Teaching That Accords with Sound Doctrine (Part 1 of 3)

You may have heard someone say that we ought to live godly lives so that we can be happy or successful or experience a deep sense of peace today on Truth for Life will discover how biblical teaching, and godly living serve a much higher purpose than our happiness.

Alastair Ben continues his study in the series titled get it right. I invite you to turn with me to Titus and to chapter 2. It's always good to be able to see that what is being said is actually in the Bible or to check that is in the Bible to make sure it's in the Bible need to bring all of the sermons under the control of the Bible never just take anybody's word for it. Make sure you have a good careful look verse one but as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. Older men are to be sober minded, dignified self-control, sound in faith and love and in steadfastness. Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers are slaves to 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 working at home, kind and submissive to their own husbands.

The word of God may not be reviled.

Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled, show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works and then your teaching show integrity, dignity, and sound speech that cannot be condemned so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us slaves are to be submissive to their own masters in everything there to be well pleasing, not argumentative, not pilfering but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior. For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people training eyes to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled right and godly lives in the present age waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works, declare these things exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you. Amen.

Gracious God with our Bibles open before us, we earnestly ask for the help of the Holy Spirit to illumine the page 2 has, to help us both to see and to understand to believe and to obey accomplish your purposes. We ask in Jesus name, amen. While the teaching ministry of Titus and it is a teaching ministry as we can see from these three chapters is to stand out in contrast to the false teaching that has already begun to invade these congregations on the island of Crete and when he dies in terms of integrity and dignity, and sound speech that can't be condemned as is mentioned in verse eight. Here is we read it is to be in stark contrast to what is coming from the mouths of those who, according to the 10th verse of chapter 1 are insubordinate empty talkers and deceivers.

People who are devoting themselves to all kinds of mythology attaching to Judaism and people who are pronouncing for people commands that are essentially the inventions of men. Their man-made regulations and Paul is warning Titus against such individuals in the same term. It is absolutely imperative Titus that when you teach you teach what is in accord with the sound doctrine. In other words, all the things that I have made clear to you.

Titus about the gospel about who God is and how he has made himself known and what he is done in the Lord Jesus Christ redeem a people that are his own. When you lay that down for the people, then you must make sure that you teach them that there are things that emerge from the clarity of that instruction of view of the world that is mandated by those convictions.

Characteristics of interpersonal relationships in private life that flow from the gospel and implications in the everyday events of society as were going to see in chapter 3, but all that Titus you must make sure is comprehensive in the minds of those that you are instructing and this is no easy task, but there's no reason for Paul to come back at the end of this section and say declare these things apart from the temptation that would be there for Titus not to declare these things for him to step away from the implications of much of what he is forced to say about what it means to be married. What it means to be unmarried. What it means to be controlled what it means to be involved in the politics of life and Crete and so on know he has to make sure again in verse 15 that he exercises a ministry in expectation and that he is prepared to rebuke and that he is prepared to do so with all authority, not the authority of Titus is personality by the authority, which is his as a minister of the gospel and no one should disregard him. No one should disregard and again the reason that it is so important is this in order that those who are his flock who are under his care would understand that there is a lifestyle that accompanies this sound doctrine. Note when jumping back into it here. Halfway through verse four because the exhortation that was being given to the older men. We have looked at to the older women in verse three we have considered, and then we had begun to look at the fact that to these more mature women has been entrusted our training and teaching role within the church, not one that is primarily formalized as in a classroom. Although there is a place for that is, is clearly obvious, but rather the kind of teaching and training that a marriage is as a result of rubbing shoulders in the everyday events of life, and did personal trainers that are to be emerging. Just as folks run into one another or to be providing the opportunity to teach these young women notice in verse four, to love their husbands and their children. We ponder the fact that it is an interesting think you would have to be trained to love your husband and your children are not just supposed to do that naturally well what is referring to here is not blog as a victim of our emotions, but love is a servant of our wills, and the first blush and enthusiasm of early married life lasts about 36 months. I think my recollection after 36 months you move into another phase where she is a wonderful girl that she not just as wonderful as she.

I was at 32 months and you haven't been as wonderful since about 12 months and saw the whole thing has moved into another dimension and the lady may find ourselves saying there may or maybe I should read people magazine and finite. What I'm supposed to do know you didn't do that don't read that nonsense just find an older lady in the church.

She'll help you. She'll be over say don't worry I can help you with this I can train you to love your husband and to love your children. Now this is going to go on with further instruction and want to pause very purposefully and for a fair moment in time. Here to identify for you. The purpose statements that run through this entire instruction. There are three of them first in verse five. The reason for this instruction in relationship to the women. The young women in the home is in order that you will notice at the end of verse five the word of God may not be reviled will come back to that so that the word of God may not be reviled in relationship to Titus is ministry himself the soundness and integrity on it.

It is an order that verse eight opponents may be put to shame and then in verse 10 in relationship to their functioning of employers and employees are slaves and the slaveowners is in order that in everything that doctrine of God our Savior made and be adorned note reason I pause here is because I think if we lose sight of the purpose of this instruction. We may fall foul of all kinds of ideas that somehow or another. This is an archaic expression of a lifestyle that is embedded in a kind of Pauline theology.

In the first century church that has no immediate application to those of us living in the 21st century or that we may view the instruction simply as a mechanism for our own well-being that it is here in the Bible in order that we might sort of live happy and peaceable life's there is no question that when we do as God intends for us to do potential for a peaceful life. Send a measure of happiness is there but you will notice that the purpose in all of these instances with this intensely practical instruction for the local fellowships and Crete is in order that God in everything may be glorified that God's word may be magnified and that God's people may be built up.

So another words if you come to the passage about how my supposed to live a young woman answered. If treated in an atomized way and at how does this affect me way then you will immediately go wrong and if we are tempted to do that than the rest of us who are not young women will find ourselves saying why is this not just a class for young women. I mean I'm not a young woman why we even studying this passage over studying the passage because is in the Bible and all of the Scripture is profitable for correction improvement for training in righteousness, and all of us are involved with one another as brothers and sisters in the body of Christ.

Therefore, if were going to exhort and encourage one another to do it on the basis of something and of something that is the basis for our expectation and encouragement is nothing other than the word of God itself. So how my father to encourage my daughters to live with their husbands in relationship to Titus chapter 2 nonexclusively definitely how I like to learn to live in a way that is wondering to my wife in relationship to Titus chapter 2 how I do make my way through the journey of my days in relationship to the instruction of God's word.

In other words, all of it is about God and about the gospel and about his glory is all about guarding the gospel and his glory when I was thinking along those lines this week.

I said to myself, you know, it is very important that I keep in mind the folks keep in mind as well that Westminster shorter catechism and I'm sure you would agree with that immediately.

Just when I mention it to and we didn't go any further than the first two questions to help us here and to establish purpose. First question in the shorter catechism is what is the chief end of man which is the fundamental question of all of life is the question why do I exist is the question is asked why do I go to work is the question that addresses everything that I do and all that I have and to get the answer wrong is horrible to get it right is fantastic.

What is the answer answer that is given its the chief end of man, that is, men and women. The chief end of man is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever to glorify God and to enjoy him forever in the second question, then asks what then what rule has God given what rule is God-given in order that we might know what it is to glorify him and enjoy and the answer is the only rule that he is given us is his word, the Bible ACL at all fits together. Why do I exist as a young woman as a young man is a senior whatever might be.

I exist to glorify God and to enjoy him forever on the wall, though I going to find out how to glorify God and enjoy the answer is by turning to your Bible, let me just remind you of what the theologians of taught us concerning the glory of God. First of all that God in himself possesses an intrinsic glory and intrinsic glory and glory that is essential to his being as God is not something that is added to them. Or maybe subtracted from him. The Queen she has glory is represented by her throne is represented by her crown is represented by her Jules, but when you remove the throne.

The crown jewels the barge. The coaches she just like everybody else. All of that glory is not intrinsic glory is if you like and attached glory, but the glory of God is intrinsic to his being to remove his glory would be to remove him as God, it is impossible. So when we think about giving glory to God. We don't think for a moment that we are adding to the intrinsic glory which is his as God the father, son and Holy Spirit.

But what we are doing is actually ascribing glory to so there is an intrinsic glory that is inherent in his being the glory that he has in himself, that is an essential part of and then there is the glory that is ascribed to God, which simply means that we lift up his name that we magnify his glory in the world and in the lives of others.

We make much of God. So whatever it might be weeks on the radio this morning that creation sings the father saw we were making much of God as creator go back into a world that is increasingly interested in denying that truth we teach our children to say that before there was time before there was anything there was God that he created the heavens and the evening stars, declare his glory, the birth of every child is an indication of his handiwork, and so on and in seeing these things and in affirming these things. We give glory to God, Thomas Watson, who was so tremendously helpful in his day uses for words. I want to give you all and expound about just give you the menu component of yourself uses for words to describe what is involved in glorifying God. The first word is appreciation. Appreciation. The psalmist says you are exalted far above all God's.

We appreciate the fact that you are above and beyond every other kind of man-made invented God appreciation. Secondly, adoration, adoration, giving to God the glory that is to to his name. Thirdly, affection, affection, and not be affection which emerges as a result of receiving something so that so that a godless and unbelieving person may have a measure of affection towards God because the sun is shining and it isn't raining so they say.

Well if if there is a God in heaven. I'm feeling predisposed to him today because it's a nice day is not a nice day than I don't feel that way is not be affection, not be affection which emerges in response to something. But the law for the affection or the delight that sets his heart upon God in the way that we would set our hearts upon a treasure or in the way that just rejoices in the company of a good friend so that the friend doesn't bring is anything the friend is just there and we just say this is great isn't great to be together. I love you as a friend. I'm glad of your company. This means everything to me glorify God when we displayed.

I kind of affection in the fourth word is the word subjection subjection appreciation adoration affection and subjection.

When we are subjecting ourselves our minds to God's truth are tongues to his praise. Our hands to his servants.

When we bring our minds if you like underneath the privileges the responsibilities of the demands that are set out for is in the Bible because remember how we learn to glorify God and enjoy him the answer is he's given is the only route to this in his word, the Bible eloquently understand how this transforms everything that you do when when we understand this, then it changes everything. It changes the way we view life in its infancy, it absolutely transforms what it means to be a teenager try to work out your your your your existence. Figure out your hormones and everything else that goes on, it actually makes a huge impact on the way in which we decide how we going to live our lives in relationship to vocational and employment and everything else in unless we constantly stand back and say, God, what am I doing here in the universe and get the answer right then we will be like everybody else in the universe chasing desperately for a Friday to try and get through the miserable existence on the Monday Tuesday Wednesday Thursday Friday, our whole world is programmed in that way.

And if we're not careful will be right there as well. So we'll see everything that were doing as soon as simply an addendum to all the things we really want to do. But when you realize that the 14th load of laundry now that I've ever done 14 loads of laundry I have never done four loads of laundry by the fact is, and I don't mean this in any disparaging way. I mean I'm in I'm in wall that laundry room when ice when I see all the things my wife dies that she hadn't told all these things intention. How you do all these things to be honest, fellas. You you can't make the toast poor Bob and the egg boil and the TV go simultaneously of your life depended on the Uganda and yet she does this this this this this multiple things and she sits down, assess yourself with the wall of my doing. She isn't able to say I'm glorifying God and enjoying him forever and she doesn't have sufficient motive for doing anything. She stood is not hard to see how a failure to grasp the ultimate big picture, then extends itself into the futility's and failures and alienation's of contemporary life. There's a reason Woody Allen is messed up as he is. Is he doesn't know the answer to the first question in the shorter Westminster catechism and he needs to. And so do you and so do I. Glorifying God in everything enjoying him and everything when our greatest name is to glorify God. Our lives are completely transformed your listing the Truth for Life and Alistair Begg with a message titled teaching that accordance with sound doctrine. If you'd like to know more about why God deserves all the glory and how we can honor him. We will encourage you to get a copy of today's featured book titled know the truth, a handbook of Christian belief.

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