As
for you, Titus, promote the kind of living that reflects wholesome teaching. Titus
2:1(NLT)
Largely, the world says to discard senior adults. Our nation is particularly curious....we ask
the young to come up with the solutions to life's most perplexing problems of
environment, government and family, while we tell the retired to go
out and play.
But God's Word has a different message.
The apostle Paul had left Titus on the isle of Crete in order to watch
over the new church. As any church
experiences, there were problems to overcome.
Paul’s main reason for writing to Titus was to advise him to deal with those
false teachers and the greedy charlatans who had infiltrated the church in
order to fill their pockets with the offerings.
To whom does he direct that Titus should appeal for stability,
correction and leadership? He goes right
to the most dependable and proven group - the super seniors.
Paul tells Titus to remind the senior group of sound doctrine(v.1). The word means literally health-giving
doctrine. The doctrines that are
healthful to build up the individual, build up the family and church.
Although Paul's letter is addressed first to seniors, and this is
Senior Adult Day, all the apprentice seniors can also
benefit by the message here, because Paul lays down spiritual principles which
transcend age.
The principle is: A great work is neither young, nor old; it
is relevant!
The principles contained in the next 6 verses relate to genuine Christian
living which exhibits wisdom and maturity of obedient Christians.
Just like Paul told Timothy to ignore those who had an attitude about
his leadership because he was young, this principle works in reverse....Let no
one despise your seniority. You be the
example God called you to be at whatever decade of life in
which you’re now walking!
Let’s look at the CHARACTERISTICS of believers
who are being obedient to the high calling of Christ, who just happen to be
super seniors.
1. THE
HIGH CALLING OF THE SENIOR CHRISTIAN MAN
Teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of
respect, and to live wisely. They must
have sound faith and be filled with love and patience. Titus 2:2(NLT)
Paul says that the senior man ought to be sober and grave. Sounds like a fun fella. Actually the words indicate a man who is
serious about his commitment to serve Christ.
But it doesn’t mean we have to look like we just ate a pickle. In fact a Christian who is always morose and
gloomy is really a living contradiction.
The person who has Christ on the inside has plenty to be happy and
joyful about on the outside.
The word Paul uses indicates an undiluted character...no variation
between what is stated as belief, and what takes place as behavior. In short, we practice what we preach!
A Self-controlled
person is one who has learned to rule over his passions and desires. Self-control: the ability to say no, when saying no
now means things will be better in the long run. Diets are like that!
Three more words appear in verse 2:
faith, love and patience. These appear often in the writings of Paul.
Faith is two-fold: First there is
THE
faith, the doctrine of God we hold as true.
We pass THE faith along. But
there is also faith as verb...the faith we
live. A senior Christian man is to be sound
or healthful in faith. It should be a
living, active faith.
Love is that agape' love. It's the unselfish God-love that exists to
strengthen others, to undergird the growth of the weak, to seek the highest
good for others.
I have known some really superior senior adult men who love like
that. And they are really
beautiful. One of them was my Sunday
School teacher 55 years ago. Uncle
Sid is around 90 years old now.
When he retired it was only from the job that paid money. Now he spends more time than ever tightening
all the loose bolts and door handles at the church. He spends time helping out at the youth camp,
and witnessing with the local Gideon's chapter.
Uncle Sid is a humble man...God's superior senior!
How does that happen? Someone
wisely put it this way: You can take no
credit for beauty at sixteen. But if you
are beautiful at sixty, it will be your own soul's doing.
"Patience" is that
quality better described as cheerful endurance.
I have been advised never to pray for patience because it brings
tribulation. While that may be true, it
is that cheerful endurance that is the mark of the mature Christian who is
ready to help, knowing that helping costs!
Patience will involve sacrifice, but it is necessary for the growth of
others.
During seminary days for the Brownworth family, there were times when it
was patience, that cheerful endurance, which caused the Senior Men's Sunday
School class at our home church to love us through some dark times. Several times their prayers and financial
gifts made the difference between discouragement and the strength to go
on. What cheerful encouragement they
were to us.
2. THE HIGH CALLING OF THE SENIOR CHRISTIAN LADY
Similarly, teach the older women to live in a way that honors God.
They must not slander others or be heavy
drinkers. Instead, they should teach
others what is good. Titus 2:3(NLT)
One of the pastors of the first century wrote that the Christian must live as if all
of life was a sacred assembly.
The word Paul uses which we have translated living in a way that honors
God is a compound word that literally means to call to sacredness.
This is to be the characteristic of the
life of a senior Christian lady. She is
not to be a false accuser, a gossip!
The word in Greek is diablos, from which we
translate devil. The
corresponding Hebrew word is Shawtan from which we
translate Satan. Enough said!
Not being a ‘heavy drinker’ is the same admonition given to ministers. Ladies, you may drink as much as the
pastor. Seriously, the implication is
like that of temperance...restraint in the natural appetites, so that the
spiritual life can flourish.
To give place to fleshly- desire is to plan to sin. The high calling of the senior Christian lady
in Jesus Christ is to be well-disciplined in Christlikeness.
In the final words of this text Paul describes the role of superior
senior saints in teaching the next generation:
These
older women must train the younger women to love their husbands and their
children, to live wisely and be pure, to work in their homes, to do good, and
to be submissive to their husbands. Then
they will not bring shame on the word of God.
In the same way, encourage the young men to live wisely. And you yourself must be an example to them
by doing good works of every kind. Let
everything you do reflect the integrity and seriousness of your teaching. Titus 2:4-7(NLT)
In these verses there is one Greek word that is translated as 3
different English words....train, encourage, and example, all have the same
root word in the original. The meaning
of that root word is to be safe in mind....sane....sound.
The implication for the importance of teaching that superior senior saints
must do, is that they are to build sanity and maturity
in those they teach. What a noble and
necessary calling in a world filled with madness, insecurity and darkness.
This then is the reason that Paul turned to the seniors as he detailed
instructions to Titus:
Christian role models are sorely needed.
·
Do we
not have enough role models in Hollywood to teach us selfishness and hedonistic
humanism?
·
Are
there not enough prideful ambitious politicians in Washington to teach us
success at any cost?
Mankind has a nature, and that nature demands that we worship and
follow after something. It is my message
to senior adult Christian men and women today that young people, and middle
aged, and even your peers will latch on to something to follow. It is time for the gray head of wisdom to
lead by example, giving the younger generations something of substance and
eternal value to hold on to. They must
see it, sense it, and touch its' reality.
Senior adults are the kind
of people that can have great influence for Jesus Christ. Perhaps today, as we have centered our
thoughts on the high calling of Christ to senior Christian men and women, you
sense the calling of God to be more of a positive influence, a witness for
Him.
Let me encourage you to respond to that call. God wants to make you a Superior Senior Saint!
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