Titus 2.1-10 (esp 6-10) Carpenter Flock SS 140427

"Proper for Sound Doctrine"


Warm Up-- (Discussion)
1. What is an "older man" and a "younger man"?  Does the text give us any hints?

• Boyhood
• Adolescence
• Manhood
• Mentor
• Patriarch

From Dennis Rainey's Stepping Up

2. What is an "older woman" and a "younger woman"?  Does the text give us any hints?

3. What is the equivalent of a servant in today's culture?

4. What are some of the negative sereotypes for

• older men
• older women
• younger women
• younger men
•  servants/employees

Lesson Content:

What are the good works we should have to be a good witness?

 1. Older Men
“…the gravity of life.”   Certain amount of recklessness and unthinkingness may be pardonable in youth, but the years should bring their wisdom.

Sober: in contradistinction to given to over-indulgence in wine.

Serious: lives in light of eternity

Prudent:  G4998 - sōphrōn

Healthy vs. spiritual impotent and declining

In faith:  The  years must teach us to trust God more.

In love:  …the years ought to bring not increasing intolerance, but increasing sympathy with the views and mistakes of others.

In fortitude:  tempered, able to bear more and more, conqueror over life’s troubles.

2. Older Women

A. reverent in behavior: Their demeanor must be such as befits those who are engaged in sacred things.  vs.  silly, foolish, trite

B. Self-control with:

the tongue à not slanderers

wine à

3. Younger Women
1-2. Love/ of husbands and children

3-4. Self-controlled and pure

5-6. Worker at home and kind

7.  Subject to husbands  (not women to men in general)

1 Timothy 5.¹³ And besides they learn to be idle, wandering about from house to house, and not only idle but also gossips and busybodies, saying things which they ought not.   ¹⁴ Therefore I desire that the younger widows marry, bear children, manage the house, give no opportunity to the adversary to speak reproachfully.

à The Word not slandered--  “It is sad to see the way family problems, and even divorces, among Christians cause unsaved people to sneer at the Bible.”  --W. Wiersbe

4. Younger Men  à self-mastery  G4993 - sōphroneō

1 Timothy 4.12  Let no one despise your youth, but be an example to the believers in word, in conduct, in love, in spirit, in faith, in purity.

1. Works:  a pattern/example

jkv, nkjv, went—pattern;  rsv, esv—model;  nasb, niv84, net, nlt—example

2. Doctrine:

integrity  kjv—uncorruptedness; went—incorruptness; nasb—purity; rsv, njkv, esv, niv84, net, nlt—integrity

reverence 

Trench (Syn. xcii) points out that "grave" and "gravity" fail to cover the full meaning of their original; "the word we want is one in which the sense of gravity and dignity is combined." Cremer describes it as denoting what inspires reverence and awe, and says that semnos and hosios, "holy, consecrated," are only secondary designations of the conception of holiness. "The word points to seriousness of purpose and to self-respect in conduct" (Moule). Cp. semnotes, "gravity"

3. Speech: sound (“healthy”) / above reproach

à Shame opponents

5. Servants/Employees  compare with

Colossians 3.22-25  ²² Bondservants, obey in all things your masters according to the flesh, not with eyeservice, as men-pleasers, but in sincerity of heart, fearing God. ²³ And whatever you do, do it heartily, as to the Lord and not to men, ²⁴ knowing that from the Lord you will receive the reward of the inheritance; for you serve the Lord Christ. ²⁵ But he who does wrong will be repaid for what he has done, and there is no partiality.

1. Obedient: not above taking orders

2. Respectful: humble, giving honor

Well-pleasing not argumentative

3. Honest: does not take what doesn’t belong to him

4. Faithful: 

à Adorn the doctrine of God