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In 2011 we finished our ministry at SMBC and moved straight away to the Chinese Presbyterian Church in Sydney. It’s a large Presbyterian church with a large pastoral staff of which I was a member. Overseas born Chinese, Australian born Chinese, Mandarin speakers, Cantonese speakers, English speakers and bilingual services. And as time went on I was invited to speak to the young people, the teenagers, once a month, for 40 minutes on a Sunday morning. Would I do it? I said I’ll do it on one condition, that I speak for 20 and they ask questions for 20. Now as Asian young people are taught almost unconsciously that you show respect by not questioning, but I believe it’s vitally important teenagers particularly look at the whole issue of why.
And I think it is key to healthy parenting. We raise children and it’s quite appropriate that we should say to our children this is what you’re to do, up to a certain age! Hold hands crossing the street, we expect instant obedience without question. There will come a time when they get a bit older when you need to add the why to the what. Hold hands crossing the street and this is the reason. And so with those young Chinese Presbyterian teenagers, I wanted to encourage them to hear what I had to say and to make sure they had the opportunity of asking the why question. Now I think it is indicative of the fact that God respects us. I challenge you in your own Bible reading. When you read the Bible, when God tells you what to do, he never tells you what to do without telling you why to do it. Now, it’s a challenge I put to you.
That whenever you see a command in Scripture, unlike other holy books which simply tell you what to do, God never gives you the what or the imperative without also giving you the indicative, the reason why. I’ll give you some examples of that. “Go into all the world and preach the gospel.” Why? because all authority is given to me. Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice. What? Why? because of the mercies of God. What? be led by the Spirit. Why? because it’s the only way not to gratify the desires of the flesh. What? children obey your parents. Why? because it’s right. Slaves obey your masters. Why? because every good you do you receive back from the Lord. When you give, give in private. Why? because great will be your reward in heaven. There is a reward coming.
So I put to you that, for every What, there is a Why? And there’s no clearer chapter in Scripture, I believe, than Titus 2, in which you have the What, Titus, look at verses 1 to 10. And Titus has been told what to do and what to tell them to do. And then the Why comes, in our second long sentence. And that long verse is from verse 11 to verse 14. But just have a look in your pages there how this section starts. It starts in chapter 2, verse 1, You, however, there’s a strong contrast here. And if you go down to verse 11 and you see the word FOR, you know that in the New Testament where the translation is For, it can equally be because. FOR or BECAUSE it can be one or the other. And sometimes if you translate it as Because, it is actually clearer. So you do all of the what, versus 1-10, because that- flows from the you of verses 11 to 14.
Now on that pastoral staff at the Chinese Presbyterian Church, we used to meet every Tuesday morning for prayer. One day one of the younger members of our team announced to the pastoral staff that he and his wife were expecting their first child. And someone said well what is it? And he said it’s going to be a boy. And then someone said, what are you going tocall him? And he said, I want to call him Athanasius. What does your wife think? She’s not so sure. Six months later, little Joshua was born. But I thought to myself, when he said, Athanasius. Yes. What a great name for a little boy. Fourth century Christian, Athanacius. The great enemy of truth was a man called Arius. And Arius was charming. He believed that Jesus was less than God. So there was one God, the Father, and Jesus, the Son, was less than the Father. There was an element of reason in what he said. But he was also a charming man, and he was able to put his error to music, so much so that in the 300’s in the 4th Century, Arius took all before him and the church became an Ayrian church. But Athanasius took a stand against him. Someone once famously said to Athanasius, no-one believes what you believe. The whole world is against you. In that case, it is Athanasius’ against the whole world. And sure enough, Athanasius lived through 4 Roman emperors. He was exiled 5 times, out into the desert, taken away from family and friends. It was never easy. No-one believes what you believe Athanasius, the whole world is against you, in that case it is Athanasius against the whole world.
And so, that’s what’s implied in those first two verses, the first two words of Chapter 2, verse 1. But you, you however, you however detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work, chapter 1 verse 16. But you Titus, you however. It’s almost as though the whole world is against you Titus on Crete. In that case, it is Titus against the whole world. It is against the whole culture. He stands for the truth against the whole truth. And I put it to you that it is not easy to stand out. And when you are confronted by a brutal culture, and a compromised Church, it is tough. But Titus is to persevere, with a resistant and a disordered church. But as for you, you must teach the Imperative. Here are the commands and they all flow from the WHY, the WHAT verses one to ten. The WHY, verses eleven to fourteen.
You must teach. Have a look there at sound doctrine and the implications for older men. Verse 2, Older women, verse 3, who will train the younger women, so Titus doesn’t do that, verses 4 and 5. the younger men. Verse 6, verse 7, he himself is on display as the young pastor in the congregation, one young man in particular, and then the vocational category of slaves in verses 9 and 10. And everything you do, but as for you, you however, and this flows out from what God has done, the what, verses 1 to 10, the why, verses 11 to 14.
Now, I want you to notice this because it’s an encouragement for us to pray for our leaders. It must be hard to teach slaves to live a certain way if you’re not a slave, but Titus is to urge slaves to live a certain way. It must be hard teaching older women if you’re not a woman and if you’re not old, and yet Titus is expected to be an expert in people, you are expected to know how they tick.
I used to teach a course at SMBC for final year students. And I said that as mandatory reading, required reading, before you leave SMBC, you had to read a book. And you had to provide an essay on a review of that book. And some of the other students were very worldly, you know, reading this book. And I thought no, I mightn’t agree with everything in this book but you’re far better off knowing this book than not knowing it. And so the graduating students had to read Dale Carnegie’s “How to Win Friends and Influence People”. What a great book that is. It is just common sense. It is how people tick, do you understand how people tick?
Now look at what he is told in verse 2. Older men, older men must be taught to be temperate, worthy of respect don’t demand it, be self-controlled, sound in faith, love and endurance. According to the latest census there are not many churches doing well but the Presbyterian Church of Australia is doing well in one age group, 85 years plus. We’re doing extra well. But I often meet younger ministers, “How you going in ministry?” Oh our churches are full of geriatrics. As though you can write them off. Well, are you developing an excellent bedside manner? Do you run the best funerals in town? They’re the ones God has given to you, are you pastoring them?, don’t avoid them. Verse 2, teach older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, sound in faith in love and in endurance.
Every second Friday I’m part of a retired, men’s Bible study. There are 10 of us that meet. We’re about to launch out into the book of Genesis. In one church that group is called the Grumpies. But I’ll tell you what one pastor said if only I had one man like verse two. And I think it is true to say that in our group of ten, we pray that God will make us ten men in our church who are temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, sound in faith, love and in endurance. And I find it is a privilege to be part of a group like that. Verse three, likewise teach the older women, they are to live literally temple lives. That’s the idea of reverence. Live as though you are living before God in the way they live and therefore they get control of the tongue.
Slanderers, addicted to much wine, teaching what is good. You can’t teach what is good if you’re not good. And there are two particular areas here, the tongue, and grog – get control. Older women can be especially vulnerable because the house is empty and it’s quiet and they can talk. And wine was readily available on Crete. So watch yourself. Is that sexist, it’s not sexist? Listen. This is an issue for older men. Temperateness, worthy of respect, self-control, soundness. For older women get control of the tongue, slanderers and make sure you’re moderating your intake of wine. It can take over and it can become addictive. Verse 4, then they can urge the younger women, so not Titus, but the older women go to the younger women and they urge them, they encourage the younger women.
To do what? ! To love their husbands and children, to be self controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind and to be subject to their husbands.
So whatever they do, and in Proverbs 31 you remember the woman of wisdom, she’s busy in the marketplace, she’s busy in business, but she makes sure that the home does not suffer, they are to be kind, they are to be respectful, they are to be submissive to their own husbands, they are to love, their husband and children. At the moment I’m an apprentice at our church, I’m learning to be a Barista. We got one of these new coffee machines and what I thought was very simple, it’s just not simple. It’s really hard. And the other day I’m trying to learn my craft, I had the milk and even the milk, for goodness sake. And people are so demanding about how the milk is, so I’m trying to get the milk right. And the other bloke on the machine with me, he’s doing the beans and he’s saying what do you think Paul means when he says wives are to be submissive to your husband. I want him to leave me alone, I’m just battling. I’m battling with these beans here. I’m trying to get the milk right, for goodness sake.
Well what does it mean? Here the apostle Paul says wives be submissive, be subject. to their husbands. You see, that’s culturally condition, we don’t listen to that anymore, but look at it again, submission. Number one, I would want to say a wife is to be subject to her husband not everybody else’s, so just note that. Second, the word, the verb, subjection or submission here, I find I understand a word when I look at its opposite, the Greek language, it’s a very easy opposite here. I’ll just tell you the Greek, you’ll see how easy it is. It’s hup Shot Tasso, bring yourself under, and the opposite is anti-tasso, put yourself over. And you see it in James, remember where he says submit to God, put yourself under, resist the devil, put yourself over. So this is something of respect. Respect your husband, encourage his leadership. And the third thing I would say to my friend if he would concentrate on the beans and leave me to the milk, is that this is a middle voice. Isn’t that interesting? She has to submit herself, she is not forced to submit and be subject. This is something which she does for herself. So it’s not telling the men, you make sure your wife submits to you. It’s nothing to do with you. So she is in a reflexive way to submit herself to her husband. It’s something which she does. So there’s that word.
And then you come into verse six, which is very simple. Similarly, encourage the young men to be self controlled. Now you don’t want to clutter it up with the young blokes. Just self controll, that’s enough. You see an immigrant, a new immigrant to Australia. Isn’t the surf beautiful? Danger, new immigrant and the surf. Be very careful. A bloke smoking a cigarette at a petrol station. Danger. flame and petrol. Someone who sees liquid in a bottle marked poison, danger. These are dangerous combinations. A young man and all his mates, danger, especially if they’re liars, evil beasts and gluttons, danger. And so you as his pastor, take him aside and say this is a dangerous combination, urge self-control, liars, evil beasts, lazy gluttons. And then Paul comes down to one young man, in verse 7, in everything you set them an example by doing what is good. Yes it’s great isn’t it? You pastor, you watch yourself. Luther said the great organ of the body is the ear because faith comes from hearing. But someone said yes but your people also have an eye, how do you treat your spouse? How do you treat other people’s spouses? How do you treat teenagers?
How do you treat the old? How do you treat the disabled? How do you treat the young? How do you treat the rich? How do you treat the poor? When you go to dinner tonight because you are one of the leaders, do you hop the cue? You know, like that politician at the AFL grand final. Do you know who I am? Get back in line. I don’t care who you are. That’s right. People see. People have eyes as well as ears. So set them an example by doing what is good
And then he comes to verse nine and talks about slaves. Now, that was not so unusual. One ancient historian says that most of the population of Rome, about 85% of them were slaves. That is, that they were in some indenture. There were some, some were simply apprentices but you imagine on Crete, you’ve always got Cretins in your army of mercenaries and you have a great victory and you say to the Cretans in your army, “Look, I haven’t got the money to pay you but I’ll give you half a dozen slaves”.
And so you take your slaves back home, they’re yours and you might be one of those slaves who are what we would call, a prisoner of war. Teach slaves who’ve now come to Christ to be subject to their masters in everything, to try to please them. Not to talk back to them, not to steal from them, but to show, that they can be fully trusted. That’s what you do. That’s what Jeremiah said, it’s brilliant, isn’t it? When Israel’s about to go into exile in Babylon and Jeremiah says make sure when you get to Babylon, you’re really good exiles. Do everything to for the good of the exileing city it’s the very opposite of what we do, what we want to do. Make sure you’re good, exile You be good and be honest slaves. Now I think these are terrific, they’re great encouragement.
You know this this year our church has done something brilliant. We had a service at nine-o-clock which had the organ and we had hymns and we had the offering. And we had old people. And then at 10.30, all the families fluttered in and we had the band and all that, modern songs etc. And then what we did is we changed it and we had the nine o’clock service and a service at 10.45 rather than 10.30 and people were asked which service they wanted to go to and now we had people from the old 10.30 service who flooded into the nine o’clock service. And what is the great joy about the nine o’clock service? It’s gone from twenty elderly people who loved the organ to about 100 people now, with children, middle aged people, and they’re mixing together. Who’s benefiting from that? The younger people are benefiting from it, and the older people are benefiting from it too. This idea that we have a young people’s service and an old people’s service, that doesn’t encourage this sort of interaction which is going on here. I need to be in contact with young people, I try to learn the names of young people. So that I can ask them how they’re going, because they need to have fellowship with me just as I need to have fellowship with them.
Well there are the what’s, uh it’s a brilliant section isn’t it, I love this section because Paul puts his finger on the areas that I need to be aware of. This morning and this afternoon in speaking to Hamish I spoke about a book by T David Gordon called Why Johnny Can’t Preach. T David Gordon went along to his GP and he was told he had a grade four terminal bowel tumor and he better go home and get his affairs in order. Well he said my affairs are in order so I’ll go home and write a book about what really makes me angry in the church. So he went home and wrote a book called Why Johnny Can’t Preach about the state of preaching in the American Church and he kept living and so he thought well I’ll write another book Why Johnny Can’t Sing about the state of singing in the American Church and they’re both blisteringly angry books. But here is this old man that, you know, I gather he’s still alive.
He’s writing angry books. But why Johnny can’t preach is a brilliant book on preaching. This is what he says. Ethical exhortation must never be divorced from a redemptive environment. In other words, the preacher must never preach the what without also preaching the why. Never the what without also preaching the why. Ethical exhortation, this is what you do, but this is why you do it. Now, have a look here and see that Paul has said this is what you do. But why, there’s lots of what’s here, but why should the young woman live counter culturally. Look at verse 5. That the Word of God, may not be maligned. I like what I see. Why should Titus be a model of good works. Look at verse 8. So that your opponents will have nothing to say, having no valid reason for their opposition. Their opposition will vaporize, that’s the why.
Why should slaves be well pleasing? Well look at verse ten, so that literally the word is, they cosmeticise the doctrine. They adorn the doctrine of God our Savior. I like what I see.
One of our grandsons went for a job and it came out that he was a Christian. Tthe timing wasn’t right, and the man who wanted to employ him who was not a Christian, said that I’d really love to give you this job because I know and I believe you are a trustworthy person because Christians are trustworthy people. Now that is the reality. I like what I see. And Paul gives these whys, these reasons. But would you notice that none of them are to earn God’s favour. The entrusted message, which we have undeserved by grace, the fruit of that message is here. It’s transformed living. And it’s not automatic, but Titus is told as must teach, you must train. This is hard work That goes for 24/7. And then the apostle comes to the long sentence of chapter two. Here is the why behind the what. Here is how you get from chapter one verse 12, lies, evil brutes and lazy gluttons to chapter two verse 12.
Here is the why behind the what, look at it verse 11: because the Grace of God has appeared that offers salvation to all people. It teaches us to say no to ungodliness and worldly passion and to live self-controlled upright and Godly lives in this present age while we wait for the Blessed Hope the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ. Twice he uses the word appearing, once in chapter 1 who gave himself to redeem us from all weakness and to purify for himself a people that are his very own, eager to do what is good. Now see what he says because we do all of this: verse eleven because of the appearance of the great grace of God in flesh and blood in Palestine at Bethlehem the year 2 or 3 BC Caesar Augustus is the Emperor.
Quirinius is the Governor of Syria. Herod is the King of Judea. The grace of God has appeared in a Palestine, as much in turmoil then as it is today. In other words, the grace of God has appeared. The Christian faith is real. It’s historical, you can date it. It’s geographical, you can place it. And the message appeared in Chapter 1, but now the grace of God has appeared. So God didn’t shout advice from afar. God came down in Jesus. The grace of God appeared, contrary to our deserving, to bring, look at what it says, salvation, rescue from our sin. And it trains us, here’s its fruit, to say no and to say yes. No, to ungodliness and worldly passion, yes, to self-controlled upright and godly lives. Elsewhere Paul says, it’s like taking off the old, and putting on the new. Everyday I take off ungodliness and worldly passion.
And I put on self-control our pride and godly lives in the power of the Spirit. And Paul says here, this is how we live. As we await another appearing, see verse 13, of the glory of our great God and Saviour, who on His first appearance, when He came to Palestine, gave Himself to redeem us, to buy us back from our bondage and slavery to sin. He paid the price to set us free, His own perfect life, offered in death. And He set us apart as His own,to be part of God’s family. And now Paul says we are to bear the family likeness. See what he says, we are to be eager to do good works while we wait, not for the Redeemer, but we wait for the judge, our great God and Saviour. It is at this point, dear friends that I think most Australians, and many people in our churches get the order wrong.
Pastors know, when they come to a new place, a new town, you’ll often meet someone who says, “Oh, hello… I’m a Christian but I’m not a very good one”. And you know immediately that that person doesn’t really understand what it is to be a Christian. We had a radio commentator in Sydney who’d say, if anybody asked me if I’m a Christian, I always say I’m trying. As though Christianity is a moral code and I find that people who talk like that can never answer one question. Why do you think Easter happened? If Christianity is all about me being good, why did Jesus go to that cross? And why did Jesus die on the cross? Here’s how to break a pastor’s heart. A lady who’s virtually lived in our church and done every Bible study. And the pastor goes to the deathbed and she says, “Oh Mr. Cook, I don’t know whether I’ve done enough”. You haven’t done enough. Because Jesus has done it all.
You see we take good works and make them the root of our redemption. But they are the fruit of our redemption. Eight times in 46 verses, Paul says urge them to be good. Look at verse 14, He gave himself for us, to redeem us from wickedness, purify for himself a people who are his very own, eager, passionate to do what is good.
These then, verse 15, are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you. The what? One to ten. The why? Eleven to fourteen.
Well friends, today Sunday morning here in Kania, we have a slightly different service. Because we’ve got a special guest, a particular friend of Paul who did that mission amongst us, remember a few weeks ago. His name is Titus. So I’d like to pass the microphone over to Titus for his sermon today. Thanks very much I want to encourage you all to listen to what I’ve got to say because what I’ve got to say comes to you with the authority of Jesus Christ Himself.
God has visited this planet,contrary to our deserving, in the person of Jesus Christ. When Jesus Christ came, he lived a perfect life. He took that law that you struggle to keep but can’t do it, and he lived it perfectly. In fact the worst his enemies could say about Jesus was that he eats with the wrong kinds of people. He lived a perfect life, and when he lived that perfect life for you and for me he did it. He fulfilled the law on our behalf so that you don’t have to fulfil the law because he did it. And then when Jesus went and died, he died a death which is undeserved because he never sinned. But he died that death because God debited to his account the sins of us all and he died in our place as our substitute. And then I want you to know that many of us saw Jesus raised from the dead and that proved to us not only that Jesus Is Lord but that God has accepted his work as payment for our sin.
And, he made one promise that is yet to be fulfilled. He’s going to appear again, and he’s going to come, as Judge and Saviour. So my encouragement to you today is, repent and trust in him and you will be adopted into God’s family. And when God comes, you will be able to stand before him. And if you say, I stand before you on the basis of what Jesus has done, plus my circumcision, or I stand before you on the basis of what Jesus has done because I’ve kept the food laws, God will say something like this to you. Do you not think that in sending my own precious son, I bridged the gap between you and me perfectly, and I left nothing to you to do? And so what I want to say to you today, is that you need to repent and put your trust in Jesus, and show the family likeness by being kind to others. You go out into a rotting culture.
Let your testimony be kindness and be alert to do good things. Not as a way to come into relationship with God, God has given you that. But as the fruit of what God has done on your behalf. We are now his people. So let’s live that way as we wait for his coming again.
Thanks for the opportunity.
Now Cecil Alexander,in words that you will all know, said it exactly right. He died that we might be forgiven, He died to make us good, He died to make us good people. He died to make us people who are zealous who look for opportunities of being kind and loving and good. There was a man at Moore College a lecturer in Old Testament when I was there. He was a great man His name was Bill Dumbrill. The most brilliant man.
And when he was about to retire, they said, what are you going to do in retirement? He said, I’m going to live my life according to three motifs. That’s how clever people talk about these three motifs. Three motifs: Don’t whine. Don’t shine. Don’t recline. Don’t whine, W H I N E. Don’t complain under your lot in life. Don’t shine. Don’t seek to excel in a way that is obvious to others. And don’t recline. Don’t be weary in well-doing. Don’t be weary in being kind. Don’t be weary in being loving. These things are the things you should teach. Encourage and rebuke with all authority. Do not let anyone despise you. The what? This is how we are to live. Old men, young men, old women, young women. Slaves, leaders. The why? The grace has appeared.
To save us. To set us apart to be zealous about being good. As we wait for the great appearing.
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