The second chapter here of Paul's letter to Titus is bookended by two distinct commands.
In the very first verse, he tells Titus, teach what accords with sound doctrine.
And if you move your eye all the way down to the last verse, in verse 15,
he closes with another command, declare these things with all authority, he says.
And if that's not enough, right in the middle of the passage, right in the middle of this particular chapter,
he gives him another helpful command in verse 7,
show yourself in all respects to be a model of good work.
So, Titus is to teach, he is to declare, he is to model.
And the synopsis of what it is to teach and model and declare involves counter-cultural living,
counter-cultural conduct that emerges from faith in the gospel of Jesus,
as well as an anticipation that Jesus will soon return.
I know that was a mouthful.
What is it that in chapter 2, Paul is telling Titus to teach and to model and to declare?
Godliness, that comes as a result of knowing Christ and looking, anticipating his return.
And it's all rooted in verses 11 through 14.
Just draw your eye there for just a moment.
He says, I want you to live in this way because the grace of God has appeared,
bringing salvation, training us to renounce ungodliness, verse 13,
and that we are waiting for our blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.
In other words, Titus, teach these things, teach them how to live in godliness,
because godliness will be the natural fruit that comes from faith in the gospel of Jesus.
And as long as they're keeping their eyes in anticipation on the soon coming return of Jesus Christ,
this also will motivate them this way.
Teach these things, Titus.
Model these things for them.
And that's the essence of what this chapter is really about.
In other words, our behavior should match our profession as followers of Jesus.
If we say we know Christ, that should be displayed in the way that we live.
Our lives should conform to the teaching of the Bible rather than to the whims of our ever-changing culture.
Our conduct should befit the gospel.
And it should befit the gospel so that we may bring honor to God as well as display His glory, His salvation to the world.
Now, why would God be so concerned for us to do this?
Well, one, because it is the very sinfulness that we are prone to that Jesus came to redeem us from.
So it would follow that those of us who have been redeemed will pursue righteousness in our lives.
But there's a second layer to that.
Why is He concerned for us to live this way, to live in godliness?
Because in living in godliness, we demonstrate to the world the transformative power of Christ in the gospel.
That Christ can offer the world around us what no other religion, no other philosophy, no other manner of life can actually provide.
True freedom.
Freedom from the bondage of sin.
Freedom from the bondage of death.
elders, pastors who would care for the churches by teaching God's truth and refuting anything that contradicted the gospel.
But then as we come to chapter 2, we find a second structure beginning to take shape.
A second structure that Titus is not only to model as an apostolic delegate from Paul,
but something he is to emphasize to these elders to do.
And the second structure is intentional gospel-based discipling.
Intentional gospel-based discipling.
Of course, you know, to be a disciple simply means to be a follower of Jesus.
Discipling, the verb form, is the commitment to help other people follow Jesus.
And the way that we help other people follow Jesus is by personally teaching truth and modeling Christian behavior.
And Paul's point to Titus in this little letter, this little practical helpful letter,
is you need faithful elders who will care for the church,
and you need a culture of discipling where the church will care for itself
and emphasize these things that are true to the gospel, true to sound doctrine.
And both of these things are essential for maintaining spiritual fitness in the church.
And of course, the first thing we learn here as we get into verse 1
is that fruitful discipleship begins with faithful eldership.
Begins with faithful eldership.
Look again at verse 1.
The springboard here for this discussion of godly living and discipling,
intergenerational discipling that's unfolding here,
the springboard for it is faithful elders who will begin the work
and who will continue the work
and who will guide the work of discipling in the church.
The opening but connects this instruction to what Paul had just written
regarding the false teachers at the end of chapter 1.
Whereas the false teachers were denying God by their works,
teaching doctrines that made them unfit for any good work,
Titus and the Cretan elders, in contrast to that,
were to model and teach what accords with sound doctrine.
And what models and teaches sound doctrine will produce spiritual fitness.
We've talked about several times already this sound doctrine,
we can translate this as healthy doctrine.
It is a medical term.
It's meant to emphasize health, fitness.
So Titus and the elders are to teach and to model things
that produce spiritual fitness in the lives of the people
that they've been called to care for.
Now accords here means something that is in harmony with the truth of the gospel.
And what accords with sound doctrine is not merely the doctrine itself,
but it is the behaviors that should accompany the trustworthy word.
Do you see this taking shape now?
If you kind of step back and the best that you can,
think of the big picture of the book now.
What is it that Paul's emphasizing?
Faithfulness to the word, faithfulness to the gospel,
so that that will produce godliness in our lives.
Because we cannot separate doctrine from conduct.
We cannot ultimately separate belief from behavior.
So Paul tells Titus and the elders,
teach what is right and teach what is good and right
in the way that we behave and conduct our lives.
The point is that true faith in Christ brings practical change.
It brings practical change in our lives.
Indeed, one of the glories of the gospel
is the transformative power of God at work
in the life of a sinner who comes to Jesus for salvation.
And we talked about this last week.
Jesus doesn't demand that we clean ourselves up
so that we can then be accepted by him.
No, he says, come.
And as we trust in him, he cleans us up.
He gives us a new heart.
He transforms our lives.
And then we need to be encouraged by faithful elders
and by other Christians in our lives
to continue to pursue the righteousness
that Christ begins to work in our hearts through salvation.
That's one of the glories of the gospel.
That when we come to Christ,
he does this amazing work in us.
And this work of the gospel,
this genuine faith in Christ
produces practical change that cannot be denied.
It cannot be denied by the Christian community
and it cannot be denied by the secular community either.
And yet there seems to be so many churches,
so many Christians who make a profession
that does not match the life that they live.
They say the right things.
They confess the right doctrines.
But then they don't actually live a life
that practically matches the things
that they say that they believe.
Paul is concerned that Titus
teach the people differently than that.
And that there is a pattern
and a structure set up in the church
so that that continues on.
Faithful pastors will continually
teach Christians to pursue behaviors
that accord with God's word.
And it creates a ripple effect
through the congregation
so that as these faithful elders are appointed
and they're leading the church,
there's a ripple effect
to where as they are discipling people,
the people that they are discipling
begin to disciple others.
Do you see the effect here?
It's the plan of God.
It's the plan of God in the local church.
It's the plan of God for building up His people.
And it's one that we need not neglect.
Paul knew that the Cretans
needed a culture of discipling.
Something emphasized throughout his writings
in the New Testament.
He told Timothy in 2 Timothy 2,
What you have heard from me
in the presence of many witnesses
entrust to faithful men
who will be able to teach others also.
It's a simple pattern.
Timothy, teach faithful men
so that the faithful men
can teach other men
to produce more faithful men
that will teach other men.
And so on and so forth
as the church is built.
We quote Ephesians 4 often
in regard to this topic.
Christ gave the apostles
and the prophets and the evangelists,
the shepherds and teachers,
that's the pastors and elders,
so that they might equip the saints,
the Christians,
for the work of ministry.
And what is the work of ministry?
The building up of the body of Christ.
And we see it coming to the surface again
very clearly here in Titus chapter 2.
Now as Paul gets into this discussion,
we find here
that he distinguished people
in the church by age or life stage.
He doesn't always do that.
He does it here for some reason.
He doesn't cover every life stage
that probably was present in Crete,
but he at least limits himself
to the four most common demographics.
He has a word to older men
in the congregation,
a word to older women
in the congregation,
a word to younger women,
and then a word to younger men.
Eventually, in a couple of weeks,
we'll get to where he covers everyone
in the nature of their work.
And I think this division here,
the distinguishing of these age groups,
alerts us to three things
that we need to consider
as we work through this text.
The first one is this,
that the scope of influence for elders
is extended to every demographic
of the church.
The scope of influence for pastors
is not limited to one demographic
or just to the people
to whom they best relate.
The actual responsibility of pastors
that we would call to serve our church
is a responsibility that includes
the entire congregation,
the entire flock of God.
No matter their age or their experience,
elders are to faithfully disciple
the entire church,
especially and primarily
as it relates to the regular preaching
and teaching of the Bible.
Now, Paul tells Timothy
how these pastors are to relate
to the people in the church.
In fact, just flip over a couple of pages
to 1 Timothy chapter 5.
1 Timothy chapter 5.
And in the first two verses here,
Paul makes it clear
how Timothy is to relate to the people.
He says in verse 1,
Do not rebuke an older man,
but encourage him as you would a father,
younger men as brothers,
older women as mothers,
younger women as sisters,
in all purity.
I think that's a pattern
Paul intends to see perpetuated
in every church
and among all the elders.
that they have a responsibility
for the whole congregation,
but there's also a helpful way
that they need to see themselves
relating to the whole congregation.
That with the ones that are older than them,
mature in years,
they need to treat them
as fathers and mothers.
You talk and rebuke
and encourage your father
in a very different way
than you do your brother.
Right?
And these pastors
were to remember that.
Timothy wasn't supposed
to come into Ephesus
guns ablaze
and firing at anybody
and everybody that he could.
No, he used to be wise
and discerning
in the way that he related,
but he still had a responsibility
for everyone
to care for their souls
and so do the elders.
Second thing
is that each life stage
has unique temptations
and responsibilities
that we really need to acknowledge.
Again, we're talking about
why Paul has distinguished
these age groups.
It's because at each season
of your life,
the weaknesses
that you may sense
and the temptations
that you may feel
are going to shift
and they're going to change
as you mature
and as you age.
That's exactly what happens.
And of course,
the items included here,
this is a very short passage,
the items included here,
they don't cover everything,
but they are representative,
I think,
of what is generally true
of these life stages.
We need to keep that in mind.
The third thing is this,
intergenerational,
gender-specific discipling
should be the normative
in local churches.
It should be normal
that churches
are multi-generational.
It should be normal
that the discipling
that takes place
in a local church
happens between generations.
We don't just group up
all the young adults here
and all of the senior adults here
and all the teenagers here
and all the children here
and we let them kind of
figure it out on their own.
It doesn't make sense.
No.
Intergenerational,
gender-specific,
matters.
It matters in this text
and it matters practically
as we just think about
how we're going to help one another.
I can't help you focus
and think through
postpartum depression
if you have a baby.
I have never had a baby
and I've never had
postpartum depression
from a baby.
I can't help you with that.
You know what you need
if you're going through
something like that?
You need another woman.
You see what I mean?
Intergenerational,
gender-specific,
Paul gets into
all of those things here.
So, eventually,
we're going to look
at all four groups.
Today, we're just going to look
at two of them.
And our goal is to understand
what it means to obey
the Lord
out of the fruitfulness
of the gospel
and then what it means
to disciple others
in what accords
with sound doctrine.
Okay?
Older men,
you're up first.
Look at verse two.
Older men are to be
sober-minded,
dignified,
self-controlled,
sound in faith,
in love,
and in steadfastness.
Now, I'm going to let
everybody decide for themselves
which group you belong to.
I'm not going to choose
that for you.
But he begins with
older men in the congregation
here,
and it's no coincidence
that he does.
Because the older men
in the congregation,
those mature in years,
are the natural leaders
of any community.
Whether they want to be
or not,
the ones who have gone
before us
in terms of life
and experience
will always be the ones
that the most people
instinctively look to
for personal counsel
and a helpful pattern
of life.
And it makes sense
that Paul begins here
and he addresses
those who will most naturally
in the community
of these congregations
assume some type
of leadership,
whether it's formalized
in the church
or whether it's just
by the fact
that they've been around
a few times
and they've experienced
a few things
and they can be helpful
to others
who are trying to figure out
how to go about life.
Makes sense that he would
start there, doesn't it?
It's because of this instinct
that it is crucial
that the older men
of a church
set the standard
for godliness,
that they passionately
pursue the things of God.
Why?
Because generally speaking,
as goes the men,
so goes the church.
If a church is filled
with men
who clearly love the Lord,
who are passionate
about pursuing
the things of the Lord,
who are not perfect,
but desire to be righteous
and upright
in the things that they do,
it will inevitably
produce the fruitfulness
of a church congregation
that does the same things.
But if a church
is filled with men
who are casual
in their faith,
lazy in their study,
lack control
in the way
that they live their life,
it will produce a church
that mimics it.
It's just the way it works.
Paul knows that,
so he starts here.
It's this dynamic
of natural leadership.
It's not to be rebuffed.
We're not to resent that.
It's the way God
created life to work.
And we need to recognize it,
and older men
need to own it.
Own it for the good
of God's people.
When it comes to the issues
Paul addressed,
I think it's helpful
to look here at
actions and attitudes.
Let's look first
at the actions here
for older men.
Three necessary characteristics
are given.
Sober-minded,
dignified,
and self-controlled.
Sober-minded,
dignified,
self-controlled.
Sober-minded
means temperate
in thought.
It's clear-headed.
It's the ability
to keep your head
rather than
lose your mind.
relates to our
anger,
our control
over our spirit
and our attitudes.
It's to think clearly
rather than
to be controlled
by our emotions.
And older men
are to set the tone
for this.
It's the discipline
of drawing on
your years of experience
to act with wisdom
in any given situation.
And we need
older men
who will display
sober-mindedness
because typically
younger men
are not going
to display
sober-mindedness.
He says dignified,
which is a word
I tried to spend
a lot of time
on this week.
I wanted to really
try to grasp
what this means.
Dignified
means to carry yourself
in a way
that elicits
respect
and honor
from others.
It's not to be
confused with
humorless.
It's not to be
confused with
pretension.
It simply means
that you carry
yourself in such
a way that
is respectable
and it's easily
respectable.
It's not that
you take yourself
too seriously.
It's that you
take your worship
and your godliness
with such
earnestness
that others
consider you
worthy of
respect.
You know what
it's like.
We have men
like this
in our lives,
right?
Where maybe
it's a
patriarch of
your family,
if I'm allowed
to use that
word,
that when your
family gets
together and
they come in,
what you and
your brother
and your sister
may be cutting
up doing,
you kind of
stop that
because there
is a certain
dignity that
comes along
when dad
walks in the
room.
You know what
that's like.
It's almost
intangible in
some ways.
Paul says,
these older men,
you need to
carry yourselves
with dignity.
Carry yourself
in a way that
elicits respect
because you're
going to need
the respect
of the people
in the congregation
to lead them
and to counsel
them and to
help them.
Self-control is
the third thing.
It stands in
stark contrast
to both
Cretan and
American cultures
where satisfying
self seems to
be a cardinal
virtue.
Self-control
instead is the
ability to curb
your impulses.
It's to
surrender them
to the
lordship of
Jesus Christ.
And all
three of these
actions are
displayed in
spiritual disciplines.
It's in the
discipline of
prayer and the
discipline of
study.
It's in the
discipline of
discipleship and
the discipline of
worship and the
discipline of
song.
Of all the
things that we
would say mark
someone who
loves the Lord
and has been
gripped by the
love of Christ.
It needs to be
evident in the
older men.
Well that's the
actions.
Let's look now at
the attitudes.
Paul said the
spiritual attitudes
of older men
should be marked
by soundness in
faith, love,
steadfastness.
Faith, love,
steadfastness.
Attributes that
are not routinely
associated with
masculinity in our
world.
These things
actually seem,
except for
perhaps maybe
steadfastness,
seem to be
weakness from a
cultural standard.
But in God's
economy this is
not weakness at
all.
This is the
pinnacle of
strength.
Sound in faith
means that
these men need
to be students
of the word.
Setting a
pattern of
faith and
faithfulness
for the rest
of the church.
Sound in love
reflects not
only a love for
the Lord but
for other people.
people.
This is the
opposite of the
guy standing on
his porch yelling
to get off my
lawn.
It's the
opposite of that.
It's a love.
It's a concern.
It's a generosity
and a charity
toward others,
even others who
really get on your
nerves, which I'm
learning from my
dad as you get
older.
More people get on
your nerves than
what did when you
were younger.
So maybe it's
right on target
that Paul would
say, remember
guys, you need
to be sound in
love.
Remember to be
charitable toward
these other guys
coming behind you.
Sound in
steadfastness
reflects perseverance
and hardship.
Because the
younger ones in
the church that
have yet to face
severe hardship
are going to be
looking to see the
way that you
handle it.
And when you go
through hardship
in your life,
trials and
suffering in your
life, do you do
so full of faith?
Not that you
ignore the reality
of the difficulty,
but you trust
the Lord.
Does the
hardships that
you face cause
you to be less
faithful to the
Lord and His
church?
Or can other
people look at
your life and
see, okay,
I know what's
going on in that
guy's life.
I know things
are hard for
him right now,
but he's still
there, and I
know it's got to
be hard for him,
but he's there,
and he's faithful,
and he's praying,
and he's doing
the things.
All of these
attitudes flow
from one who
has been
transformed by
the gospel.
This is the
result of a
life that is
faithfully walking
in fellowship
with God.
Listen, the
world around us
cannot live this
way.
They can't.
It's not
possible.
people.
These are
fruits of the
Spirit.
Love, joy,
temperance, all
of these things
are produced by
the Spirit of
God as we
walk faithfully
with God.
And if you fit
this distinguished
category, I
really think that
you'll probably be
tempted in one of
two ways as you
mature.
more.
You'll be tempted
to either retire
from passionate
engagement with
the church.
See this happen
all the time.
There's people,
they finally hit
the retirement
from their career
and they retire
from everything
else as well.
That will be one
temptation to kind
of say, I've paid
my dues and take
a step back.
That's the time
of life that we
need you probably
the most.
The other
temptation will be
to become the
proverbial curmudgeon
that bemoans
what you don't
like rather than
investing in the
next generation
that's coming
behind you.
Men, the rest of
us are looking
to you.
Whether you
realize it or
not, our eyes
are on you.
We need you to
set a pattern
for us.
We can't afford
for you to
punch out.
We can't afford
for you to spend
the rest of your
life on a
spiritual vacation
or an ecclesiastical
vacation.
The church won't
survive that way.
Neither can we
bear you
becoming like
Waldorf and
Statler from
the Muppets
sitting in the
balcony
chirping at
everything Kermit
and Fozzie Bear
does.
We need you to
display the
gospel and teach
us how to do
it.
That's older
men.
Next is
older women.
We find that
in verses 3
and the beginning
of verse 4.
Older women
likewise are to
be reverent in
behavior, not
slanderers or
slaves to much
wine, or to
teach what is
good and so
train the young
women.
Likewise here
shows a
closeness of
comparison to
what has just
been said about
the older men.
older women are
to be reverent in
behavior in the
same way and
in the same
sense that
older men are
to be dignified,
living their
lives worthy of
respect, of
honor.
It simply
means to take
seriously the
fact that you
belong to God
and you want
your profession
of faith to be
revealed in the
way that you
live.
two things
Titus was to
teach the older
women not to
do.
They were not
to be enslaved
to the impulses
common to their
culture, typified
here with
drunkenness.
It's not
limited to
drunkenness
here, it's just
typified by it.
Instead, they're
to display a
spirit-filled
life that rises
above temptation.
He was also to
teach them to
avoid malicious
gossip.
That's what's
meant by
slander.
Speech that
destroys rather
than edifies.
And given the
context here as
we look at the
nature and the
godliness of an
older woman's
life with her
responsibility to
train the younger
women, Paul seems
to rebuke the
kind of woman who
kind of stands
back at the
wine bar and is
just criticizing the
young wives and
mothers rather than
coming alongside of
them to teach and
to train them in
what is natural to
their station of
life.
But that's a
temptation for all
of us, isn't it?
It's the temptation
to judge the
failures and
weaknesses of
another instead of
making a personal
investment to help
them grow and
mature in
godliness.
That's not limited
to just older
women.
That's a temptation
temptation for
every single one
of us.
Maybe you've seen
the Geico
commercial that
keeps airing here
recently.
It's got the young
couple sitting in
their living room
and they've just
recently bought their
house and they're
talking about how
much they love their
house but then they
say the only problem
is we have ants.
Have you seen that
commercial?
They don't mean ants
A-N-T-S.
They mean ants A-U-N-T-S.
And then it shows
several clips of
older women in
their home and what
they're doing is
these different
scenarios just pointing
out every possible
thing that is wrong
with this home that
this young couple.
Have you ever been
around somebody like
that?
Like you just can't
do anything right?
Like they just point
everything out that
you're doing wrong and
they're relentless in
it.
Constantly criticizing but
never actually helping.
So if the older men
have a tendency to be
like Waldorf and
Statler it may be
that the older women
might contend to be
like the ants from
Geico.
It's not always that
their criticisms are
false.
It's just that they're
relentless and
unhelpful.
Paul shows a better
way here.
The biblical alternative
here in these verses
is that older women
teach what is good.
That's the end of
verse 3.
And so train the
young women.
That's the beginning
of verse 4.
So not only are they
to live in a way that
matches their Christian
profession but they are
to help other women do
the same thing.
So what is good here
refers to righteousness
that is based on God's
worth.
The truth of the
gospel.
Older women are to take
responsibility for
teaching young women the
gospel.
people to constantly
bring their eyes
back to the love
of Christ.
To the forgiveness
of Christ.
And the grace of
Christ.
Training refers to
practical discipling
that's rooted in
personal experience.
So option number one
here as far as what
Paul is writing.
Option number one
is to say something
to the effect of
your kids are a
holy terror and you
need to do something
about it.
Option number two
is you're going to
make it.
I've been there.
Let me tell you some
things that helped me.
Or maybe here's some
things you could try.
Do you see the
difference?
See the difference?
This is the picture
Paul's painting.
This is what should be
the dynamic of the
church.
Rather than judging
younger ones for all
they're doing wrong,
the older women should
lovingly teach them
how to honor and
glorify God as a
wife and mother.
That's the specific
emphasis here.
Donald Guthrie said
Christian matrons are
to assist the younger
women in the discipline
of family love.
love.
Not of course as
interfering busy
bodies,
but as humble
advisors on problems
of married life.
Who's going to be the
most beneficial to a
young mother that
comes in on a Sunday
morning looking like
she's one tantrum away
from throwing in the
towel altogether?
mother.
Sure, I can offer
biblical counsel that
is intellectually
credible and
theologically sound,
and it's my
responsibility to do
that.
Still, it's the
mature mother who's
walked that road who
will be able to give
counsel that is
existentially satisfying.
I can't relate to
motherhood, but you
can.
Come alongside and
help.
Who will be there to
help that young
wife whose head's in
the clouds right now,
but you know that
it's not going to be
very long before
things come crashing
back down to earth
when she realizes that
her husband isn't as
dreamy as she thought
he was.
It's going to happen
soon.
Who's going to be
there to help?
Well, I can sit down
with them and I can
talk about all the
things that the Bible
says about marriage,
and I must do that.
That's my responsibility
to do that.
But God can use a
caring, mature wife
to offer biblical
truth from a
perspective of
personal experience.
For the glory of
God, older women
must care to help.
And for the glory of
God, younger
women must be
humble enough to
receive the help
that God has
provided.
You see, sometimes
we're looking for
help, but we want
to tell God who
we're willing to
help us.
And we say, I
want somebody to
mentor me, I want
somebody to disciple
me, and I want
somebody to help
me, but Lord, I
don't want any of
the people that
you've actually put
in my life to do
it.
So if you'll
actually just bring
somebody else, that
would be fantastic.
Well, no, it
doesn't work like
that, does it?
No.
Covenantal
discipleship is
neither merely
academic, says
Susan Hunt, nor is
it merely relational.
It's a beautiful
blend of sharing
the gospel and
our lives with
one another, and
that takes humility
on the part of the
younger men and
younger women, and
concern on the part
of older men and
older women.
In the case of
older men and
women, they must
set a pattern of
godliness out of
their love for the
Lord and train
others out of
their love for
His church.
That's the point
here.
Live like a
Christian and then
help other people
do the same thing.
Let me close it
this way.
This kind of
discipling, which
indeed applies to
every demographic in
the church, this is
not just about those
who are mature in
their years.
All of us are
responsible for this.
It requires
intentionality.
It will never
happen by accident.
Nobody accidentally
disciples someone
else.
We must deliberately
set this pattern of
godliness.
We must deliberately
go out of our way to
sacrifice our time and
energy for the good
of others.
We must deliberately
necessarily break
through the potential
awkwardness that
typically comes at the
beginning of those
kinds of relationships.
And we must do it for
the glory of God and
the good of His church.
A couple of times a
year, Terry is brave
enough to invite me to
his home club in
Denver to play golf.
Terry has played the
course many, many times
and I've only played it
a couple of times.
And the benefit of that
is that when we're
playing together,
Terry can pick up on
what my tendencies are
which is to swing
really hard.
I can't hit the ball
straight, but every now
and then I can hit it
hard and it makes me
feel better.
He can be in the middle
of the fairway, but if
I'm a little further,
even if it's in the
weeds, I feel better
about myself.
Well, Terry can pick out
that that's a tendency
that I have to do that
and he recognizes that
he knows the course
well.
He's been all over the
course and his times
playing there and I
don't know the danger
spots like he does.
We can start a hole
and Terry can say,
Jared, I know you're
going to want to try
to hit it hard, but if
you hit it too hard
here, you're going to
go over the green and
you don't want to be
there.
You're going to be in a
mess.
You're going to be in a
real mess if you do
that.
Don't do it, Jared.
And then inevitably,
Jared's going to get
out his club and he's
going to swing it too
hard because he just
has to hit it further
than everybody else
and he's going to go
over the green.
Now, Terry can do two
things in that situation.
Terry can come alongside
of me and he can say,
Jared, I told you not
to do that, you idiot.
If you'd just listen,
you'd save yourself a lot
of trouble.
Terry could also come
alongside of me and he
could say, Jared, I've
been there.
You're in a tough spot.
This is why you're in
that tough spot.
Now, let me help you
try to figure out how to
get through it.
Do you see the
difference?
I need somebody like
Terry to help me get
around the course well.
If I don't have Terry to
get me around the course,
I'm not going to know
what's dangerous and
what's not and what's
good.
I'm not going to easily
spot my own tendencies
in my golf game.
It's going to be harder
for me to evaluate the
things because I can't
see myself the way that
everybody outside of me
can see me.
I need somebody like
Terry helping me through
that course.
I need somebody like
Terry being patient with
me when I blow it and I
need to just try to figure
out how to get through
this hole.
Now, let's put it in the
context of our lives.
There are danger spots
everywhere and we're all
going to find them from
time to time.
And what we need is
someone who's been there
before to come alongside
of us and say, that's a
tough place to be.
I've been there myself.
This is probably what got
you here.
Now, let's go to God's
word and see what it says
to help you get through it.
That's what the church
needs Christians doing.
Christians that aren't
concerned to sit in the
balcony and just point out
all of our flaws.
We all have enough.
We can say we're failures
in a lot of ways.
We need people who are
going to get dirty with
us.
Come alongside of us and
say, let me help you.
And of course, we'll talk
about it next week.
There is a pride that
exists in younger men and
women that will resist that
at first.
But we need the older men
and women in our lives to
keep trying and keep
loving and keep
encouraging and keep
modeling.
And we need to remember
that the goal of this
text is to live a life
that is fitting for one
who knows Jesus.
And what is it that Jesus
did?
Well, he modeled
righteousness and then
he taught other people how
to do it.
And he was patient with
them.
And he was kind and loving
towards them.
We need to remember that
Christ has redeemed us
from lawlessness in order
that we might be pure and
zealous for good works.
And we need constant
reminders of what it means
to live in accordance with
sound doctrine so that our
lives will display the
glories of the gospel to the
watching world.
We need to have conduct that
befits the gospel.
And we need to have people
who will help us do that.