Behavior Fitting Sound Doctrine

Transcript

GR 748
11/28/1986
BEHAVIOR FITTING SOUND DOCTRINE
Titus 2:1-5
Gil Rugh

The Book of Titus in your Bibles. The Book of Titus and the 2nd chapter. The theme of this small epistle by the Apostle Paul to the man Titus is that of good deeds or godliness. Godliness from the perspective of living our lives in conformity to the character of God. The book emphasizes good works, what we do as believers. How we live out our Christianity day by day.

Paul in chapter 1 had talked about the appointment of godly men as leaders in the local churches. Then he concluded that chapter with a scathing denunciation of false teachers, those who distort and corrupt the Word of God and lead believers astray. Paul concluded that chapter by saying, "They profess to know God." And that's a danger. Here we're dealing with teachers who profess to be believers in Jesus Christ, who profess a relationship with God. "But by their deeds they deny Him, being detestable and disobedient, and worthless for any good deed." These men must be opposed, they must be silenced, Paul has said, because they disturb whole families by their corrupt teaching.

Now attention has been drawn to the character of those who are not believers. Attention has been drawn to the character of those who are believers, who are going to be godly leaders. And we are reminded that the true test of our faith is the life that we live. Now our life must be based upon a true, personal relationship with Christ. Faith in the fact that I am a sinner, and that the Son of God died on a cross to pay the penalty for my sin, and was raised from the dead. When you believe those facts, you are gloriously and miraculously born again, forgiven and cleansed by God and brought into a personal relationship with Him. But simply mouthing the profession, "I believe in Christ," is not proof that you are a born again person. The true test and evidence of my salvation is the life that I live. That was the point of v. 15 of chapter 1. "They profess to know God, but by their deeds they deny Him." You see, their life cancelled out their profession. In 1 John and the 1st chapter, the Apostle John writes in v. 6 and says, "We say that we have fellowship and walk in the darkness, we lie and do not practice the truth." To claim that you have a personal relationship with God, that you walk in fellowship with Him, and yet to live your life in the darkness simply means you are a liar. You do not have fellowship with Him; you do not have a personal relationship with Him.

Now what Paul is going to do as we move into chapter 2 is to exhort Titus on his teaching in what we call the practical areas or the application of doctrine to the life. And he's going to give specific instructions for different groups of believers. He's going to address older men, older women, younger women, younger men, Titus in his own personal walk, those who are slaves or servants of other men. And each area he's going to drive home how our life is to be lived as the servants of God.

The chapter opens up with a contrast. "But as for you." In contrast with these false teachers I've been talking about, in contrast with their teaching and their lifestyle, "But as for you, Titus, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine." "Sound doctrine," healthy teaching. This has been talked about by Paul in chapter 1. The word "sound" is the word 'healthy.'
The word 'doctrine' is the word 'teaching.' Healthy teaching. I want you to "speak those things which are fitting (suitable) for healthy teaching." These are going to be matters of conduct that harmonize with sound, biblical teaching. In other words, doctrine and life must go together. Paul is concerned--good study for you on your own of this word 'fitting', translated 'fitting' in v. 1-- he's concerned a number of times that we do those things which are fitting or suitable for the Gospel. There are things that are fitting for us. We sometimes use the expression "that's not fitting for a person of your position." In other words, if you have this position, it wouldn't be viewed as proper and consistent for you to be doing this over here. And that's what Paul is concerned about. That our lives are fitting for sound doctrine. There is a harmony and a consistency with what the Word of God teaches and in how I live my life.

He begins by addressing older men in v. 2. Older men. Now we're not told what older is. There is in extra-biblical writings that uses this same expression of men who are 60 or older, but we don't have any definite line drawn. In our thinking, when we talk about an older man, this is the group addressed--those who have come to maturity of years now. What is to be the character and characteristic of their lives and their lifestyle? "Older men are to be temperate." Now you're going to note in a number of these qualifications that they are also used of elders back in chapter 1 as well as in 1 Timothy 3. It would be fitting that elders would come from among those who are older in many cases. "Older men are to be temperate." Now the basic meaning of this word was "sober" in contrast to "drunk." A person who was sober in contrast to a person who had over-indulged in wine, and that would well be included here, especially when we see what is said about older women in a moment. The older men are not to be drunkards. That would fit, and the rest of Scripture is clear on that as well. But the word comes to mean a person who is in control of himself. His mental, emotional and spiritual capacities are lucid and clear and he has them under control. He has a clear-headed stability in every area of life.
We expect that of an older, mature man. He's level-headed, clear-headed; he has a stability that is often lacking in a young person. That's the first quality that ought to be expected in an older man.

He's also to be "dignified." Now I don't know what that word conjures up in your mind, but it doesn't mean stuffy or gloomy. Dignified in the good sense. It's a serious person who has a sound and balanced approach to life. Might say he's a man who has lived his life in light of eternity. That affects what you do; that pulls you to reality. If you're living today in light of eternity in light of what counts for eternity, you'll be leading a dignified life. That's what he's talking about here. Expect that for an older man. He lives in light of eternity.

He is "sensible." This is a favorite word of Paul in this epistle. This is a short epistle, but he uses this particular word 5 times. He's going to use it 3 times in close association here--he's going to use it of the young men as well as the young women, and now of the older men. They are to be sensible. This describes a person whose mind controls his body and his actions. He is not led by his passion; he is not led by his feelings. But an older man is to control himself with his mind. The Old Testament says, "Watch over your heart with all diligence, for out of it are the issues of life," using heart there the way we would use mind. The decision center. So the older man is not expected to be impulsive, grabbed by his emotions or passions. He is to be a man who is in control. One person wrote, I thought very effective when he said, the senior man must have learned what can only be called the gravity of life. A certain amount of instability and recklessness of unthinkingness may be pardonable in youth, but the years should have brought their wisdom. One of the most saddest sights in life is the man who has learned nothing from his years.

That's true. One of the tragedies today is we see men approaching or in their older years, running off doing foolish things, controlled by their passions and their emotions. They've not grown to maturity in thinking to make their decisions. They are functioning like teenagers again. We come up with all kinds of terms and excuses for this kind of behavior. The biblical explanation is sin and lack of maturity before God. It affects believers as well as unbelievers.
He's addressing here believers. He wouldn't have to tell us if it was automatic. So it's something we have to be careful of and diligent about. "Sensible."

He links the next three characteristics together under one governing word: healthy, sound or healthy. Same word as we had for "sound doctrine' up in v. 1. "Sound or healthy in faith, in love, and in perseverance." He is to have a healthy faith. I take it we ought to look at the older, mature men in the body of Christ as an example of living a life of reliance and dependence upon God. The older men, again, are to be setting the pace. We have to see in them that quality and character of life that here are men who have learned to have a healthy faith. They know what it means to trust God and are willing to rely upon Him. They're willing to live a life of faith.

"Sound or healthy in love." And here again, we're not talking about the feeling or emotion, but the display of that love to others. Because keep in mind we're talking about conduct here. This means it is to have its manifestation in conduct. I would see his healthy faith in the way that he is willing to live. To look at him and see he is willing to trust God in these situations. He is willing to manifest a healthy, biblical love and concern and self-sacrifice for the good of others. That's the key element in this love, agape love; self- sacrifice.

The third area is healthy or sound "in perseverance." Now we usually think of the triad in the New Testament--faith, hope and love. Well, here perseverance has replaced hope. We have faith, love and perseverance instead of faith, love and hope. Now he's going to get to hope because hope is the key; when you get down to v. 13, he'll talk about the blessed hope of the believer. And that hope and having your attention fixed on that hope is what would enable you to persevere, but now he wants to give emphasis to the issue of perseverance or endurance on the part of the believer. And you should look and see in the mature, older men that willingness to live under pressure. Sound in perseverance, persistence, and a willingness to hold fast to the truth, even in the face of difficulty and opposition. Now we need to be careful. Sometimes our society says, Well, as you get older you pull back from the battle; that's your retirement time. That's when you turn over your battles to the young people. You know what Paul says under the inspiration of the Spirit? We ought to look to the older men and see that healthy perseverance, that here are men who are healthy in their faith and in their love and are demonstrating their willingness to walk with God and endure the opposition, endure the suffering, endure the pressure. It ought to be a healthy endurance characterizing the older men. That means they're not pulling back from the battle. Doesn't mean that younger men shouldn't rise and do some of the things, but God is not setting aside the older men. They are the pattern and the leadership for the body.

Now Paul is going to switch to the older women. What he's going to do is, here are the patterns for the body. And we look around in our world today and we say, what has happened to the young people? I think we need to look very carefully at what has happened to the older people? Because they are the ones God says should be setting the pattern for the young people. And perhaps we've shattered our patterns and lost them, and we have young people who don't know where they're going or understand what they're to be and are struggling to find men and women to pattern their lives after. You say, Oh pattern your life after Christ not after me. That's not a biblical truth. The biblical truth is, Pattern your life after me for my life is patterned after Christ, and God expects that the young people will have the pattern of the life of Christ in the living of that life in the older people. He develops that more in depth and detail now as he turns to the older women.

"Older women likewise," and that word "likewise" is a word that ties this very closely together with what he has said about the older men. "In the same way" this group of older women is to be functioning. "Older women likewise are to be reverent in their behavior," and that word "behavior" is a word that indicates actions that are flowing from an inner condition. So we have here the inner life they have in Christ being manifest in their actions or behavior. Reverent is a word often used of the priesthood. So you can say, Priestly in their behavior, if you will. In other words, godliness characterizes their lives. The life of the older woman is to be an expression of her relationship to God. Now keep in mind, we are destined for conflict here. We're saying that an older women, as an older man, is going to live a life that is an expression of the transformed character of God inside of her as a result of the new birth. "If any man be in Christ he is a new creation; old things have passed away, behold new things have come." I can expect there is going to be direct and dramatic conflict with the world that is not living a life that is manifesting the character of God, but is of their father the devil. He moves into various areas: "not malicious gossips." Malicious gossips, slander. The word 'diabolos,1 a word for the devil, he's the slanderer. They are not to be slanderers, malicious gossips gives the idea. Could I read you a statement from the great reformer John Calvin? He's been dead for 400 or so years but it's probably safe. He says: Talkativeness is a disease of women and it is increased by old age.

I don't think that's a put down for women, but women are very adept at verbal skills. And even in the secular world that is recognized, that the talkative part of the brain seems to be a more developed part of the woman. That's not bad, somebody has to talk. But there's a danger that it will be misused and abused, that things will be said that ought not to be said. So, the older women have to be careful of this danger that confronts them. Now you note, you don't just get to be an older person and change. So it's helpful for me as a young person to see in the world what I'm to be growing to as well as to look at older people and have the pattern to follow. So the older women have to be careful what they talk about and who they talk about and the manner they talk about them.

The second one is "not enslaved to much wine." Perhaps similar to what was said about the men being temperate. Here more direct, "not enslaved to much wine." And the danger that with the passing of time, there would be too much alcohol consumed, so a warning to the older women here. We talk about the problem of alcoholism with women today and how it's not as easily recognized perhaps as the men, it goes on longer, etc. Not a new problem, and the older women need to be sensitive to that.

"Teaching what is good." He's going to use this as almost a bridge to talk about the younger women. And this is the area that Paul is going to give the broadest and fullest discussion of any of the groups he wants to address. "Teaching what is good." I want you to note this instruction is circumscribed by the context. You say, Oh we ought to have older women as the Sunday School teachers. Older women as the Bible study teachers because the Bible says older women ought to be teaching what is good. Context always determines meaning. We must be careful that we read the context so that we don't make foolishness out of the Word of God. Paul already told us in 1 Timothy 2 he does not allow a woman to teach or be an authority over a man. Now is this a conflict? No, if I just put it in its context. The realm of their influence is the younger women in the home, teaching what is good. Verse 4, "In order that." Here's the purpose or goal in their teaching: That they may encourage the young women, and the realm that we'll be talking about is the husband, the home and the children. So the older women are to be teaching what is good, and in the context or framework of this passage, that has to do with helping the younger women develop to what they ought to be as wives, as mothers, and as keepers of the home. What has happened to our young women today? How are they learning? The pattern of the Word of God is that the older women are to teach them that they may encourage, and that word 'encourage' is an interesting word. It means 'to bring someone to their senses' literally. "That they may bring the young women to their senses," if you were to translate it to its basic meaning. And may mean 'to urge,' encourage, advise. The basic meaning is 'to bring them to their senses.' How is a young women going to learn what she ought to do and must be before God? Be brought to her senses in the midst of an ungodly world? To live a godly life? The older women are key in this. I take it, if you would read this passage from Satan's perspective you begin to get a strategy. If I don't want the young men and the young women to be what God wants them to be, I got to go to work on the older men and the older women, and I will have conquered the next generation. That has happened and is happening in our own society. "That they may encourage the young women."

The older women are going to play a key role in helping the young women know what they are to be and to function in light of what they are to be. You'll note the realm of the young women, we'll note it here and then go through the details. Their children, their husbands, and their homes. Let's start out in v. 4.

"That they may encourage the young women to love their husbands." Isn't it interesting? We're talking about practical conduct, about living the Christian life. An older women has to be teaching what is good so that she can bring the younger women to their senses in encouraging, and advising, and urging them to love their husbands. Goes beyond just a feeling here, because we're talking about the practical expression of our Christian life. What is involved in loving a husband? In other words, how is a wife to function is she is to be a lover of her husband? She's to learn that from older women. That's what God said. The older women are to be helping the younger women to love their husbands. A key area. I hope my wife learned this from the younger women. As women grow and mature in their relationship with their husbands, there are a lot of things learned. You look back and see those early years of your relationship together where you're bringing two depraved, sinful, selfish, self-centered human beings together to live life as one and there are a lot of rough edges. There are a lot of difficulties. There are a lot of trials. We ought to walk the young woman through this, prepare her for marriage. Guide her in those early years of her marriage relationship, so she can know what it means to be a lover of her husband. It's a totally new realm. She's never had a husband before. Now she has to live a life of love in relationship with him. The older women are to be instructing and encouraging the younger women in this realm.

"To love their children." Again, what is in view here is the practical demonstration of that love. Not just you have a feeling in your heart for your children, but how does a young mother love her children? What is expected and required of her in light of the Word of God? Now you can see right away we are in conflict with the philosophy of the world. The philosophy of the world says that you must establish your own identity. You must become an independent person. There must be more to your life than a husband and kids. Yet when God starts out He says that older women ought to be teaching and bringing young women to their senses in the realm of knowing what it means to love your husband, to love your children. We live in a society where children have become a burden and a nuisance, not a blessing. People are very happy to turn their children over to someone else to raise and to nurture while mothers do something REALLY important like go out and get a paying job. After all, my husband has a job; he has his own identity and his own niche in the world, and I'm supposed to be closed up here just concentrate and be content with loving him and changing diapers all day. The world makes it a very unpleasant and undesirable picture. They say, Oh we have to do it to live. I sat down and looked, and I have to say something. If my parents lived on the salary I live on, my mother would have had to work too. They didn't know that every child has to have their own room, that every person in the family had to have their own bathroom. That you couldn't get by if you only had a living room, you had to have a living room, a family room, and a rec room. And heaven help you if you don't have a fireplace. And a lot of things have become needs that it's amazing that you can live with a husband and wife working.

In fact, most families are living over their heads when both are working! So we haven't accomplished anything! I think we need to back up and take seriously, what’s the Word say about the woman's realm? She's to be concentrating and learning about loving her husband. I tell you, I want Marilyn to listen to this; this is a full time job! I want her to have plenty of time to work on this. To love the children. 'Oh it's not quantity of time, it's quality time.' Rubbish. I mean, we just swallow hook, line and sinker; whatever the world shovels out. Instead of leading the way as followers of Jesus Christ, we're following the world. "Lovers of their children." This whole issue of children, it ought to be a concern to us. See it in godless parts of the world, having come back from overseas, where the government determines that one child is plenty for a home; and there are serious consequences for those who add to that. I say, that's terrible; but I look at our society and say we've adopted the same thinking. We see people who have large families and say, What's wrong with them; how could they have so many kids today? Well, maybe they believed children are a blessing from the Lord. But I begin to think like the world does; I just can't understand why anyone would have that many kids today. Why should that be so hard to understand? Well, it's a different day. Yes, but we have a lot more conveniences today that make having large families easier than it was years ago. But kids are in the way, that's not what life's all about today. And part of the reason is that mothers aren't mothers any longer. So what do we say? The state or the government ought to make provision for children. We need more day care centers. Oh, do we really? I think what we really need are more mothers.

"To be sensible," in v. 5. That's the word we've already seen. Used of older men up in v. 2. Mothers, women, young women are to have sound minds. There's going to be a lot of pressure and pulling on them from the world. They have to have a sound mind, controlling their bodies. "Pure," and purity is to characterize them, sort of out of step with the day as well.

"Workers at home." Workers at home. That's an accurate translation of the compound word here, "to work" and "at home." To be workers at home. Now I take it the Word of God is either accurate and true and to the point or it's not. The way it's involved here, I take it she's to be busy at home! Doesn't say just be busy? But her realm or her domain is the home. She is to be fulfilling her responsibilities in the realm over which she rules. She is the ruler of the home. Now this rules out idleness, obviously. But it also focuses attention on the proper realm of the woman. She's not to be idle, but she's to be busy in her realm. Back up to 1 Timothy 5, Paul talked about this same thing.

In 1 Timothy 5 he's addressing the issue of widows, and in particular, younger widows. And Paul has some things to say about younger widows that are applicable in the framework of young women and young wives. He says in 1 Timothy 5 v. 13, "And at the same time they also learn to be idle, as they go around from house to house;" (a danger of widows if they are supported by the church when they are young) "not merely idle, but also gossips and busybodies, talking about things not proper to mention." So idleness is never an option. But note what he says, "Therefore, I want younger widows to get married, bear children, keep house, and give the enemy no occasion for reproach; for some have already turned aside to follow Satan." Now we're going to see that it's coming to the same point in Titus. The issue is obedience and submissiveness to the Word of God or rebellion against Him. She is to "keep house" in v. 14. Literally, she is the despot of the house. We carry the Greek word over into English, despot. She is the sovereign of the home. Now ultimately the husband is over the wife--we'll see that in a moment. But the woman's realm is the home and that's the realm over which she rules and reigns. She is the despot of the home. That's what God says here. That's what Paul says under inspiration about widows. They are to marry, bear children, and be the despot of the home. Now what we've done because our society does not recognize the standard or authority of the Word of God, they do not know what a man is because they reject what the Creator says. They don't know what a woman is or what a woman is to do because they reject the instructions of the Creator. The result is they take the woman out of the home, say we've liberated her. I was interested when I was in a Communist country, ask about women working. You know what they said? Our women have been liberated to work, so most of them do. Removed from the home. Now I can see that in a society that rejects even the existence of a God. But for us as believers in the Word of God, when God clearly says this is the realm and domain of the woman, this is where I want her to be busy, I have a hard time understanding we as believers paddling after the world and accepting their philosophy. It's a tremendous cost and expense--to the husband, to the wife, to the children, and to the home. We wonder why, now, the average age of our young people start drugs is 12. We've done away with the home. We've removed mothers. Who says the day care is the environment? You think God couldn't have created day care centers? Oh boy, if I'd thought of that, I could have made less mothers or twice as many workers! No, He had a plan for a home of mutual dependence. That the wife is dependent upon the husband; and a husband is dependent upon a wife. That's not acceptable to the world because the selfish, self-centered pride--which is at the heart of sin--says you ought not be dependent upon anyone, including your own husband or your own wife. So go out and establish your own identity, separate and apart from your mate, and the result of no interdependence? The husbands walk away from their responsibilities in caring for their families, because 'I don't have any more responsibilities than a wife.' The wife has walked out of the home to leave the children with whoever we can find to babysit this week or this month or this year. What a travesty. Let me tell you, I want you to do something. I want you to go through the Word of God and find out, Does the Word of God have as much to say on the virgin birth of Jesus Christ as it does on the role of men and the role of women? Let me tell you, you'll find lists of places that deal with the home and the role of the man and the role of the woman. You'll find very little on the virgin birth. Yet we hold the virgin birth as one of the tenets and foundational principles of our Christian faith, and it is! But it amazes me why we throw out so much of the Word and yet we say we'll die for the virgin birth. I think there's an inconsistency there that is undermining the very foundations of Christianity and as a church that Christ has established.

Now a woman is to be loving her husband, loving her children, and keeping the home. You see that her attention is focused in that realm. Her husband, her children, her home. Now some try to avoid the clarity of this by relegating it to a cultural issue. We're not going to spend a lot of time on going into the cultural issue, but let me read you something. A commentator has much good material. He goes through and says much of what I have said to you to this point, but then wants to clarify things. And he says "This too assumes the cultural norm of what a good wife was expected to be like." Note, this assumes the cultural norm. What that culture in Paul's day assumed a good wife was expected to be like. "Thus, very much in keeping with 1 Timothy 2 and 1 Timothy 5 Paul set the standard, conditioned in part by the cultural norm of what was expected of a good wife. That the younger woman's place in Christ was to be found in the home." Now if that doesn't bother you, you're asleep or dead. What's he saying? Paul's writing here in Titus 2, he said the same thing in Timothy, but you have to understand it was conditioned by his culture. His culture says this was what a good wife was to do, and a good wife in Christ was to be in the home so Paul simply reflected that culture. Now we live in a different culture. So we shouldn't try to conform to that culture, which is simply another way of setting aside the Word of God. You don't have to do what the Word of God says because it was written in a different culture.

Let me tell you something, all the Bible from Genesis to Revelation was written in a different culture than we live in. That ought to cause you to stop and think, How in the world then do you know what part of this Book is digestible and what part is not? What part is simply reflecting the culture in which it was written and what part is not reflecting the culture in which it was written? Does this mean we can set aside any part of the teaching we don't like? Let me talk about the deity of Jesus Christ. Read had a commentator on this. "You must understand that the New Testament on the Deity of Jesus Christ was written against a cultural background where the
Roman Emperor was addressed as deity. When the citizens of that empire acknowledged him as a god. But none of those people really believed he was the Creating, Almighty God. So the followers of Christ, reflecting that culture, addressed their leader as deity but they did not believe that as a literal fact any more than the citizens of the Roman Empire did. I mean that's the culture in which it was written, folks. That does the deity of Jesus Christ, does it not?

I did some reading on the word 'savior.' And they did the same thing. You must understand Greek mythology. Savior is the common title for the mythological gods. Now the Bible is written against that background and the framework of that culture so don't be looking for a literal savior. What I'm saying is, once you say that the culture rules out our having to obey this portion of the Word of God, it is arbitrary where you stop. The Word of God is either the Word of God that transcends culture, or it is of no value to us practically speaking. Because I don't have any idea how you decide what you had to do and what you don't have to do. It would simply be an arbitrary decision. And now the world is pressing in on the role of the man and the role of the woman. So some people say it was written against a different culture, so I guess we'll throw it out. How stupid can you get? Throw the whole book out, it was all written against a different culture within the framework of a different culture.

Second Timothy 3 resolves the issue for us as Bible believing Christians. Second Timothy 3, v. 16, "All Scripture is God-breathed and profitable for teaching, for reproof, for correction, for training in righteousness; that the man of God may be adequate, equipped for every good work." You know what it says? All Scripture is inspired, literally, God-breathed. And so profitable, that we might be adequate and equipped for everything God wants us to do. It's true.
Paul wrote within a framework of a culture and a society that did certain things. But you know what? God was addressing man with issues that transcend culture, that are true from the opening chapters of Genesis to the closing chapters of Revelation. I find it interesting that what Paul says in Titus and Timothy is founded upon what God said in Genesis chapters 1, 2, and 3. A lot of cultures came and went, but God's Word and directives have not changed.

So when we come to Titus, I take it it's simple. The woman's realm is her husband, her children, her home. I accept that at face value. What do I think of women in the working world? I personally think they are out of step with what God says in His Word. Now you don't have to believe that just because I said it. Your obligation is to decide in light of the Word of God, is that biblical truth or is it not? My responsibility before God is to exhort you in light of the Word and teach you to the best of my ability what God says. Your responsibility is in submission before God to obey it if it's true, or reject it if it's not. But we need to be careful that our decision is made on the basis of what God says.

Come back to Titus chapter 2. The young women are to "be kind," a word that normally means "to be good." And it may indicate here a good woman, a woman functioning as God intends for her. Or a kind woman. Both are to be characteristics and qualities of a godly person, so either would fit here.

"Subject to their own husbands." And we're all aware of what the world has done with the idea of subjection. I was called recently about being on a television program, representing a conservative position on the role of women, and they wanted to know what my position was. So as I shared with them how I understood the position of a man and a woman to be, what God said about them, they said "Well, that sure rules out equality doesn't it?" No, that doesn't rule out equality! That rules out sameness. I said, you’re calling me, so you work for somebody, right? You're telling me you are personally inferior to that person you work for? No, not on your life! Oh, I thought subjection was inferiority? So you're personally equal to that person, you might think you're personally better, but you're still subject, right? That's the point. Women are subject to their own husbands, that's God's plan. That's God's plan, Paul says, from creation in the opening chapters in Genesis. That continues right through the New Testament. That's God's plan for today, for the woman to be subjective to her husband. So again, you see that focal point of that realm? And I'm responsible. God doesn't go into the realm of the husband here or the men. Isn't it interesting? I think it may point up that the great attack comes for the woman. One commentator wrote and said that the health of the church is reflected in the conduct of the women, and that reflects where we as men really are. I am to be the leader, the protector, and the provider of my family. And my wife is to be subject to me. What a tragedy that we've got men pushing their wives out into the working world. It's contrary to the Word of God; it's destructive to the husband; it's destructive to the wife; destructive to the home. Not because I said so, but because God says His plan is different, and His plan is always best. There's blessing in His plan even when the unbeliever is doing what is biblical contrary to rebelling against it. "Subject to their own husbands."

You know, believers are constantly looking for ways to become more acceptable to the world, so now we have mutual subjection and the point of the Word of God is not that wives are to be subject to their husbands, but mutual subjection. Husbands ought to be subject to their wives too, and that's what Ephesians 5:21 says. Turn to Ephesians 5:21. As a result of being under the control of the Holy Spirit, he says "be subject to one another in the fear of Christ." Isn't that mutual subjection, being subject to one another in the fear of Christ? Again, context determines meaning. You have to read on. "Wives, to their own husbands." He lays out for us the areas of subjection that he's talking about. I think I'll explode the next time I read a Christian writer use Ephesians 5:21 and go off on a rambling discourse about mutual subjection. He doesn't even repeat the verb! V. 21, "Being subject to one another in the fear of Christ." Verse 22, "Wives, to your own husbands." That's the focal point. That's God's plan. In 1 Corinthians chapter 11, v. 3, we're told God is the head of Christ, Christ is the head of the man, and the man is the head of the woman, and Christ is in no way inferior to God the Father, or He should not be God. And the woman is not inferior to the man, but there is an order that God has established and He expects and requires it to be followed. And in the husband/wife relationship in the home, it's the wife is submissive to the husband even as she rules and reigns in the home.

You know, it amazes me how the change of the world affects the Church. If I taught this Scripture years ago, even the unbelieving world would be sitting there saying 'Ho-hum, what's new. That's what we all do.' All of a sudden, the world realized they didn't have any basis to live like that. Who said that's what a woman's to be? I mean, maybe a woman's to grow a tail and swing from a tree, who knows? If you don't have a Creator who told you what a woman is and what a man is and why they're here, who knows why they're here. I mean, I don't have any idea, your guess is as good as mine, so someone comes up with a guess and enough influence to get heard and pretty soon everybody runs after them. The tragedy is, here are Christians with the instruction books, and saying, that’s what the world is doing. Put it under their arm and run after them. How dumb!
Foolishness!

Alright, you're fortunate. I have to close. Titus chapter 2. The purpose in all of this, the end of v. 5, "that the word of God may not be dishonored." That word ''dishonored" is the word blasphemed, we carry it over into English as blaspheme. "That the word of God may not be blasphemed." You see what the issue is here? You see why Satan lures and leads people away from functioning biblically? When you as a believer go contrary to the Word of God, you are allowing the Word of God to be blasphemed. Mow you better determine carefully if your conduct is biblical. You say you don't understand our situation. And I don't have to understand your situation. I don't know all the details of your life, and I don't need to. All I can share with you is what God said. And I am one who believes He always gives the grace and strength and enablement to do whatever He requires of His people. "That the word of God may not be blasphemed." What a tragedy that the Word of God would be blasphemed because we are following the world rather than obeying God. Today we need men of godly character who are setting an example for the young men that Timothy is going to talk about. A pattern of godliness seen in them.

Older women whose lives are patterns of godliness, devoted themselves to teaching what is good that they might encourage and urge and develop the younger women to be what God wants them to be as wives, as mothers, as guardians of the home, as those who are subject to their husbands, in order that the Word of God might be honored and obeyed.

I realize all this is dependent on the truth of the Word of God. And so is our eternal salvation. Your relationship to God for eternity depends on what this Book says, that Jesus Christ the Son of God died for you. If you'll believe in Him you can have life. The most important thing is not for you to get your home together. The most important thing for you to do is to come to believe in Jesus Christ, that He might put your life together on the inside. Then your life and every aspect including your home can reflect the glorious character of the God who loves us and died for us. Let's pray together.