Before I forget, does anyone recognize this watch? It was found in the back somewhere of the church. Anyone recognize it? No? Does anybody know anybody who might recognize it? OK. All right. OK, I'll send it back to you then. Well, let's go ahead and pray. Before our time in our passage this morning, we get back to Titus. Would you join me? Father, we thank you for just preparing our hearts for worship. We thank you for the call to worship and the privilege of glorifying your name in song. We thank you for the gospel truths that we hear and complete in thee. The finished work of Christ has justified us, declared us righteous before you through no merit of our own. And then the desire, our prayer, that you would make us more and more strangers in that we would be distinct and set apart in this world, that we would reflect you more and more each and every day. We can, I think, corporately confess there are too many things in this world that can distract us from the main thing to worship and to glorify you. We know our chief end and so help us to live that more and more of each and every day we pray in Jesus name. Amen. Okay, well we're in Titus chapter 2, and we begin this series, if you will, in verse 1 that we're in right now, and it continues, and I'll mention that in just a moment. As I was thinking about this passage, and what it teaches, and the encouragement that Paul gives to Titus, obviously I'm seeing myself in that same situation, though probably older than Titus, and When I thought about the last 20 years or so, now this, I guess January 1st, first part of January, this 24 years that I've been in pastoral ministry, and over the last 20 or more years, there have been examples of pastors that have, let's just say they've been a bit loose with their preaching, they've been a bit loose with their teaching, And they felt that their role to be edgy, to be provocative, to be sometimes actually profane and inappropriate in the pulpit because they thought it was alluring. They thought it was something valued by this world that people might appreciate. And they would often use it to convey their points that they're trying to make. And I'm talking about people who would share similar doctrinal points as we would. The doctrines of grace, for example. And in many of these circumstances, there were leaders who were more comfortable with the spirit of the age, rather than the spirit of holiness. And I recognize that, because for every single one of us here, we're struggling to be holy as he is holy. But I think so often we find that preachers are out there trying to draw a crowd instead of trying to draw nearer to the Lord, and they come across as relevant, at least they think so, but they have left much carnage behind them. And I'll mention a name today just because it's one that you'll be aware of. Mark Driscoll in Mars Hill Church was one who wore that banner. I want to say he does this day. There are different opinions about that. But when he was pastor at Mars Hill, He was eventually forced to, I believe, forced to resign. He resigned from Mars Hill Church, and it was due to his, a number of things, but I think the head that brought it to the forefront was his offensive discussion on sexual matters with the congregation, trying to teach them about husband and wife relationship in a way that was really thought to be offensive. But beyond that, he was known as and referred to oftentimes as the cussing pastor. How would you like to be that, you know, to have that description for yourself, the cussing pastor? And when he laughed, or it might have been before he laughed, he expressed some regret and maybe some contrition. He said this in a public apology. He said, good theology, a bad temper, and a foul mouth, this is not what I want to be known for. That was 2009, May 11th. And I hope and pray that Mark Driscoll truly has repented and has seen how destructive those behaviors have been to that church and the membership of that church, the attenders of that church, and even the name of Christ. I don't know. He's a pastor now at a church called Trinity Church in Scottsdale, Arizona. And I'm not a private investigator. I haven't gone to try to see how he's doing now. I'll just give him the benefit of the doubt at this point in time. But there are a thousand ways to misrepresent Christ, to misrepresent the Word of God, to do dishonor to his name. And this is just one, but it's relevant, I think, to what we're gonna see in our passage today and what Titus is commended to do and how he's commended by Paul to approach the teaching ministry. And so that will be a focus that we'll see today. James 3.1 reminds us not many of you should become teachers, my brothers. for you know that we who teach will be judged with greater strictness. And the context of that passage is in the difficulty of taming the tongue. When you think about it, for all of us, the difficulty of taming the tongue, how hard it is to not say things that are inappropriate, that are profane, that are unwholesome, that don't lift others up, but instead tear them down. And so to be in the teaching position and then to allow those things to come out is to recognize that there's a seriousness here because of the weightiness of that responsibility. Now, as I always tell you, that though this has a direct application to Titus and those who are regularly involved in the leadership of churches as elders, teachers, preachers, There's a specific application, but brothers and sisters, you are ambassadors for Christ. You are those who hold this precious gift of the Word of God and are called, as I mentioned at our candlelight service, to be lights in the world, as the Lord tells us, to be those who proclaim and display this word to the world. And so please don't let this go beyond you, but remember that the target is always us, every one of us, not just one particular group. Even when there's something specific focused, as it is here, And so we started in Titus 2.1 and we've learned this overarching picture, this point that we are called to conduct consistent with sound doctrine. And that was applied then, and Titus was called to teach the older men and the older women, the young women and the younger men, this same principle, right? That they should be called to live in accordance with what the scripture teaches. If we go back to verse one, but as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. That's Titus. As for you, you need to teach this. You need to tell folks how they're to live in accordance with the word of God, the teachings of the scripture in particular, that word. And so now what we're going to see as we look at verses seven and eight in chapter two, that the focus turns to Titus and all those like him, and really all of us, because we have some amount of teaching wherever we go. that if we're in a position of leadership, whether it's in the home or whether it's in a church or whether it's leading a Bible study, wherever it might be, we have a responsibility. And so, again, receive this as it comes to you and not just to Titus. And we're going to see the same theme applies to us all. Today, we're going to see this main idea. You can follow in your notes if you'd like to. But we're just going to see this simple point that teachers must be above reproach in conduct and in content. Teachers must be above reproach in conduct. the way that they live, and in content, in what they're teaching, what they're preaching. And I think I'll be able to show you that in this passage. But it is crucial that when we're instructing others regarding godliness, that we look to ourselves. We look in the mirror, and we exemplify what we're instructing and teaching. a weighty matter that I think of so often. I can't tell you how many times where I have said to the Lord, Lord, I don't feel worthy to be in this position. Help me so that I can be more worthy of bringing the truth of your word, to more exemplify. And so it's a weighty reminder. There are three points that we're going to look at. First of all, we're going to see that teachers must exemplify godly conduct. That shouldn't be a surprise. That's really a theme of the whole letter. Teachers must exemplify godly conduct. And as you already heard, teachers must convey godly content. They must convey godly content. And finally, we're gonna see that teachers must be above reproach. And we'll see kind of the reason why that should be. And he gives an answer to us in verse eight, the second part. So let's take a look at this first I'll read verse 7 and 8 all together, and we'll come back to the first part of verse 7. Teachers must exemplify godly conduct. And so the focus again is on Titus. But let me just... Here's what we're going to see is the opposite of this idea, parents, you've heard this far too often, and I'm sure all of us have failed in this. Do as I say and not as I do. Right? Do as I say and not as I do. Now, I'm not sure that those words have ever come out of my mouth, but I'm sure that my conduct has definitely come out that is not what I'm teaching my children. And so this is a reminder of how powerful that privilege and position and stewardship is, no matter what level that is for you. And so husbands with your wives, and we can go on and on. you know, older siblings with younger siblings, and in the younger, you know, folks of the church, Christians, as you're thinking about those younger coming behind you, there's so many applications here, but let's look at verse 7 and 8. Show yourselves, so yourself, in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. So that's what we're gonna be looking at. We're gonna start with verse seven. All that has been taught must be exemplified. That's the implication of what he's saying here. And the way it's expressed in the ESV is all respects, literally concerning all these things. That's actually how it comes across in the original language, or at least in my translation of it. And again, I'm not proclaiming to be the best translator ever, but I just think that's the idea that we find there. And so the all respects is likely a reference to all that's been taught, that we just saw, at least in Chapter 2, from verse 1 through verse 6, right? To all these categories of people in the Church Titus, you need to exemplify it. Not just the young men, but You need to exemplify these characteristics, these virtues that you must teach. And as you glance back at the list, we learn of many of the virtues of Christian living that we should be looking for and seeing more and more in our own lives. And so it's worthwhile just considering a few of them as you look back to verse two. You know older men? Just when we think about the particular age group, but sober-mindedness. Dignity, or dignified, or weightiness, or reverence, that's the idea. Self-controlled. We've seen that repeated over and over. I have a whole sermon basically focused on that for the young men. Sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. These are things that we want to exemplify, all of us, and certainly Those who are teaching others to do these things and to live this way ought to be more and more characterized by them and exemplifying them. And it goes on, you know, to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers, not slaves to much wine, of course. not to do's that are here to teaching what is good, which kind of goes back to what we're going to see in verse eight, sound speech, teaching what is healthy and good. And then we return again to the young women, pure and kind and not, you know, men, you're not called to be submissive to your own husbands or to wives. That's the specifics. I'm not reading that particularly, but, but young women and older women, this is a calling that you have. And the younger men, again, we have self-control. So you see and hear these things, and there's a sense in which the Christian call is not overly complicated, in that there are clear commands and precepts that God gives to us, and we have an exemplar that we look to, the one who's the par excellence, right? The Christ, the God-man, who we look to and we see in his humanity he lived and committed no sin and no deceit was found in his mouth. He was tempted in every way as we are, yet without sin. So we have one we look to and we see this is what it looks like to live as a perfect human being in God's eyes. And so we also want to think about the fact that there's a goodness and blessedness, there's a beauty in lives that are characterized by these virtues that we should desire to be around those who are kind. We should be doing everything we can to be around those who are patient and compassionate. We want to be around those who have steadfast love. We want loyal fellow Christian friends and others. We want to be around those people who are self-controlled, and we see it, and then we learn just watching, oh my. My life is a wreck when I look at theirs. Look at how they've got their life in order. They've got a plan. We want to be around people like that because we know how much we need to be sanctified. And God uses our brothers and sisters in Christ as means of grace in our lives. He uses his word. He uses his spirit. He uses prayer. He uses each and every one of us as well. And so there should be a sweet smelling fragrance, a wondrous alarmant. There should be a draw to the true convert, to those kinds of people. But on the other hand, you also need to know if you're here today and you're not drawn to that. I mean, why would we want to pursue that which is odorous and ugly and foul in the eyes of God? Why would we want to cozy up to that? You answer that question because then you answer the next question, who are you spending time with? What are your conversations like? What are you drawn to? Are you drawn to those who really want to live for Christ? And if not, why? Because these are the kinds of things that should draw us, should attract us if we're in Christ. And if that's not, and you don't really care about growing in holiness, and you just want the stamp on your paperwork that says Christian, then something's wrong. There's a red flag there. And so you ought to be asking yourselves those questions. And if you find yourself sliding away from the godly, the pure, and moving towards the worldly, those who are more about things and stuff and identity, being all that, then something's going on. And if you find yourself kicking at the goad when corrected, when encouraged in your own pursuit of holiness, or when the light of God's truth is shown upon you, then there's also something going on. I'm not saying it always feels pleasant for someone to point something out in us. but we should recognize how much we need that very feedback. There's an implication here that I want you to get, even as we start in this verse seven, and that is that Titus is being called to look not only to impart these virtues, but to examine their presence in himself. You see? It's not just that he's to be these things, certainly he is, but that very call makes you go, huh, I better look at myself in the mirror. And I just want to encourage every one of us here today, including myself, to look in the mirror and maybe ask those who know you the best, what are you seeing? So we have this statement here in verse seven, show yourself a model of good works. And so that's just, you know, as you teach others, these virtues, make sure you're teaching yourself. Sometimes in counseling we talk about teaching yourself or speaking to yourself rather than listening to yourself. Don't want to listen to yourself, because self will lead you astray. But as you speak the truth of God's word to yourself, it's going to be the armor of God that you need to handle the issues and the trials of this life and the decisions that you have to make. And as you explain and apply these virtues for the rest of the church, Make sure you apply these commands to your own life, to your own family. And so the word model, I think I heard Jeremy read in the New King James pattern, yeah, that's good. Figure, example, all those are in the domain of this word. And so your students, those under your care, should look beyond the definition that you give to the example that you live. And that's really what Titus is being told here. And Matthew Henry asserted, we saw this somewhere else, but he asserted it again here. And we need to be thinking about that because without this, without this modeling, he would pull down with one hand what he built with the other. You see, you're building up with that teaching and that careful exposition, whatever it might be, and then pulling it down with the example. So the emphasis is on conduct again. As we go through this passage, we see it. Remember, again, the overarching theme. Christians must embrace their biblical roles and live consistent with sound doctrine. You can glance back at verse one. You can see that. That continues to flow throughout this passage. It is that overarching theme in the context that helps us to know what's going on here, how we're to live. And in other words, teach the conduct that befits the doctrine, the teaching. The scriptures are sufficient to tell us how we are to live in life and godliness according to 2 Peter chapter 1. And I want to say this too. There are theological ramparts, mountains, that we can ascend when we're looking at the Word of God and we are drawn into the majestic nature of our God as we are overwhelmed by His immensity as we were undone by His holiness, as we gaze into His plans for us, as we are called to even look into eternity and the realms that are awaiting us and the promises that He's given. There are wonders as we're looking at His Word, but please understand that doctrine also gives us commands and precepts and principles and wisdom that we must live by. And even in those ramparts, even in those mountain views where we look down and see the beauty and the wonder, they also teach us. The deepest of theological principles will also compel the conduct of the subject, of us, right? It should compel us as we think of what God is like. And also, let's not forget that the commands and the precepts, the principles, the wisdom that we find in the scripture, they're all intended to conform us to be better image bearers. They're called to, well, our chief end, right? To glorify God, to show more of what he's like, that this world might catch a little bit of a glimpse of what he's like. as we live before them. And so a question that we should always ask as we are studying the scriptures is not just, okay, what's the sequence of the dates? And that's good. We need to know those things. But when we're looking at the word of God, we should ask, how does this inform the way that I should live? What does this tell me about my calling, my duty, my delight? What does this say as I see this supreme and perfect God? What is it supposed to do in me? Well, we could go through a list, right? Humble you, compel you to worship, to live for him, to recognize how unworthy you are to even stand in his presence, to be overwhelmed with gratitude. And we can go on and on and on. As we're looking at the word of God, we want to be thinking about those questions. And so Titus is brought back to it, be a model of good works. Some of you might be saying, well, but why all the emphasis on good works? Because we are saved by grace through faith, not of works, lest any man should boast. I know Ephesians chapter two, verse eight and nine. I've memorized that verse in Awana, right? I've known it for years. But these good works we know are evidence of true faith. And so James isn't contradicting anything when he says a faith without works is dead. And so we ought to be looking at works. And so true faith, true conversion, true new birth will result in good works. Works are those things that are accompanied by true and saving faith. And you all know, most of you know that, but it's a reminder that all of us as Christians should be bearing the fruit of the spirit more and more. increasing amounts. For Thessalonians, we've been looking at that in prayer meeting, our love is to abound more and more, even though it's already there. It's to abound more and more, even though it's commendable already, it's to abound more and more, because we don't have the perfect love of God, and so there's so much room for growth. And so the fruit of the Spirit should flow from our lives, and so good works are not merely what you're commanded to do, They're what a regenerated heart delights to do. If I go back to Romans 7, I'm still amazed at how God knows us, where Paul can delight in the law and yet do the very thing he wishes not to do. The character of our heart should be, we delight, we want to live in accordance with this with this law that is good and gracious and lovely and beautiful, and yet we find ourselves, because of remaining sin, because of the world that we live in, the fallen nature of this world, we still fail, and yet God is so gracious. And so good works, another way of saying that, are a measure of your spiritual health. And they also, as we've learned, are a means of grace that God uses with the gospel to bring others to faith and to sanctify his people. Those are already in Christ. May I go just one step further on this? The tests of this life reveal what's going on in your heart. So I was tested with the smallest little thing. My wife is in Virginia visiting my two grandbabies, and ah, we have a shared meal. I'm trying to put the shared meal together and I'm looking for this and looking for that. I can just feel and I can hear, you know, just, just frustration and impatience. And, um, it's so easy to see it and to find it. It's humbling. It really is. And that's not even a test. That's just a annoyance. But the challenges, the difficulty, the opposition, the suffering and pain, the loss, the oppression, the disappointments, all these things are gonna expose the strength and the authenticity of your faith. Also expose whether you're willing to say, oh. Lord have mercy on me. The humility that's there to see it and to say it. Lord have mercy on me in the midst of it. Those who've suffered much reveal their faith in their godly conduct through their trial. They suffer, they feel it, and their emotions can be like the waves of the sea, right, just coming, crashing sometimes when they least expect it. But they show forth their priorities. Their endurance shows forth their faith. Those who are confronted by annoyances, unkindness, disturbances to their comforts, their desires, and there can be the immaturity of their faith revealed, as with mine last night. And so we all ought to examine our good works as Titus is exhorted here. That's really the application for us. Just examine yourself and on your way home, right, on your way home with a slow driver in front of you, On the way here, right, boys, all the red lights. The world's against me. You just sometimes want to slap yourself when those things happen. The second thing we see is teachers must convey godly content. Godly content. There's an emphasis on one's conduct, but also on, I think, the virtue of the teaching itself that's found in this passage. And I'll show that to you grammatically, because I think that's there. We might chalk this up just to pure speech, but it seems to emphasize also the character of that which we teach, not just the manner. But we'll see both. I think both are here. That's gonna be my conclusion. Let's look at that again, beginning in verse seven. So it says, show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching, show integrity. and dignity and sound speech. We'll just stop there, all right? So we must not dismiss the connection between the good works and your teaching, which is actually the teaching. It's not your teaching, it's the teaching. Of course, he's talking to Titus, and so the translators say you're teaching with ESV. And there's also no and. If you have an ESV here today and you're looking at this, it doesn't say in the original language and in your teaching, it just says, the amount of good works in the teachings show integrity. and so on and so forth. And without that connective, there's an even closer connection to the conduct. And I think we're supposed to remember the manner in which we teach. And that is important. It's not just that we're to exemplify all these things. It's just, how do you teach? Are you abrupt? Are you brash? Are you profane? Are you inappropriate? Are you always joking all the time? the manner in which you teach. And I think there's definitely a focus here. And the way it would sound here, if I, this is my translation, would be, show yourself a model of good works in the teaching, show integrity, dignity, and sound speech. So it is proper, I think, to say that exemplary good works or conduct should be evident in the way in which you teach. In the way in which you teach. There are discussions regarding whether we should focus on the manner of teaching or the content of teaching, of the teaching of the doctrine itself. And I understand the desire, and I have that desire too, to be decisive and to find the either-or. It's either-or. It's either this or it's that. In this particular case, I'm with the community of the both and, because I think both of them are so necessary if we rightly understand the importance of the content itself, the teaching itself. And I think you'll see it as you review this with me. And so there's no doubt that good works should be modeled in the manner of teaching. We don't want to do those things in the way that we teach that would betray the actual thing that we're teaching. So we don't want to do that. That's true. And so the teacher who exhibits humility, understanding, compassion, and patience in the explanation of the doctrine, he models good works. He models that. The one who is impatient, detached, demanding, self-righteous, would not be modeling good works in his teaching. And so let's affirm the importance of teaching that models good works. However, that being said, there, I believe, is an emphasis on the nature of the teaching itself. And I've thought about this. Even in the preposition that leads us into the teaching, there's a little preposition. It's a two-letter word in the Greek, in the teachings. It opens up the idea of the content. We could say the realm. We can say a number of things about that little preposition. There are books written, grammar books in Greek, on how you are to interpret prepositions in what particular context. Really fun. No, I'm sorry, that's not my most enjoyable study, but I've used it many times. How are we using in here? Or is it among? Or is it on? Because these prepositions can be used. I'm sorry, I'm getting into the woods. What I'm most comfortable with here, and we could debate the interpretation, is the truth and the flexibility of the word that's used here. Another way of expressing that is both in the how of the teaching and in the what of the teaching. Both of those, I think, are present. What should be taught? That's a question, right? Obviously the word of God, but we don't stop there. We need to go further and ask more questions. What content should be emphasized as we're looking at a passage? What should be the flavor of the teaching? What is it that we're conveying? What is the content truly? And so we have these descriptions, and we can apply them to manner, but we can apply them to the content as well, and I'm comfortable doing both as I read through this passage for a reason. The teaching must be characterized by integrity. We've seen that word before, or something like it, at least, in verse two, not exactly the same. We have dignity and sober-mindedness, and here we have integrity and dignity, very close, but the integrity here can also mean incorruptible, incorruptible. My, I know that, generally speaking, my character is not incorruptible in the sense that I know that I'm going to always behave properly. But I do know one thing. I know that this teaching, if I do my due diligence, this Word of God is incorruptible. So I think this is leading more to the content personally. The Scriptures are God-breathed. They're inerrant. They're infallible. They're authoritative. They're sufficient. And I ought to come to the Word of God that way. to come recognizing the incorruptible, the integrity of it. That's a big word, that little word integrity. Now, again, we can make some application to manner of teaching as well, but doctrine should be taught with that perspective, because the Word of God itself as you think about it, has a force, it has a weight, it has an integrity that comes with it inherently. And therefore, that ought to be seen in the teaching, so that when we rightly divide this word, then we're going to teach it with integrity, not just the manner, but the content. And you can't do that. I don't think you can teach with integrity without rightly dividing it, without laboring in it, with that kind of weightiness, which we'll see in the next word that we need to have. So this is an indictment, I think, on those who are fast and loose with the Word of God. Those who are clever, nifty. Those who are, how do I phrase this? Those who are coming up with new ideas rather than the ancient paths. looking for novelty rather than the truth of God's Word. And so the false teachers that have been in view in Titus, surely they were erring in this way. They were ready to conform the word of God to their interests, to their motivations, rather than to be conformed by the word of God. And that's certainly lacking integrity. And that is getting at the content as well as the conduct. That's why I don't wanna say either or. I don't think I can, not at least with good conscience. Similarly, the teaching must be characterized by dignity. Now, when we think of dignity, we think of some British film that you've watched recently, right? You know, just posture and the way that you speak, and maybe there's some good to think about that way. Here, again, we've seen this idea in both the older men and the older women in some sense, because it has the idea of reverence, gravity, sanctity. That's the idea of this word, respect and honor. And so yes, again, we want to teach with that manner, but it comes from the content of the word of God itself. This is a weighty word. We do not trifle with this word. We seek to come under its authority. We seek to rightly teach it. We don't want to be those who are in error. We want to be those who teach it rightly because that is when it comes with power and it's something that the word of God possesses inherently because it is God's word. There's a weightiness and it should be handled that way. And so the content as God's voice to us brings with it then this honor and sanctity that calls for careful and faithful study. Does that make sense? The Word of God is living and active, sharper than any two-edged sword. It penetrates, dividing soul and spirit, joints and marrow. We want to be those that come to the Word of God knowing that and wanting to simply unleash that Word by rightly dividing it and teaching it and being careful as we do. And so we know that apart from the work of the Holy Spirit, surely there is no hope for the heart of the listener. There's no hope of salvation apart from the work of the Spirit. That doesn't mean that we still don't have that responsibility. I think you see that as you look at these words. And so again, we can say that we are the means of God's grace. And in the teaching discipline, in the training discipline of God's words, we ought to then come with reverence and prayerfully so that we can declare the sacred and weighty word. The content matters. I know this may not be exciting stuff. It may not be, oh, I'm just gonna do this and that. If you would just, if the Lord by his spirit would just impress upon your heart the profound weight of this word today, that you could never forget it, that you would walk around thinking, I need this word. It is my food, it is my bread, and I want to know it's truth. I don't want to just have a little bit of it. I want to know it. I want to understand it. I want to know the background of it. I want to rightly teach it when I'm training my children or talking about with my friends. And so we must be dignified in the serious manner with which we convey the truth, but also in the content. And then finally, the teaching must be characterized by sound speech. We've talked about sound doctrine, we see that in verse one, and now we have sound speech. And that word sound, if you recall, means healthy. It means right, or whole, or proper. That's the idea of this word. One commentator describes it this way. He says, the actual content, content of the scripture, is health giving, free from anything that can be reproached by opponents. Healthy content is right interpretation of the scriptures. Healthy, sound, do you see? Sound speech is the right interpretation and teaching of the scriptures. And some declare, I know, you've heard it, you know my doctrine is the Bible. I don't follow a creed, I just follow the Bible. Oh, so the way you get around that is say, oh, how do you take Romans 8.28? and then you will learn their doctrine, at least on that particular. This is the most foolish thing ever. The word doctrine just means teachings and they have doctrine. They just think that it's cool to say just about the Bible. It's arrogant is what it is and misled. And so anyway, I'll just get off of that for a second, but sound speech. cannot come from those who do not have a healthy approach to interpretation. You see that, right? You cannot speak soundly healthy in teaching the word of God unless you're rightly dividing it, unless you're studying to show yourself approved. So healthy, right, sound speech is that which conveys the right interpretation of scripture. And so yes, sound speech is also applied in the manner in which you teach, that's true, But above all, the soundness, healthiness of the teaching is first rooted in the content itself. There's no power in a word preached unsoundly or words spoken in error. Do you see that? When we come back, you cannot, I don't think, I think it's dangerous to divorce content away from this and just think it's all about the manner in which you speak or teach. No, you cannot do that. Teachers must convey godly content along with their godly character. The last, the third point that we have here, briefly just talk about, teachers must be above reproach. How the teacher conducts themselves and the content of their teaching are equally as important in maintaining a good testimony in this world. And that's why he goes there. He actually tells us the reason why you need to teach this way. the reason why you need to teach this content. We don't want to unnecessarily offend this world. We don't want to bring reproach against Christ. We don't want to confuse and provoke the world by our teaching that's not rooted in sound speech, right? Let's take a look at that at the last part of verse eight. I'll go back to verse seven. Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, conduct, in the teachings, Show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us. You see, both things are there. The content, the nature of the teaching itself, it better be rightly divided, so that they're not coming at you and saying, that's error, that's wrong, you haven't interpreted that rightly. Now they may still say that, but we need to be those who know, to the best of my ability, and I'm gonna be the first to say, On this one, I think it might be this, but I'm not sure, and I'm not staking my life on it. I'll know when I'm in glory, when I see, not dimly, but face to face, right? But there are so many things that are so clear. And so teachers are witnesses to the watching world, and all of us are, we know that. And so the reasons given for godly conduct and content are then given to us, because there are people watching and listening to you. There are. They're around. Whether it's your extended family, whether it's your neighbor, whether it's your own family, or whether it's, you know, the place that you work, there are people watching you. And we need to recognize that. What will your life and teaching communicate to them? Because how easy it is to give Christ a bad name. How easy it is to mislead with the scriptures and to distort the word, to fall prey to pleasing man rather than God. We might even say, no matter what your intention, your life and your words are teaching something. They're communicating something. Titus is reminded again, to be a model of good works, teaching what is godly and sound. And so this point then, teachers must be above reproach so that the world cannot condemn them. And it says here in verse eight, so then an opponent, I'm sorry, and sound speech that cannot be condemned. There's the purpose. There's the in order that. That's another little word that we call a hinnah clause that gives us purpose. So why are you teaching in this way, in this manner, in this content? Because you don't want to be distorting. You don't want to be giving our Lord a bad name by your false teaching or the manner in which you teach, both. Both are in view. And so, yes, there is purpose in the positive example and the teaching imparted to the believer. And yes, there is purpose in the power of the gospel and gospel conduct used to convert sinners. I mentioned the candlelight service. I'll read it. Matthew 5, 13 through 16. Believers are called the salt of the earth and the light of the world. That's our identity. And so then he gives us a command later on in verse 16, let your light shine before others so that they may see your good works and give glory to your father who is in heaven. And so the focus here is on the purpose and giving no room for opponents to bring an accusation. Teachers have a weighty responsibility because they're typically going to be teaching more people over time and from different realms, people that just walk in off the street. And so teachers have this weighty responsibility of living and teaching that does not bring unfounded condemnation. Now I say unfounded for a reason. I say unfounded because when you preach Christ and him crucified, you know already that it is an offense to the Jew and foolishness to this world according to 1 Corinthians 1, right? So you are gonna be condemned for preaching the truth So that's unfounded according to the word of God. So we don't want to unnecessarily provoke, unnecessarily offend, but if us speaking sound speech, if we're conveying the weighty truth of the word of God and people come against us, so be it. because they hate Christ, and that's why they hate us, because the world may well persecute us for faithfulness and integrity. We need to recognize that as well, and Titus is exhorted here to live and to teach in such integrity and godliness that he would be unimpeachable by the world, unimpeachable, neither by sin in his conduct or error in his teaching or irreverence in his manner of teaching. None of that would bring disrepute upon him. Teaching itself cannot be condemned, and that means, I think, that the interpretation is careful and rigorously defensible. I always think of the Apostle Paul in that, and how he debated and explained, there's no hint of error. No one can rightly, with integrity, condemn it as foreign to the scriptures. You can defend your position, And the manner of teaching and conduct leaves no room for any evil to be spoken of the teacher. I hope you see, even in this last part, how the content and the conduct and the manner just kind of fold together, and both of them are necessary. And I don't think we should exclude either one of them here because our opponents are looking for ways to undermine and to discredit the gospel, to discredit Christians, to discredit the word of God and the work of Christ. We don't want to give them any ammunition. We don't want to do that. In fact, we want to live and teach in such a way that our opponent may be put to shame. And when I hear put to shame, We want to live in such a way that they are silenced. They have nothing evil to say about us. And that's familiar language to me. And I'm going to take you just to a couple places so you can see that. We want to live such godly lives that the world knows deep inside they're not right with God. There's something about them. And so that pride that wants to defend oneself is still going to react. It's still going to respond. But their conscience will bear witness against them one day. And maybe even in that moment. Listen to just a couple of passages, a few books forward to 1 Peter. Listen to what we learn about how we're to live in this world. 1 Peter chapter 2 verse 11. Beloved I urge you as sojourners and exiles. We could say strangers. We're just saying make me a stranger. In other words, our conduct amidst this world and what we speak of Utterly different. Utterly strange and set apart. Verse 11. Beloved, I urge you as sojourners and exiles to abstain from the passions of the flesh, which wage war against your soul. Keep your conduct among the Gentiles honorable, so that when they speak against you as evildoers, they may see your good deeds and glorify God on the day of visitation. They're gonna speak against you, but when they see you, there's that conscience, that rub. Hmm. They're different. There's something about what they're saying. And by the way, when they're living different, what they're saying now is different. I might have to look into this. And then even as we see it, continue in being submissive to our government, be subject, verse 13, for the Lord's sake, to every human institution, whether it be to the emperor or supreme or to governors, assent by him to punish those who do evil and to praise those who do good. For this is the will of God, that by doing good, you should put to silence the ignorance of foolish people. That's in concert with what we're seeing in Titus, isn't it? And then chapter 3, verse 13. Now, who is there to harm you if you are zealous for what is good? But even if you should suffer for righteousness' sake, you will be blessed. Have no fear of them, nor be troubled, but in your hearts honor Christ the Lord as holy. Always be prepared to make a defense to anyone who asks you for the reason for the hope that is in you, yet do it with gentleness and respect." We always forget the gentleness and respect and how we're to do it. We always forget the first part, but in your heart set apart Christ as Lord. You won't do any of this apart from Christ himself at work within you. But then notice the next verse, it gives us further explanation. Having a good conscience so that when you are slandered, those who revile your good behavior in Christ may be put to shame. And we learn in Romans chapter 12 that we're not to return evil for evil or insult for insult. No, we are not to be those who live in retaliation. Vengeance is God's, not ours. We're to heap colds upon their heads by the way in which we live. I return to the opening illustration before we close here. What damage can be done when one is not a model of good works? does not in their teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech. How grievous to be known as the cussing pastor, as the inappropriate pastor, as the whatever, you know, all of the thousands of others that have gone for worldly methods. And imagine how many attenders left that church disillusioned, discouraged, even questioning their faith. And still today, this story follows that man. Again, if he's repented, praise God for that. I'll leave it to the elders of that church to determine whether he's qualified to preach again. It's not because of his faithful preaching, but because of his worldly language and his inappropriateness that he's remembered. Point is, even one wrong statement, action, or decision can bring disrepute on the name of Christ and to his church. And there are too many examples of this. And the media and this world are just looking. They're looking for an opportunity to amplify anything wrong. to let the world know. They could care less. They have no interest in the thousands upon thousands of faithful ministers that are just continuing to be a model and to bring good teaching, mostly in small churches. They could care less about them and what they're doing. And so we are reminded how vigilant we must all be as even Christians in in this world, not in the teaching capacity primarily, but we need to speak the truth, share the gospel, understanding its weightiness. And I would ask you if you would pray for the elders at, I know you, so many of you are already doing this regularly, but pray for the elders at GTCC. Pray that we would more exceedingly, more abundantly exemplify the virtues and character that we've observed here in this passage. We need your help. We need you as means of grace. We need your eyes on us. We need accountability. That's why we believe in a congregational form of government. Pray for us. Pray for one another. And may God help us all to heed the call given by Paul to Titus, because we all need to hear it. Would you join me in prayer? Father, we thank you for your word. Help us. We confess our desperate need to to not just hear, but to be doers of the word. Here we are in a new year, and I'm sure there's many kinds of goals that have been put out there to do this or that, to lose this or that, to gain this or that. Whatever it is, may we be those who advance in 2025 in holiness, in purity. that we would indeed be a model of good works. That we would be those who, when we share that word of God, we share it winsomely, faithfully, and with the reverence and weight that it deserves in our study. And then on our delivery, we pray. We pray for all those who are here outside of Christ, that you would bring them in, dear Lord. That you would see their need, recognize their sin. They would be undone by their offense against the Holy God of this universe. They would come to you in true faith and repentance, trusting in the only way unto salvation, the way and the truth and the life of the Lord Jesus. They would trust in his work and his payment, ransom payment for sin. and his resurrection, that he has defeated sin and death, if they but trust in him, they will receive that same blessing. We pray these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Let's stand together in preparation for the Lord's Supper