A Pattern for Young Men, Part 1

You need any help to young men you have to show is no such thing as armchair Christianity become an example.

The younger generation is is watching. Paul is not telling Titus to call in a few plays from the La-Z-Boy and I'll tell him whether to do that is commanding.

Titus to get into the game play out the pattern of godly living in flesh and blood behavior. That approach doesn't line up with Scripture. As we continue through our study in the book of Titus working to find that what God expects is for older men to set an example for the younger men coming after the that was God's instructions for pastor Titus and it's his instructions for us as well. This is wisdom for the heart and today Steve and Dave. He has a message for you, entitled a pattern for young apostle Paul has signed pastor Titus to have nothing less than a family talk with just about every age group in the assembly and as we've already seen together, Paul is imposing the punches as he is.

Words have been both convicting and encouraging at the same time is raise the level of responsibility for us all, as well as the level of understanding and is also elevated and distinguished and applauded the roles of older men, older women, young wives and mothers, and now the spirit of God through the apostle Paul is going to focus the lens of his microscope onto the lives of young men as we've already noted, together. This age group which would probably in the mind of Paul be about 49 and down is virtually hanging in the balance.

There is a dearth of leadership in the Christian community have often had conversations with the kind of men the will have this summer that you've seen in your brochure leaders out there, we talked with the dearth of leadership. The lack of candidates to take posts of leadership in Christian ministries and churches in this particular age group young man between the ages of 18 and 34 we've noticed are especially vulnerable in our culture today. They have many of them been placed on the spiritual and emotional life support. The condition is critical. Many of them may never be able to breathe on their own that one of the most endangered species within the ministry of the church is a vitally engaged responsibly active, spiritually maturing young man, for the most part, the grown-up without godly men as fathers and more than that on my today more than ever the distractions of our digressing culture are claiming more and more of the attention of this core member of the family. The young men. One article I read recently faxed several articles of just come out.

USA Today this past week, CNN just this past week with an article called the demise of guys.

I mean all of it. Illustrative of what we been talking about in the CNN understands and you know that it must be obvious to one article I read recently recorded some statistics that single young man are wandering in a prolonged phase of adolescence and I mentioned that even the Academy of sciences is stretch that age of adolescents between now the onset of puberty in the age of 34.

One author writes, and a secular writer. By the way, oh Once upon a time, the subject of video games was something relative to young boys and young girls, but those boys have grown up to become child, man, gamers turning a small niche industry into a $12 billion a year powerhouse because on the same men between the ages of 18 and 34 are now the biggest gamers of all. According to Nielsen media that almost half of them in that category are playing on average two hours and 43 minutes a day which is 13 minutes longer than 12 to 17-year-olds who evidently have some chores to finish. The author went on to analyze these trends among 18 to 34-year-olds and then offered a hopeful challenge without really knowing it, especially for those within the church. Even this was a secular author and article but I found it interesting that this author summarized by writing my quote no one to challenge younger men to deep connections. They swim across life's surfaces without diving deeper get this young man need a culture that can help them define worthy aspirations hello and note this last sentence because you see adults do not emerge. They are made the lobby for the 21st century arrival all of its advancements in technologies and games and corruptions in distractions and digressions.

The apostle Paul would've actually agreed square on without author adults don't just happen there fashioned spiritual maturity is not guaranteed.

It must be modeled which is why Paul begins his family talk to young men and Titus chapter 2 by giving Titus a rather loaded command notice go back to verse six and pick it up where we left off by telling Titus here to urge the young man urge urge that this is the same verb that Paul uses in Romans chapter 12 verse one. I urge you, by the mercies of God, present your bodies a living sacrifice. It has the idea of pleading as the nuance of of begging is from the word Park, Colorado, which means literally is compound verb to call alongside Collado to call par alongside the call beside the word used in the New Testament for preaching theirs and urging. There's a pleading to come alongside the truth of that which is being expounded.

It's also a word used for the ministry of the Holy Spirit is called the Paraclete toss John 1416 and also the ministry of Jesus Christ in verse onto one which is translated advocate same verb he calls us alongside himself to oppose commanding Titus to do is is come alongside the young man in his preaching and in his personal pleading and the other men with him to urge young men to live a lifestyle that he's about to describe, and it happens to be a lifestyle that flies in the face of everything these young men grew up to know on the island of Crete and what our young men have come to know in this culture today. Here, by the way, the apostle Paul uses in this verb, to urge the present tense which means this is on going. This is not a weekend seminar for young men in their weight we nailed that one down. This is ongoing. Because Paul understands it one of the greatest dangers for Christian young men and every other Christian for that matter, is not some sudden moral blowout that everybody notices, but a slow leak that nobody picks up on the enemy is not to come in here and try to get young believers to deny God at some moment in time is going to try to get them to forget about God. Over a period of time and is the younger believers look at us. The older believers are wondering what we forgotten about God's otitis. This is your calling.

Give it everything you've got.

As you as you plead with young men to follow a radically different pattern for living in a pattern which he now describes all divided into three sections. Of course, Paul begins with a pattern for the way young men are to act those in verse six. Likewise, urge the young men to be sensible in all things and I think that's where the; you can render it in every aspect of life, urge the young men to be sensible. There's that word again sensible.

We've encountered it several times. The elders of the church were required if they were qualified to lead to be sensible.

Chapter 1 verse eight older men were told to be sensible. Chapter 2 verse two young women were commanded to be sensible down in verse five of chapter 2 and eventually paused to get around to commending the entire church body to live sensibly. Chapter 2 in verse 12, so we dealt with the word but just by way of refreshing our memory a synonym for sensible and you can write in the margin. Your Bible perhaps is the word compound word self-control in all things, exercise self-control. One author defined self-control or this this word in the Greek language rather perceptively heat.

He said this, he said, self-control is the ability to see a godly goal and choose that goal over and against competing desires and emotions and this would be particularly challenging the young men who can be impulsive and passionate and ambitious.

They're gonna win the world begin to get it by the tail, so self-control is the ability then as you pursue that to discern a godly goal and choose to pursue that goal. Knowing that other desires are going to want to get in the way and you're constantly exercising this discipline of refusal and how appropriate is that, especially for young men in their company or their campus is offering temptation with a rather compelling voice where they often begin to study or work away from home and from the influences of the past and their heritage where they haven't yet taken all the responsibilities of a home or a family, which depends upon their energy. They will have obligations yet which tend to anchor their emotions. They have time and discretionary money, which can easily be spent on themselves.

They have a trainload of confidence with only a wagon load of experience. So is it any wonder that Satan and the world system would collaborate with our fallen flesh to spend so much time and energy to snag to insulative to shipwreck young man where they've barely gotten away from the dock mean the world around them is saying you've arrived at legal whatever that means. You're on your you've now arrive depends on where you want to arrive post as if you want to arrive at a godly place you want to find life that matters.

You want to follow a pattern toward making a genuine contribution of the gospel then let self-control steer the ship of your emotions and desires your very life and inlets admitted the words self-control aren't exactly representing the most glamorous of virtues cells like medicine. I can remember as a kid known her to live that self-control section on my report card that hated to see that great self-control always needed improvement of needs improvement isn't exactly the most exciting part of life will young man matches passion and energy and vision and eagerness with self-management self-control. Something really great is going to come out of that life. I love the way one of her checks when dominated for me with his ministry on the radio, paraphrase these verses in this paragraph. The young men to read.

I just read this paraphrase Titus help younger men learn how to apply the brakes to life. Help them understand how to bridle their tongues and control their tempers help them know how to curb their ambition to purge themselves agreed. Show them how to master their sexual impulses and how to follow their minds instead of their gland.

Teach them to be responsible stewards of money rather than squanders, show them the rewards of unselfish leadership in the folly of self centered pursuits well put self-control. This is the pattern for how you are to act now goes on at a challenge to Titus and it specifically to Titus, but it's really through Titus, who is a young man by the way, and through him to the other young men looking for. Seven.

Show yourself to be an example of good deeds and would you underline at least in your mind to get a pencil and line in your text. Those first words in this phrase show yourself if you going to be any help to young men, or any younger believers in Christ, for that matter, you have to show them there's no such thing as armchair Christianity become an example live it out.

Younger generation is is is watching. Knowing the Bible without living. The Bible will produce a generation who really don't even want to know the Bible, much less live. The Bible, it didn't matter.

Thomas, why would it ever matter to them. See Paul is not telling Titus to call in a few plays from the La-Z-Boy you now tell mother to do next is commanding Titus to get into the game and play out the pattern of godly living in flesh and blood.

Titus show them don't just urge them, don't just plead with them just begging them demonstrate what it means to stop playing games and start living. Paul writes here passionate about good deeds do notice that good deeds happens to be a theme in Paul's letters to Timothy and Titus. Both of them young pastors, women are to adorn themselves in good deeds. First Timothy 210 widows would have a reputation for good works for 75 to wealthy people were to be rich in good deeds. Second Timothy 221 were told that the Bible equips the believer. For every good deed. Second Timothy 317 then in the letter to Titus, young men are told to be involved in good deeds. Chapter 2 verse seven.

The church at large is to be zealous for good deeds.

Chapter 2 verse 14. Christians are to be alert and ready on, go to engage in good deeds.

Titus 31.

And Christians should be careful to engage in good deeds. Titus 38 and we as a church should be willing to learn how to perform good deeds. Titus 314 good deeds good deeds good deeds good deeds good deeds good deed. I don't misunderstand the emphasis.

Paul is not defining how you become a Christian. He's describing how you live like a Christian and for those of us who believe the doctrines of grace we can so over compensate for a salvation that is merited.

There are a billion people plus on the planet, many more people either earning their way to heaven. Yes, we believe that you are justified by faith alone in Christ alone, by grace alone, we discover from the Scriptures alone those of the four loans are the four solos of the doctrines of grace for the glory of God alone. Paul make it crystal clear. In fact, in the same letter will eventually get to chapter 3 where he says we not been saved on the basis of deeds which we have done in righteousness, but according to his mercy we have been justified by his grace and we have been made heirs according to the hope of eternal life. Titus 357. Our salvation is not earned by good deeds. None of us could do enough of them to compensate for all the bad deed were not living good lives interrupted periodically by bad deeds were living a wicked life were trying to constantly bring under the control of the spirit of God interrupted periodically by something good fact if we could earn our way to heaven with good deeds. Why did Jesus come and die on the cross to Paul is not telling Titus to urge unbelieving young man to live this way so they can be redeemed. He's telling young men who are redeemed to show the world how they have been and that they have let show the world. Another way to live, and it isn't about yourself to bed doing something good for somebody else. I want on our website colonials website just surfed around looking for good deeds found a lot of opportunities.

What is working with a rescue mission.

Whether it is this bumper crop been filling bags up for food for those who are needy and along with that will come the gospel serving with converting hearts ministries working with college students taking crafts and games to a local mobile home park serving on a crisis response team where when a natural disaster strikes. His teams ready to go in volunteers working with them and you will believe the agony they went to to be able to do that all the license saying them and all of the governmental codes and regulations there finished there ready to go there after praying for hurricane the common can't wait to get started then internationally to teams touched I was just told a little bit ago that our team to China just touched down safely. The team heading to Africa, there still in the air, dedicating their own time and energy and help to do good things for people who need help and with that comes the gospel which demonstrates the grace of God who reached us, we could not help ourselves. This happens to be the pattern for how young men are to act. Secondly, you talk now about a pattern for how young men are to think that is the universe seven Titus to use an example in all the young men likewise are to have surety in doctrine, pure doctrine literally means uncorrupted on painted doctrine to young men and young people at large are more likely to be carried away by doctrinal novelties than the older set arrived at their conclusions after years of study and a dedication in and to the word of God. Would Paul is effectively telling all young men to do that is to get a head start.

Don't assume that one day you'll understand sound doctrine is going to happen. Get a get a head start on it get started on it today. Understanding truth.

The truth of God's word and this is not, by the way, knowing some answers and fill out on the doctrinal examination this is a reference to literally developing a Christian mind set a Christian mind that minds in the reform.

Paul knew would be impossible like a Christian unless you think like a Christian Christian thinking a Christian mind is governed by determined by directed by sound doctrinal truths that are discovered, not in ourselves, not in our Stevens can explore this further and uncover some implications for men to consider this lesson is only about halfway done, but were close to the end of our time today and this is a good spot to hit pause until tomorrow. You've tuned in to wisdom for the hearts the Bible teaching ministry of Stephen Davey, I want to share with you some encouraging notes that have come in recently. A pastor from Tennessee wrote to say this, I pastor a church in Tennessee.

I've been here for 12 years. Recently a new member mentioned Stephen's ministry. I listened and all I can say is wow.

Your ministry blesses my bless her each day.

Now there's a southern expression for you. I have a 35 minute drive from my church office so I can listen to a message each day. Truly I'm challenged and encouraged. Thank you for this ministry and for all you do well. We want to thank you as well for faithfully serving your church in Tennessee and preaching God's word to your congregation. Barbara from Georgia said this I used several selections from in living color. When I presented the Sunday school lesson last week at my church.

The selections fit perfectly with the subject of why God created humans. The class loved what I read in many commented on how the selections fit so perfectly with our lesson. They chuckled when Stephen claimed he was glad God must love a good barbecue in the section with the story about Henry Ford helping the man repair his car. I view Stephen's commentary so often to encourage or help clarify things were studying. He so blessed by God with his scriptural insights well. Thanks Barbara the book that Barbara referenced was Stephen's most recent release in living color. The curriculum of creation. In it he explores the wonders of God's creation and points out things that only a wise Creator could do. And then one more letter. This comes from Faye and Harold here in North Carolina were so grateful for your ministry. We appreciate the dedication to God that's evident through Pastor Davies, humble and careful Bible centered approach with past information on to many friends to listen, knowing that the recommendations will bring them in contact with an accurate representation of God's word.

Thank you every day. Well, thanks for writing us and thanks for sharing the ministry with your friends.

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You can do that by sharing links to our website resources and you can also follow us on all the major social media plan. I'm Scott Wiley and I thank you for joining us today when we come back tomorrow will bring you a little bit of review of today's lesson and then Stephen will conclude this message right here on wisdom