WEBVTT 1 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.840 So if you would, if you haven't already gone there, 2 00:00:02.359 --> 00:00:07.759 open up to Titus chapter two. And like I said, 3 00:00:08.240 --> 00:00:13.039 we get to have this baptism service in both services 4 00:00:13.080 --> 00:00:18.519 today to hear from in this service one individual and 5 00:00:18.559 --> 00:00:23.039 in the second service two about how God has intervened 6 00:00:23.640 --> 00:00:29.039 in their life and has become has started a process 7 00:00:29.359 --> 00:00:33.960 of making them more godly by the power of the 8 00:00:34.039 --> 00:00:37.920 Gospel at work in them. And I just want you 9 00:00:37.960 --> 00:00:41.159 to think about this as you have gathered here, some 10 00:00:41.200 --> 00:00:43.880 of you members, some of you guests, but have come 11 00:00:43.920 --> 00:00:47.479 here this morning to Crossway Bible Church, and you might 12 00:00:47.679 --> 00:00:50.560 be looking around going, I don't know, these people seem 13 00:00:50.600 --> 00:00:53.840 pretty buttoned up. I guess maybe that's how they've always been. 14 00:00:55.960 --> 00:00:58.200 And the answer to that is not true. 15 00:00:58.280 --> 00:01:01.920 Thank you, Kara. You are sitting next. 16 00:01:01.679 --> 00:01:08.480 To people that before Christ have been ravaged by drug addiction, 17 00:01:10.560 --> 00:01:15.280 have had lives that had been overtaken by alcohol by all. 18 00:01:15.120 --> 00:01:17.200 Sorts of sexual impurity. 19 00:01:18.599 --> 00:01:21.319 Maybe on the other side of the equation, some that 20 00:01:21.760 --> 00:01:25.319 had given themselves over to legalism apart from the Gospel 21 00:01:25.359 --> 00:01:30.120 of Christ, or were just going through life in lukewarm 22 00:01:30.560 --> 00:01:36.079 religiosity apart from the Gospel of Jesus. And what God 23 00:01:36.120 --> 00:01:39.799 has done is come into their life. He has appeared 24 00:01:40.000 --> 00:01:46.319 to them, bringing His salvation, and their lives began to transform. 25 00:01:47.640 --> 00:01:52.159 And by God's grace and by their efforts and by 26 00:01:52.680 --> 00:01:57.000 one another in this church, their lives are continuing to 27 00:01:57.159 --> 00:02:02.159 transform for Christ's glory, because he or because. 28 00:02:01.920 --> 00:02:03.799 They are His possession. 29 00:02:05.480 --> 00:02:08.479 And so if you don't know much about Titus, we're 30 00:02:08.639 --> 00:02:11.560 we're gonna learn more today. But one of the key 31 00:02:11.800 --> 00:02:14.960 aspects of context that I want you to know is 32 00:02:15.560 --> 00:02:19.599 Paul is writing this letter to his fellow pastor Titus, 33 00:02:20.319 --> 00:02:24.520 who is situated on this strategic island in the Mediterranean 34 00:02:24.919 --> 00:02:26.520 called Crete. 35 00:02:26.599 --> 00:02:28.840 And if you don't know much about Crete. 36 00:02:28.919 --> 00:02:33.360 Really we can summarize Crete by this. It was a 37 00:02:33.520 --> 00:02:37.879 rough place made up by a bunch of rough people. 38 00:02:38.800 --> 00:02:42.960 It was notorious in antiquity and in this age for 39 00:02:43.400 --> 00:02:49.199 immorality and evil behavior. These people were scoundrels if you 40 00:02:49.280 --> 00:02:53.400 look in chapter one Paul referring to how much of 41 00:02:53.400 --> 00:02:56.360 scoundrels they are, He says that even a person of 42 00:02:56.400 --> 00:03:00.960 your own, he quotes saying Cretans wrote, even a person 43 00:03:01.000 --> 00:03:03.319 of your own refers to Cretans. 44 00:03:02.879 --> 00:03:06.439 As always liars. 45 00:03:06.599 --> 00:03:12.919 Evil beasts, and lazy gluttons. And yet still on this 46 00:03:13.120 --> 00:03:18.639 island that was notorious for immorality, the Gospel had the 47 00:03:18.800 --> 00:03:24.080 power to change. The Gospel had the power to change 48 00:03:24.560 --> 00:03:28.879 lives forever. And so as we think about how we 49 00:03:28.919 --> 00:03:30.879 apply this here in San Antonio, I don't think it 50 00:03:30.879 --> 00:03:32.280 would be fair to say that San. 51 00:03:32.159 --> 00:03:34.639 Antonio is a one for one to create. 52 00:03:35.039 --> 00:03:37.240 I don't think people refer to San Antonio as being 53 00:03:37.280 --> 00:03:41.479 filled with people that are always liars, evil beasts, and 54 00:03:41.560 --> 00:03:47.639 lazy gluttons. And yet, as we've already discussed, we all 55 00:03:47.680 --> 00:03:53.039 come from somewhere. We all have a testimony apart from God, 56 00:03:53.400 --> 00:03:59.800 apart from our relationship with Jesus Christ. In this serve 57 00:04:00.680 --> 00:04:04.479 as a reminder to each one of us. This message 58 00:04:04.520 --> 00:04:07.120 serves as a reminder to each one of us not 59 00:04:07.280 --> 00:04:10.039 just that we do change when we interact with the 60 00:04:10.039 --> 00:04:11.240 God of the Bible. 61 00:04:10.919 --> 00:04:16.319 Through Jesus, but that God that has called us as his. 62 00:04:16.319 --> 00:04:22.519 Own possession is going to continue to change us until glory. 63 00:04:23.040 --> 00:04:25.000 So if I were to say the title of this 64 00:04:25.079 --> 00:04:27.720 message in one sentence, it would be as simple as 65 00:04:27.800 --> 00:04:30.360 this Christian's change. 66 00:04:31.399 --> 00:04:32.360 Christian's change. 67 00:04:33.160 --> 00:04:36.759 And so we're going to take these verses through three 68 00:04:36.800 --> 00:04:43.040 moves The first one is because Christians change our internal 69 00:04:43.160 --> 00:04:48.040 motivation to that change, which is our integrity. The internal 70 00:04:48.040 --> 00:04:53.560 motivation is our integrity. Then there's an external motivation, which 71 00:04:53.600 --> 00:04:55.199 is to say our witness. 72 00:04:54.959 --> 00:04:56.199 To the outside world. 73 00:04:57.279 --> 00:05:02.560 And then lastly and most importantly, there is an eternal motivation, 74 00:05:03.160 --> 00:05:06.720 and that is because we are now God's possession. 75 00:05:08.120 --> 00:05:15.000 So let's read. Starting in verse one. 76 00:05:13.079 --> 00:05:16.959 Paul writes, But as for you, teach what accords with 77 00:05:17.079 --> 00:05:22.079 sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober minded, dignified, 78 00:05:22.199 --> 00:05:26.439 self controlled, sound and faith, in love and in steadfastness. 79 00:05:27.240 --> 00:05:28.759 Older women, likewise. 80 00:05:28.439 --> 00:05:32.360 Are to be reverent in behavior, not slanders or slaves 81 00:05:32.399 --> 00:05:35.480 too much wine. There to teach what is good, and 82 00:05:35.519 --> 00:05:39.759 so train the young women to love their husbands and children, 83 00:05:40.279 --> 00:05:44.959 to be self controlled, pure, working at home, kind and 84 00:05:45.040 --> 00:05:48.959 submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God 85 00:05:49.480 --> 00:05:53.560 may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to 86 00:05:53.639 --> 00:05:57.439 be self controlled, show yourself in all respects, to be 87 00:05:57.480 --> 00:06:03.279 a model of good works, and in your teaching, show integrity, dignity, 88 00:06:03.920 --> 00:06:07.600 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an 89 00:06:07.639 --> 00:06:11.560 opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to 90 00:06:11.639 --> 00:06:15.160 say about us. Bond servants are to be submissive to 91 00:06:15.240 --> 00:06:16.160 their own masters. 92 00:06:16.199 --> 00:06:16.879 In everything. 93 00:06:17.680 --> 00:06:21.160 They are to be well pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, 94 00:06:21.600 --> 00:06:26.600 but showing all good faith, so that in everything they 95 00:06:26.839 --> 00:06:31.879 may adorn the doctrine of God, our Savior, because the 96 00:06:32.040 --> 00:06:36.000 grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, 97 00:06:36.399 --> 00:06:40.120 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to 98 00:06:40.240 --> 00:06:45.199 live self controlled, upright and godly lives. In the present age, 99 00:06:45.720 --> 00:06:50.519 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory 100 00:06:50.680 --> 00:06:54.879 of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave 101 00:06:54.959 --> 00:06:59.839 himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and 102 00:07:00.079 --> 00:07:05.199 to purify for himself a people for his own possession, 103 00:07:05.720 --> 00:07:11.399 who are zealous for good works. Declare these things, exhort 104 00:07:11.720 --> 00:07:16.439 and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you. 105 00:07:18.439 --> 00:07:22.759 So Christians change? Why do they change? What is the motivation? 106 00:07:22.920 --> 00:07:28.920 The first is internal that we would eliminate hypocrisy, the 107 00:07:28.959 --> 00:07:34.439 elimination of hypocrisy in our lives. This internal reason that 108 00:07:34.480 --> 00:07:39.160 God gives us through Paul writing to Titus, which is 109 00:07:39.199 --> 00:07:43.240 our integrity. Let's look at the text and see Paul's 110 00:07:43.279 --> 00:07:47.120 reasoning and where I'm getting this from the very first 111 00:07:47.199 --> 00:07:50.600 verse of our passage starts with but as for you, 112 00:07:51.040 --> 00:07:54.480 teach what accords with sound doctrine, or to put another way, 113 00:07:54.560 --> 00:07:58.240 teach what accords to teach a Christian living that aligns 114 00:07:58.319 --> 00:08:02.000 with the Gospel truth, the truth of scripture that we 115 00:08:02.279 --> 00:08:06.360 that that's revealed in the Bible. And to understand that 116 00:08:06.439 --> 00:08:09.000 first verse, which is the but as for you part, 117 00:08:09.079 --> 00:08:11.399 we have to look up and so look at the 118 00:08:11.480 --> 00:08:15.519 end of chapter one. See there was these these teachers 119 00:08:15.759 --> 00:08:20.560 here in crete that had duplicitous lives, that had hypocritical lives. 120 00:08:20.600 --> 00:08:22.240 They were teaching. 121 00:08:22.000 --> 00:08:26.639 Away, and yet their lives reflected a different way, an 122 00:08:26.800 --> 00:08:31.000 ungodly way. It says that their minds and their consciences, 123 00:08:31.040 --> 00:08:36.720 their their internal consciences were defiled. They professed to know God, 124 00:08:37.440 --> 00:08:42.320 but they denied him by their works, of course that 125 00:08:42.480 --> 00:08:45.919 was detestable, and and all sorts of things. But they 126 00:08:45.919 --> 00:08:51.440 were living hypocritical lives. They talked about spiritual things, they acted, 127 00:08:51.639 --> 00:08:54.240 you know, they they would they would come across as 128 00:08:54.279 --> 00:08:58.480 communicating as if they knew God. But by the manner 129 00:08:58.519 --> 00:09:02.559 of their lives, they it became clear that they did 130 00:09:02.600 --> 00:09:06.240 not know Him. Their lips said one thing, but their 131 00:09:06.279 --> 00:09:11.480 actions revealed a heart that believed another. And then we 132 00:09:11.559 --> 00:09:15.440 see further here in verse seven where where Paul is 133 00:09:16.120 --> 00:09:20.440 encouraging Titus and he's saying, make sure that your life 134 00:09:20.639 --> 00:09:25.120 matches up with your teaching, show integrity. It's for your 135 00:09:25.639 --> 00:09:31.639 integrity before the Lord. Paul's instructing Titus now the importance 136 00:09:31.679 --> 00:09:35.759 of protecting his conscience before the Lord, that he would 137 00:09:35.840 --> 00:09:40.559 not be duplicitous, that he would not say one thing 138 00:09:41.440 --> 00:09:46.960 but live another way. You've already heard talk and many 139 00:09:47.039 --> 00:09:50.240 of you I know were there on Wednesday night at 140 00:09:50.240 --> 00:09:54.320 our member meeting, but a part of that meeting, if 141 00:09:54.320 --> 00:10:00.519 you weren't here, Richard was up on the platform and 142 00:10:00.559 --> 00:10:03.399 he was One of the things that he was talking 143 00:10:03.440 --> 00:10:06.960 about was the importance of church membership, and he was 144 00:10:06.960 --> 00:10:10.519 talking about what entails church membership. And then he was 145 00:10:10.519 --> 00:10:16.279 talking about this thing called church discipline. And the praiseworthy 146 00:10:16.320 --> 00:10:20.200 thing was there was nobody that was informal church discipline 147 00:10:20.240 --> 00:10:23.120 at the church level, but he was making the point 148 00:10:23.200 --> 00:10:28.600 that church discipline happens every day all through the life 149 00:10:28.639 --> 00:10:32.240 of the church in our discipleship relationships with one another. 150 00:10:33.600 --> 00:10:35.440 He also talked about the. 151 00:10:35.279 --> 00:10:39.320 Importance of elders, and we talked about the importance of 152 00:10:39.399 --> 00:10:44.200 elders and overseeing the discipleship of the church and also 153 00:10:44.279 --> 00:10:50.240 being a part of that discipline process where God gives 154 00:10:50.360 --> 00:10:51.320 us one another. 155 00:10:52.279 --> 00:10:54.440 God gives us the church so that. 156 00:10:54.320 --> 00:11:00.159 We might have our integrity with the Lord protected. And 157 00:11:00.200 --> 00:11:03.759 we see that here in crete, and we see that 158 00:11:03.840 --> 00:11:07.360 throughout God's word that he gives us one another, He 159 00:11:07.559 --> 00:11:10.120 gives the members of the church, He gives the leaders 160 00:11:10.159 --> 00:11:12.639 of the church, the elders of the church, so that 161 00:11:12.759 --> 00:11:18.120 we would be able to be admonished and rebuked and exhorted, 162 00:11:18.519 --> 00:11:21.600 so that our consciences wouldn't be defiled before the Lord 163 00:11:21.960 --> 00:11:26.240 with a duplicitous life. Did you know that that is 164 00:11:26.360 --> 00:11:30.360 one of an elder's jobs is to teach sound doctrine, 165 00:11:30.399 --> 00:11:34.799 to protect doctrine, but then also in verse fifteen, to 166 00:11:34.879 --> 00:11:39.919 declare and exhort and rebuke when we become deceived by 167 00:11:39.960 --> 00:11:45.159 our own sin. And I'm taking a little bit of 168 00:11:45.159 --> 00:11:47.879 a tangent here, but this is a very important part 169 00:11:48.519 --> 00:11:51.759 of the life of this church here at Crossway. If 170 00:11:51.799 --> 00:11:53.919 you look at your bulletins, you'll see that there are 171 00:11:54.240 --> 00:11:57.039 four elder candidates that are listed on there those four 172 00:11:57.080 --> 00:12:00.039 candidates were presented to the church that are members me 173 00:12:00.320 --> 00:12:04.159 and or remember meeting on Wednesday, and one of their 174 00:12:04.279 --> 00:12:08.320 main rules is that they would be involved in the 175 00:12:08.320 --> 00:12:12.240 shepherding so that your life would match up with the 176 00:12:12.320 --> 00:12:18.080 sound truth that you profess with your lips. And that's 177 00:12:18.200 --> 00:12:22.120 not to say, especially if you're new around here, it 178 00:12:22.200 --> 00:12:25.720 might feel like, well, so what are we to be 179 00:12:25.799 --> 00:12:30.440 without sin? And the answer to that is an affirmative. No, 180 00:12:31.279 --> 00:12:33.399 there is not one of us in here that is 181 00:12:33.480 --> 00:12:34.320 without sin. 182 00:12:34.919 --> 00:12:36.960 But there are two types of people in the world. 183 00:12:37.200 --> 00:12:41.200 There are Christians that are repentant sinners, and that there 184 00:12:41.240 --> 00:12:44.120 are those separated from the faith that are unrepentant in 185 00:12:44.159 --> 00:12:47.919 their sin. And so we have the Church, we have 186 00:12:48.000 --> 00:12:52.120 God's word, We have these things to push us toward 187 00:12:52.320 --> 00:12:55.840 a life that comports with the gospel that we profess 188 00:12:55.919 --> 00:12:58.519 with our lips, that we would believe it. 189 00:12:58.960 --> 00:12:59.879 In our hearts. 190 00:13:01.159 --> 00:13:03.720 And so the answer is, no, we are not without sin. 191 00:13:05.799 --> 00:13:08.480 But it is true that as Christians we can't go 192 00:13:08.639 --> 00:13:12.120 on sinning in the egregious ways that we once did 193 00:13:12.240 --> 00:13:17.120 before the Gospel changed our lives, before we knew the 194 00:13:17.240 --> 00:13:24.879 Christ that appeared bringing his salvation to you and So Christians, 195 00:13:25.919 --> 00:13:30.559 we change for our own integrity, and we have pastors 196 00:13:30.559 --> 00:13:32.519 that help us in that. We have one another that 197 00:13:32.600 --> 00:13:36.120 helps us in that. But one of the motivators for 198 00:13:36.320 --> 00:13:40.279 why we change and become more godly throughout our lives 199 00:13:40.559 --> 00:13:44.320 is for our own integrity. But then there's also this 200 00:13:44.480 --> 00:13:48.759 external motivator that I've already mentioned, and that takes us 201 00:13:48.759 --> 00:13:53.120 to point to the external motivation for why we changed 202 00:13:53.200 --> 00:13:57.720 is for an enhanced witness, an enhanced church witness to 203 00:13:57.799 --> 00:14:04.559 the onlooking world. Really, a majority of this text is 204 00:14:04.679 --> 00:14:09.840 examples of different types of people within God's family and 205 00:14:09.879 --> 00:14:15.320 how they change. This isn't an exhaustive list of what 206 00:14:15.480 --> 00:14:20.519 is change, But in every one of these examples, what 207 00:14:20.600 --> 00:14:24.320 Paul grounds it with is the fact that these ways 208 00:14:24.360 --> 00:14:27.279 in which you change are so that the word of 209 00:14:27.320 --> 00:14:32.720 God may not be reviled. It's so that an opponent 210 00:14:32.919 --> 00:14:37.080 of the gospel, and and that was in verse five, 211 00:14:38.200 --> 00:14:41.159 Verse eight says, so that an opponent of the gospel 212 00:14:41.679 --> 00:14:45.080 may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say 213 00:14:45.120 --> 00:14:49.879 about you, or in verse ten, so that in everything they, 214 00:14:50.080 --> 00:14:55.039 being God's people, may adorn or where beautifully the doctrine 215 00:14:55.080 --> 00:15:01.360 of God, our Savior. So what did protecting Christ's witness 216 00:15:01.480 --> 00:15:07.000 look like in crete? It looked like these things that 217 00:15:07.080 --> 00:15:10.799 older men do, the way that older men live their lives, 218 00:15:10.799 --> 00:15:13.000 the way that older women live their lives, the way 219 00:15:13.039 --> 00:15:16.399 that younger women live their lives, younger men live their lives, 220 00:15:16.799 --> 00:15:19.360 and the way that the bond servants. 221 00:15:19.039 --> 00:15:19.799 Live their lives. 222 00:15:19.840 --> 00:15:22.200 So we're going to run through each one of these quickly, 223 00:15:22.240 --> 00:15:24.519 and I'm not going to pick up every example here, 224 00:15:25.799 --> 00:15:28.399 but for the purpose of understanding this better, let's start 225 00:15:28.440 --> 00:15:33.600 from the top verse two older men. They're to be sober, minded, dignified, 226 00:15:33.679 --> 00:15:37.159 self controlled, sound and faith and love and in steadfastness. 227 00:15:38.399 --> 00:15:42.840 In summary, older men are to have a certain gravitas 228 00:15:43.200 --> 00:15:48.639 to their lives. There to have a dignity, a maturity 229 00:15:49.120 --> 00:15:54.360 that only an older man can have because he only him, 230 00:15:54.559 --> 00:15:56.919 has lived this long to be able. 231 00:15:56.759 --> 00:15:58.679 To develop this character. 232 00:16:01.120 --> 00:16:05.399 There is a powerful witness in an older man, in 233 00:16:05.480 --> 00:16:09.200 a church that has been committed to God's word over 234 00:16:09.279 --> 00:16:13.639 many years, that has been committed to the discipleship life 235 00:16:14.039 --> 00:16:18.279 of Christ for many years, that has seen many trials 236 00:16:18.320 --> 00:16:22.000 and tribulations and has seen God take him through those, 237 00:16:23.399 --> 00:16:26.519 there is a powerful witness that only an older man 238 00:16:26.639 --> 00:16:32.879 can have in these ways, he becomes a safety for us. 239 00:16:33.600 --> 00:16:37.320 When the storm clouds roll in, we can call that, 240 00:16:37.360 --> 00:16:41.279 we can call on that older man's experience and wisdom 241 00:16:41.600 --> 00:16:46.879 and receive comfort that Christ extends to us personified in 242 00:16:47.000 --> 00:16:52.480 this man. And so my call to the older men 243 00:16:52.799 --> 00:16:56.639 in this room, which I'm not really sure where I land, 244 00:16:56.759 --> 00:17:00.440 older man, younger man. My kids love to point out 245 00:17:00.480 --> 00:17:02.000 I have gray hair, so I don't feel like I 246 00:17:02.000 --> 00:17:03.840 can say I'm a young man, but I sure don't 247 00:17:03.879 --> 00:17:05.039 feel like an older man. 248 00:17:09.279 --> 00:17:12.480 But older men, we need you. 249 00:17:14.839 --> 00:17:16.920 I'm just gonna say I'm a younger man right now, 250 00:17:17.079 --> 00:17:21.680 and I need you older men in my life. 251 00:17:22.359 --> 00:17:27.240 The young men of this church are sons. They need you. 252 00:17:28.799 --> 00:17:33.519 And I'm so encouraged that at Crossway we have older 253 00:17:33.559 --> 00:17:37.960 men that are committed to, you know, like in our 254 00:17:38.000 --> 00:17:40.799 small groups where we have multi generational small groups, and 255 00:17:40.839 --> 00:17:43.839 sometimes that irks us, and you know, but I'm so 256 00:17:44.240 --> 00:17:47.200 thankful for the older men in this church that are 257 00:17:47.240 --> 00:17:50.839 committed to the small group life that we have set up, 258 00:17:51.039 --> 00:17:55.440 that are giving themselves to the discipleship of the younger 259 00:17:55.480 --> 00:18:02.000 men in this church, myself included. We need you, And 260 00:18:02.039 --> 00:18:06.799 to the younger men, We're about to get to you 261 00:18:07.400 --> 00:18:10.680 and talking about these things. But I want to encourage 262 00:18:10.720 --> 00:18:13.839 you right now to find older men in your life 263 00:18:14.240 --> 00:18:18.039 that you can lean on to disciple you, to encourage you, 264 00:18:18.359 --> 00:18:20.559 to give you perspective that you. 265 00:18:20.559 --> 00:18:23.119 Don't have yet in life. 266 00:18:23.240 --> 00:18:29.119 You need older men in your life. So, continuing to 267 00:18:29.160 --> 00:18:32.160 move through this verse three, we get to older women. 268 00:18:32.880 --> 00:18:36.359 Older women are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers 269 00:18:36.519 --> 00:18:39.400 or slaves too much wine. There to teach what is 270 00:18:39.440 --> 00:18:46.000 good and so train the young women. Older women are to, 271 00:18:46.079 --> 00:18:50.200 as a commentary put it, practice the presence of God. 272 00:18:51.160 --> 00:18:52.359 Isn't that what this describes? 273 00:18:52.440 --> 00:18:54.160 Practicing the presence of God? 274 00:18:54.880 --> 00:18:56.279 There to be worshipful. 275 00:18:57.480 --> 00:19:01.680 Their lives are there to live lives of worship of 276 00:19:01.720 --> 00:19:06.799 the one who has saved them. And then the Paul 277 00:19:07.240 --> 00:19:10.480 points out these two moral failings here that they are 278 00:19:10.519 --> 00:19:17.799 not to be slanders or addicted too much wine. I 279 00:19:17.839 --> 00:19:21.920 don't have to look too far around in my community 280 00:19:22.079 --> 00:19:27.200 and maybe even my family tree to see older women 281 00:19:28.200 --> 00:19:32.839 that have kind of just given themselves to their bridge 282 00:19:32.880 --> 00:19:38.240 game and wine and gossip, and that's that's kind of 283 00:19:38.240 --> 00:19:42.519 what they're living for. So I guess maybe San Antonio 284 00:19:42.640 --> 00:19:44.960 isn't too different from crete in that regard. I don't 285 00:19:44.960 --> 00:19:47.039 know if y'all can relate to me if you've if 286 00:19:47.079 --> 00:19:53.440 you've seen some of these older women. But instead the 287 00:19:53.519 --> 00:19:59.400 instruction is instead of spending their time on themselves and 288 00:19:59.440 --> 00:20:03.319 tearing up down there to there, to spend their time 289 00:20:04.160 --> 00:20:09.799 sacrificing themselves, sacrificing their lives and building others up, namely 290 00:20:10.400 --> 00:20:15.960 the younger women that they're so qualified to help. Just 291 00:20:16.000 --> 00:20:19.720 this week, I was having a conversation with I'm not 292 00:20:19.720 --> 00:20:21.799 going to say an older woman of the church, but 293 00:20:22.200 --> 00:20:24.599 she was a woman, and she might be older than me, 294 00:20:28.079 --> 00:20:32.960 but she was just sharing, she was testifying to just 295 00:20:33.079 --> 00:20:38.599 a sweet time that her and some other older women 296 00:20:38.720 --> 00:20:42.599 and younger women spent over the past I think it 297 00:20:42.640 --> 00:20:46.359 was last fall semester going through I think it was 298 00:20:46.440 --> 00:20:51.240 Titus and and just the mutual encouragement that they provided 299 00:20:51.279 --> 00:20:55.160 one another, the older women teaching the younger women, and 300 00:20:55.319 --> 00:20:58.079 the younger women even teaching the older women through. 301 00:20:58.119 --> 00:20:59.799 This mutual discipleship. 302 00:21:00.279 --> 00:21:03.000 And I just thought, how beautiful it is that these 303 00:21:03.119 --> 00:21:07.640 women are sacrificing their lives when this is the time 304 00:21:07.759 --> 00:21:10.920 for them, you know, like they've already done the heavy 305 00:21:10.960 --> 00:21:13.839 lifting with their own children. Or they've already done the 306 00:21:13.880 --> 00:21:16.400 heavy lifting with their careers and now they can kind 307 00:21:16.400 --> 00:21:18.759 of just sail off into the sunset. But no, these 308 00:21:18.799 --> 00:21:24.160 women were sacrificing their time, their bridge game, their whatever, majhon, 309 00:21:27.279 --> 00:21:27.920 which I hear. 310 00:21:27.799 --> 00:21:30.119 Is a wonderful game. I still haven't learned to play it. 311 00:21:32.200 --> 00:21:35.000 You can play majhon and disciple at the same time. 312 00:21:37.200 --> 00:21:38.240 But you get the picture. 313 00:21:38.319 --> 00:21:42.559 They're not giving themselves over to their own selfish desires. 314 00:21:42.720 --> 00:21:47.559 They're serving others. This is what biblical community looks like. 315 00:21:47.839 --> 00:21:50.319 And I tell you, the world on the outside is 316 00:21:50.359 --> 00:21:54.400 looking in and going that's different, and I kind of 317 00:21:54.440 --> 00:21:57.960 want some of that. And so this is the reminder 318 00:21:58.000 --> 00:22:00.440 that Paul is saying, like, do this so that the 319 00:22:00.519 --> 00:22:07.519 Gospel would not be maligned, This beautiful picture of helping 320 00:22:07.559 --> 00:22:11.720 one another's lives accord with sound doctrine. The world is 321 00:22:11.799 --> 00:22:16.480 watching and marveling at your selflessness, sisters, So thank you 322 00:22:16.599 --> 00:22:20.440 for that, and all of us let's engage in that 323 00:22:20.559 --> 00:22:25.960 kind of sacrificial discipleship. Okay, Younger women Verses four through five. 324 00:22:26.519 --> 00:22:29.079 Younger women are to love their own husbands and children, 325 00:22:29.119 --> 00:22:33.720 to be self controlled, pure, working at home, kind. 326 00:22:33.599 --> 00:22:35.720 And submissive to their own husbands. 327 00:22:36.920 --> 00:22:40.640 Paul has married younger women in mind here who are 328 00:22:40.680 --> 00:22:45.599 to love and prioritize their husband and their children. 329 00:22:47.240 --> 00:22:49.839 When children are young, it. 330 00:22:49.839 --> 00:22:55.680 Is so easy to weary of that primary responsibility, which 331 00:22:55.720 --> 00:23:00.599 is to your husband and to your children. I know 332 00:23:01.759 --> 00:23:04.559 how easy it is to weary of that, not because 333 00:23:04.599 --> 00:23:09.119 I've been a young woman, but because I've lived with one, 334 00:23:09.279 --> 00:23:14.039 and I've seen the struggle and the hardship it is 335 00:23:14.200 --> 00:23:19.720 to raise a household of children, to have daily responsibilities 336 00:23:19.799 --> 00:23:25.759 of managing the household well, loving a difficult to love 337 00:23:25.880 --> 00:23:30.119 husband at times, and how easy it is to grow 338 00:23:30.200 --> 00:23:32.920 weary of that and to lose sight of that being 339 00:23:32.960 --> 00:23:38.480 a primary call. We see the phrase in here working 340 00:23:38.519 --> 00:23:42.079 at home, which I just want to be clear, is 341 00:23:42.119 --> 00:23:46.160 not a proof text for a stay at home stereotype 342 00:23:46.960 --> 00:23:53.079 or even a prohibition of wives working vocationally outside of 343 00:23:53.079 --> 00:23:56.720 the house in some professional context. That's not what Paul 344 00:23:57.039 --> 00:23:59.559 has in mind here, And I think that we can 345 00:23:59.599 --> 00:24:03.559 balance that just by looking at Proverbs thirty one to 346 00:24:03.599 --> 00:24:07.240 see a woman who loved her husband well, who loved 347 00:24:07.240 --> 00:24:10.960 her children well, and who was a rock star entrepreneur 348 00:24:11.039 --> 00:24:13.519 business woman that would buy fields and. 349 00:24:15.640 --> 00:24:16.319 Tend to them. 350 00:24:16.359 --> 00:24:21.680 That they would grow fruit. But it is what Paul 351 00:24:21.880 --> 00:24:28.039 is saying is there is a special priority and emphasis 352 00:24:28.599 --> 00:24:34.960 placed on your role in first and foremost loving your husband, 353 00:24:37.079 --> 00:24:43.400 loving and supporting and raising up your children, and handling 354 00:24:43.599 --> 00:24:47.680 things there at the house. And that's not to say 355 00:24:47.720 --> 00:24:50.519 that you can't work outside of it, but it is 356 00:24:50.559 --> 00:24:55.079 to say that that is our God given priority and 357 00:24:55.160 --> 00:25:01.759 responsibility as Christian young women with families. When we in 358 00:25:02.160 --> 00:25:06.519 my house, when our kids were very young, like little 359 00:25:06.680 --> 00:25:13.839 little I remember coming home and seeing my wife exasperated 360 00:25:14.319 --> 00:25:18.920 by the discipline that had to be doled out that day, 361 00:25:19.720 --> 00:25:23.880 the house, managing the things in the house that needed 362 00:25:23.920 --> 00:25:28.079 to be done that didn't stop, the unending loads of 363 00:25:28.160 --> 00:25:30.559 laundry that just seemed to keep coming, and a peer 364 00:25:30.599 --> 00:25:36.920 out of nowhere. And in those times, one of the 365 00:25:36.920 --> 00:25:42.759 most encouraging things that helped get her through it was 366 00:25:42.799 --> 00:25:45.480 when she could pick up the phone or be in 367 00:25:45.599 --> 00:25:49.960 small group with an older woman that was just a 368 00:25:49.960 --> 00:25:55.119 little bit further along the path to say, sister, I know, 369 00:25:56.519 --> 00:26:01.319 and yet this time will pass. As a matter of fact, 370 00:26:01.880 --> 00:26:04.480 five years, ten years down the road, you're gonna look 371 00:26:04.519 --> 00:26:08.799 back on these days with fondness. You're gonna forget the 372 00:26:08.799 --> 00:26:12.480 worst parts of it, and you're actually gonna miss having 373 00:26:12.599 --> 00:26:15.720 those little children in there that seem like so much work. 374 00:26:16.240 --> 00:26:17.359 You're gonna miss the. 375 00:26:17.400 --> 00:26:21.720 Time that you're spending right now shepherding and shaping them. 376 00:26:22.119 --> 00:26:24.799 You're you're you. 377 00:26:24.759 --> 00:26:28.839 Know, the warning against you know, bitterness with your husband, 378 00:26:29.079 --> 00:26:35.000 and the encouragement that I always appreciated when they would 379 00:26:35.039 --> 00:26:38.359 remind her, Yeah, I know he's difficult, but he is 380 00:26:38.440 --> 00:26:42.960 still worth loving and sacrificing for. Thank you older women 381 00:26:43.079 --> 00:26:50.680 for that reminder to my wife. But as we think 382 00:26:50.720 --> 00:26:55.039 about just out there in the world and the ways 383 00:26:55.160 --> 00:27:01.519 that even the world would look down on that type 384 00:27:01.519 --> 00:27:07.200 of work, loving your husband, loving and sacrificing for your children, 385 00:27:07.920 --> 00:27:10.519 taking care of things that need to be taken care 386 00:27:10.559 --> 00:27:13.559 of at the house. But what Paul is reminding us 387 00:27:13.759 --> 00:27:16.480 is that God prioritizes. 388 00:27:15.519 --> 00:27:18.920 That, and that he even uses that. 389 00:27:18.960 --> 00:27:23.240 For out that the outside world looking in that might 390 00:27:23.279 --> 00:27:27.119 be scoffing at that, deep down, he knows that they're 391 00:27:27.519 --> 00:27:30.200 going to be attracted to it, and they're going to 392 00:27:30.319 --> 00:27:31.119 desire that. 393 00:27:32.119 --> 00:27:34.519 And then when we live our lives. 394 00:27:34.319 --> 00:27:36.799 Out in these godly ways, then we have the opportunity 395 00:27:37.240 --> 00:27:39.279 to share why we're doing that. 396 00:27:39.720 --> 00:27:41.920 Where our hope is coming from, and we. 397 00:27:41.920 --> 00:27:46.960 Get to point back to Christ appearing, bringing salvation and 398 00:27:47.000 --> 00:27:55.119 reordering our lives completely. Okay, younger men verse six, Guys, 399 00:27:55.160 --> 00:27:59.000 it's super simple. Be self controlled. 400 00:28:00.119 --> 00:28:01.079 It's like Paul. 401 00:28:01.240 --> 00:28:06.599