I invite you to open your Bibles to Titus in the New Testament, Titus chapter 2. Just before Hebrews, Titus, Philemon, Hebrews, Titus 2. We'll begin our reading at verse one. It's a relatively short chapter, so we'll read the full chapter. Titus 2, beginning at verse one. This is the word of our God. It says, but as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled. Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled. Show 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. Bondservants are to be submissive to their own masters in everything. They are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior. For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people, training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works. Declare these things, exhort and rebuke with all authority, let no one disregard you. So far from God's holy word. dear congregation of the Lord Jesus Christ, the opening of this letter, it tells us, these are words written from the Apostle Paul to his trusted friend and fellow gospel laborer, Titus. He has encouragement and instruction for him about how to strengthen the newly established and newly formed churches on the Mediterranean island of Crete. So this is a letter of sort of further instruction to a missionary that's now establishing a number of new churches. And maybe you remember how Paul described the need for qualified elders in every church. That's part of the first chapter. Those who have a firm grasp on the gospel teaching so that they can apply it and defend it and put it to practice for the benefit of the church. Now in chapter two in Titus, we're concerned with the gospel's grip on each believer in practical application. So Paul charges Titus to minister sound doctrine, fitting to every position in life, so that our believing example would make the teaching of Christ attractive to everyone. teach the gospel in such a way that everyone can shine in the sight of the watching world, so that everyone can show the beauty of the gospel in practice. Maybe that's a simpler way to say it. And we want to focus in, because we're thinking of Mother's Day, we'll focus in on those early verses there, three to five, that has to do with the example of older women to younger women. and what fruits it bears, all of it adding up to, in the broader sense, a flawless gospel, a picture of the glory of Jesus in the Church. So at the very start of this chapter, Paul urges Titus to teach what is in accord with sound doctrine. take the truth, take sound teaching, and apply it to older men and younger men and older women and younger women and to people in every position, high or low, even to the slave. They're not excluded from Christian teaching, like, well, there's nothing you can do, you're in a horrible situation. They're included also, so that you get this sense of high and low, God has placed a calling on all of us, no matter our condition. We show His glory, no matter our condition. We serve Him. Every age and gender and social group that makes up the church, then the church reaches in every direction. So, you know, when you make a really good sandwich, you know, every layer has its merits and, you know, cutting through every layer is, you know, the knife of sound doctrine. You know, every layer is touched by this thought that we all need to apply the same critical truth that Christ is our only blessed hope. and salvation. He is the one on whom we focus. When you look at verse 13, He is the one that has appeared as the Savior and has redeemed us and purified us for a new kind of life. Well, this is for everyone. This is for the whole church. Each of us who believes as we have different lives, different skills, different strengths and weaknesses and so on, nevertheless, we're delivering the flavor of the gospel and we're adorning the gospel of Christ and beautifying it as we believe and put it to practice. So as we think about Mother's Day and we think about the role of women in the church, it's for the beauty of the gospel that we're all striving. And we should appreciate this basic spiritual mission and commission which helps guide us through all of this teaching. Spiritually speaking, it's rather important to note, you don't need to be a mother You don't need necessarily to have a mother at this particular moment to understand the kind of teaching that's going on here because the church itself is made by God to be a family in such a way that every mature woman is a mother to every other woman in the church. that needs to be training themselves for godliness, that every man in the church has to act as a father to every younger man with the hope that all of us will achieve in Christ a strong foundation, sound doctrine, true unity. so that you have this sense of it's not just my duty to my own biological children, but I have a responsibility in the church to see those who are new to the faith, discipled in Christ to maturity, to see those who are younger and inexperienced, to grow into experience in Christ and His Spirit. And that's not just someone else's work. It's not only Pastor Drew's work. He's a professional. Look, he wears a tie. And it's the elders' work. That's their problem and their job. It is our body, as a whole, that's seeking to put to practice the freedom and the redemption of Christ against our former slavery, against our former lawlessness, showing the purity of Jesus, you know, put to practice. So older women are to be spiritual mothers to younger women, older men, you know, are godfathers, as it were, to younger men. Even slaves, they see themselves differently. Now we're slaves to Christ. We're not bitter every day about the terrible short straw that we drew, that now I'm in this horrible position in society, but they see themselves as reflecting the glory of Jesus, and their character and their conduct gives them the nobility, gives them sort of the high position that they don't have in the world, but they have because of Jesus. This is a radical kind of teaching that the apostle has delivered here. They're slaves to Christ, and their humility and uprightness and integrity, it would teach free men what freedom really is in a society that is full of slavery. So I've met a number of pastors, teachers, missionaries, elders, friends who, though childless, they have many sons and daughters, born of the Spirit, born in Christ. When you witness that kind of family bond, it's faith giving birth to faith. Is there someone that's instrumental in your conversion? You know, the scripture sees them, right, as a spiritual father, as a spiritual mother. Is there, are there multiple people that you could name that were instrumental in your Christian childhood development, you know, that you matured under their instruction and with their example? They are to you, you know, spiritual parents. And we want to acknowledge this, that each of us can name spiritual fathers and mothers for whom we should thank God and for whom we should, to whom we should show our gratitude because they were part of ushering us into the Christian life and into maturity in Jesus Christ. Well, Paul necessarily elaborates on what kind of example that he desires from older women in the church. When experienced and mature Christian women are successfully living their faith, then their lives shine. Their families, their church, and the very gospel itself opens up, like the tulip bulb opens up, so the church is beautiful in that way. Remember that this teaching has to do with a truly attractive gospel pointing to Jesus as the true beautiful center of our salvation. In the business world, you say that a good product sells itself, that something that has good qualities and is well-made and so on, that it sells itself. Well, we're thinking about this as we consider what the apostle writes here. When believers, you and I, when we excel in the faith, when we treasure and we live by the hope of the coming of Christ, when we put to practice His love which is altogether pure and it's expressed in obedience as we said to His commands, then we demonstrate his glory, his leadership, his honor in the world. We put on display the name of Jesus, the forgiveness and love of Jesus. It's his patience, it's his purity. These are qualities that come and virtues that come from his spirit. It honors God that women adopt a reverent way of life, like it says in verse three. Reverence we often think of as a worship word, right? A word that's sort of associated with even coming to church, reverence. It's about standing in awe of God's presence. What does it mean to be reverent? But that we remember that he is close, we remember that he's holy, we remember to honor and acknowledge him in whatever undertaking of life. and that would be a reverent way of life. Christian women, good mothers in the faith, are called to bring that reverence into all of their activity and teach it in such a way that young women can understand how to do the same, to bring it into all of their conduct and the way that they approach their lives. you know, how can I bring love for God and honor for Him and acknowledgement of Him into the day-to-day of my home and into the patterns of our life and into the discussions that we're having, you know, in the car and at the table and as we do our homework and as we clean and as we, you know, as we take on all the little tasks. It's not like, oh, these are, you know, there's no way to connect these to reverence for the Lord. But showing love for Him and honor for Him, it has to become the normal for the Christian women. I named this kind of a broad and open title, the Christian women. But they are to be a type, according to the apostle, those that live with the reverence for God as their first thought. that they have a mindset and a way of life that's normal for them, even though it's very strange to everyone else, to many others. And the good work of mature Christian women, it has strong benefits then for younger Christian women or immature women who demonstrate or who receive from them good teaching that leads to loving and pure and productive conduct that builds up their homes, that establishes their lives. The beauty of reverence, it leaves no room for ugly, angry words. Sound speech is a beautiful decor. Slander is a stain on the rug of the spirit's house. So we remember that even in agony on the cross, Christ spoke Gently, he spoke words of forgiveness. Even on the cross, he didn't curse his tormentors. He asked God to forgive them. That's something really to think about. With our God, our husbands, our children, Our brothers and sisters around us, every word of ours is a reflection on him. It's a reflection on the gospel. And in this case, unspoken words are teachers as well. Those things that we don't say, those bitter words and slanderous words that we wanna put aside, it matters. You know, we have at times had people come to us, you know, they're fishing, they're fishing for complaints, they're fishing, you know, they're fishing for gossip, they're fishing for slander, they're fishing for, you know, ungodly words, harsh words, you know, to draw us in to gossip and slander. And there's nothing more beautiful in the Lord's eyes than the kind of character and self-control and good conduct, that when we're squeezed, you know, when we're pressed for these things, that there's not a drop of malice in us, that there's not a drop of slander, that there's not an ounce that, you know, would pour out of us. There's nothing more beautiful than in this case to say like we're, you know, like the toothpaste tube that's been squeezed and flattened and squeezed again. And even under pressure, we're not interested, we're not willing to slander others. We're empty of harsh words, but instead full of, you know, full of the words of our Savior, full of the kindness, the encouragement, the love of Christ. And this is a part of identifying with Jesus, Jesus who, though he was beaten, though he was mocked, though he was exhausted carrying his cross. The words of Jesus on the cross, they brought no dishonor. They brought no shame. He spoke no evil. We have to really consider that thought because we're battered and pressed down by the stresses and strains of life, and that's true certainly of every mother, and we strive for, we long for the kind of control of our tongue that's pleasing to God. This is the kind of adornment on the faith that God has in mind for Christian women. If we cut corners in cleaning in our home and sweep things under the rug, after a while it will show. And this is why Titus charged with teaching wisdom for the whole person, for integrity in our complete walk of faith, sound teaching in the Christian life. In this case for the women of the church, right, he's speaking about integrity, sort of a whole person. You can see how reverence and sound teaching, it gets rid of unsound speech. It pushes out unstable thinking and unstable living. So that he also says, right, we shouldn't be addicted to much wine. You think here of consumption and living for our own pleasure, living for our own convenience. All these things are addressed in the scripture. Here you have particularly addiction to wine as the picture of someone who is not committed necessarily to the good of others, but it's sort of floating, and then someone who is just pleasing themselves. You have this picture, you know, the addiction to wine that chips away at self-control, that glazes over a watchful mindset, watchful and reverent, that loosens the rein on our tongue, Departing from these is a disaster to our personal walk of faith, and it creates turbulence in the home and turbulence in the church, and a withering effect to the beauty of the gospel. But staying close to Christ, it turns into a lesson for younger women. They put aside slander for reverence, they put aside sort of interest in wine and consumption and pleasurable living to teach what is good to other Christian women. And that commitment is a sacrificial one, and that commitment bears good fruit as the apostle teaches. You know, now they're making all kinds of devices where the same batteries, right, can power, you know, multiple different devices at once. The wisdom of Christ and sound doctrine. It's just as fitting for the young as it is for the old. And those who practice godliness in their own lives, they are able to charge, they are able to energize others in their walk with Jesus. And this is shown across all the strata of the church, all the different types of people. We're supposed to live in a way that builds up others and that is done for God's glory and for the good of others. How can we more clearly and openly point other people towards the kingdom and towards our Savior? How can we practice our faith openly, not hidden, not subtle, but shining? as a good example for others. Faithful women have a major job to do and a major role to play, to teach and to model what is good to other women, instilling in them love for their husbands, self-control, purity, diligent work in their homes, a submissive attitude and character. Our culture, hates these things. I would say that our culture looks at this and the lip curls in disgust as every one of these is laid out by the apostle. Our culture wants nothing to do with this. That makes it more critical in some ways and it makes it brighter since the world would love to shut the door on all of these things and leave it in obscurity. Love for husbands, self-control, purity, diligent work in their homes, an attitude of submission to their own husbands, you know, that's spit on. by our culture, and because of that, the role of teaching in these things by mature Christian women who, in their maturity and having walked along with Christ, can handle that pressure in a way that young women can't always do. and can encourage them in a way that no one else will encourage them to do and can model and help them do things that no one else will show them and no one else will model for them. That's a critical role. Young women should love their husbands and children with the kind of love that's patient and kind and unselfish and truthful. You know, how long it takes us to learn the kind of love that keeps no record of wrong, the kind of selfless love that keeps from bitterness and keeps from saying, you know, I do everything and no one, you know, there's no one helps me and no one cares and no, you know, but that looks for its reward not from, you know, from other people but even from the Lord. It's difficult to endure in that kind of love, and that's where this relationship of the mature to the immature, the older to the younger, is so necessary to keep putting wind in their sails. Self-control and purity in an ungodly age, in a world that wants us to, in terms of self-control and purity, flaunt our bodies and take every advantage for ourselves. These are radical lessons when no one else wants to do what the Christian women are called to do. Qualities worth understanding. To be busy at home, you know, to be diligent and working at home under the eyes of no one, under the scrutiny of no one, that takes self-discipline and self-control. And, you know, that kind of work, right, it's not immediately visible to everyone. It's visible to God, and it's highly valued by him. To be kind, even when it doesn't pay, and subject in every appropriate way to the husband as the head of the home. You know, none of these appear glorious. Many disparage these things, and Christians are slandered as wanting to hold women down and minimize them. The Christian church is slandered over these things. But God's word puts those qualities at a premium, at a high value. And God's word shows them as on the pathway to hope and life in Christ that leads to perfection and glory. These virtues are not necessarily seen publicly, but so often the quality of our character, which is invisible, radiates in ways that we don't expect, that it shows. and others see what kind of people we are in unscripted moments. This is critical for Christians that the world looks at us and says, well, you only do good things because you want to appear as something, you want people to see you being a good person, you want recognition, I guess, for being so holy and so good. But when we obey and when we serve, in ways that are obviously not meant for recognition, ways that are out of sight, ways that show up unscripted in life. It's shocking to the world. And that's part of what the apostle is showing us here, that the kind of Christian character that we desire and the kind that he has called Titus to teach is the kind that whether in the open or in private, it takes away the truth from any slander so that he says the word of God may not be reviled. and that an opponent may be put to shame. I hate these Christian women for how kind they are. I hate these Christian women. Look at how pathetic they are. They love their husbands and children. I can't stand these Christian women. They show purity and good conduct and reverence. It's kind of a fruitless endeavor to slander them. It's like, well, what actually bad do you have to say about them? And it becomes clear that what they despise is our Savior, and that they despise us only because they first hated him. We're interested in a flawless gospel to demonstrate to others there's no whip at our back to be productive and full of humble service, that our kindness is not a show, that the relationship between husband and wife is making us into those who better understand how to love with humility and selflessness, how to show patience, how to deal with those around us in kindness. These are invaluable, often private, but look at what the apostle warns, right? What qualities are closest to our hearts and sometimes done out of sight. They begin as a whole in our character and also in our homes as a whole and in then the church as a whole. They begin to broadcast a flawless gospel to those outside of Christ, our ultimate goal is the gospel of the spotless Lamb would show. The gospel of Jesus Christ would be projected in a way that others could see clearly, that Christians become a living testimony to His purity, to His forgiveness, to His love. When we pass along an important message, we want it to be clear, abundantly clear. There are some short television commercials that are burned into my mind for life. You know, the Empire Carpet commercial is one that stands out to me. Five, eight, eight, two, three hundred. You might know that from my childhood until now, if I need, I know who to go to. And so did my cousins. They visited from overseas and within like one week, they're like, they knew it. And all that is to say, the short message the short message that we want others to remember. You know, the gospel is more critical than that advertisement, but we want those who interact with us, we want them to see, that by the way we mother our children, by the way that we relate to our spouse, and the way we speak of them, the way we think of them, by the way that we relate to other believers, that we would give our time and our energy to setting an example for them, to assisting and helping them down the pathway of Christ, that when anyone gets a whiff of this, one smell of it, when they get a glimpse of it, when they have a little insight into our lives and they see this is their full commitment, it's not a joke, it's not a fad, it's not a passing thing, but this is their mission, that it would be putting Christ right in front, right on display, because of Him, because Christ has appeared, bringing this great redemption, giving himself for me, paying for the sins that I committed. Because Jesus has appeared, I have hope. I have a new life. I have a new direction. And I want to bring that into everything that I do. I want that to be on display for my own children. I want that to be on display for the others in the church. I want that to be on display for those who don't know and don't believe. making the most of every opportunity, leaving an impression that it's Christ that has changed my life, it's him that's turned the direction of how I think and how I live. Let no one have any substance to the criticism. So you believe the gospel of peace? But you bad mouth your spouse and you drag your arguments and your anger and your bitterness right out in the open in front of others. You bad mouth your children. You take no delight in motherhood. What does that have to do with the gospel of peace? You slander and gossip eagerly. You can't wait to dive in with everybody else into slander. You believe in marriage, but you kick against it, you disregard and run over your spouse. You believe in discipleship, but you have a shred of self-control or a hint of restraint. You live an extravagant life. It's from consumption to consumption, from drink to drink, from spending to spending, as it were. What does that have to do with Jesus? We preach purity, but we're engaged in every kind of sexual sin. These are things that have caused the Word of God to be bad-mouthed, to be slandered, to be maligned, for people to say, like I knew the Christians were, they say one thing, they do another. And we want none of that. We want self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age, waiting for our blessed hope and the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. You know, this is what Titus is commissioned to preach and to teach to everyone, to all of us, to the whole church, that they should put that to practice. We're sure that despite our sins and where we were at one time in life that now God has given us a new life and a new direction. That Christ has come to redeem and to renew what was broken. And now we're to put that grace on display. The goodness of Jesus that allows us to throw off a hunger for the deceit of this world. and the poison of our sins, the way that it poisons our minds about our role in life for discontent. I'm poisoned in my marriage, how I think of my spouse. I'm poisoned about how I think about raising these children. I'm poisoned about how I think of the role that God has given me. No more. We have the hope from Jesus that points to our full redemption. We can live zealously for him, even now. He says to Titus, let no one disregard you. Let no one disregard you. How can he preach in any other way? How can he teach in any other way? No one should disregard the coming of Jesus. That's really the key to the whole thing. Jesus has come and God said about him, this is my son whom I love, listen to him. This is the one who died and rose again. Let no one disregard him. And if fathers are bringing that message to their children and mothers to their children and the mature to the immature and the older to the younger from top to bottom in the church, then it brings him glory. It brings him honor. We make every effort to teach the things that God has in mind to show us about Christ and to learn the things that God has in mind to show us about Christ. And I never learned things so well as when I was forced to teach them. And so none of you should put that off, right, that you should not only be learning those things, but that how will you really learn them unless you turn around to exemplify them and to show them to others. That is on you, on all of you. It's on you to practice them, to learn them, but also to learn them as you teach the immature, and as you teach the young, and as you teach the new disciple. And that will solidify your understanding. This is how God has made the church to thrive, to make our pathway straight, and the passageways open for a heart of wisdom. So we ask God to break our resistance to these things. Not to drag our feet about setting an example for others, not to be resistant about sort of softening our pride and learning from others instead of hardening our minds and our hearts. And allowing God to instruct us not by lightning bolt from heaven, you'll learn these things, but through these people. Since it's far more likely that he will teach you through me and through them than he is going to zap you with the knowledge of his word. We're to learn from one another the ways of Christ through the spirit that he's given and the word which is the primary tool in his hands. Christ is a great savior and we will learn from him and stand firm in him as we obey these commands. Let his integrity and this flawless gospel of peace fill all the holes and cracks and broken hearts of the church as he makes us like him and he makes us then, you know, to adorn the gospel, right, to beautify it with our own example and our own obedience. Let's pray. Our Father in heaven, we're thankful to you that you have revealed the salvation of your Son, Jesus Christ, and the hope that we have in Him, and the redemption that we have in Him, and the love and forgiveness which is ours in Him. Having all of this, Lord, we pray that we would put it to practice in zealous and fervent obedience. or not waiting for others to do so, but practicing and carrying out these things immediately in our own lives and showing others then how to do the same. Lord, we pray that we would be quick to repent of our sins. Lord, we pray that we would be attentive and ready to learn from you. And we thank you, Lord, for the godly work and the godly example of our fellow believers. We pray that it would only increase. We pray, Lord, that what we see that is virtuous in others, we would put to practice ourselves. We pray, Lord, that what we see in your word, we would amplify in our lives, in our speaking, in our conduct, in our prayers. Lord, strengthen us for that purpose, even as, Lord, we know that you have given us the table for that very purpose. Hear our prayer, Lord, we pray in Jesus' name, amen.