Good morning. It's good to see you guys today.
I hope that you are enjoying this fall Touch of whether as
much as I have been. Wow, it's been great.
If you have your Bible, please open to Titus Chapter 2.
Titus Chapter 2 is where we'll be today.
Titus has been a series that's examining the relationship
between the gospel and godliness.
How does the gospel relates to Godliness?
How do they go together? How do they, how does one help
the other? And that's really what we've
been looking at in the book of Titus.
This is seeing that the relationship, the nature of
that. The first chapter really of
Titus was all about the gospel, the need for the gospel, the
need for sound Doctrine, the need to reprove, those who are
teaching unsound Doctrine. Those are trying to lead others
astray, those are upsetting whole families.
And so, Titus is told to to establish elders and all the
churches in Crete and that's, that's emphasis number one, is
that you need Godly men who are teaching sound Doctrine to the
churches that they may also be sound.
They may also be healthy but healthy is not just decided by
your Doctrine. It's not just decided by what,
you know, it's decided by the way that you live, right?
We can say, we have faith in Christ, but if I Works prove
that we have no faith in Christ. Then what will people decide
about us? That your faith is worthless
right at your faith is meaningless.
You can say you have faith, but if you're a gossip or a
slanderer, if you're a drunkard, if you're whatever.
Earth into say you have faith May mean nothing based on the
way that you live your life. And so that's the point of Titus
2 is Paul is taking Titus from sound Doctrine, teach what
Accords with sound Doctrine. Get into these things that
actually are are sound and so We examined last week or Jasper
did. Anyway, the relationship of
biblical manhood within the church and how men are to
respond with lives of godliness to this gospel.
Teaching. Today we will look at biblical
Womanhood, what does God have to say to women and godliness?
Is it pertains to this message of the Gospel?
Somebody read to you verses to sorry verse 1 and chapter 2
through 6 just to kind of help us catch the context of what
we're looking at. And then our for our purpose
will be looking largely at three through five today.
It's about asked for you and so he turns his attention to Titus
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 reverence in Behavior, not slanderers or
slaves, too much wine. They were 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 husband's.
That the word of God may not be Vile.
Likewise urge the younger men to be self-controlled.
The idea that I want to lay before you today is this
biblical Womanhood is vital to the health of the local church
biblical Womanhood is vital to the health of the church.
If you're taking notes you can write that down as you're doing.
So I want to pray for us. Father we love you and we praise
you for your word. God, we know that it comes to us
by your breathed word. Its it is your brief word.
It is your instruction to us. It comes from your mind comes
from your heart comes from your mouth.
Lord is it was pinned. It was pinned by men who were
carried Along by your spirit. And so we praise you, father,
that we have this word before us today, but we also know that in
Timothy, we see that your word is profitable for teaching, and
for reproof and correction and for training in all godliness
that the man of God or woman, of God, may be mature, lacking
nothing. And so father we come to your
word today, as men and women, boys and girls who are in need
of your spirits to grow us up and to teach us to train us to
reprove if necessary to correct when needed.
To instruct or we have no knowledge that we might know you
and see you and having known and see you that we might worship
you with our lives. Father, would you do that here
in this place today? And the hearts of these men, and
women hearts of these boys and girls.
In Christ's name, I ask these things.
Amen. Amen.
So, Titus 21 says, but as for you teach what Accords with
sound Doctrine, this contrasts with the culture of Crete's
contrast with the false teachers that we saw within the church
there in chapter 1. We saw that the culture itself
was full of people who were always Liars, evil beasts lazy
gluttons there in chapter 1 verse 12.
This means they lack self-control.
I don't think it's any coincidence that the Men and the
women, both young and old or to have about them self control,
because they live in a culture that has no self-control.
The culture there had as their God, their own stomachs, it was
whatever they desired, whatever their flesh desired.
They did not withhold from themselves, they are hedonist by
the very definition and the false teachers on the other hand
were upsetting whole families. By teaching, for shameful, gain
with a ought, not to teach. And we know that those teachings
contained at least two things because Paul lays those out for
us, he says that they're teaching Jewish myths and the
commands of men who turn away from the truth.
So the false Doctrine, the false teachings at least were
concerning a Works based salvation.
It was that you must purify Yourself by your works.
That by what you put into your mouth or Way that you wash or
don't wash your hands. Those kinds of ceremonial things
were going to dictate whether or not you were wholly or not.
But as for you, Titus teach what Accords with sound Doctrine, you
see the contrast, but as for you, you you do this.
This is what is happening in the culture.
This is what's happening in the churches, but as for you, Titus
teach what Accords with sound Doctrine.
But the word teach here is, is the word for speaking or saying
something that we saw teaching earlier and Titus 1.
And this, it was concerning the elders in the church that they
would be teachers of the truth, that they would be teachers of
sound. Auction.
These are two different Greek words, these things here pertain
to Godliness, which Accord, with the gospel, teach these things,
which pertain to Godliness and they should be on your lips
daily and everyday life, you should be speaking.
These things is what Paul has in mind that as you go from the
older men and the older women and the younger women and
younger men, you are to be talking about these things.
These things should Adorn. Your speech.
When it pertains to the gospel, they shouldn't just show up in
church settings when the symbol he's together.
Talk about Holiness, talk about Godly living.
No, he's saying Titus, when you're out and about with the
Brethren, talk about Godly living, urge one another in
these areas. So when you're with the people
talk about these things so that they will do the same, it'll be
on their heart and be on their lips and Titus 2 1 through 6
shows us that the gospel doesn't occur.
Glued Holiness or godliness, which would have been some of
the accusations is it? Hey, what these Apostles are
teaching? Excludes the ceremonial,
Washings it, excludes these Jewish myths, that excludes
these things which have been passed down for Millennia.
What they're teaching must not be the gospel.
It must not be sound doctrine. That would have been the
accusations of the false teachers to these Elders to
these Pastors in these churches, When Paul saying, oh, contraire
mon frere, right? I mean, that's the Greek for
sure. Is he's saying he's saying the
gospel doesn't exclude Holiness. It doesn't exclude godliness at
all rather. When the gospel is believed by
faith. It produces godliness in the
lives of those who believe it, it must produce godliness.
And so, he lays out what godliness is to look like, no,
this is not the first time in this book.
That will see what Linda's is supposed to look like we'll get
into it again as we near the end of chapter 2 and get into
chapter 3. But in Titus 1, there are false
teachings about Holiness there. They're full of Hedonism the
people are and these things are pressing in on the church there
against the church. And so it right response isn't
to ignore Holiness. It's not to ignore the culture.
It's not to ignore the false teachings.
It's to understand what true godliness looks like.
And to be comments so that the gospel message may not be
destroyed by your opponent's because of your ungodly behavior
that the gospel must be adorned with godliness.
So Paul turns to men and women and he instructs taught us about
godliness for these groups of people.
The whole purpose of this is that the church may be as Paul
calls elsewhere, a pillar and a buttress of the truth uses that
language in first Timothy as he writes to him with the church.
By its actions. By the way, that the people
dwell among one another, especially concerning the way
men and women, the way they relate to one another, the
church that it is a pillar and a buttress of the truth.
What that means is that the church is meant to uphold a
pillar. Hold something up.
And it's meant to guard. It's a buttress for something,
so it's meant to uphold and guard.
The gospel message by your word and your Works instruction here.
Summed up in one word would be discipleship that you are to
train one another to live this way to live, according to the
gospel. So Jasper covered the verses on
manhood last week and he said this, he said, biblical manhood
is absolutely crucial for a local church.
And today, what we're going to examine is the call to biblical
Womanhood and to see that it is vital to the health of a local
church. So let's look at the call to
biblical Womanhood. To help us understand God's
wonderful call on a woman's life.
I think we need to go back to the creation account.
Need to round out our thoughts on this.
This would not have been left out of such teaching in Crete,
as the elders were instructed to teach what Accords with sound
Doctrine. They were told also to teach
sound Doctrine, to give instruction in sound Doctrine
and so they wouldn't have left. They wouldn't have left the
creation account out and chapter 1 of Genesis verse 27 and 28.
We read this. So God created, man in his own
image in the image of God, he created him male and female, he
created them and God blessed them.
And God said to them, be fruitful and multiply and fill
the Earth and subdue it, and have dominion over the fish of
the sea and over the birds of the heavens.
And over every living thing that that moves on the Earth.
God created then men and women in His image and likeness he
created men and women. How and what we know about men
and women from creation is that they are distinct from one
another by both, their anatomy and their roles within God's
word. God's blessed command, to be
fruitful, and multiply and fill the Earth.
And to exercise dominion over creation yet, they are equally
Valuable as God's image. Bearers.
Amen. In Genesis chapter 2, we get a
detailed. Look at the creation order, we
get a detailed look at man and womans roles in Genesis to God.
We get a get this this zoomed-in.
Look God creates Adam from the dust of the ground, he breathed
life into him, he then places him in the garden to work it and
keep it. So, God creates a man who
creates the garden. He takes the man puts them into
the garden to both work it and keep it the eye.
Is that he would be a cultivator and a protector of God's
creation. So biblical manhood, this is
what we say in biblical manhood that it Bears, the image of God,
by working and keeping all that God.
Grants a man in Christ, strength.
It's biblical manhood in the definition of bears, the image
of God by working and keeping all that God.
Grants a man in Christ strength. Then God, says, about the man.
It is not good that the man should be alone.
And all the men said, amen. At least I did.
Alright. Take note, baby.
It's just me. He says, I will make a helper
fit for him. I will make him a helper fit for
him in Genesis 2:18. So God brings every beast of the
field and bird of the Heavens to Adam.
He lined them up essentially and he lets him go one by one and
whatever Adam calls them. That was its name, Adam names,
the animals, the creatures and when he finishes naming them, he
read this. But for Adam there was not found
a helper fit for him. All these creatures come in male
and female, 2 by 2. He names them and then he
notices something at the end of it, I'm alone.
All these creatures have helpers meant for being fruitful and
multiplying help for creating a family life and I'm alone.
And so the Lord God in Genesis 2 21 through 23, the Lord God
caused a deep sleep to fall upon the man and while he slept, he
took one of his ribs. it took from him one of his ribs and
closed up its place with the Flesh and the rib that the Lord
God had taken from the man he made into a woman and brought
her to the man, and then the man laying eyes on this helper fit
for him, says, This at last is bone of my bones and Flesh of My
Flesh. She shall be called woman
because she was taken out of, man.
At the end of Genesis chapter 3, Adam calls his wife Eve, as
they're leaving the garden. After the fall, they're leaving
the garden. Adam calls his wife Eve and he
says this, he named her this because she is the mother of all
living. Now whether or not a woman,
becomes a biological mother or not.
Doesn't matter to how she was created.
She is wired by God to be motherly that she is to cherish
and nurture whatever God grants to her.
This is wired in a woman, a woman can only do this.
A man is not wired for this task, doesn't mean there won't
be cross over at times but this is a way a woman is wired and so
biblical Womanhood then Bears the image of God by cherishing
and nurturing all that God. Grants a woman in the Length of
Christ. It's to be a cherisher and a
nurture. So God's blessed mandate to be,
fruitful to multiply to fill the Earth.
Exercise dominion over creation was always meant to be done by
men and women. As they partner together within
their god-ordained rolls. Paul understands that Godly men
and women are vital to the health of a church.
And so he gets into this conversation that we need Godly
men and we need Godly women because they are God's image.
Bearers who carry God's blessed mandate to be fruitful, and
multiply and fill the Earth and subdue it.
An exercise Dominion. Which Christ expounds on when he
commands his disciples to go therefore and Make Disciples of
all Nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, and of
the son, and of the Holy Spirit, teaching them to observe all
that. I have commanded you and behold.
I Am With You Always even to the end of the age.
It's a very similar thing going on here.
God placing Adam and Eve in the garden and they were meant to
cultivate that Garden life into all the world.
But we know the rest of the story, they failed, they
disobeyed God, kicked out of the garden, sin enters the world and
that disobedience. And now things are fractured.
Things are broken. Christ coming die, Rising gives
the command to his disciples to, what to go.
Be fruitful. Make disciples multiplied, and
all the nations. Amen.
And so the role is still very much.
The same, the commands are still very much the same men and women
are to bring Fruitfulness and multiplication into the Earth
again there to fill the Earth and subdue it as they make
disciples. And so churches, need Godly men
and women Co laboring for the sake of the Gospel, but our
fruitfulness comes in our obedience to God.
We must know and we must live by God's design for men and women.
See God has a great purpose. For his daughters in the church.
Amen. God has a great purpose for his
daughters in the church. I love the little girls heads.
I saw nodding, amen. A purpose that men cannot carry
out. Women as members of the body of
Christ are vital to the health of the church.
And so we at New Life Community Church need The church Universal
needs Godly women. If we are going to be a pillar
and a buttress of the truth, and so, Paul turns his attention,
Two older women and he gives the model for biblical Womanhood.
The call was, we need this. This is how God designed it.
Now, let's look at the model for it.
Older women likewise, or to be reverent in Behavior.
It's verse 3 of chapter 2 inside us, not slanderers or slaves,
too much wine. They were to teach what is good
and so train. The young women to love their
husbands And children to be self-control pure working at
home, kind and submissive to their own husband's.
That the word of God may not be reviled.
You see pastors and to chapter one were told to hold firm to
and teach sound Doctrine, they must do that, but they must also
rebuked those who contradicted that was commanded of them.
Men and women and boys, and girls should learn from their
pastors teaching and hopefully their example.
It is a pastor's job to equip the church for the work of the
ministry. These things are true yet, what
we find here and as one commentator pointed out Paul
specifies, who could intimately teach what Accords with sound
Doctrine to the young women, Who was the older one?
I found it interesting. As I was studying assistant.
Paul says, teach what Accords with sound Doctrine to the
older, men, to the older women, and to the young men, But that
the older woman's instruction was meant for the young woman's
and stroke, learning it was meant for their discipleship.
Paul is telling Titus, it's not that you won't stand In a Pulpit
and say what Accords with sound Doctrine, but it is not for you
to spend Hours with those sisters in the Lord.
That's for the older women to do.
Amen. Most of you men would agree, you
don't want me or any of the other Elders, spending hours
with your wife, but you would love for an older woman in this
church to take your wife under her wing and to spend two hours
with her cultivating godliness in her.
Amen. My wife would agree that she
does not want me spending hours with any of you ladies as much
as I love you and want. Well for you, I want older women
to train you. I want Patricia to be able to
train many of you Amen. This is the way God designed.
It is for a purpose, not just for protection.
It's that an older woman can only teach a younger woman, how
to be an older woman. and so Paul lays out the model here,
The model for discipleship among women.
It's that older. At least spiritually mature.
Women are to teach what is good and so train.
The young women to be spiritually.
Mature, are you ready for a fun fact about older women here?
First century older as we read it here would be somewhere in
the range of 45 to 60. I told my wife that earlier and
she's like 10 more years and I'm old.
The average lifespan in first century was about 28 which was
is skewed a bit by the high rate of infant deaths.
She didn't live very long in the first century.
And have modern medicine to help you out.
And so older women doesn't only have in mind gray hair and the
name mauve, right? It hasn't mind to some of you
laugh later. It hasn't mind a woman with some
years of serving the lord under her belt, She's older, but she's
faithful, she has a track record of faithfulness and so she is
spiritually mature yet. She still seeks to grow and
godliness. And we know this because Paul
says she is to be reverent in Behavior.
Interesting side note, this is one of eight Greek words or
phrases that only appear in this passage and all your new
testament. And three verses there are eight
new Greek words or phrases. That's a lot.
Now, I don't claim to fully comprehend the significance of
this. But one thing that is abundantly
clear In this passage By the, the creating of a new phrase, a
creating of a new word to communicate.
An idea on what Womanhood is, one thing that becomes
abundantly clear is that Paul inspired by the spirit of God is
doing his best. To help Daughters of God,
understand that God has a great purpose for them in the church.
But that's the only way I know to communicate his.
He's doing his dead level. Best to help women comprehend.
The beauty of the role that he's granted to them.
Reverent and behavior means devout to God, or Pious, it's
actually in line with saying that she's a priest s which
didn't exist in the Old Testament, the New Testament we
see in Peter that we are all holy priesthood.
We're all a part of a holy priesthood.
And so it describes a woman who is living her life, entirely
forgot, both toward others but also in view of others.
So this kind of woman is able to say to younger.
Ladies, follow me as I follow Christ and it's believable.
Our relationship with God is the most important piece of her life
and it shows she adorns, the gospel with godliness as I was
reading this passage this week. I was just reminded over and
again the truce from proverbs 31 proverbs 31:30 says charm is
deceitful and beauty is vain. But a woman who fears the Lord
is to be praised. mothers, fathers might, I recommend That
you put this near wherever your daughter is most often.
Whether it's a mirror or a foam or something.
Wives mothers. Ladies might, I recommend that
you put this near somewhere that you read often Charm is
deceitful, beauty is vain, but a woman who fears the Lord is to
be praised. But there's only so much you can
do to cover up ungodliness and wrinkles before it finds you
out. Right.
I mean, charm is cunning for a bit, but eventually people come
to see the truth about such a woman.
The attempt to hold on, to one's natural beauty through Botox or
plastic surgery, or whatever else may last for a season.
But those multiple surgeries tend to have the last laugh.
If you've seen the photos. but the woman who fears the Lord, Is
to be praised that the devil wants nothing more than to rob
you of your god-given beauty. Not not the outward Beauties
talking about an inward Beauty. The beauty that comes from
within one's Hearts, but a woman who fears the Lord is to be
praised. It's not outside of you.
It's not something you manufacture.
It's a woman who fears the Lord who is to be praised, the daily
Whisper of the enemy and a woman's ear.
Is this did God really say? Beauty is in vain.
Did God really say that charm is deceitful?
Oh, that's not true. God just doesn't want you to be
accepted. God doesn't want you to be like,
God doesn't want you gaining influence.
Sisters. Whether you're young or old,
don't believe the lie. When you Adorn the gospel with
godliness through Devotion to God, then you will be worthy of
True Praise. Young ladies need mature ladies
to pave. The way for them in this, to
protect them from that. Accusing liar.
By showing them, the beauty of godliness.
Paul lays out here, also pitfalls that older women are to
avoid, do not be slanderers or slaves, too much wine. there's a
running joke, I'm sure you've all heard it, but Heard it for
many years, that a Church's prayer chain is made up of the
old ladies in the church who were gossiping to one another
under the pretense of sharing prayer requests.
I don't have first-hand knowledge of the validity of
this. But it is true that Everyone
likes gossip until it's about them.
Older women while gathered around a card table or at a
salon tend to gossip about her slander others in the community
or their Church. Older men are gathered around
morning coffee at a local establishment.
Tend to gossip about her slander.
Those in leadership politicians bosses church, leaders,
whatever. This is not a blanket statement.
This is a tend to when there's no godliness present.
But it's wrong for anyone to be a gossiper.
It's wrong for anyone to be a slanderer.
We are instructed to tame the tongue in James chapter 3.
And here, being a slave too much wine.
Simply means being a drunkard. There's a few possibilities.
And what's meant here? One possibility for this is that
in the first century, many medications especially for pain
associated, with old age, would have used wine to ease.
The pain would have been a pain killer, so it's possible that
one could become used to the relief and so become dependence
on that, which brings the relief.
Becoming a slave to much wine. There's a similar phenomenon
today with painkillers or psychotherapeutic drugs.
Are there cases where these things may be needed?
Absolutely. There are I think our dependence
on such things comes a bit too quickly, sometimes.
A woman must learn to put to death, the Deeds of the flesh by
the spirit of God. He whom the sun sets free is
free indeed but the spirit of the Lord is there is freedom.
We are more than conquerors through him.
Who loves us we trade versus like those so easily.
For something that promises quick relief because believing
that and fighting through prayer and day in and day out is hard
work. But if I pop this pill or drink
this bottle, Relief comes quicker.
And so we become more dependent on a drug than we are on God
himself. Now, please don't go home and
throw away these things. saying, Kyle said, Again, there are
cases where this is really needed.
But you haven't done. So before previously, I
encourage you to earnestly seek the Lord for wisdom and help
talk with your doctor or therapist about how you might
come off. Such things, is it possible?
Another possibility for Titus saying this is that older women
and young women were already together frequently.
They're they're hanging out and Timothy.
Women are accused of being young women are accused of being busy
bodies, going from house to house.
And so it's possible. This was happening here and
their time was spent slandering others and drinking too much
wine. And so Paul says, Teach what is
good. Don't do this teach what is
good? Older women likewise there to be
reverent Behavior, not slanderers or slaves, too much
wine. They are to teach what is good.
And so train, the young women teach what is good and train or
two more of those Greek phrases that are only used in this
passage to teach what is good means to teach that which is
beautiful to look at. It's Noble, it's praiseworthy.
Those things that produce purity of heart and life.
The older women should model maturity in Christ.
And teach young women to be mature in Christ.
Beauty Fades, but a woman who fears the Lord is worthy of
praise. So, Reverend and behavior, the
older woman models, a gospel shaped godliness for young
women. So that they might learn from
her. And so he says, teach what is
good. And so train, the younger women
train is the idea of urging its discipleship.
It means to encourage. And so, what Paul has in mind
here is saying these older women should disciple these younger
women, with the kind of training that instructs young women to
live wisely and self control over her passions and desires.
And Paul acknowledges that we what we all know to be true.
We have desires and passions that go against what God's word
says they're in direct opposition to God's word.
So older women must train young women to live according to God's
work and not according to their own desires.
This kind of training requires vulnerability, it requires
availability for both older women and younger women.
They must spend time with one another.
But without an older woman's vulnerability.
Sharing her fears and her failures.
Her successes. Her dependence on God.
Then the young woman's only going to learn the appearance of
godliness while denying its power.
It's behavior modification without a heart change.
And so older, women are to teach what is good.
And so train, the young women, and Paul describes three areas
of training, her family, her home, and her character.
In verse 4, he says until train the young woman to love their
husbands and children to be self-control.
Pure working at home, kind submissive to their own
husband's. That the word of God may not be
reviled. Let's start with family.
Older. Women must train young women to
love their husbands to love their children.
Both of which are once again. Greek statements only mentioned
here. Women are to cherish and nurture
their husbands and their children.
To cherish means to love tenderly.
It's the view something that God has granted to you and out of
worship to him. You say, I'm going to love this
thing. This person, whatever it is,
tenderly. when the devote myself to do, whether that be a
husband, or children or something, or someone else,
under your care does not matter. When you see that, something got
has been granted to you by the hand of God.
You cherish it. The young woman must cherish the
role that God has given to her. To cherish also means that she
is content with those roles that she sees her roles and she's not
upset about where she is. She might have a longing for
something different but she's not angry with God over.
She's learning to be content where she is while prayerfully,
maybe seeking Something else. But contentment is part of
cherishing. It's to see what you have and to
say, thank you, Lord for this. This is my lot in life.
This is where I am right now. These are the roles you've given
me and I praise you for. I cherish them and your love,
your cherishing comes from an overflow of love.
It's not a, it's not a manufacturing of Love within
yourself, it's not waking up one day and saying, all right,
today's the day I'm going to be extra loving Bless your soul, if
you try to do that. It's it's a receiving love from
God and having that spill over into the lives of your husband
and children as it pertains to here or into whatever roles
you've been granted. So your love is an overflow of
the love that you've received from God through Christ Jesus.
The woman, the young woman is not trying to give something
that she hasn't received the older woman would not come to
the younger woman and wisdom and say, you need to be more loving,
go figure that out. The older woman might come to
the younger woman and say You need to be more loving.
But let me talk to you about the love that we've received in
Christ Jesus. And how that takes all of our
own loveliness. Our inability to love others and
makes us Able by the spirit of God to be loving. to be kind
tender-hearted forgiving one another as God in Christ, has
forgiven us, as Ephesians 4:32 says, So a young woman is
instructed by the older woman. Go fill yourself up.
At The Well of Living Water. And then go pour that water out
on others and your life. Amen.
And so, she nurtures. Also those things, those people
that God has granted her And to nurture means to nourish to
bring to maturity. It's this idea of cultivating,
something in such a way that it grows up in a healthy manner.
And so a woman's marriage is to be cherished.
It's to be nurtured a woman, must cherish and nurture her
husband Which is really interesting to me as it says,
love your husband's here because husbands are instructed in
Ephesians 5 to love their wives. And one of the things that were
told about loving our wives in Ephesians 5, is that we are to
nourish and cherish her as we nourish and cherish our own
bodies. So a man looks out for his wife,
loves his wife and the same way that he tends to his own flesh.
And that same passage, as in this one, Paul also instructs
women to be submissive to her own husband.
All the wife saw a big sigh of relief, right?
I don't have to submit to someone else's husband.
Submissive to your own husband. Again, this goes back to that
creation order. Man was created.
First, the woman was created to be a helper for the man in
Ephesians 5. The man is submitting himself as
one, who is a part of the church to Christ.
And he's loving his wife as Christ loves the church.
And so, his wife is to submit herself to her husband that,
that headship that leadership. It's God's design for Godly men
to lovingly lead their wives. and for Godly women to submit to
their husbands leadership, the sin has marred it has damaged
the creation order. And in Genesis chapter 3, is God
explains the curses that are now upon the man and the woman, he
says to the woman that your desire will be for your husband.
Now the word desire, there's the same word that's used for desire
in chapter 4. When Abel is told that his since
aren't, when Cain is told that his sin, that the devil's desire
is for him and that his sin is seeking to rule over him.
That rule over and desire, there are the same words.
And so, the idea here is that your desire woman's desire,
because of the Fall, will be to rule over her husband.
And a husband he says will rule over his wife which is in a
domineering way. So we see the fractures and it's
because of the fractures that we observe in the world that we
might have a knee-jerk reaction against this kind of language.
But the way these things operate in the world.
Are separate from Holy Spirit inspired.
Scriptures are separate from Holy Spirit lives that are full
of the Holy Spirit. Holy Spirit living.
And so, when you live, according to God's word, as God's word
says to live, these things are actually beautiful.
You're beautiful. So what we observe in the world
is not biblical headship and submission.
It's a mod version of it. Biblical headship and submission
find its identity in the relationship between Christ and
the church. The church submits itself to
Christ Christ loves the church and so marriage is meant to be a
picture of such a relationship. And when it does not, there
needs to be repentance. It's to be repentance.
There's a whole lot to say about marriage.
That's the reason we've done whole conferences on it.
Here, there's a ton to unpack and we just don't have time in
the sermon. We got to keep moving.
I'm happy to sit down with any of you and talk about those
things at any time. A woman's children need their
mother to cherish and nurture them.
So he says, love your children. She alone is to be a mother to
them. She must not ignore those things
rather she must grow in them becoming more nurturing and
cherishing as time goes by and while it's true that God in his
own Providence and his wisdom has not granted.
This role to Every Woman Who might desire it?
Such ladies are no less significant in the kingdom of
God. They must devote themselves also
to learning to love as God loves.
They have 1000 such opportunities within their
church family. A church is full of boys and
girls. A church is full of men and
women who need young and old women to be loving as God is
loving to cherish and to nurture them so that they might grow up
into mature. Believers.
So a woman engages in this kind of work.
This kind of spiritual mothering when she and lists herself into
the mission of the local church. She uses her love.
She uses her gift. She uses her Divine Design to
cherish and nurture the body of Christ.
But it might become a pillar and a buttress of the truth that it
might be healthy and Ladies of God has not yet, made you a wife
or a mother and it's something that you desire.
Please do not believe the enemies lie that you are a
second-rate citizen in the household of God.
He would love nothing more than to Cripple you.
In a church, but we need you. We need you and you need us if
we were to become a healthy body of Christ.
Amen. The second area that Paul
addresses, is her home, train young women to be working at
home working at home, is another one of these statements.
It's only mentioned in this passage And I think what Paul is
doing with each one of these words is tried to elude to
earlier is that he is shining a bright light of God's glory on
the seemingly mundane work. Of a woman and here he talks
about work in a home specifically.
So for the Christian woman, work in the home, right?
Decorating, designing, cooking, cleaning laundry, training
children, being a wife, all the other daily tasks that go
unnamed and unseen. For Christian woman, those
things go for mundane to Majestic.
She recognizes that she's doing the Lord's work, as she lovingly
sacrifices her life. In service to her family.
Romans 12:1 through to Paul writes this.
And I'm pulling this thing, way out of here to help apply a
thought. I appeal to you, therefore
Brothers by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a
Living Sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your
spiritual worship. So what's your spiritual worship
is to present your bodies as a spiritual sacrifice.
Holy and acceptable. If you sacrifice something
that's living, that means it stays alive, right?
It's a Living Sacrifice. This means it's a daily
sacrifice and service to the Lord.
This is for all of us that we would live daily in service to
the Lord sacrificing. For whatever the Lord commands
us to do calls us to do whatever his will be in our lives.
We say yes sir, that's where we're headed.
And then he goes on to say, do not be conformed to this world,
but be transformed by the renewal of your mind.
So in other words, the world's going to have different thoughts
about this but be transformed in your mind that you may discern.
What is the will of God. So how am I going to be a Living
Sacrifice? If I don't know the will of God.
Well another will of God I've got to have my mind transform so
I'm not conformed to the world. Amen, you got to know God's will
the only way to know that is? To come to the Lord.
And he'll show you is Will what is good and acceptable and
perfect. So Woman's Work, in the home,
must be understood as worship to God.
You are worshipping. The Lord, when you cook your
family dinner, you're worshiping the Lord when you're doing
laundry or worse of whatever your task are, when you're
taking care of the children, you're cleaning up.
A mess on our three, right? It's going to say vomit, but I
just couldn't, it's makes me sick.
All right, Trish is so much more gifted at that than I am.
I will just make mess number two.
So But you were worshiping the Lord.
And those most in those moments, Because you're living as a
sacrifice for God, you're serving your family, you're
serving your home. You're being poured out daily.
As you tend to those things that God has placed in your care.
Ben and sisters do not be conformed to this world.
This world sees a woman's work in the home as evidence of
earlier oppression. But let me tell you, not all
Enlightenment is truly enlightening.
Amen. Not all reform is good reform.
Sometimes those things are blinding rather than
enlightening. And Satan's thought the
destruction of the home. From the very beginning of X Y
comes to the woman that says did God actually say not to eat of
this fruit. He sought to split the home from
the moment. It was put together.
Because it's the key and his destruction of God's people.
Paul is not saying that a woman must only work in the home,
don't read it that way, it's not be those kind of people who
bring that. Those thoughts into a text.
It's not what Paul is saying. He's saying that she sees it as
her most important work responsibilities.
She may work elsewhere, but her work at home, is her favorite
work. It's her most important work.
A woman must diligently care for her household and home first.
Proverbs 31, if you've not read that, does a great job of
explaining, the Dual relationship of working in the
home and working outside the home and how those two things go
together. Finally, we see her character is
addressed The young woman must be self-controlled.
She must be pure and kind. All three of those things are
tied to the older woman, who is Reverend Behavior?
Who's teaching, what is good? And who is training young women?
For young woman to be self-controlled.
She must be wise over her desires and passions.
She doesn't let her once dictate her.
Why she understands her? Why she understands her purpose
and her wants that are contrary to that.
Don't get to tell her what to do.
She's keeping them in check. She's remembering her purpose.
She understands her god-given purpose and she strives to
please him. And she does this by putting to
death, the Deeds of her flesh, which is only possible by the
spirit of God. That's why one of the fruit of
the spirit is self control. As you lean into Christ, as you
become more dependent on God, you become more full of his
spirit and he leads you in self-control.
Helps you put to death, the Deeds of the flesh.
So the older woman trains, which means she urges.
She encourages the woman to live wisely, over her passions and
her desires, but the young woman May respond then with
self-control which she received by the spending on the spirit of
God. You can see it.
You can see an older woman in the home, teaching a younger
woman, maybe over coffee. And the younger woman saying,
hi, I really want these things. I really want to go this
direction. But I'm really hindered by my
family endured by this or that. And the older woman says, I
understand I've had those same feelings of same thoughts, but
what we must learn is self-control, must, learn that,
not all desires are God desires. Some of them are contrary to
what he says. And so, she lovingly when some
Lee with wisdom, exhorts the young woman to be faithful to
the Lord. Next Paul says that she must be
pure. Idea here is that she's pure and
heart before God. And so therefore she is pure and
behavior before others. this describes, the kind of woman
whose inward Beauty, Affects her outward Beauty.
Cheese. She's not deceived by the lies
of scandalous clothing, or makeup, or phony Behavior.
She's not buying the world's lies about what makes a woman
womanly. She takes seriously her
relationship to God. And so impurity she dresses
modestly and lives righteously, she's pure before the Lord a
here means to excite reverence. I love this older.
Women are what to be reverent and behavior younger.
Women are what to be pure, which is the beginning of reverence.
Is it excites? Reverence a young woman may not
be thought of as reverend in Behavior?
Just yet? But give her some years.
She's working toward it, she's becoming more and more faithful
to the Lord. She's got the beginning marks of
it, because she's pure and she's actively growing in it.
And so, we saw a similar contrast last week between the
older man in the younger, man. The older men were called
dignified and the younger men were urged to be.
What self-controlled? Don't give me into many
instructions, right? Be self-controlled.
And as the woman's Purity leads to reverence and behavior.
So the man self-control leads to later being called dignified And
finally, her character is marked by kindness.
Well, we're kindness here is not like it's not the side of being
kind to one another. It's that there's a kindness
about you. It's a good nature.
It's upright. It's honorable The older women
are not to be only what is good, but they were to teach what is
good also and the younger women are to become what is good there
to be kind. They become Godly, which is is
beautiful to observe. Again beauty is in vain But, the
fear of the Lord is worthy of praise.
One way to say it, is that beauty is fleeting but godliness
last a lifetime. This kind of biblical Womanhood
is vital to the health of the church older women which is
certainly those who are mature on their way to maturity in
Christ must model and teach young women to be these things.
And Paul lays out very quickly, what the goal of all, this is
older women, likewise be reverence and behavior, not
Slanders or slaves, too much wine.
There to teach what is good. And so train, the young women To
love their husbands and children.
To be self-controlled pure and working from home or working at
home. Sorry kind and submissive to
their own husbands Everybody. Look at this last part with me
that the word of God may not be reviled.
Man. That's is very weighty.
That the word of God may not be reviled.
We saw this last week in the men that says that their opponents
may have nothing, they may be put to shame having nothing evil
to say about us. We're going to see it again next
week. As we see that Bond servants are
to be submissive. To be good workers.
So that in everything they may Adorn, the doctrine of God our
savior. What Paul is laying out here is
that the way you live Either upholds, what you say you
believe or it, tears it down. And if you live a Godly life,
the word of God will not be reviled because of you.
Godly women help the church become a pillar in a bunch for
the truth. As they colabor with Godly men
to uphold and protect the gospel of Christ by their word and
their works. This is what Paul is laying out
for us in Titus 2. The world will, however, does
revile such women. Maybe not in your immediate
circles. Do you feel reviled for trying
to be a Godly woman, but pay attention to the messages that
are out there. The world hates Godly women.
Hates. I think a big part of it is you
cannot take advantage of a Godly woman.
You cannot use a Godly woman for your own purposes.
She's living for the glory of another.
In Song of Solomon, she's called a wall for such character.
And we need to take notes. This is a very important verse
to me, is I have under my care immediately to women my wife and
my daughter, And I don't want them.
To cause the word of God to be revealed.
But I understand that by their Godly Living Lord willing they
will be reviled. It's going to happen.
The world will slander. The world will blaspheme.
Not only them, but their truths, the world will Rel at them.
And such is the way of The Sinner when he or she encounters
the truths of God. They become mockers scorners.
It's a Godly, women may be revived for their belief.
But a Godly woman, will not allow God's word to be reviled
by her hypocrisy. She's true to God and so
sisters. I urge you today, I commit
yourselves to Bear God's image by cherishing and nurturing all
that God, grants to you and the strength of Christ.
This is biblical Womanhood. And biblical Womanhood is vital
to the health of the church. Would you stand to your feet
this morning? Heavenly Father, we love you.
We thank you for your word. Father, I pray that you would
mold us. Into men and women, who love you
Above All Else shape Our Lives. Shape.
Our Lives. Father, I thank you for the
ladies in this church. Older younger little girl's.
Father, I thank you for their place and your household.
I thank you Lord, for your purpose for them.
And I pray father that you would Empower them by your spirits to
live. To live as a bold woman in this
world. To be an image-bearer by
cherishing and nurturing everything that you grant to
them. In the strength of Christ.
Father, would you help these ladies find strength in Jesus
Christ? Help them to know him to love
him. To honor him.
Help them to be convicted by his word to be drawn into deeper
fellowship with him. But they might live out their
purpose, in this world and become a beaming light for the
gospel of Christ. Father, we thank you that you
created men and women in your own image.
To be image, bearers. For the purpose of being
fruitful and multiplying in the Earth.
God, we ask that you help us to do that through discipleship.
We ask that you help us do that through families.
Help us do that in this local church and in our community.
Father, would you help older women in here?
Catch a vision for discipleship training, young women.
To love the Lord and do all that he's called him to do.
God I do mostly, don't know what it would look like.
I pray that you would grant us that Vision help us to do that.
Lord UPS to be this kind of Titus 2 model of discipleship
Church. We praise you father, we thank
you for your kindness toward us. In Christ's name.
I pray. Amen.