 00:06:56.480 --> 00:07:12.639 And then that power begins this process of transformation, which leads to the third presupposition we have to understand is that God, the Holy Spirit, works this transformation in your life experientially, not just theoretically. 00:07:12.959 --> 00:07:15.199 That you really do become a new person. 00:07:15.360 --> 00:07:23.680 We looked at Ezekiel 36 last week, that you have a new heart, that you have a desire to please God, you have new affections. 00:07:23.920 --> 00:07:27.360 Paul says in 1 Corinthians 2, you have the mind of Christ. 00:07:27.439 --> 00:07:29.040 You begin to think differently. 00:07:29.279 --> 00:07:33.839 And of course, your mind needs to be renewed by the word of God. 00:07:34.240 --> 00:07:39.040 You have Ephesians 1.13, the sealing of the Holy Spirit. 00:07:39.199 --> 00:07:40.879 You've been sealed by the Holy Spirit. 00:07:40.959 --> 00:07:51.279 The Holy Spirit comes and takes residence in your life, and then you begin to be transformed by the power of the Holy Spirit. 00:07:52.160 --> 00:07:55.600 Therefore, fourth presupposition we looked at. 00:07:55.759 --> 00:08:08.800 If you look at all the imperatives in Titus about a kingdom culture in terms of the character qualities, it's not just something to do, it's people to become. 00:08:08.959 --> 00:08:09.680 Do you see that? 00:08:09.920 --> 00:08:11.680 He uses being verbs. 00:08:11.920 --> 00:08:13.120 Being verbs. 00:08:13.360 --> 00:08:14.160 Y'all remember this? 00:08:14.240 --> 00:08:17.680 The difference between action verbs and being verbs in your grammar class? 00:08:18.000 --> 00:08:20.399 Action verbs, this is what you do. 00:08:20.639 --> 00:08:23.680 Being verbs, this is who you are. 00:08:24.160 --> 00:08:25.839 Notice the being verbs. 00:08:26.000 --> 00:08:27.600 Older men are. 00:08:28.879 --> 00:08:31.439 Older women likewise are. 00:08:32.480 --> 00:08:33.440 He keeps going. 00:08:33.600 --> 00:08:35.200 Younger men are. 00:08:36.159 --> 00:08:37.039 You get the picture. 00:08:37.200 --> 00:08:38.960 It's being verbs. 00:08:39.279 --> 00:08:46.639 Point being, he's talking about further transformation, not just behavioral modification. 00:08:47.200 --> 00:08:52.399 And this transformation happens by the power of the Holy Spirit. 00:08:52.639 --> 00:08:55.759 Do you transform yourself or does the Holy Spirit transform you? 00:08:55.919 --> 00:09:03.759 The Holy Spirit transforms you through the work of the Word, through the work of the gospel. 00:09:04.000 --> 00:09:08.159 Of course, we have to be diligent to put ourselves underneath the word, don't we? 00:09:08.399 --> 00:09:10.799 But the Holy Spirit does this work of transformation. 00:09:11.759 --> 00:09:13.360 That's what we're all here for. 00:09:14.080 --> 00:09:17.039 None of us have arrived. 00:09:17.279 --> 00:09:22.480 None of us have completed that perfection where we're completely like Christ. 00:09:22.639 --> 00:09:28.159 We're all in this process of continual repentance to become more like Christ. 00:09:28.240 --> 00:09:31.120 And this process happens as we encounter God's word. 00:09:31.360 --> 00:09:34.639 And we say, Yep, I need to repent of that. 00:09:34.879 --> 00:09:36.480 I need to do more of that. 00:09:36.720 --> 00:09:41.360 And so that's what we're looking at as men and women. 00:09:41.519 --> 00:09:52.000 And then the fifth presupposition that we looked at last week is that depending on who God made you to be, your sanctification is going to flush out differently. 00:09:52.159 --> 00:09:56.639 It's going to look a little bit different depending on your biological sex. 00:09:56.799 --> 00:09:59.600 It's going to look different depending on your station. 00:09:59.679 --> 00:10:06.320 And so Paul gives distinct instructions regarding what this sanctification process looks like. 00:10:06.480 --> 00:10:08.960 And last week we looked at the older men. 00:10:09.279 --> 00:10:11.360 And we said that word older men. 00:10:11.519 --> 00:10:14.480 I got more feedback on this than perhaps anything else. 00:10:14.559 --> 00:10:21.039 That word older men applied to men 50 to 56 in Paul's day. 00:10:21.360 --> 00:10:26.559 And so I had so many men come up to me this past week and they say, I'm not an old man, I'm a historic man. 00:10:27.039 --> 00:10:28.559 I'm an ancient man. 00:10:28.720 --> 00:10:38.480 Well, you ladies are not off the hook either, because now he turns to you and he says, Older women, in verse 3. 00:10:38.720 --> 00:10:40.480 And again, I looked up this word. 00:10:40.639 --> 00:10:44.960 It was a this an older woman was a woman about 60. 00:10:46.879 --> 00:10:49.120 So there you have it. 00:10:49.279 --> 00:10:57.279 Obviously, the the uh the uh the the span of life was much shorter then. 00:10:58.080 --> 00:11:04.000 But ladies, some of you are older women, some of you are ancient women, right? 00:11:06.720 --> 00:11:21.120 But he says, look, this is what the character of an older woman is to be, and he gives three qualities, and then he tells them something to do. 00:11:21.679 --> 00:11:25.840 So the first quality is a general quality. 00:11:26.000 --> 00:11:28.399 In other words, I think this is overarching. 00:11:28.559 --> 00:11:32.080 This is a quality that encompasses everything else. 00:11:32.240 --> 00:11:36.799 In some ways, he could have just said this first quality and then left it at that, but he doesn't. 00:11:37.120 --> 00:11:44.480 He says in verse 3, older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior. 00:11:44.639 --> 00:11:45.840 This is the general quality. 00:11:46.000 --> 00:11:48.159 That word reverent, it's an interesting word. 00:11:48.399 --> 00:11:51.840 It's only used here in the entire New Testament. 00:11:52.080 --> 00:12:00.240 So it's very difficult to discern exactly what it means, but the origin of the word means priest-like. 00:12:01.200 --> 00:12:05.919 So if you think about a priest, what does a priestess do in the ancient Greek world? 00:12:06.080 --> 00:12:10.480 Well, a priestess was someone who served the gods. 00:12:11.200 --> 00:12:20.000 And Paul is saying that the older women are to be priest-like, they are to be servants of Yahweh. 00:12:20.080 --> 00:12:30.559 They are to be virtuous, they are to be pure, they are to be godly in all of their behavior, they are to fear God more than they fear men. 00:12:31.360 --> 00:12:41.440 And you think about examples throughout the scriptures, you think about Abigail, for example, David's wife, who was the wife of the fool, Nabal. 00:12:41.759 --> 00:12:45.759 And Nabal acted treacherously towards David. 00:12:45.919 --> 00:12:55.440 And Abigail intervened and brought David and his mighty men, supplies, and food and all these things, and prevented David from sinning. 00:12:55.519 --> 00:13:02.159 And she did this ultimately because she feared the Lord more than she feared her husband, more than she feared David. 00:13:03.039 --> 00:13:04.879 You think about Mary. 00:13:05.519 --> 00:13:06.879 What a remarkable woman. 00:13:06.960 --> 00:13:19.679 And of course, we we don't honor Mary as some sort of mediator between us and God, like some do, but we honor her nonetheless as the mother of our Lord. 00:13:19.759 --> 00:13:28.080 And it's an amazing her response when the angel appeared to her and told her that she would be pregnant as a virgin of the Messiah. 00:13:28.320 --> 00:13:36.080 Her response was this is in Luke 1:38 Behold, I am a servant of the Lord. 00:13:36.240 --> 00:13:38.960 I'm a doulos of the Lord, a slave of the Lord. 00:13:39.200 --> 00:13:43.039 Let it be according to your word. 00:13:44.799 --> 00:13:46.080 So that's the idea. 00:13:46.240 --> 00:13:58.080 That's the picture, is that you are a slave of the Lord, and that you're willing to serve Him and let your life be according to the Word of God. 00:13:58.159 --> 00:14:00.159 How countercultural is that? 00:14:01.279 --> 00:14:04.879 I mean, that that is otherworldly, literally. 00:14:06.320 --> 00:14:16.799 And so, similar to how the men we talked about being dignified last week, being serious, the only way to become reverent like this is to spend time with God. 00:14:17.840 --> 00:14:19.120 The only way. 00:14:19.759 --> 00:14:32.159 The only way is to put away your phone, put away the distractions, put away what the voices of the culture are saying, and to spend time with Almighty God. 00:14:32.960 --> 00:14:39.279 To go to the Lord in prayer, to go to the Lord in the word, to serve him. 00:14:40.159 --> 00:14:52.240 Elizabeth Elliott said, and I quote, I have one desire now to live a life of reckless abandon for the Lord, putting all my energy and strength into it. 00:14:53.279 --> 00:14:58.559 You know, I think sometimes we're we don't want to be seen as too extreme. 00:14:59.039 --> 00:15:01.519 I don't want to be that type of Christian. 00:15:01.759 --> 00:15:24.240 I want to be it, I want to be a Christian with decorum, and I want to be a Christian that's respected by the world, and and I and I have cogent arguments, and of course we want to have cogent arguments, but we must not be afraid to be shamed by the world for Christ, and to be truly a reverent, godly person. 00:15:24.399 --> 00:15:27.440 That's the that's the general picture. 00:15:28.559 --> 00:15:33.279 And then Paul gives two negatives, two negatives. 00:15:33.600 --> 00:15:41.440 He says in verse 3, look back at verse 3 not slanderers or slaves too much wine. 00:15:41.600 --> 00:15:49.360 Now this these are important qualities, important negatives, not slanderers. 00:15:49.519 --> 00:15:51.919 The word is diablos. 00:15:52.879 --> 00:15:56.159 And by the way, that's a title for Satan. 00:15:56.320 --> 00:16:06.000 Satan is called the Diablos, the slanderer, and this term is used 34 times in the New Testament to describe Satan. 00:16:06.639 --> 00:16:11.039 Slander, people think it's when you tell lies about someone else. 00:16:11.279 --> 00:16:15.120 And that's true, that's what slander is, telling lies about someone else. 00:16:15.279 --> 00:16:18.480 But slander can also be telling the truth about someone else. 00:16:19.360 --> 00:16:31.279 Slander is when you speak a word with the intention of hurting someone else, not building them up. 00:16:31.759 --> 00:16:33.840 What does Satan love to do? 00:16:34.159 --> 00:16:38.399 He loves to whisper things in your ear. 00:16:39.039 --> 00:16:44.240 He loves to come to God and say, think about this, what this person has done. 00:16:44.399 --> 00:16:46.320 What is he doing when he does that? 00:16:46.879 --> 00:16:48.559 He's slandering. 00:16:50.000 --> 00:17:03.200 So slandering, by definition, is a word that is spoken against someone with the intention of hurting or harming that person. 00:17:04.640 --> 00:17:07.680 James warns us, all of us. 00:17:08.160 --> 00:17:10.079 This is James 3, 5. 00:17:10.319 --> 00:17:14.720 He says, How great a forest is set ablaze by such a small fire. 00:17:15.039 --> 00:17:20.000 And the tongue is a fire, a world of unrighteousness. 00:17:20.240 --> 00:17:24.400 The tongue is set among our members, staining the whole body. 00:17:24.559 --> 00:17:32.880 Listen to that language, it stains the whole body, setting on fire the entire course of life and set on fire by hell. 00:17:33.119 --> 00:17:47.119 For every kind of beast and bird of reptile and sea creature can be tamed and has been tamed by mankind, but no human being can tame the tongue. 00:17:48.160 --> 00:17:50.240 How many times have you found that to be true? 00:17:51.119 --> 00:17:54.480 Man, I wish I would not have said that. 00:17:55.119 --> 00:17:58.960 I hope that does not get back to him or her. 00:18:20.079 --> 00:18:21.759 Isn't that interesting? 00:18:22.640 --> 00:18:23.599 Language. 00:18:23.920 --> 00:18:26.000 That it's full of poison. 00:18:26.960 --> 00:18:34.000 That your words can cause emotional bitterness in someone's life. 00:18:34.079 --> 00:18:35.759 And that's often what slander does. 00:18:35.920 --> 00:18:51.279 That's the danger of slander is that you can speak a word against someone, and then they bring it into their soul, and it causes them to be now embittered against someone else. 00:18:51.440 --> 00:18:54.400 For example, this is Proverbs 18, 8. 00:18:55.119 --> 00:19:00.799 Solomon says, the words of a whisperer are like delicious morsels. 00:19:01.039 --> 00:19:06.880 They go down into the inner parts of a of the body, not in a good way. 00:19:07.519 --> 00:19:12.160 So it's always intriguing when somebody starts gossiping about somebody else, isn't it? 00:19:13.839 --> 00:19:16.559 Your ears prick up. 00:19:17.200 --> 00:19:18.480 What are you saying? 00:19:18.799 --> 00:19:20.240 And you lean in. 00:19:21.039 --> 00:19:30.319 And then you listen and you take in what's said, and you say, Wow, I had never thought that before about that person. 00:19:30.480 --> 00:19:31.279 Maybe that's true. 00:19:31.519 --> 00:19:32.960 Maybe that's true. 00:19:33.440 --> 00:19:42.400 And there begins to be a root of poison towards that person as a result of that gossip. 00:19:42.960 --> 00:19:47.839 Now, why do you think Paul is addressing this towards women? 00:19:48.400 --> 00:19:51.839 Don't both men and women gossip? 00:19:53.039 --> 00:19:56.240 I mean, this is not just a neutral sin, right? 00:19:56.480 --> 00:19:58.480 Men and women gossip. 00:19:58.880 --> 00:20:00.240 But who talks more? 00:20:00.480 --> 00:20:01.759 Men or women? 00:20:02.480 --> 00:20:06.079 Who objectively, honestly, who talks more? 00:20:07.119 --> 00:20:08.079 Women do. 00:20:09.119 --> 00:20:16.559 And so women are more inclined to do this than men for the sheer fact that they talk more. 00:20:17.680 --> 00:20:21.279 And so I talked to a number of pastors. 00:20:22.240 --> 00:20:28.960 And oftentimes the story that the problems that pastors experience I found is interesting. 00:20:29.119 --> 00:20:33.200 Doesn't matter if you're in a small church or a big church, medium-sized church, they're the same. 00:20:33.839 --> 00:20:35.599 The problems tend to be the same. 00:20:36.240 --> 00:20:42.160 And one of the problems that is universal is slander in the church. 00:20:42.799 --> 00:20:46.319 And oftentimes it's the women. 00:20:46.640 --> 00:20:47.759 Oftentimes. 00:20:48.480 --> 00:20:50.079 Hear it from so many pastors. 00:20:50.319 --> 00:21:00.160 I was reading in cat in John Calvin this week, and he said that the problem with slander was a definitive problem with women in the 16th century. 00:21:00.400 --> 00:21:03.359 So it's it's this is universal. 00:21:04.000 --> 00:21:13.039 And what happens when you have slander in the church is using James language, what does it do? 00:21:14.880 --> 00:21:16.319 Starts a fire. 00:21:16.799 --> 00:21:18.960 Starts a fire in the church. 00:21:19.200 --> 00:21:31.599 And so it's not a coincidence that Satan is called the Diablos, and then Paul uses that word here because this is how Satan gets a foothold in churches all over the world. 00:21:32.640 --> 00:21:40.480 Satan gets a foothold through slander, and as sometimes it's translated, malicious gossip. 00:21:41.519 --> 00:21:50.079 Proverbs 10 14 says, the mouth of the fool brings ruin near. 00:21:51.680 --> 00:21:54.240 How often have you seen that in the church? 00:21:54.799 --> 00:21:57.599 The mouth of the fool brings ruin near. 00:21:57.680 --> 00:21:59.759 How many churches have followed? 00:22:00.319 --> 00:22:04.640 And been split and divided because of slander. 00:22:06.799 --> 00:22:14.240 And this is, I think, why Paul says that the deacon wives, this is 1 Timothy 3, he says they are not to be slanderous. 00:22:14.319 --> 00:22:19.599 They are to set the example, just like the older women here are to set the example in not doing this. 00:22:20.079 --> 00:22:22.880 That you refuse to listen to the slander. 00:22:22.960 --> 00:22:24.319 You refuse to take part in it. 00:22:24.480 --> 00:22:25.680 You refuse to listen to it. 00:22:25.839 --> 00:22:29.039 Guess what happens if the slander stops speaking? 00:22:29.200 --> 00:22:30.400 Guess what happens? 00:22:31.200 --> 00:22:32.640 It goes away. 00:22:33.519 --> 00:22:35.119 Proverbs 26, 20. 00:22:35.279 --> 00:22:40.319 For lack of wood, the fire goes out, and where there is no whisper, quarreling ceases. 00:22:40.640 --> 00:22:42.960 So here's what happens. 00:22:43.119 --> 00:22:46.880 Here's what we need to do if there's slander taking place. 00:22:47.039 --> 00:22:49.359 One, you refuse to listen. 00:22:50.240 --> 00:22:53.519 If you walk away, the person stops talking. 00:22:53.680 --> 00:22:57.200 Or you can even ask the person, look, listen, stop speaking. 00:22:57.440 --> 00:22:58.799 Stop speaking. 00:22:59.440 --> 00:23:01.759 By the way, I've often found it to be true. 00:23:02.160 --> 00:23:03.359 This is definitively true. 00:23:03.519 --> 00:23:09.440 Proverbs 18, 17, the one who states his case first seems right until the other comes and examines him. 00:23:09.680 --> 00:23:13.920 Oftentimes, even what the slanderer is saying is not true. 00:23:14.160 --> 00:23:19.279 And you hear the other side of the story, and it turns out to be false. 00:23:19.920 --> 00:23:25.200 But then secondly, Paul says, this is Ephesians 4.29. 00:23:25.279 --> 00:23:26.000 Actually, turn here. 00:23:26.160 --> 00:23:28.400 Turn to Ephesians 4.29, it's so important. 00:23:28.799 --> 00:23:36.559 Turn to the left to Ephesians chapter 4, verse 29. 00:23:38.319 --> 00:23:46.480 He says, Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up. 00:23:46.640 --> 00:23:48.000 Now stop right there. 00:23:48.559 --> 00:23:55.519 That word corrupting talk is not referring to the cuss words that you heard on the playground. 00:23:55.839 --> 00:23:56.160 Okay? 00:23:56.559 --> 00:23:59.279 I used you know you used to hear these words. 00:23:59.359 --> 00:24:01.039 Oh man, they shouldn't have said that. 00:24:01.920 --> 00:24:06.240 That's not what he's talking about, although we shouldn't be using those words either. 00:24:06.559 --> 00:24:10.079 He's talking about words that tear down. 00:24:10.880 --> 00:24:14.799 Let no words that tear down come out of your mouth. 00:24:15.519 --> 00:24:27.599 But then the positive, look what he says, but only as such that is good for building up, as fits the occasion that it may give grace to those who hear. 00:24:28.000 --> 00:24:41.359 So what Paul is really saying here, when he says, not a slander, he's talking about a woman who allows no corrupting talk to come out of her mouth towards other people, but rather she builds up people. 00:24:41.680 --> 00:24:43.759 And that's the type of church we want to be. 00:24:43.920 --> 00:24:49.839 Can you imagine a type of church where you came and everybody was building one another up? 00:24:50.160 --> 00:24:54.640 That people are coming to you and speaking the words of grace to your life, building you up. 00:24:54.720 --> 00:24:57.440 You know, when you did that, that was that was so encouraging to me. 00:24:57.519 --> 00:25:00.240 When you served in that way, that was that was an amazing thing. 00:25:00.319 --> 00:25:07.519 When you welcomed that person and greeted them, that was that was a kindness that was to them. 00:25:08.000 --> 00:25:09.680 That's a wonderful church. 00:25:09.920 --> 00:25:13.440 And then how are we instructed to handle sin? 00:25:14.240 --> 00:25:21.200 If your brother sins against you, go to him and between you and him alone, and if he repents, you have gained a brother. 00:25:21.359 --> 00:25:29.519 We we handle sin not by going to other people in the church and gossiping about them and saying, Do you know what Susie did? 00:25:29.599 --> 00:25:30.960 We need to pray for her. 00:25:31.680 --> 00:25:32.960 We don't do that. 00:25:33.200 --> 00:25:46.000 We go to Susie and you say, Hey, Susie, this this happened, this is how it made me feel, and all, and then, Lord willing, there will be uh repentance, confession, and reconciliation. 00:25:46.400 --> 00:25:49.440 So that's how that should be handled. 00:25:50.079 --> 00:25:55.119 Third quality not enslaved to much wine. 00:25:55.359 --> 00:26:03.039 So reverent, she's not a slanderer, she's not enslaved to much wine. 00:26:03.599 --> 00:26:10.000 Now, in the ancient world, the the oinos, the wine, was normally diluted. 00:26:10.240 --> 00:26:16.880 It was not normally just the if you go to a restaurant now and you order a bottle of wine, that's straight wine. 00:26:17.279 --> 00:26:27.519 Uh their wine, because the water was was so bad, they often uh wine was the normal liquid to drink. 00:26:27.680 --> 00:26:33.839 And so people would have lots of wine in storage in their houses, and it was diluted. 00:26:33.920 --> 00:26:38.319 And so the woman would be working there, she would have access to that wine all day. 00:26:38.640 --> 00:26:45.920 And Paul says, do not, and and the word he uses is do not be a slave to the wine. 00:26:47.200 --> 00:26:55.440 Do not become addicted to the wine to the point where you need it, where it begins to rule you and control you. 00:26:55.599 --> 00:26:57.599 Who are we to be ruled by? 00:26:59.440 --> 00:27:03.759 Paul says in Romans 6 that you are slaves of God. 00:27:03.920 --> 00:27:05.519 You are to be ruled by God. 00:27:05.920 --> 00:27:08.559 The contrast, jot, jot jot this verse down. 00:27:08.640 --> 00:27:12.799 Turn turn uh back to uh Titus, by the way. 00:27:12.960 --> 00:27:17.119 I know I left you in Ephesians, but jot this verse down from Ephesians. 00:27:17.359 --> 00:27:20.559 Um Ephesians 5, 18. 00:27:21.440 --> 00:27:32.880 Do not be drunk with wine, for that is debauchery, but be filled with the Holy Spirit. 00:27:33.279 --> 00:27:35.279 Be filled with the Holy Spirit. 00:27:35.599 --> 00:27:38.720 So we are to be controlled by the Holy Spirit. 00:27:38.799 --> 00:27:45.519 Remember, we talked about the beginning how the Holy Spirit, if you are a believer, the Holy Spirit comes in and takes residence in you. 00:27:45.680 --> 00:27:48.720 That is the baptism of the Spirit, the sealing of the Spirit. 00:27:48.799 --> 00:27:51.519 That is a one-time deal that happens. 00:27:52.240 --> 00:27:56.480 The filling of the Spirit is an ongoing act. 00:27:57.200 --> 00:28:01.359 And you can be more or less filled by the Holy Spirit. 00:28:01.599 --> 00:28:07.200 The filling speaks to the degree that we are controlled by the Holy Spirit. 00:28:07.599 --> 00:28:11.599 How do we become more controlled by the Holy Spirit? 00:28:11.839 --> 00:28:23.039 The parallel passage jot down Colossians 3.16, Paul says, Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom. 00:28:23.279 --> 00:28:32.319 So the degree that the word of God is in you, that the Holy Spirit then uses to control you. 00:28:32.480 --> 00:28:36.480 Isn't that a simple yet amazing reality? 00:28:37.119 --> 00:28:44.079 You're filled with the Spirit, under control of the Spirit, by allowing the Word of Christ to dwell in you richly. 00:28:44.240 --> 00:28:45.920 What does that say, ladies? 00:28:46.240 --> 00:28:51.039 It means that you need to have a life that is permeated by the Word of God. 00:28:51.359 --> 00:28:52.319 Permeated. 00:28:53.519 --> 00:29:00.079 I think scripture memorization has become a lost art amongst evangelicals. 00:29:00.160 --> 00:29:05.519 The navigators used to do this all the time that a person become a believer, let's memorize scriptures. 00:29:05.599 --> 00:29:10.720 We're doing it with the children, but amongst adults, people aren't really memorizing scripture anymore. 00:29:10.880 --> 00:29:14.160 We're just so busy on social media and everything else. 00:29:14.319 --> 00:29:21.039 But the more that you begin to hide God's word in your heart, the less you sin against God. 00:29:21.839 --> 00:29:25.200 Because you're thinking about God's word. 00:29:25.680 --> 00:29:31.200 Philippians 4.8, you're thinking whatever's true, noble, just pure, lovely, excellent, good repute. 00:29:31.359 --> 00:29:35.519 If there's anything praiseworthy or excellent, meditate on these things. 00:29:35.759 --> 00:29:37.279 Okay, I shouldn't be thinking about that. 00:29:37.440 --> 00:29:41.279 If that's in your mind, now you're no longer thinking about what you were thinking about. 00:29:41.359 --> 00:29:43.599 Now you're thinking about what you should be thinking about. 00:29:44.880 --> 00:29:50.559 Scripture begins to be used by the Holy Spirit to sanctify you more and more. 00:29:50.880 --> 00:29:54.079 So the matter is about what is controlling you. 00:29:54.319 --> 00:29:59.200 Now he says, don't be slaves of much wine, but there's a lot of things that you can be slaves to. 00:29:59.440 --> 00:30:02.480 You be slaves to social media. 00:30:02.720 --> 00:30:11.039 You can be uh slaves to the uh the the sales at dealards or whatever, right? 00:30:11.200 --> 00:30:16.319 There's there's a number of things that we we that was my grandma's favorite store. 00:30:16.400 --> 00:30:31.119 So I tried to pick on a store that maybe nobody here shops at, but uh so we we can be slaves to a lot and number of things, but Paul is saying that the godly older woman is a slave of Christ. 00:30:31.359 --> 00:30:32.799 So that's the picture. 00:30:32.960 --> 00:30:42.880 She's reverent, she's careful with her word, she's self-controlled with her words, and she's under the lordship of Jesus Christ. 00:30:43.039 --> 00:30:45.599 So those are the qualities of the older woman. 00:30:45.839 --> 00:30:49.599 And now Paul is just is going to describe her role. 00:30:50.480 --> 00:30:52.400 Look back at verse 3. 00:30:54.319 --> 00:30:59.279 He says, They are to teach what is good. 00:30:59.839 --> 00:31:03.039 They are to teach what is good. 00:31:03.759 --> 00:31:07.440 So the older women are to teach what is good. 00:31:07.599 --> 00:31:15.599 Is it the church is not just a place where you come and you hear a message from the pastor, and that's the ministry. 00:31:16.640 --> 00:31:18.559 You do the ministry. 00:31:19.119 --> 00:31:26.720 And we want to be a church that makes disciples who are equipped to evangelize people and equipped to disciple the believers. 00:31:27.279 --> 00:31:32.799 And especially there's an important responsibility, he says, of older women. 00:31:33.039 --> 00:31:35.519 They are to teach what is good. 00:31:35.839 --> 00:31:39.039 Now, how do older women know to teach what is good? 00:31:39.279 --> 00:31:45.039 And the answer is, of course, in Titus chapter 2, is because they're underneath the ministry of Titus. 00:31:46.079 --> 00:31:51.200 That's why the instructions to Titus bracket the whole chapter. 00:31:51.279 --> 00:31:52.640 We've looked at this. 00:31:52.960 --> 00:31:56.400 Titus 2, 1, as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 00:31:56.559 --> 00:32:01.519 Verse 15, declare these things, exhort and rebuke with all authority, let no one disregard you. 00:32:01.839 --> 00:32:20.960 So, you older women, you're underneath the pulpit, so to speak, you're hearing the sound doctrine, and then you have the responsibility to apply this sound doctrine in the lives of younger women. 00:32:21.200 --> 00:32:22.720 Look at verse 4. 00:32:23.440 --> 00:32:26.640 And so train the young women. 00:32:28.160 --> 00:32:30.319 Titus was not given this instruction. 00:32:30.480 --> 00:32:36.319 Paul does not want the young pastor to be training the young women. 00:32:36.880 --> 00:32:44.880 The responsibility to teach and to train the young women falls to the older women. 00:32:45.119 --> 00:32:54.319 And I think it's implied that the responsibility to train the young men falls to Titus and the older men. 00:32:54.799 --> 00:33:03.200 So in the body of Christ, and this is one of these, one of these aspects of culture that we've been looking at, there's training taking place. 00:33:03.440 --> 00:33:06.240 There should be training taking place all the time. 00:33:06.480 --> 00:33:13.519 That this isn't just a preaching hub, but you're coming here, you're being built up, and then during the week, you are training. 00:33:14.160 --> 00:33:18.400 You are encouraging, exhorting people to become more like Christ. 00:33:18.480 --> 00:33:28.000 You're studying the word together, you're you're uh memorizing scripture together, and we're on this journey together of sanctification. 00:33:28.319 --> 00:33:37.920 And so Paul says that these older women, your responsibility in the church is to train and build up the younger women. 00:33:38.079 --> 00:33:40.799 That word train, look at that word train. 00:33:41.440 --> 00:33:44.240 It means to bring to their senses. 00:33:45.200 --> 00:33:52.799 And I think that's it that that is an important definition, especially this day and age. 00:33:53.599 --> 00:34:00.559 Because, friends, what has happened with younger women in our culture is absolutely catastrophic. 00:34:01.039 --> 00:34:02.559 Catastrophic. 00:34:03.920 --> 00:34:10.320 Younger women are coming to church, and by younger women, he's talking about basically 20 to 45. 00:34:11.119 --> 00:34:18.800 They're coming to church less than they ever have in Western civilization since the early church was established. 00:34:19.039 --> 00:34:26.639 Listen, for the first time in 150 years, more young men are going to church than young women. 00:34:26.960 --> 00:34:28.079 Can you believe that? 00:34:28.320 --> 00:34:32.639 I mean, it used to always be that Christianity was the religion of women. 00:34:33.039 --> 00:34:39.760 Gen Z has more young men coming to church than young women. 00:34:40.960 --> 00:34:42.480 What has happened? 00:34:43.039 --> 00:34:49.599 An entire generation of young women has been swept away by feminism and secularism. 00:34:49.760 --> 00:34:51.039 An entire generation. 00:34:52.559 --> 00:34:58.320 And they've been taught that you gotta be like a man in order to be successful in the world. 00:34:58.639 --> 00:35:03.840 In fact, if you get married, your rights are gonna be trampled upon. 00:35:04.079 --> 00:35:06.480 You're not gonna be successful, you're gonna be miserable. 00:35:06.559 --> 00:35:09.280 And if you have kids, you're gonna be even more miserable. 00:35:10.239 --> 00:35:12.960 Isn't this the lie of secularism? 00:35:13.280 --> 00:35:14.719 It's godless. 00:35:15.119 --> 00:35:18.239 It's completely contrary to the creation worldview. 00:35:19.519 --> 00:35:21.599 And so it's more necessary now. 00:35:21.840 --> 00:35:29.039 And by the way, these statistics, uh I I can give you the statistics, uh, they're quoted in the New York Times. 00:35:29.199 --> 00:35:32.400 This isn't just just something an observation I'm making. 00:35:32.480 --> 00:35:35.760 Listen, this is this is from a New York New York Times article. 00:35:36.559 --> 00:35:43.920 A Gallup poll found that 42% of men ages 18 to 29 consider religion very important in their lives. 00:35:44.400 --> 00:35:49.599 Meanwhile, the number of young women has stagnated at roughly 30 percent. 00:35:51.039 --> 00:35:56.719 So this is catastrophic what has happened to the young women. 00:35:57.440 --> 00:36:01.840 And so, ladies, the the hour is desperate. 00:36:03.280 --> 00:36:12.960 And you are to teach the young women important things about what it means to be a woman. 00:36:13.920 --> 00:36:20.800 This is the point of Satan's spear, is he's attacking what it means to be a man and what it means to be a woman. 00:36:21.199 --> 00:36:25.519 I mean, we had a Supreme Court justice who couldn't even define a woman, right? 00:36:25.840 --> 00:36:29.360 I mean, this is madness, the culture that we're in. 00:36:29.599 --> 00:36:35.519 And so young women need to be taught what it means to be a woman. 00:36:35.840 --> 00:36:37.920 And this responsibility falls to you. 00:36:38.079 --> 00:36:40.079 Uh, listen to Warren Wearsby. 00:36:40.480 --> 00:36:57.760 Quote, the godly older women have the responsibility of teaching the younger women how to be successful wives, mothers, and housekeepers, and the younger women have the responsibility of listening and obeying. 00:36:58.800 --> 00:37:09.920 New Testament scholar Andreas Kostenberger said these verses, the verses that we're looking at, present a compelling mentoring model for women. 00:37:10.159 --> 00:37:22.079 Rather than instructing Titus to mentor young women directly, Paul tells him to identify mature, experienced women who can mentor young women in the congregation. 00:37:22.880 --> 00:37:26.320 So this is your responsibility, older women. 00:37:27.440 --> 00:37:42.320 Now, I must say that what Paul tells Titus that the older women to teach is sadly not what is taught by older women across American evangelicalism. 00:37:43.440 --> 00:37:53.599 What the curriculum, we'll call it the curriculum, that Paul tells Titus that the older women are to teach the younger women is not what the older women are teaching. 00:37:54.320 --> 00:38:06.639 And I thank God for older women Bible teachers, they're needed, they're useful, but by and large, what they are teaching the young women is generic truth about how to be a Christian. 00:38:06.880 --> 00:38:10.639