SERMON: “Sensible Younger Men” (Titus 2:6–8)
“Sensible
Younger Men” (Titus 2:6–8)
Series: “Titus: Godly People, Godly Church,”
#10 Text: Titus
2:6–8
By: Shaun Marksbury Date: July 7, 2024
Venue: Living Water Baptist Church Occasion:
PM Service
I.
Introduction
Biblical discipleship is intergenerational, and it’s always
beneficial for children and adults to worship and learn together. It’s not that there can’t be some segregated
ministries. Children can do programs
that encourage memorization of Scripture.
Women can gather where the older can teach the younger. Men can gather for the same kind of
instruction. Still, churches in our
culture overvalue these kinds of programs, which are easier to manage in ways,
and devalue intergenerational ministry, which can be more difficult and awkward
at times.
It's worth the work.
This is the model we see in Scripture.
For instance, all the people of Israel — “the men and the women and
children” — were commanded to gather for the reading of God’s Law (Deut.
31:11–13). In the New Testament, we see
that the apostles expected these letters to be read “to all the brethren” (1
Thess. 5:27; Col. 4:16). When Paul gives
commands to be read for Christians, he addressed wives, husbands, children,
fathers, and slaves (Eph. 5:22–6:9).
It’s clear that there was to be gatherings of God’s people which
included everyone.
And in Titus 2, we see the same. In these verses, we see specifically a call
for the younger men to live in a righteous way.
The first word of v. 6 is “likewise,” just as we saw with the older
women in v. 3. This means that
everything which has been said about older men, women, and younger women is
applicable to younger men, where appropriate.
This is intergenerational and intersex ministry coming together, for the
younger men had to be paying attention to everything Paul had said to the
others!
Young men, just like young women, are to live in a way that
honors God’s Word (v. 5). Yet, note that
this reminder also includes the younger ministers like Titus himself in this
passage. The whole congregation should
seek to live in this way, but we see younger men admonished to exalt God’s Word
in sensibility, good deeds, and in conversations. Let’s consider the first of those.
II.
Exalt God’s Word in your sensibility (v. 6).
Likewise urge the
young men to be sensible;
Today, our society has an extended adolescence. It’s not unheard of for high school students
to have never had a job, and many people delay marriage well into their
thirties, limiting their available child-bearing years. We should instead encourage our teenagers to
mature and conquer challenges, getting them ready for independence, adulthood,
marriage, and even parenting. And those
younger men who are entering those stages need help, whether at say, nineteen
(when my wife and I were married), or later.
So, Titus is told to “urge,” “exhort” (NKJV, KJV), or “encourage”
(NIV, NET) the younger men. There may be
some ideas about that. Titus may be
tempted to come in like the heavy, as might older men who see younger men in
need of correction. Sometimes, those who
are older or who are in authority will talk down to those who are perhaps in
their late teens or twenties, thinking them to be still incapable of reasonable
thought. That is not the Christian way
of doing things.
It’s true that younger men have much to learn, but true
believers recognize that about themselves are hungry for positive correction
and instruction. The world puts down the
younger generations as no-nothings. The
flesh, especially in men, desires to prove itself superior, as though constant
competition exists. Yet, Scripture says,
when it comes to urging or exhorting younger men, do so addressing them as
“brothers” (1 Tim. 5:1). There should be
a respectfulness with the goal of edification that comes from elders and the
older men toward the younger generation.
Again, there is much for the younger men to learn. This verse tells us to urge them “to be
sensible.” This could mean temperate or
“self-controlled” (NIV, ESV), and we can remember why we needed to be told as
younger men to be self-controlled. This
means more than that, though — “to have understanding about practical matters
and thus be able to act sensibly.”[1] Of course, a younger man won’t have all the
understanding yet needed for practical matters.
Hopefully, the elders and the olders in the church have been gathering
this knowledge, because related terms are used of all them in this
chapter. They are to obtain this
sensibility, and pass it on to the younger generation.
In other words, everybody needs to be sensible! Consider first that this is another nuance of
godly churches and godly people. Having
a sensible mind is essential to being sound or healthy spiritually. One of the goals of a sound church, then, is
to foster good sense in people. This is
an extension of discipleship.
This isn’t something that is only taught, for it must also
be caught. Again, the grace of God
teaches us to live sensibly, according to v. 12. Being sober-minded or self-controlled with
prudent thinking comes only to those with a personal connection to God through
the Holy Spirit.
Of course, if a younger man learns sensibility, it will be
seen in his actions. That brings us to
the next point:
III.
Exalt God’s Word in your good deeds (v. 7).
in all things show
yourself to be an example of good deeds, with purity in
doctrine, dignified,
Now, there is a shift here in the text. Paul now instructs Titus to teach in two ways
in these verses, through encouragement and modeling. Titus, while speaking of sound doctrine, is
not to be high-minded, demanding things of his people, nor is he to teach what
he himself doesn’t live.
He is to do so “in all things.” As an aside, there’s a question as to
whether this phrase connects with the previous verse, as the NASB FN there
notes. The HCSB seems to take that
route, making this phrase the end of the previous sentence; that young men are
to be sensible in all things. However,
it’s possible that this is an emphatic phrase for this verse (as it is
translated here),[2] that
Paul is underlining that Titus is to show himself an example “in all things.” The data indicates that this could be read
either way,[3] so
we will just follow what the NASB translation has for us.
In all things, Paul says Titus is to be “a good example of
works” or, as LSB has, “a model of good works.”
This is similar to what Paul told Timothy: “Let no one look down on your
youthfulness, but rather in speech,
conduct, love, faith and purity, show
yourself an example of those who believe” (1 Tim. 4:12). This applies to the apostolic representatives,
but it’s applicable first to pastors and then to the whole body of Christ.
With that in mind, the elders and the olders in the
congregation should all strive to demonstrate good works. It’s strange when pastors act just like the
world, some of them cussing and openly bragging about their favorite
micro-brews and cigars. There are
grey-haired men act as though they have not walked with Christ long, still
given to anger, jealousy, and foul speech.
It’s hardly fitting for these men to tell younger men what is sensible
when they can’t live it out in front of them.
There are two ways in which Paul tells Titus to be an
example of good deeds: “with purity in doctrine, dignified.” Some manuscripts add a third term here,
incorruptibility, which is also a great word but was probably not original from
Paul’s pen.[4] So, let’s consider these two terms in this
translation.
The first way they are to be an example of good works is
purity in doctrine. Now, we might think
of a life of purity as a good deed, one which (as one lexicon describes) must
“demonstrate that expression of moral soundness — ‘integrity, sincerity.’”[5] While that is true, this is talking about teaching
with integrity. There are teachings that
excuse sin, false doctrine which elders might propagate or younger men might
believe. I remember once talking to a
family member who was a deacon and a Sunday school teacher in his church, because
he later decided to leave his wife after he prayed about it and had peace. That’s obviously insincere doctrine, and elders
must proclaim doctrine with integrity in their actions if they wish young men
to follow.
Second, elders (and young men, by extension) are examples of
good works if they are “dignified.” Just
as older men are to be dignified (v. 2), so is Titus. A dignified life begins in the younger years
and should be modeled.
What is this again?
There’s a sense of gravity to this term, of seriousness. While it’s true that we can take ourselves
too seriously at times, a sound believer also mustn’t become flippant with the
truth. I remember reading once about a pastor
who read a passage about the wrath of God, then pulling a box of Krispy Cream doughnuts
out of his pulpit, he opened it, took a bite, looked at the congregation with a
smile, and said something like, “Wow, now that was a serious passage!” That pastor was training people to be
unserious about the truth of God. There
was no fear of God, no gravity, no transcendent sense of truth.
Elders should model both dignity and integrity in their
doctrine. This is a good work, because
younger men need to learn to live by this truth. Like everyone else in the congregation, they
must know how to hold the Word of God with esteem so the world will not have
cause to revile. That brings us to the
final point:
IV.
Exalt God’s Word in your conversations (v. 8).
sound in speech
which is beyond reproach, so that the opponent will be put to shame, having
nothing bad to say about us.
We don’t always think about the words we use (or, sometimes,
we think about them too late). Sometimes
we selfishly complain to anyone who would listen, not realizing that we are
bringing other people’s spirits low. Perhaps
we have a funny comment come to mind, and we mindlessly speak it, not realizing
that it was actually inappropriate or coarse, negatively affecting how the
people around us think. As Ephesians
4:29 says, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth, but only such a word as is good for edification
according to the need of the moment,
so that it will give grace to those who hear.” We aren’t always thinking about what we can
say which would be the most edifying for the moment, but we should be.
God’s people must strive to be “sound in speech which is
beyond reproach.” This is not to say
that pagans might sometimes be angry with what is being said. If a pastor rightly says, “Abortion is murder,”
unbelievers wrongly consider that to be an attack on women’s health and may claim
that the pastor hates women. There are
opponents to the gospel, and ad hominem
is their longtime favorite. Sometimes,
truth brings a kind of reproach, but that’s obviously not what the apostle
condemns here.
The goal here is that no one can bring any wrong
criticisms concerning Christian speech.
This would include sinful words.
Ephesians 4:29 says, “Let no unwholesome word proceed from your mouth,
but only such a word as is good for
edification according to the need of the
moment, so that it will give grace to those who hear.” People should not be able to believe an evil
report.
In fact, Paul says so that the goal is to put “an opponent
may be put to shame.” Shaming is a
Christian goal at times, carefully and not sinfully or haphazardly achieved. For instance, 2 Thess. 3:14 says, “If anyone
does not obey our instruction in this letter, take special note of that person and
do not associate with him, so that he will be put to shame.” That’s the goal of church discipline, and for
those outside, Peter says something similar: “For such is the will of God that
by doing right you may silence the ignorance of foolish men” (1 Pet.
2:15).
Because we all continue to sin, we can unknowingly give
fodder for anti-gospel propaganda. Hopefully
everyone in the church, especially younger men who might be more impulsive,
control their daily conversations. This
is not only so no one can bring an accusation against you, but so sound that
person will be ridiculed by others if they try.
V.
Conclusion
Remember the vital role that younger men play in the life of
the church. Paul’s exhortation to Titus
is not merely an ancient directive but a living, breathing call for us
today. We live in a culture that often
prolongs adolescence and underestimates the potential of our younger men. Yet, Scripture calls them — and indeed all of
us — to a higher standard: to be sensible, to lead in good deeds, and to have
speech that is beyond reproach.
Again, these are not just commands for younger men, but a
call for all who want to exalt in God’s Word.
May our church be a place where the wisdom of the older guides the younger.
Let us strive together to be godly
people in a godly church, reflecting the glory of our Savior in all we do.
[1] Louw, p. 383.
[2] J. Harold Greenlee, An Exegetical Summary of Titus and Philemon, 2nd ed., (Dallas, TX:
SIL International, 2008), 56.
[3] George W. Knight, The
Pastoral Epistles: A Commentary on the Greek Text, New International Greek
Testament Commentary, (Grand Rapids, MI; Carlisle, England: W.B. Eerdmans;
Paternoster Press, 1992), 311.
[4] Rick Brannan and Israel Loken, The Lexham Textual Notes on the Bible, Lexham Bible Reference
Series, (Bellingham, WA: Lexham Press, 2014), Tt 2:7.
[5] Louw, J. P., & Nida, E. A. (1996). Greek-English lexicon of the New Testament:
based on semantic domains, electronic ed. of the 2nd edition., Vol. 1, (New
York: United Bible Societies ) p. 746.