WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.820 Well, I hope you're ready for a bit of a journey 00:00:01.820 --> 00:00:05.240 together this morning. Last night, I went back 00:00:05.240 --> 00:00:07.200 in my mind and I started, maybe you've done this 00:00:07.200 --> 00:00:10.039 before, started calculating the number of years 00:00:10.039 --> 00:00:13.259 that I have been a part of one church or another. 00:00:13.500 --> 00:00:17.199 And I believe it's up to 37 years now in the 00:00:17.199 --> 00:00:19.699 church, which is a lot of time to learn just 00:00:19.699 --> 00:00:23.339 a few things about how the church was designed 00:00:23.339 --> 00:00:27.300 by God to function. And along the way, I've been 00:00:27.300 --> 00:00:29.879 able to observe in a practical sense what it's, 00:00:29.879 --> 00:00:32.439 I think it's supposed to look like. First, from 00:00:32.439 --> 00:00:35.299 the congregation's view, which my wife and I 00:00:35.299 --> 00:00:39.000 were privileged for 13 years of our lives together 00:00:39.000 --> 00:00:41.659 to be where you are in the seats before I went 00:00:41.659 --> 00:00:44.079 into full -time ministry and to see it from that 00:00:44.079 --> 00:00:46.979 angle. But then for the past 24 years to be able 00:00:46.979 --> 00:00:49.380 to observe the church from what we call the back 00:00:49.380 --> 00:00:53.299 room where the staff and the leaders operate. 00:00:54.109 --> 00:00:56.009 And now after all these years stepping back, 00:00:56.049 --> 00:00:58.109 I can say that it has been an amazing journey 00:00:58.109 --> 00:01:01.890 to grow as a serious student of church life, 00:01:02.070 --> 00:01:04.530 to read about it in scripture, to read about 00:01:04.530 --> 00:01:07.489 it in the pages of church history, and then also 00:01:07.489 --> 00:01:11.530 to participate it personally in a number of local 00:01:11.530 --> 00:01:14.489 bodies. And let me share with you why I'm starting 00:01:14.489 --> 00:01:17.010 there this morning. Among the many things that 00:01:17.010 --> 00:01:20.609 I have seen in the church over all those years, 00:01:20.650 --> 00:01:24.260 two matters. Two matters came to my heart and 00:01:24.260 --> 00:01:27.060 my mind this week that connect with our study 00:01:27.060 --> 00:01:29.079 in Titus chapter 2. And here they are. Number 00:01:29.079 --> 00:01:32.599 one, that older believers in the church often 00:01:32.599 --> 00:01:36.579 get dismissed by leadership. Older believers 00:01:36.579 --> 00:01:39.200 get dismissed. They tend to get pushed aside 00:01:39.200 --> 00:01:43.340 in favor of what some would call more vibrant 00:01:43.340 --> 00:01:48.079 and relevant ministry. Translation, a younger 00:01:48.079 --> 00:01:50.849 methodology that is... more in line with the 00:01:50.849 --> 00:01:53.650 culture, and more prone to draw visitors. That 00:01:53.650 --> 00:01:56.689 is all too common in the church today. And sadly, 00:01:56.790 --> 00:02:00.650 by pushing aside our seniors, the church forfeits 00:02:00.650 --> 00:02:04.390 one of its greatest resources, all of that experience 00:02:04.390 --> 00:02:08.409 and wisdom and godly example. The second thing 00:02:08.409 --> 00:02:10.189 I've noticed is that in many churches, women 00:02:10.189 --> 00:02:15.250 are also overlooked by leadership. maybe unintentionally 00:02:15.250 --> 00:02:18.710 get treated almost like second -class citizens 00:02:18.710 --> 00:02:21.949 in the body. And there is no reasonable justification 00:02:21.949 --> 00:02:24.629 for that. In both Scripture and in church history, 00:02:24.810 --> 00:02:27.830 we have so many examples of God working through 00:02:27.830 --> 00:02:31.270 women in powerful ways. And we have statements 00:02:31.270 --> 00:02:33.629 from the Apostle Paul, for example, who lists 00:02:33.629 --> 00:02:37.349 women as valuable co -workers in his gospel mission, 00:02:37.469 --> 00:02:41.830 women like Priscilla and Phoebe and Junia and 00:02:41.830 --> 00:02:44.719 Lydia. And then in the Old Testament, we have 00:02:44.719 --> 00:02:47.120 this great example of Naomi in the book of Ruth, 00:02:47.360 --> 00:02:52.240 this older woman who is so, so godly. And we 00:02:52.240 --> 00:02:54.659 have the examples of Lois and Eunice, the mother 00:02:54.659 --> 00:02:58.000 and grandmother who raised and instructed young 00:02:58.000 --> 00:03:00.719 Timothy. So we've got all these great examples, 00:03:00.840 --> 00:03:03.340 but in the Christian world today, which if you 00:03:03.340 --> 00:03:06.520 haven't noticed is extremely polarized, churches 00:03:06.520 --> 00:03:08.340 seem to think that they have to choose between 00:03:08.340 --> 00:03:11.590 one extreme or the other. regarding the roles 00:03:11.590 --> 00:03:13.990 of men and women in ministry rather than just 00:03:13.990 --> 00:03:16.789 looking at Scripture and settling on what God 00:03:16.789 --> 00:03:19.930 has declared. And what has he said? A, that spiritual 00:03:19.930 --> 00:03:22.409 leadership should be in the hands of qualified 00:03:22.409 --> 00:03:26.710 male elders. But B, that both men and women can 00:03:26.710 --> 00:03:29.770 participate in every other area of ministry in 00:03:29.770 --> 00:03:33.590 appropriate ways. So it's actually not that complicated, 00:03:33.909 --> 00:03:36.129 but we've made it complicated because, again, 00:03:36.189 --> 00:03:38.250 you have some churches that want to remove all 00:03:38.250 --> 00:03:42.129 gender distinctions. As if that subject doesn't 00:03:42.129 --> 00:03:45.250 matter to God, just wipe it away. And then you 00:03:45.250 --> 00:03:47.289 have other churches that are so strong on male 00:03:47.289 --> 00:03:49.909 headship that they go out of their way to deny 00:03:49.909 --> 00:03:52.889 women opportunities to serve. And in the process, 00:03:52.930 --> 00:03:55.689 they squash the spirit of the women in the church. 00:03:56.669 --> 00:03:59.560 And because of those types of mistakes. What 00:03:59.560 --> 00:04:01.500 the church looks like today is fairly chaotic, 00:04:01.539 --> 00:04:03.919 confused, frustrated. There's a whole bunch of 00:04:03.919 --> 00:04:06.520 church hurt within the body of Christ. And we 00:04:06.520 --> 00:04:08.960 have, to some extent, damaged our witness before 00:04:08.960 --> 00:04:12.900 the unbelieving world. So in saying all that, 00:04:12.960 --> 00:04:14.759 here's the principle I want to open this message 00:04:14.759 --> 00:04:17.839 with. Part one, do not write off the older saints 00:04:17.839 --> 00:04:23.420 in the church. Honor them. Respect them. Celebrate 00:04:23.420 --> 00:04:26.300 their presence. And where possible, learn from 00:04:26.300 --> 00:04:30.000 them. And part two, women are an essential part 00:04:30.000 --> 00:04:32.139 of ministry in the church. They always have been. 00:04:32.459 --> 00:04:34.579 So let's make sure that we build them up and 00:04:34.579 --> 00:04:37.480 equip them to accomplish the works of service 00:04:37.480 --> 00:04:40.860 that God has laid out for them to walk in. Amen? 00:04:42.000 --> 00:04:44.819 Now, if you combine those two categories of people 00:04:44.819 --> 00:04:47.720 I just mentioned, older saints and women, you 00:04:47.720 --> 00:04:50.480 get a very specific group of people who are very 00:04:50.480 --> 00:04:53.480 precious in the body of Christ, our older ladies. 00:04:54.539 --> 00:04:56.779 I can get a whoop whoop for the older ladies? 00:04:56.959 --> 00:05:01.300 Amen. And they are the focus of what Paul is 00:05:01.300 --> 00:05:05.100 going to address next in Titus chapter 2. And 00:05:05.100 --> 00:05:06.959 what we're going to see is the godly older women 00:05:06.959 --> 00:05:10.300 have a critical role to play in making the bride 00:05:10.300 --> 00:05:13.519 of Christ more beautiful for her bridegroom. 00:05:14.100 --> 00:05:17.699 So grab your Bibles. We're going to Titus chapter 00:05:17.699 --> 00:05:22.120 2 if you're not there already. If you're newer 00:05:22.120 --> 00:05:23.699 with us or visiting this morning, we've been 00:05:23.699 --> 00:05:26.000 working our way through this very important section 00:05:26.000 --> 00:05:29.579 in Titus 2, verses 1 through 8, and continuing 00:05:29.579 --> 00:05:31.680 to ask that question that you see on the screen. 00:05:31.800 --> 00:05:34.579 How can we, and we can make this personal, how 00:05:34.579 --> 00:05:37.500 can we at Oak Hill develop into a more healthy 00:05:37.500 --> 00:05:40.680 body and a more beautiful bride, one that displays 00:05:40.680 --> 00:05:45.259 the splendor of Christ to a watching world? That's 00:05:45.259 --> 00:05:47.199 what's on Paul's heart as he writes to Titus, 00:05:47.220 --> 00:05:50.220 exhorting him to address four different categories 00:05:50.220 --> 00:05:53.300 of people in the churches of Crete. Older men, 00:05:53.839 --> 00:05:57.420 older women, younger women, and then younger 00:05:57.420 --> 00:05:59.819 men. Now last Sunday we talked about that first 00:05:59.819 --> 00:06:01.519 group, right? How many of you guys were here 00:06:01.519 --> 00:06:04.500 for the older men sermon? Good. Figured it all 00:06:04.500 --> 00:06:07.540 out. Good. Now this Sunday, next Sunday, we get 00:06:07.540 --> 00:06:10.060 to focus on the ladies, and we're going to talk 00:06:10.060 --> 00:06:12.040 about older ladies in particular this morning. 00:06:12.139 --> 00:06:14.779 So we're going to read through verse 5. But then 00:06:14.779 --> 00:06:16.939 we're gonna come back and focus on verses three 00:06:16.939 --> 00:06:20.060 and four in particular. So here's what God's 00:06:20.060 --> 00:06:24.819 word says. Verse one, but as for you, Titus, 00:06:24.920 --> 00:06:28.839 speak or proclaim the things which are fitting 00:06:28.839 --> 00:06:32.620 or consistent with sound doctrine. Underline 00:06:32.620 --> 00:06:36.459 that term, sound doctrine. Older men are to be 00:06:36.459 --> 00:06:39.079 temperate. We talked about that last week. Sober 00:06:39.079 --> 00:06:44.389 -minded, dignified, worthy of respect. insensible 00:06:44.389 --> 00:06:48.970 or self -controlled, and sound in faith, in love, 00:06:48.990 --> 00:06:53.189 and in perseverance or endurance. Verse 3 now. 00:06:53.269 --> 00:06:55.509 Older women, likewise, are to be reverent in 00:06:55.509 --> 00:06:58.990 their behavior, not malicious gossips, nor enslaved 00:06:58.990 --> 00:07:02.430 to much wine, teaching what is good so that they 00:07:02.430 --> 00:07:05.589 may encourage the young women to love their husbands, 00:07:05.709 --> 00:07:08.810 to love their children, to be sensible, pure, 00:07:09.069 --> 00:07:12.889 workers at home, kind. being subject to their 00:07:12.889 --> 00:07:15.589 own husbands, so that the word of God will not 00:07:15.589 --> 00:07:19.209 be dishonored. So we're going to stop there. 00:07:19.870 --> 00:07:22.910 Now, I'm asked the same question this morning 00:07:22.910 --> 00:07:25.310 that I started with last week, and that is, what 00:07:25.310 --> 00:07:29.329 qualifies somebody to be called older? At what 00:07:29.329 --> 00:07:31.850 age does that actually kick in? When it comes 00:07:31.850 --> 00:07:33.730 to older women, once again, Paul doesn't give 00:07:33.730 --> 00:07:37.050 us a number, and obviously that's intentional. 00:07:37.449 --> 00:07:39.899 So we're going to have to... take what's written 00:07:39.899 --> 00:07:41.699 here in the first century and adapt it to our 00:07:41.699 --> 00:07:44.399 context. And as I suggested last Sunday, for 00:07:44.399 --> 00:07:47.319 us, I think there's logic in defining older as 00:07:47.319 --> 00:07:52.000 50 years or older, 50 years or older. When a 00:07:52.000 --> 00:07:54.939 woman gets into her 50s and 60s, any children 00:07:54.939 --> 00:07:58.100 that she had have been raised to adulthood. At 00:07:58.100 --> 00:08:01.399 that point, some ladies have grandchildren. They 00:08:01.399 --> 00:08:05.399 are dealing with elderly parents or even parents 00:08:05.399 --> 00:08:08.079 that have passed away. If they've been working, 00:08:08.220 --> 00:08:11.300 they're talking about retiring because, man, 00:08:11.420 --> 00:08:14.620 the old body gets tired, right? And maybe they 00:08:14.620 --> 00:08:16.500 have a husband who's also moving towards retirement. 00:08:16.740 --> 00:08:20.060 So I think 50 is sort of a major division in 00:08:20.060 --> 00:08:22.339 the season of life for both men and women. I 00:08:22.339 --> 00:08:24.980 think that's probably a good number for us to 00:08:24.980 --> 00:08:26.899 have in mind as we think through this passage. 00:08:27.459 --> 00:08:29.339 So here's how I want to lay this message out. 00:08:29.399 --> 00:08:31.459 I want to start by expositing what Paul says 00:08:31.459 --> 00:08:34.360 are the character qualities of a godly older 00:08:34.360 --> 00:08:37.110 woman in verse 3. And then we're going to dive 00:08:37.110 --> 00:08:39.809 into a really big subject. And I know a subject 00:08:39.809 --> 00:08:42.110 that is near and dear to the hearts of many of 00:08:42.110 --> 00:08:45.090 you ladies. What does it mean to teach and to 00:08:45.090 --> 00:08:48.370 encourage younger women in the church as a mentor 00:08:48.370 --> 00:08:51.149 and a discipler? So we'll get to all that this 00:08:51.149 --> 00:08:53.330 morning. Now, let's jump into verse 3. By the 00:08:53.330 --> 00:08:56.129 way, I know that as soon as I gave this morning 00:08:56.129 --> 00:08:57.809 last week as well, as soon as I say we're going 00:08:57.809 --> 00:08:59.970 to focus on older women, a bunch of you checked 00:08:59.970 --> 00:09:04.019 out. Please don't do that. There are always biblical 00:09:04.019 --> 00:09:06.059 principles we can learn from when we study the 00:09:06.059 --> 00:09:08.720 scriptures, true? So there's something here for 00:09:08.720 --> 00:09:11.620 you, and especially to younger ladies, you are 00:09:11.620 --> 00:09:14.740 involved in what Paul says to the older ladies 00:09:14.740 --> 00:09:17.240 here. Trust me, you're involved, and one day 00:09:17.240 --> 00:09:20.580 you'll be one of them. Lord willing, you'll get 00:09:20.580 --> 00:09:23.980 there someday. And it happens fast, as I mentioned 00:09:23.980 --> 00:09:26.879 last week. Okay, as we jump into verse 3, let's 00:09:26.879 --> 00:09:29.460 not forget the foundation that we established 00:09:29.460 --> 00:09:32.559 last week. Every exhortation in this section 00:09:32.559 --> 00:09:36.000 of Titus for every category believer is built 00:09:36.000 --> 00:09:39.659 on what Paul emphasizes in verse 1, that Titus 00:09:39.659 --> 00:09:42.340 should make sure that only things rooted in sound 00:09:42.340 --> 00:09:45.360 doctrine are to be proclaimed in the churches. 00:09:45.679 --> 00:09:47.720 That phrase, sound doctrine, is very important. 00:09:48.120 --> 00:09:50.820 What does that mean? Things consistent with Scripture, 00:09:51.019 --> 00:09:54.399 with apostolic teaching. And for the older women 00:09:54.399 --> 00:09:57.080 in verse 3, that means focusing on the type of 00:09:57.080 --> 00:09:59.980 character they ought to have that then overflows 00:09:59.980 --> 00:10:03.679 into godly action. So look at verse 3 again. 00:10:04.019 --> 00:10:07.740 Older women likewise are to be reverent in their 00:10:07.740 --> 00:10:09.980 behavior. Now, reverent is obviously the key 00:10:09.980 --> 00:10:12.639 word here, but don't miss the word likewise. 00:10:13.159 --> 00:10:17.039 That word is in the original Greek text. And 00:10:17.039 --> 00:10:19.179 so Paul's referencing back to what he just wrote 00:10:19.179 --> 00:10:22.220 about older men. So older women, he says, are 00:10:22.220 --> 00:10:24.539 to be mature in the same ways that he mentioned 00:10:24.539 --> 00:10:27.620 about older men. What does that mean? Sober -minded, 00:10:27.879 --> 00:10:32.360 dignified, self -controlled, sound in faith, 00:10:32.480 --> 00:10:34.440 love, and endurance. All those characteristics 00:10:34.440 --> 00:10:38.029 we looked at last Sunday. We're now going to 00:10:38.029 --> 00:10:40.029 see that Paul has some very specific things in 00:10:40.029 --> 00:10:42.230 mind for the ladies. Then that's coming. Why? 00:10:42.330 --> 00:10:44.769 Because there are unique opportunities for women 00:10:44.769 --> 00:10:47.190 in ministry, and there are unique temptations 00:10:47.190 --> 00:10:50.090 that women face, especially when they get over 00:10:50.090 --> 00:10:53.250 50 years old. Now, Paul uses an interesting word 00:10:53.250 --> 00:10:55.870 here in verse 3 to sort of sum up this godly 00:10:55.870 --> 00:10:58.029 character and behavior of older women in the 00:10:58.029 --> 00:11:01.970 church. He uses the English word reverent. Now, 00:11:01.990 --> 00:11:03.769 here's what that word looks like in the original 00:11:03.769 --> 00:11:07.159 Greek. It is a very strange word. For you Greek 00:11:07.159 --> 00:11:09.500 students, it's a strange word and difficult to 00:11:09.500 --> 00:11:13.360 pronounce. It's a very strange word. It's the 00:11:13.360 --> 00:11:15.559 only time this word is used in the entire New 00:11:15.559 --> 00:11:18.860 Testament. It's very unique. And then what's 00:11:18.860 --> 00:11:21.559 really interesting about it is it appears that 00:11:21.559 --> 00:11:25.559 Paul lifted this word from Greek culture and 00:11:25.559 --> 00:11:29.639 then applied it here in his letter. We have a 00:11:29.639 --> 00:11:32.860 thoroughly Jewish man in Paul, once a Pharisee. 00:11:33.240 --> 00:11:35.919 but also educated in the nuances of Greek culture, 00:11:36.080 --> 00:11:38.919 he now grabs hold of what we might call a cultural 00:11:38.919 --> 00:11:43.460 word to exhort the older women in Crete, obviously 00:11:43.460 --> 00:11:45.860 thinking they will understand what this word 00:11:45.860 --> 00:11:48.919 means. And sometimes we call this doing contextual 00:11:48.919 --> 00:11:52.220 ministry, reaching to a foreign culture with 00:11:52.220 --> 00:11:55.720 words and symbols and images that new believers 00:11:55.720 --> 00:11:58.120 coming out of paganism would be familiar with. 00:11:58.600 --> 00:12:00.580 So this is what he's doing here. It's funny, 00:12:00.600 --> 00:12:02.360 when you do the research on where this word comes 00:12:02.360 --> 00:12:05.360 from, you see some of the greatest thinkers of 00:12:05.360 --> 00:12:08.679 antiquity using this in their writings. Xenophon 00:12:08.679 --> 00:12:11.659 uses this word in the 5th century B .C. Plato. 00:12:12.269 --> 00:12:14.690 uses this word in the third century BC. Even 00:12:14.690 --> 00:12:17.450 Philo of Alexandria, some of you guys know him. 00:12:17.490 --> 00:12:20.029 He's a contemporary, first century contemporary 00:12:20.029 --> 00:12:23.669 of both Paul and Titus. They use this word. And 00:12:23.669 --> 00:12:25.649 when they use it, they basically use it in that 00:12:25.649 --> 00:12:30.789 context. One who lives a sacred life. That's 00:12:30.789 --> 00:12:32.970 what he's pointing to here. One who lives a sacred 00:12:32.970 --> 00:12:35.870 life. In fact, this word in Greek literature 00:12:35.870 --> 00:12:38.889 is often used in the context describing a priest 00:12:38.889 --> 00:12:42.200 or priestess operating in a pagan table. pagan 00:12:42.200 --> 00:12:45.639 temple, meaning that the way the Greeks saw this 00:12:45.639 --> 00:12:48.399 person was they were so holy, they were able 00:12:48.399 --> 00:12:50.659 to actually be in the presence of the Greek gods. 00:12:51.399 --> 00:12:53.460 Now, obviously, Paul lifts this word out of the 00:12:53.460 --> 00:12:55.860 culture, and he is going to repurpose it for 00:12:55.860 --> 00:12:58.419 the Christian faith. And what he seems to mean 00:12:58.419 --> 00:13:00.879 is he wants older women in the churches of Crete 00:13:00.879 --> 00:13:04.120 to be holy and righteous in their walk with Christ, 00:13:04.220 --> 00:13:07.460 to exhibit the highest moral standards possible. 00:13:08.110 --> 00:13:10.789 Being a woman that can abide in the presence 00:13:10.789 --> 00:13:13.870 of God because of their sacred character and 00:13:13.870 --> 00:13:17.710 their godly lives. So in adapting this word, 00:13:17.750 --> 00:13:20.769 he lays out a very high calling for older women 00:13:20.769 --> 00:13:24.049 in the church. Now, we should make sure that 00:13:24.049 --> 00:13:26.070 we don't add meaning to what Paul intends here. 00:13:26.190 --> 00:13:29.350 He's not saying that women should operate in 00:13:29.350 --> 00:13:31.750 priestly roles in the church. That's not the 00:13:31.750 --> 00:13:33.750 context. He's not talking about a church office 00:13:33.750 --> 00:13:36.490 here. He's simply talking about older women in 00:13:36.490 --> 00:13:38.889 the church possessing this inner righteousness, 00:13:39.090 --> 00:13:42.809 these purified hearts that lead to sacred behavior 00:13:42.809 --> 00:13:46.289 on the outside. So you see the word behavior 00:13:46.289 --> 00:13:48.850 there. That's not the focus. It's what's in the 00:13:48.850 --> 00:13:51.970 heart that leads to that behavior. That's why 00:13:51.970 --> 00:13:54.470 he adds that phrase. In my opinion, it's better 00:13:54.470 --> 00:13:58.250 to read in their demeanor. They're to be reverent 00:13:58.250 --> 00:14:00.509 in their demeanor, meaning in the context of 00:14:00.509 --> 00:14:03.250 their daily lives, the way they think. The way 00:14:03.250 --> 00:14:05.970 they act, the way they carry themselves should 00:14:05.970 --> 00:14:09.509 be appropriate for a woman engaged in sacred 00:14:09.509 --> 00:14:14.090 ministry. Again, a very high calling. In his 00:14:14.090 --> 00:14:16.029 first letter to Timothy, Paul adds a little more 00:14:16.029 --> 00:14:18.409 color and texture to this. You probably know 00:14:18.409 --> 00:14:35.279 this verse. He says, So this is a kind of demeanor 00:14:35.279 --> 00:14:38.740 that is not put on. It's not an external show 00:14:38.740 --> 00:14:41.720 for others to see. It's real. It's authentic. 00:14:41.860 --> 00:14:45.000 It comes from deep within her heart. She is reverent 00:14:45.000 --> 00:14:48.000 towards the things of God. And she is reverent 00:14:48.000 --> 00:14:50.860 in her marriage and in her home. And she is reverent 00:14:50.860 --> 00:14:53.320 in the way she ministers in the church. And she's 00:14:53.320 --> 00:14:56.240 reverent in the way she carries herself as a 00:14:56.240 --> 00:15:00.000 testimony before unbelievers. This is what marks 00:15:00.000 --> 00:15:03.000 the godly older. That's the overarching character 00:15:03.000 --> 00:15:05.399 trait that he gives us. And these are things, 00:15:05.519 --> 00:15:08.779 ladies, that you should be striving for. Now, 00:15:08.820 --> 00:15:11.000 as we continue in verse 3, we're going to see 00:15:11.000 --> 00:15:14.480 Paul now address two very specific issues that 00:15:14.480 --> 00:15:18.620 these older women need to hear. And knowing the 00:15:18.620 --> 00:15:21.139 culture there in Crete, my understanding of this 00:15:21.139 --> 00:15:23.340 is that Paul looked out there and said, look, 00:15:23.379 --> 00:15:25.899 I'm aware of a couple of potential stumbling 00:15:25.899 --> 00:15:28.580 blocks. for the older women in these particular 00:15:28.580 --> 00:15:31.059 churches. Two things. And the first one, he says, 00:15:31.220 --> 00:15:35.559 is not to be a malicious gossip. Now, I do not 00:15:35.559 --> 00:15:38.700 like that translation. I love my NASB, but I 00:15:38.700 --> 00:15:41.320 do not like that translation. Unfortunately, 00:15:41.360 --> 00:15:43.159 this is sometimes what translation committees 00:15:43.159 --> 00:15:47.259 do. We call it editorial eisegesis. What they 00:15:47.259 --> 00:15:50.519 do is they inject meaning into the text in order 00:15:50.519 --> 00:15:53.860 to make a point about what they suspect the original 00:15:53.860 --> 00:15:57.409 author intended to say. But that is not really 00:15:57.409 --> 00:16:01.029 a literal translation. Now, gossip may be a part 00:16:01.029 --> 00:16:03.570 of what Paul is talking about here, but the Greek 00:16:03.570 --> 00:16:07.169 verb is very clear. It refers to slander. It 00:16:07.169 --> 00:16:10.370 refers to slander. These older women are not 00:16:10.370 --> 00:16:12.950 to be slanderers. And by the way, it's just one 00:16:12.950 --> 00:16:16.149 word in the Greek text, and it's a serious word. 00:16:16.210 --> 00:16:19.870 It's diabolos. You've probably heard that word. 00:16:19.929 --> 00:16:24.139 It's the same word translated devil. Think about 00:16:24.139 --> 00:16:25.980 that. It makes sense. What is the devil known 00:16:25.980 --> 00:16:29.960 as? The accuser or the slanderer of the brethren. 00:16:31.019 --> 00:16:34.440 We also get our word diabolical from this, which 00:16:34.440 --> 00:16:37.320 is why I think the NASB translators didn't just 00:16:37.320 --> 00:16:40.440 write gossips. They wrote malicious gossips because 00:16:40.440 --> 00:16:43.019 the devil is always malicious in what he does. 00:16:43.600 --> 00:16:46.600 So that's what's happening there. So I don't 00:16:46.600 --> 00:16:48.320 think this is an overstatement. It's safe to 00:16:48.320 --> 00:16:51.379 say that when we as Christians twist the truth 00:16:51.379 --> 00:16:53.779 and slander people, we are doing the devil's 00:16:53.779 --> 00:16:57.080 work. I think that's part of what's being communicated. 00:16:57.100 --> 00:17:00.919 It's very serious in God's eyes. So a reverent 00:17:00.919 --> 00:17:03.600 older woman is going to consistently speak truth, 00:17:03.759 --> 00:17:07.200 even when it's difficult. She's not going to 00:17:07.200 --> 00:17:09.579 shade the truth, even when it's hard. She'll 00:17:09.579 --> 00:17:12.420 speak the truth in love. She's not going to be 00:17:12.420 --> 00:17:14.539 running around making false accusations against 00:17:14.539 --> 00:17:18.339 people. She's not going to assume impure motives 00:17:18.339 --> 00:17:20.980 in others. She's not going to be out there trying 00:17:20.980 --> 00:17:23.859 to tear other people down or to spread rumors 00:17:23.859 --> 00:17:26.660 or half -truths that bring harm to people. All 00:17:26.660 --> 00:17:28.720 of those things come out of a very ugly heart. 00:17:29.680 --> 00:17:32.460 Instead, she's working and striving, not perfect, 00:17:32.579 --> 00:17:36.500 but striving to tame her tongue, to be careful 00:17:36.500 --> 00:17:39.359 when she speaks, to think before she speaks, 00:17:39.420 --> 00:17:42.039 to be slow to speak, being careful not to lie, 00:17:42.279 --> 00:17:45.140 careful not to exaggerate, careful not to have 00:17:45.140 --> 00:17:49.349 a critical spirit. Again, high calling, right? 00:17:51.329 --> 00:17:53.690 Now, you may object to what Paul does here. I've 00:17:53.690 --> 00:17:58.130 seen this come up in certain circles where a 00:17:58.130 --> 00:18:01.589 subtle form of feminism has crept into the church. 00:18:01.910 --> 00:18:04.269 The objection goes like this. Why does the apostle 00:18:04.269 --> 00:18:07.789 only speak to women when it comes to slander 00:18:07.789 --> 00:18:12.190 and gossip? That's so sexist, right? But look, 00:18:12.289 --> 00:18:14.529 we should be honest. We should be honest with 00:18:14.529 --> 00:18:18.049 each other when it comes to the sexes. Men have 00:18:18.049 --> 00:18:22.230 all kinds of unique and awful sins, as do women. 00:18:23.230 --> 00:18:25.950 Men have a tendency to sin physically, and sometimes 00:18:25.950 --> 00:18:29.190 with violence, we get rough and aggressive and 00:18:29.190 --> 00:18:32.710 pugnacious. We can also slander and gossip. Don't 00:18:32.710 --> 00:18:35.029 get me wrong. We can do that as well. But whereas 00:18:35.029 --> 00:18:37.049 men are more likely to sin physically, women, 00:18:37.410 --> 00:18:41.789 not in all cases, but on average, women are more 00:18:41.789 --> 00:18:46.190 prone to fall into sin verbally. Whispering. 00:18:46.779 --> 00:18:49.720 things in private, gossiping amongst themselves, 00:18:50.019 --> 00:18:53.700 becoming petty, becoming critical. So when you 00:18:53.700 --> 00:18:55.400 see things like this in Scripture, don't be offended 00:18:55.400 --> 00:18:58.359 by it. It is common to our nature, and female 00:18:58.359 --> 00:19:00.480 sins are no better or no worse than male sins. 00:19:01.200 --> 00:19:07.079 So receive it. It's from God. Ladies, nod your 00:19:07.079 --> 00:19:10.539 head. Okay, good. Do you know how nervous preachers 00:19:10.539 --> 00:19:15.559 get when you preach to women? It is a minefield. 00:19:16.190 --> 00:19:19.250 I already asked, I was talking to Grant by text 00:19:19.250 --> 00:19:21.609 yesterday. I'm like, pray for me. This is a minefield. 00:19:21.849 --> 00:19:25.369 So thank you for your grace. Okay, back to verse 00:19:25.369 --> 00:19:27.509 three now. Well, that was a moment of transparency. 00:19:27.789 --> 00:19:31.190 Didn't plan on that. The second behavior that 00:19:31.190 --> 00:19:34.529 an older woman must avoid is being enslaved to 00:19:34.529 --> 00:19:39.529 too much wine. Now, I've said it recently. I'll 00:19:39.529 --> 00:19:42.470 say it again. Drinking wine is not a sin. No 00:19:42.470 --> 00:19:45.190 matter. What some legalists try to lay on you. 00:19:45.269 --> 00:19:47.190 In the ancient world, wine was all about, it 00:19:47.190 --> 00:19:50.410 marked celebration. And oftentimes it marked 00:19:50.410 --> 00:19:53.069 celebrating blessings from God. And that's the 00:19:53.069 --> 00:19:56.049 way Jesus looked at it. Yes, he turned water 00:19:56.049 --> 00:20:00.009 into actual wine at that wedding in Cana. Now, 00:20:00.029 --> 00:20:01.710 you may have a conviction. We talked about convictions 00:20:01.710 --> 00:20:03.650 last week. You may have a conviction not to drink 00:20:03.650 --> 00:20:06.990 alcohol at all for personal reasons. And I honor 00:20:06.990 --> 00:20:10.329 that. And I thank God. If that's your conviction, 00:20:10.490 --> 00:20:12.289 the Spirit's put that on your heart and you're 00:20:12.289 --> 00:20:15.170 obeying it, I thank God for that. But as I shared 00:20:15.170 --> 00:20:16.789 last week, if that's your conviction, let it 00:20:16.789 --> 00:20:19.210 be your conviction. Don't apply it to everybody 00:20:19.210 --> 00:20:22.269 else because then you do become a legalist and 00:20:22.269 --> 00:20:25.470 you do the work of a Pharisee. Now, having said 00:20:25.470 --> 00:20:27.910 that, we all have to agree that being enslaved 00:20:27.910 --> 00:20:31.430 to wine is a sin. That's obviously a sin because 00:20:31.430 --> 00:20:34.240 Scripture calls it a sin. And the older women 00:20:34.240 --> 00:20:36.539 who seeks to be reverent must not be enslaved 00:20:36.539 --> 00:20:42.119 to any substance, not just wine. And again, the 00:20:42.119 --> 00:20:44.480 objection may come up, why only talk to women 00:20:44.480 --> 00:20:46.799 about this? But there is some interesting historical 00:20:46.799 --> 00:20:50.400 data about this. Among the upper classes of Greek 00:20:50.400 --> 00:20:53.900 and Roman society, excessive drinking was extremely 00:20:53.900 --> 00:20:56.500 common. In fact, it was often seen as a virtue. 00:20:56.660 --> 00:20:59.079 It showed how wealthy you are that you can drink 00:20:59.079 --> 00:21:01.740 all of this wine and get completely tipsy and 00:21:01.740 --> 00:21:05.380 act a fool. That was seen as a virtue. And it's 00:21:05.380 --> 00:21:07.680 likely that Paul knew something about this on 00:21:07.680 --> 00:21:10.460 the island of Crete. I also think it's possible 00:21:10.460 --> 00:21:13.079 that Paul is making a connection here between 00:21:13.079 --> 00:21:16.779 drinking too much and gossip or slander. Because, 00:21:16.799 --> 00:21:19.799 right, when you drink too much, your tongue gets 00:21:19.799 --> 00:21:22.420 really, really loose and you lose control. That's 00:21:22.420 --> 00:21:24.940 a legit connection. So again, we shouldn't be 00:21:24.940 --> 00:21:26.920 offended by this. And by the way, we shouldn't 00:21:26.920 --> 00:21:30.220 forget that this same... The same prohibition 00:21:30.220 --> 00:21:32.980 for not being enslaved to wine shows up in both 00:21:32.980 --> 00:21:36.119 Timothy and Titus in the list of requirements 00:21:36.119 --> 00:21:39.299 for male elders. They're not to be addicted to 00:21:39.299 --> 00:21:43.059 this substance. And here's the overarching principle. 00:21:43.160 --> 00:21:45.299 It's not just about wine. It's about slavery 00:21:45.299 --> 00:21:49.400 to sin in general. The reverent older woman has 00:21:49.400 --> 00:21:52.779 enough years under her belt now where she is 00:21:52.779 --> 00:21:56.759 no longer controlled. by her appetites and her 00:21:56.759 --> 00:21:59.859 wants and desires. She's not in slavery to them 00:21:59.859 --> 00:22:02.920 anymore. And this is hopefully what age does 00:22:02.920 --> 00:22:05.599 to you. Walking with Christ for a number of years 00:22:05.599 --> 00:22:08.039 will do for you. She's now spirit -controlled. 00:22:08.819 --> 00:22:10.799 And when you're spirit -controlled, you're not 00:22:10.799 --> 00:22:14.099 prone to excess in anything in life, not just 00:22:14.099 --> 00:22:17.759 wine and alcohol, but things like food and exercise 00:22:17.759 --> 00:22:21.779 and recreation and entertainment and social media 00:22:21.779 --> 00:22:25.299 and shopping and spending. all the things that 00:22:25.299 --> 00:22:28.579 we can become enslaved to. As we get older, we 00:22:28.579 --> 00:22:31.160 should be getting victory over those things and 00:22:31.160 --> 00:22:33.700 being controlled by the Spirit. So a godly older 00:22:33.700 --> 00:22:36.740 woman lives the Spirit -guided life so that she 00:22:36.740 --> 00:22:39.180 can be devoted to the right things, to the one 00:22:39.180 --> 00:22:41.519 thing that will not fade away but endure forever, 00:22:41.799 --> 00:22:44.000 and that is the sacred purposes of the Lord. 00:22:44.200 --> 00:22:47.200 That's what you want to be addicted to. Amen? 00:22:48.660 --> 00:22:52.480 Now, ladies. That's the character standard that 00:22:52.480 --> 00:22:54.319 Paul lays out for you as you grow older. And 00:22:54.319 --> 00:22:58.559 I know it's a daunting standard. And I know that 00:22:58.559 --> 00:23:00.359 some of you already have said, well, scratch 00:23:00.359 --> 00:23:02.799 me off that list. I will never be that reverent. 00:23:05.099 --> 00:23:07.720 But I don't want you to be overwhelmed by this. 00:23:07.819 --> 00:23:11.839 I really don't. This is similar to that elder 00:23:11.839 --> 00:23:14.119 qualification of being above reproach. Every 00:23:14.119 --> 00:23:16.920 man who's ever looked at that says, scratch me 00:23:16.920 --> 00:23:20.359 off that list. I will never be that. And if we 00:23:20.359 --> 00:23:22.779 started defining that as, well, I have to be 00:23:22.779 --> 00:23:25.299 perfect in every area, there would be no elders 00:23:25.299 --> 00:23:28.319 in any church anywhere. And the same thing is 00:23:28.319 --> 00:23:30.500 true of this. This isn't a call to perfection. 00:23:31.960 --> 00:23:34.819 We all stumble at times, but these are the things 00:23:34.819 --> 00:23:38.259 that will consistently mark the life of a godly 00:23:38.259 --> 00:23:40.559 older woman because she's striving after them 00:23:40.559 --> 00:23:43.380 by the power of the Holy Spirit. And when you're 00:23:43.380 --> 00:23:46.200 striving after those things with a clean conscience 00:23:46.200 --> 00:23:48.700 and a pure heart, the spirit will come in and 00:23:48.700 --> 00:23:51.900 will start to move you in that direction. That's 00:23:51.900 --> 00:23:54.660 a promise we have from him. And as I said to 00:23:54.660 --> 00:23:57.200 the older men last week and challenging them, 00:23:57.259 --> 00:24:00.559 it is never too late, ladies, to hear what God's 00:24:00.559 --> 00:24:04.460 word says and today to start praying and striving 00:24:04.460 --> 00:24:09.099 to become all that he desires you to be. And 00:24:09.099 --> 00:24:11.380 if you need help getting started with that, you're 00:24:11.380 --> 00:24:13.619 like, wow, this is, This is challenging. This 00:24:13.619 --> 00:24:15.700 is convicting. But I look at this in the word 00:24:15.700 --> 00:24:18.200 and I want to become this. Then ask for help. 00:24:19.319 --> 00:24:21.680 Reach out to an elder or reach out to one of 00:24:21.680 --> 00:24:24.819 our godly women on our women's council and say, 00:24:24.940 --> 00:24:27.039 I want to get started. I want to get on this 00:24:27.039 --> 00:24:31.079 path towards what Paul is describing here. Sound 00:24:31.079 --> 00:24:34.440 good? Okay, now look what Paul does next. Look 00:24:34.440 --> 00:24:36.160 at the end of verse three and going into verse 00:24:36.160 --> 00:24:39.400 four. Here he adds a very important action step 00:24:39.400 --> 00:24:42.000 for older ladies. And you guys, this is so important. 00:24:42.039 --> 00:24:44.160 Honestly, I wish we had time to do a whole sermon 00:24:44.160 --> 00:24:47.660 series on this particular subject. Because here's 00:24:47.660 --> 00:24:50.319 what he writes next. He says, older women are 00:24:50.319 --> 00:24:53.220 to be teaching what is good so that they may 00:24:53.220 --> 00:24:56.740 encourage the young women. And yeah, he goes 00:24:56.740 --> 00:24:58.220 on to list a whole bunch of things they need 00:24:58.220 --> 00:25:00.460 to be encouraged in. Hold off on those things. 00:25:00.519 --> 00:25:02.279 That's for next Sunday. When we get to the younger 00:25:02.279 --> 00:25:04.259 women, we're going to talk about all those things 00:25:04.259 --> 00:25:06.259 that the older women should be teaching them. 00:25:07.099 --> 00:25:10.680 But friends, listen to this now. In every generation, 00:25:10.839 --> 00:25:15.259 the enemy would love to tear down and redefine 00:25:15.259 --> 00:25:18.480 what it means to be a Christian woman. It happens 00:25:18.480 --> 00:25:21.200 in every generation, and we've got to be aware 00:25:21.200 --> 00:25:23.420 of it. So it's essential for the older women 00:25:23.420 --> 00:25:27.339 in every generation to teach and to model what 00:25:27.339 --> 00:25:30.559 the Christian life looks like so that our younger 00:25:30.559 --> 00:25:33.079 women aren't deceived by all of the lies that 00:25:33.079 --> 00:25:36.720 come at them from the culture about who God is, 00:25:36.819 --> 00:25:40.210 about who they are. and about what is actually 00:25:40.210 --> 00:25:43.309 good. Every day, you know this already, you're 00:25:43.309 --> 00:25:45.829 bombarded by the culture telling you what you 00:25:45.829 --> 00:25:49.069 should be. And so older women who have this experience 00:25:49.069 --> 00:25:51.970 need to look back and go, okay, let me help you 00:25:51.970 --> 00:25:55.690 on this. Let me help you see it. And that's what 00:25:55.690 --> 00:25:57.630 Paul's talking about here. Teaching what is good 00:25:57.630 --> 00:26:01.529 is both word and deed. It is both instruction 00:26:01.529 --> 00:26:05.630 and example. And once again, he reaches, so Paul, 00:26:05.730 --> 00:26:08.670 this is so unique what he writes here. He reaches 00:26:08.670 --> 00:26:11.849 deep into his lexicon to describe this. In the 00:26:11.849 --> 00:26:14.329 original Greek, teaching what is good is just 00:26:14.329 --> 00:26:17.170 one compound word. And again, it's not found 00:26:17.170 --> 00:26:20.170 anywhere, anywhere else in the New Testament. 00:26:21.190 --> 00:26:23.970 And even more so, this word is not even found 00:26:23.970 --> 00:26:28.690 in classical Greek. Kala didaskalos is what it 00:26:28.690 --> 00:26:33.920 is. It comes from the standard, so. It's likely 00:26:33.920 --> 00:26:36.920 that Paul literally coined this word when he 00:26:36.920 --> 00:26:40.259 wrote this for a very specific need for the older 00:26:40.259 --> 00:26:43.299 women in Crete. It's his word. It comes from 00:26:43.299 --> 00:26:45.839 the standard word for teaching, didaskalos, along 00:26:45.839 --> 00:26:48.700 with this prefix, kalos, which means good or 00:26:48.700 --> 00:26:53.140 beautiful or attractive. So older women in the 00:26:53.140 --> 00:26:55.660 church are to teach the younger women. the things 00:26:55.660 --> 00:26:57.880 that are good and beautiful about the Christian 00:26:57.880 --> 00:27:00.220 life. And specifically, based on what you see 00:27:00.220 --> 00:27:02.759 in verses four and five, listen now, to teach 00:27:02.759 --> 00:27:05.940 the younger women the beautiful life of a Christian 00:27:05.940 --> 00:27:09.759 woman. Whether you're single, married, a mom, 00:27:09.880 --> 00:27:12.099 it doesn't matter what a beautiful Christian 00:27:12.099 --> 00:27:16.680 woman's life looks like. And the Greek word there 00:27:16.680 --> 00:27:19.420 for encourage is interesting as well. In my opinion, 00:27:19.420 --> 00:27:21.359 it's not quite the right word for this context. 00:27:21.559 --> 00:27:26.259 It's sophronizo. And it has a broad range of 00:27:26.259 --> 00:27:28.259 meaning, but look at all the ways that this word 00:27:28.259 --> 00:27:30.960 can be applied. And now think about an overall 00:27:30.960 --> 00:27:33.880 flavor of what Paul is calling older women to 00:27:33.880 --> 00:27:37.400 do when it says encourage them. To restore someone 00:27:37.400 --> 00:27:42.019 to their senses. Right? I've seen this in my 00:27:42.019 --> 00:27:44.000 own family. Like when my wife comes alongside 00:27:44.000 --> 00:27:46.559 my adult daughter and says, let me restore you 00:27:46.559 --> 00:27:49.720 to your senses on this. You need to hear this. 00:27:50.279 --> 00:27:54.579 or to moderate or curb someone's behavior. Hey, 00:27:54.720 --> 00:27:56.900 I need to round some things in your life right 00:27:56.900 --> 00:28:00.039 now as a younger woman. To hold somebody to his 00:28:00.039 --> 00:28:03.059 or her duty. These are the things that God calls 00:28:03.059 --> 00:28:07.079 you to do, young lady. Or to admonish or train 00:28:07.079 --> 00:28:11.119 somebody in self -control. That's what he means 00:28:11.119 --> 00:28:14.460 by encourage the younger ladies. So older women 00:28:14.460 --> 00:28:16.740 come alongside younger women and help them think 00:28:16.740 --> 00:28:20.670 sensibly about the details of, of the Christian 00:28:20.670 --> 00:28:23.930 life, to train them in what sacred living as 00:28:23.930 --> 00:28:26.670 a woman looks like. And by the way, this becomes, 00:28:26.890 --> 00:28:29.549 this is always important in every relationship, 00:28:29.730 --> 00:28:33.049 but it's especially important when this beautiful 00:28:33.049 --> 00:28:35.650 thing happens. Young women come out of the world. 00:28:35.730 --> 00:28:37.450 They come to know Christ, but they come from 00:28:37.450 --> 00:28:42.750 broken homes or they come out of a family life 00:28:42.750 --> 00:28:46.509 that didn't worship Jesus and they don't have. 00:28:47.279 --> 00:28:49.279 role models to really look at. They didn't grow 00:28:49.279 --> 00:28:52.599 up with that. Think about the need for younger 00:28:52.599 --> 00:28:54.859 women who come from those types of backgrounds, 00:28:55.000 --> 00:28:57.960 for an older woman with all of these decades 00:28:57.960 --> 00:29:00.660 of experience to come alongside and say, man, 00:29:00.700 --> 00:29:03.519 let me help you. Let me show you what this life 00:29:03.519 --> 00:29:06.180 looks like. And so many of our young ladies today, 00:29:06.240 --> 00:29:08.000 you know this, if they don't come from a Christian 00:29:08.000 --> 00:29:10.059 background and they're not taught otherwise, 00:29:10.359 --> 00:29:13.319 they're constantly hearing and ingesting what 00:29:13.319 --> 00:29:16.490 the culture feeds them. about gender roles, about 00:29:16.490 --> 00:29:20.630 dating, about men and so many other things. And 00:29:20.630 --> 00:29:23.490 they need help, ladies. They need help to see 00:29:23.490 --> 00:29:26.950 the truth. This past week as I was prepping for 00:29:26.950 --> 00:29:29.309 this message, I read this great article, this 00:29:29.309 --> 00:29:32.069 testimony from a younger woman who talks about 00:29:32.069 --> 00:29:37.009 this issue of spiritual mothering. And she talks 00:29:37.009 --> 00:29:39.769 about how she came out of that sort of secular 00:29:39.769 --> 00:29:42.769 background. But she found women that would come 00:29:42.769 --> 00:29:44.829 alongside her and help. And she was struggling 00:29:44.829 --> 00:29:46.769 with, this is not a surprise, with the issue 00:29:46.769 --> 00:29:50.130 of submission in marriage, as I think every woman 00:29:50.130 --> 00:29:52.869 does at some point. But let me just read a little 00:29:52.869 --> 00:29:55.430 bit about what she wrote and see if this doesn't 00:29:55.430 --> 00:29:58.029 connect with what Paul's saying. She writes this. 00:29:58.349 --> 00:30:01.609 When I was a newlywed, one of my two spiritual 00:30:01.609 --> 00:30:04.970 mothers taught me that submission is not the 00:30:04.970 --> 00:30:08.069 fruit of a weak -willed wife, but of a courageous 00:30:08.069 --> 00:30:11.660 wife who hopes in God. Back then, even though 00:30:11.660 --> 00:30:14.180 I assented verbally to male headship in marriage, 00:30:14.400 --> 00:30:18.099 in my heart, I was still more of a secular feminist 00:30:18.099 --> 00:30:22.599 than I was biblically feminine. I needed a spiritual 00:30:22.599 --> 00:30:26.640 mother to model this principle for me and to 00:30:26.640 --> 00:30:29.839 teach me in the context of her life and mine. 00:30:30.480 --> 00:30:33.880 She taught me from scripture and from her example 00:30:33.880 --> 00:30:37.519 and from her failures and her repentance as well 00:30:37.519 --> 00:30:40.109 as her victories. how beautiful headship and 00:30:40.109 --> 00:30:43.529 submission are when the gospel is at the center. 00:30:44.309 --> 00:30:47.549 This older woman didn't just mentor me, she mothered 00:30:47.549 --> 00:30:51.670 me, and I needed it. She let me spend hours in 00:30:51.670 --> 00:30:54.490 her home. She made godly womanhood look beautiful 00:30:54.490 --> 00:30:57.529 to me. And because she combined faithful teaching 00:30:57.529 --> 00:31:00.950 with faithful living, her influence in my life 00:31:00.950 --> 00:31:05.049 has been far -reaching. That is a beautiful testimony 00:31:05.049 --> 00:31:09.650 to what this passage is talking about. Now, I'm 00:31:09.650 --> 00:31:11.210 gonna come back to spiritual mothering in a second. 00:31:11.450 --> 00:31:15.109 But first, can I briefly touch on some of the 00:31:15.109 --> 00:31:18.650 temptations that I think older women are wrestling 00:31:18.650 --> 00:31:20.390 with? And we should all be aware of this because 00:31:20.390 --> 00:31:22.930 again, in the body, we wanna be ministering to 00:31:22.930 --> 00:31:25.190 each other. We wanna be understanding each other. 00:31:25.769 --> 00:31:28.170 What are the temptations and the things that 00:31:28.170 --> 00:31:30.329 older women struggle with? And by the way, some 00:31:30.329 --> 00:31:31.910 of these are gonna mirror what I shared about 00:31:31.910 --> 00:31:34.910 the older men last week because they're more 00:31:34.910 --> 00:31:37.720 connected to age than they are to gender. But 00:31:37.720 --> 00:31:39.140 let me share a couple of those. For example, 00:31:39.279 --> 00:31:42.319 just like older men, older women often struggle 00:31:42.319 --> 00:31:46.559 with change because with age we get set in our 00:31:46.559 --> 00:31:48.940 ways, don't we? And we don't want to be moved, 00:31:49.039 --> 00:31:52.319 which is a polite way of saying we get stubborn. 00:31:53.220 --> 00:31:56.559 We do. I mean, look, again, this is one of those 00:31:56.559 --> 00:31:58.259 good things. I'm in that age range, so it's good. 00:31:58.299 --> 00:32:01.059 I can talk about it. And like the men, older 00:32:01.059 --> 00:32:04.640 women can be tempted to get somewhat critical 00:32:04.640 --> 00:32:06.599 and negative towards the younger generation. 00:32:07.369 --> 00:32:10.089 who are doing things differently, right? And 00:32:10.089 --> 00:32:12.230 develop a critical spirit, even in the church. 00:32:12.890 --> 00:32:15.170 You know, sit there judgy, and no, that's not 00:32:15.170 --> 00:32:17.430 the way it's supposed to be done, or that's not 00:32:17.430 --> 00:32:19.690 the way we used to do it, right? And reminiscing 00:32:19.690 --> 00:32:21.589 on the good old days, all of that stuff. Men 00:32:21.589 --> 00:32:24.309 do it, and women do it as well. Now, men will 00:32:24.309 --> 00:32:26.509 tend to grumble out loud about these things. 00:32:27.369 --> 00:32:30.849 In my experience, women will just internalize 00:32:30.849 --> 00:32:36.220 their judginess and quietly seethe. until it 00:32:36.220 --> 00:32:39.460 comes out someday, right? So both are bad, by 00:32:39.460 --> 00:32:42.960 the way, but just know that that happens. I'm 00:32:42.960 --> 00:32:46.200 grateful my wife isn't here this morning. I was 00:32:46.200 --> 00:32:50.539 not talking about her, by the way. I'm just noting 00:32:50.539 --> 00:32:55.480 that for the recording. Older ladies can fall 00:32:55.480 --> 00:32:57.839 into the retirement syndrome that I mentioned 00:32:57.839 --> 00:32:59.720 last week, this idea that because I've reached 00:32:59.720 --> 00:33:03.299 a certain age, I can now pull away from serving 00:33:03.299 --> 00:33:06.690 other people. It's this idea of like, well, I 00:33:06.690 --> 00:33:09.329 fought those battles, I paid my dues, and now 00:33:09.329 --> 00:33:13.250 I get to just sit here. That's not biblical. 00:33:14.730 --> 00:33:16.990 Or this, and I talked about it last week, this 00:33:16.990 --> 00:33:19.349 idea that now that I'm a certain age, I can ride 00:33:19.349 --> 00:33:22.170 off into the sunset and not to be bothered ever 00:33:22.170 --> 00:33:25.109 again. And by the way, I got a great email from 00:33:25.109 --> 00:33:27.049 somebody this week, because I talked last week 00:33:27.049 --> 00:33:29.069 about men wanting to buy a parcel of land in 00:33:29.069 --> 00:33:31.309 Montana and riding off into the sunset. I have 00:33:31.309 --> 00:33:35.240 nothing against Montana. People are like, am 00:33:35.240 --> 00:33:37.920 I not allowed to move to Montana? I'm like, well, 00:33:38.079 --> 00:33:40.859 it depends. Honestly, the answer is it depends. 00:33:41.380 --> 00:33:44.500 If you're moving to Montana so you can disappear 00:33:44.500 --> 00:33:47.039 from life and no longer serve people or minister 00:33:47.039 --> 00:33:50.640 to people, no. That would not be pleasing in 00:33:50.640 --> 00:33:52.420 God's sight. If you're saying, I've always wanted 00:33:52.420 --> 00:33:55.160 to move to Montana and I have a ministry up there 00:33:55.160 --> 00:33:57.359 and a church up there that I can throw my life 00:33:57.359 --> 00:33:59.759 into and minister until the day God calls me 00:33:59.759 --> 00:34:03.529 home, amen and amen. So it's the motivation of 00:34:03.529 --> 00:34:08.010 the heart that matters. Okay, what else? A couple 00:34:08.010 --> 00:34:10.489 other things that I would add to this. I think 00:34:10.489 --> 00:34:12.449 it's fairly common for older women in the church 00:34:12.449 --> 00:34:16.369 to feel unseen, to feel unseen. As I said at 00:34:16.369 --> 00:34:19.190 the outset, to feel dismissed, to feel not valued 00:34:19.190 --> 00:34:22.489 in the body of Christ, and therefore to not really 00:34:22.489 --> 00:34:25.710 know how they're supposed to apply their spiritual 00:34:25.710 --> 00:34:28.789 gifts, how they can be used in ministry, other 00:34:28.789 --> 00:34:31.329 than sometimes What we do with older women is 00:34:31.329 --> 00:34:35.130 we say, no, go teach the children, which is an 00:34:35.130 --> 00:34:37.449 incredibly valuable ministry, but we'll sort 00:34:37.449 --> 00:34:39.670 of hide them away week after week after week 00:34:39.670 --> 00:34:41.849 and never acknowledge them and never say thank 00:34:41.849 --> 00:34:46.730 you. And they feel like that's all I can do because 00:34:46.730 --> 00:34:50.429 they feel not seen. The other temptation for 00:34:50.429 --> 00:34:52.489 older women in the church is to feel unqualified. 00:34:53.179 --> 00:34:55.800 to dive into ministry. And maybe that could be 00:34:55.800 --> 00:34:58.039 for any number of reasons, because of a sinful 00:34:58.039 --> 00:35:00.920 past or regrets they have in life, or just that 00:35:00.920 --> 00:35:02.719 they got a late start in the Christian life, 00:35:02.940 --> 00:35:06.420 right? And now here at Oak Hill, older ladies 00:35:06.420 --> 00:35:08.340 like, oh, I didn't get saved until I was, whatever, 00:35:08.460 --> 00:35:11.800 45. And now I see all these young ladies coming 00:35:11.800 --> 00:35:14.420 from a Bible college, and they know more than 00:35:14.420 --> 00:35:16.599 me, and maybe I'm just not qualified for this. 00:35:17.920 --> 00:35:21.519 So there's all kinds of things. So for the rest 00:35:21.519 --> 00:35:24.650 of you, understand, your older sisters and the 00:35:24.650 --> 00:35:26.469 types of things that they might be wrestling 00:35:26.469 --> 00:35:29.389 with here in the body of Christ. But the short 00:35:29.389 --> 00:35:33.710 answer, ladies, is you are needed. You are necessary, 00:35:34.070 --> 00:35:38.190 you are seen, and you are needed. I hope you 00:35:38.190 --> 00:35:41.349 hear that. So let's wrap up this morning by talking 00:35:41.349 --> 00:35:43.510 about this issue of spiritual mothering, which 00:35:43.510 --> 00:35:47.650 is so important. And listen, spiritual motherhood 00:35:47.650 --> 00:35:51.269 can actually be more impactful than biological 00:35:51.269 --> 00:35:56.539 motherhood. Did you know that? Because there's 00:35:56.539 --> 00:35:58.699 a lot of women out there who are biological mothers 00:35:58.699 --> 00:36:02.679 but haven't done much mothering at all. And so 00:36:02.679 --> 00:36:04.179 a woman that will come in and be a spiritual 00:36:04.179 --> 00:36:09.579 mother is invaluable, ladies. And let me make 00:36:09.579 --> 00:36:11.559 this clear as well. I realize in verses four 00:36:11.559 --> 00:36:14.099 and five, Paul talks about teaching the younger 00:36:14.099 --> 00:36:16.340 women in relation to their husbands and children. 00:36:16.880 --> 00:36:20.420 But this teaching does not exclude single women, 00:36:20.519 --> 00:36:23.719 unmarried women from participating in this. type 00:36:23.719 --> 00:36:26.780 of work. Because being a spiritual mother is 00:36:26.780 --> 00:36:29.659 about nurturing and sacrificial self -giving 00:36:29.659 --> 00:36:33.840 love. And I'm convinced that God hardwires that 00:36:33.840 --> 00:36:36.480 into all of his daughters. So in some measure, 00:36:36.500 --> 00:36:39.659 ladies, that is present within you. And becoming 00:36:39.659 --> 00:36:42.679 a spiritually mature woman doesn't require having 00:36:42.679 --> 00:36:45.940 an earthly husband. It doesn't even require having 00:36:45.940 --> 00:36:48.500 biological children. It definitely doesn't require 00:36:48.500 --> 00:36:55.400 being an Instagram homesteader. Right? So whatever 00:36:55.400 --> 00:36:58.380 category you're in, do not automatically rule 00:36:58.380 --> 00:37:01.360 yourself out because of how you perceive yourself 00:37:01.360 --> 00:37:05.179 as a woman. God has wired you for this. You just 00:37:05.179 --> 00:37:07.840 need to move towards spiritual maturity and dive 00:37:07.840 --> 00:37:12.280 in. Now, you might say, well, Jeff, why do you 00:37:12.280 --> 00:37:14.519 feel so confident in saying that? Well, look 00:37:14.519 --> 00:37:18.860 at the Apostle Paul. He was unmarried. There's 00:37:18.860 --> 00:37:21.730 no evidence that Paul ever had children. Yet 00:37:21.730 --> 00:37:23.710 do we not refer to him as a spiritual father? 00:37:24.369 --> 00:37:26.429 Of course we do. I've never heard anybody question 00:37:26.429 --> 00:37:28.489 that. Well, how can Paul be a spiritual father? 00:37:28.610 --> 00:37:31.170 He's unmarried. He doesn't have kids. We recognize 00:37:31.170 --> 00:37:34.489 him as a spiritual father, right? Because Paul 00:37:34.489 --> 00:37:36.889 knew what it was to be a spiritual father. He 00:37:36.889 --> 00:37:39.329 practiced it. In fact, he called both Timothy 00:37:39.329 --> 00:37:45.159 and Titus my true child in the faith. When writing 00:37:45.159 --> 00:37:47.079 to churches that he had planted, he called the 00:37:47.079 --> 00:37:49.900 members there, you know, my children, my beloved 00:37:49.900 --> 00:37:53.699 children. He spoke explicitly about being a spiritual 00:37:53.699 --> 00:37:57.980 father and a mentor and an example uniquely to 00:37:57.980 --> 00:37:59.900 the church in Corinth, the most messed up church 00:37:59.900 --> 00:38:02.139 of all. He talked about it. Let me just read 00:38:02.139 --> 00:38:05.159 this verse really briefly. He says, for you may 00:38:05.159 --> 00:38:08.019 have countless instructors in Christ, but you 00:38:08.019 --> 00:38:11.280 don't have many fathers. For I became your father 00:38:11.280 --> 00:38:14.880 in Christ Jesus through the gospel. And then 00:38:14.880 --> 00:38:17.380 he adds, therefore, I urge you to imitate me. 00:38:18.099 --> 00:38:21.099 That's exactly what he's saying to Titus. He's 00:38:21.099 --> 00:38:23.760 a spiritual father. All the language that Paul 00:38:23.760 --> 00:38:25.659 uses, right? He talks about his love for the 00:38:25.659 --> 00:38:28.880 believers, how he nurtures them, how he shares 00:38:28.880 --> 00:38:31.500 his very self with them, how he prays for them. 00:38:31.539 --> 00:38:33.619 Those are all things that mothers and fathers 00:38:33.619 --> 00:38:36.440 do for their children. And of course, none of 00:38:36.440 --> 00:38:38.440 those people, Timothy, Titus, or the people in 00:38:38.440 --> 00:38:41.000 Corinth were biologically connected to Paul. 00:38:41.760 --> 00:38:45.500 They were spiritually connected. So, single spiritual 00:38:45.500 --> 00:38:48.719 fathers, unmarried spiritual mothers. It's all 00:38:48.719 --> 00:38:51.699 possible in the kingdom of God. Now, let's talk 00:38:51.699 --> 00:38:54.920 practically. What does it mean to be a spiritual 00:38:54.920 --> 00:38:57.880 mother? How can you do this? Well, I'll say it 00:38:57.880 --> 00:39:00.260 for the fourth time. It's not about being perfect. 00:39:01.000 --> 00:39:03.139 There's no perfect woman, no perfect wife, no 00:39:03.139 --> 00:39:05.659 perfect mother. So, do not let your expectations 00:39:05.659 --> 00:39:08.280 or your self -perceptions discourage you from 00:39:08.280 --> 00:39:12.019 this. Also, though, recognize, ladies, that to 00:39:12.019 --> 00:39:15.079 fulfill Paul's instructions here as a mentor, 00:39:15.219 --> 00:39:18.760 as a teacher, as an example to younger women, 00:39:18.840 --> 00:39:23.179 it requires you to desire it and pursue it. It's 00:39:23.179 --> 00:39:26.380 not going to happen by magic. It's not going 00:39:26.380 --> 00:39:29.099 to just come upon you. You have to want it and 00:39:29.099 --> 00:39:31.840 you've got to pursue it. Like any other ministry, 00:39:32.019 --> 00:39:35.639 you have to be committed to sanctification and 00:39:35.639 --> 00:39:39.179 growth in your own walk so that you can turn 00:39:39.179 --> 00:39:42.909 around and model it to others. Again, not saying 00:39:42.909 --> 00:39:44.489 you've got to be perfect, but you've got to be 00:39:44.489 --> 00:39:47.510 committed in your walk to maturity and growth 00:39:47.510 --> 00:39:50.329 so that you can tell others about it. Yes, that 00:39:50.329 --> 00:39:52.949 is going to require significant investment of 00:39:52.949 --> 00:39:55.809 your time and your energy and sometimes also 00:39:55.809 --> 00:39:59.590 great emotion when things get hard. And to that 00:39:59.590 --> 00:40:01.650 end, it also means that in the midst of providing 00:40:01.650 --> 00:40:04.630 wise counsel as a spiritual mom, you might actually 00:40:04.630 --> 00:40:06.909 have to correct a younger woman, rebuke a younger 00:40:06.909 --> 00:40:10.840 woman. And that's not easy. So here's what I'm 00:40:10.840 --> 00:40:13.079 saying. This is not a simple ministry. It's not 00:40:13.079 --> 00:40:16.619 easy. Sometimes it's really hard. But friends, 00:40:16.679 --> 00:40:20.659 it's incredibly needed. And anybody in this room 00:40:20.659 --> 00:40:23.320 who's been a spiritual mother will tell you it's 00:40:23.320 --> 00:40:27.380 incredibly rewarding. You actually get a lot 00:40:27.380 --> 00:40:29.860 back from this person you're counseling. As she's 00:40:29.860 --> 00:40:33.119 giving to you, she's receiving back. And it's 00:40:33.119 --> 00:40:36.900 beautifully reciprocal. Now, what are some of 00:40:36.900 --> 00:40:38.559 the things an older woman can share with a younger 00:40:38.559 --> 00:40:42.110 woman? The list is endless. And again, if you 00:40:42.110 --> 00:40:44.269 need help on this, talk to our women's council. 00:40:44.409 --> 00:40:46.449 They do this all the time. They're doing it constantly, 00:40:46.590 --> 00:40:49.909 sometimes with five, six, seven women. Well, 00:40:49.909 --> 00:40:51.829 you can give her a vision of biblical womanhood. 00:40:52.989 --> 00:40:55.289 You can talk about that until the cows come home, 00:40:55.349 --> 00:41:00.050 right? Because it's complex and confusing. Show 00:41:00.050 --> 00:41:02.750 her the beauty of scripture. Study together. 00:41:03.590 --> 00:41:07.869 Help her find her place in church ministry, practically. 00:41:08.789 --> 00:41:11.889 Show her where she can be serving others. If 00:41:11.889 --> 00:41:13.769 she's married, help her to understand better 00:41:13.769 --> 00:41:16.150 the role of a wife. If she's a mother, help her 00:41:16.150 --> 00:41:18.369 to understand what it looks like to persevere 00:41:18.369 --> 00:41:20.630 in that high calling. You don't have to have 00:41:20.630 --> 00:41:23.929 all the answers. In fact, when appropriate, you 00:41:23.929 --> 00:41:25.789 should be transparent with her about your own 00:41:25.789 --> 00:41:28.909 failings because we've all failed. We've all 00:41:28.909 --> 00:41:31.750 fallen short in these areas. When it's appropriate 00:41:31.750 --> 00:41:34.150 to say, hey, this is where I messed up, but this 00:41:34.150 --> 00:41:36.309 is what I learned from it, please don't fall 00:41:36.309 --> 00:41:38.969 into the same error. Do you understand how valuable 00:41:38.969 --> 00:41:42.349 that is for an older person to say, look, I was 00:41:42.349 --> 00:41:45.510 where you were 20 years ago, 30 years ago. Here's 00:41:45.510 --> 00:41:48.730 some of my mistakes. Avoid them. Avoid those 00:41:48.730 --> 00:41:53.210 pitfalls. It's beautiful. Share with her your 00:41:53.210 --> 00:41:55.710 struggles, your temptations. Show her how you've 00:41:55.710 --> 00:41:58.789 repented in the past and come back to worship 00:41:58.789 --> 00:42:01.710 the Lord. Pray with her. Pray for her. Go to 00:42:01.710 --> 00:42:04.110 the throne of grace together to pray over both 00:42:04.110 --> 00:42:06.789 of your lives. It's an incredibly rich thing. 00:42:08.139 --> 00:42:11.940 if you'll desire it and pursue it. Now, what 00:42:11.940 --> 00:42:13.440 does it look like practically? Well, it comes 00:42:13.440 --> 00:42:15.340 in all kinds of forms and formats. And the reason 00:42:15.340 --> 00:42:17.880 I share this is already, and I know this happens 00:42:17.880 --> 00:42:19.360 all the time because I've done it personally. 00:42:19.619 --> 00:42:21.380 Somebody shares something beautiful like this 00:42:21.380 --> 00:42:23.320 and you're like, here's the three reasons I can't 00:42:23.320 --> 00:42:25.860 do it. We all do this. It's almost defensive. 00:42:26.199 --> 00:42:27.920 Here's three reasons. And the number one thing 00:42:27.920 --> 00:42:32.820 is, well, I'm super busy. Right? We all do it. 00:42:32.840 --> 00:42:36.289 I've done it. It comes in all forms and formats. 00:42:36.469 --> 00:42:38.349 The first thing we think about when this is we're 00:42:38.349 --> 00:42:40.750 like, okay, it's got to be some weekly meeting 00:42:40.750 --> 00:42:43.190 at a coffee shop or over lunch, and we're going 00:42:43.190 --> 00:42:45.889 to study the Bible together. If you can do that, 00:42:45.989 --> 00:42:48.230 praise the Lord. That's wonderful. That's one 00:42:48.230 --> 00:42:51.070 way to do it. Structured one -on -one discipleship. 00:42:51.230 --> 00:42:54.010 Other times it's less formal. It's just life 00:42:54.010 --> 00:42:56.449 on life where an older and younger woman get 00:42:56.449 --> 00:42:59.510 together in almost any setting, and it's just 00:42:59.510 --> 00:43:02.539 wise counsel. from biblical principles, from 00:43:02.539 --> 00:43:05.300 sound doctrine, but it's wise counsel. Sometimes 00:43:05.300 --> 00:43:07.519 it happens in small group settings, two or three 00:43:07.519 --> 00:43:11.159 women and one older woman. Sometimes because 00:43:11.159 --> 00:43:13.239 of the season you're in or the schedule you have, 00:43:13.380 --> 00:43:16.619 you can't meet in person, but you can use technology. 00:43:17.219 --> 00:43:19.480 I know technology can be a devil, but it can 00:43:19.480 --> 00:43:22.039 also be a blessing, right? So you can actually, 00:43:22.239 --> 00:43:26.340 I've seen ladies reading scripture, reading devotionals, 00:43:26.340 --> 00:43:29.960 reading books together and discussing it. via 00:43:29.960 --> 00:43:32.800 electronic means. You can do that. You can use 00:43:32.800 --> 00:43:35.260 Zoom. You can use FaceTime. You just have to 00:43:35.260 --> 00:43:37.440 think outside the box and harness the tools that 00:43:37.440 --> 00:43:39.639 are out there. There's a way to make it happen 00:43:39.639 --> 00:43:42.420 without the excuses. There's a way to make it 00:43:42.420 --> 00:43:44.840 happen if you desire it and if you pursue it. 00:43:45.780 --> 00:43:48.099 Last thing I'll share is this. Sometimes the 00:43:48.099 --> 00:43:52.039 best way to teach a younger woman has no formality 00:43:52.039 --> 00:43:55.820 at all. It's just allowing her into your life, 00:43:55.960 --> 00:44:00.710 into just regular life. I've read testimonies 00:44:00.710 --> 00:44:03.230 about this so many times. I just got invited 00:44:03.230 --> 00:44:08.010 into this woman's home, and I watched her routines, 00:44:08.170 --> 00:44:10.929 and I watched how she talked to people, and I 00:44:10.929 --> 00:44:14.210 watched how she dealt with her family. I watched 00:44:14.210 --> 00:44:16.630 how she carried herself, how she speaks to people, 00:44:16.769 --> 00:44:20.349 how she volunteers her time in the church. This 00:44:20.349 --> 00:44:22.690 is just all the things of life. It doesn't require 00:44:22.690 --> 00:44:25.329 a classroom. It doesn't require even a coffee 00:44:25.329 --> 00:44:29.219 shop. It's caught as much as it is taught. It's 00:44:29.219 --> 00:44:31.539 very organic and very simple, but very beautiful 00:44:31.539 --> 00:44:33.780 at the same time. I've heard it described as 00:44:33.780 --> 00:44:37.519 discipleship at the kitchen table, which is really 00:44:37.519 --> 00:44:39.599 sweet. Let me come back to that same young lady 00:44:39.599 --> 00:44:42.900 who I quoted earlier. Here's how she closed her 00:44:42.900 --> 00:44:45.400 article. Here's what she wrote about her mentor. 00:44:45.500 --> 00:44:49.800 Her name is Debbie, and this is beautiful. She 00:44:49.800 --> 00:44:52.400 says, Debbie was busy raising and homeschooling 00:44:52.400 --> 00:44:59.230 three high schoolers and a kindergartner. Wow. 00:45:01.090 --> 00:45:04.750 Superwoman. Her house was always spilling over 00:45:04.750 --> 00:45:07.869 with teenagers seeking warm fellowship and homemade 00:45:07.869 --> 00:45:11.409 fried chicken. And somehow there was always room 00:45:11.409 --> 00:45:14.329 at her kitchen table for more. Listen to what 00:45:14.329 --> 00:45:16.849 she says. That little house was paradise to me. 00:45:17.909 --> 00:45:20.349 I always walked in the front door knowing I'd 00:45:20.349 --> 00:45:23.889 be well -loved, well -fed, and well -taught before 00:45:23.889 --> 00:45:27.050 I left. Rarely did I have the conscious thought 00:45:27.050 --> 00:45:29.289 that Debbie was mentoring me. She was simply 00:45:29.289 --> 00:45:32.090 welcoming me into her very normal and very full 00:45:32.090 --> 00:45:36.750 life. I was so blessed to have landed in a solid 00:45:36.750 --> 00:45:39.530 Bible teaching church as a new Christian, but 00:45:39.530 --> 00:45:41.789 it was my relationship with Debbie that took 00:45:41.789 --> 00:45:45.150 my new faith to the next level. And it prepared 00:45:45.150 --> 00:45:47.909 me to be a Christian wife and mom years later. 00:45:49.329 --> 00:45:51.949 I have met only a handful of older women in my 00:45:51.949 --> 00:45:54.349 lifetime who have lived out these characteristics. 00:45:55.230 --> 00:45:56.969 They're the ones who've seen a few generations 00:45:56.969 --> 00:46:00.730 of pain come and go, a few seasons of heartbreak 00:46:00.730 --> 00:46:04.150 and uproar, and now they stand gray -haired, 00:46:04.190 --> 00:46:06.989 facing heaven with a gentle and quiet spirit. 00:46:08.090 --> 00:46:11.150 They know their king. I'm getting emotional again, 00:46:11.210 --> 00:46:15.190 darn it. They know their king. When they say 00:46:15.190 --> 00:46:17.070 they're praying for you, you better buckle up. 00:46:18.210 --> 00:46:20.949 When they tell you that God loves you, you know 00:46:20.949 --> 00:46:23.110 that they know it in a way that not many people 00:46:23.110 --> 00:46:26.099 know it. Their faithfulness has been lived out 00:46:26.099 --> 00:46:32.139 in unseen mornings in God's word and in prayer 00:46:32.139 --> 00:46:35.300 through many nights. And while their bodies fade, 00:46:35.400 --> 00:46:39.179 what remains is imperishable, marked by timelessness 00:46:39.179 --> 00:46:46.219 and beauty. I get emotional because I think about 00:46:46.219 --> 00:46:54.039 my own wife in that. So, older ladies. I hope 00:46:54.039 --> 00:46:57.380 you see the beauty in what Paul is talking to 00:46:57.380 --> 00:47:00.340 Titus about here. And I hope it stirs your heart. 00:47:01.420 --> 00:47:03.980 I hope it stirs your heart to want to be a part 00:47:03.980 --> 00:47:07.460 of someone else's life like this. Again, it's 00:47:07.460 --> 00:47:09.960 no small commitment, but wow, what an incredible 00:47:09.960 --> 00:47:13.280 privilege to impact a life, and by extension, 00:47:13.500 --> 00:47:18.400 to impact generations to come. Older ladies, 00:47:18.559 --> 00:47:22.579 you are needed. in the body, and you are precious 00:47:22.579 --> 00:47:30.380 to us. Amen? Let's bow our heads. Father, thank 00:47:30.380 --> 00:47:37.719 you for your word this morning. Thank you for 00:47:37.719 --> 00:47:40.840 how beautiful you have described ministry in 00:47:40.840 --> 00:47:45.139 the church in so many ways. Lord, and I pray 00:47:45.139 --> 00:47:48.480 for those who... Hear this message that they 00:47:48.480 --> 00:47:50.440 might catch the beauty of that, the vision of 00:47:50.440 --> 00:47:54.500 what you have designed in your body. And just 00:47:54.500 --> 00:47:56.619 to lean into it, to say, Lord, is this what you're 00:47:56.619 --> 00:47:59.599 calling me to? And to open up that possibility 00:47:59.599 --> 00:48:02.840 as an older woman to say, I don't want to retire. 00:48:03.039 --> 00:48:06.280 I don't want to pull back from service. I want 00:48:06.280 --> 00:48:10.579 to grow in my older years. I want to become more 00:48:10.579 --> 00:48:13.239 spiritually mature. And I want to turn around 00:48:13.239 --> 00:48:16.190 and help. All of these younger ladies in our 00:48:16.190 --> 00:48:20.849 church. Father, I pray that for everybody here 00:48:20.849 --> 00:48:23.530 that we might see some biblical principles in 00:48:23.530 --> 00:48:26.130 this and see ways that we can apply these same 00:48:26.130 --> 00:48:29.630 truths in our lives. For our men to be spiritual 00:48:29.630 --> 00:48:33.050 fathers, it's so needed. For younger men to say, 00:48:33.130 --> 00:48:36.730 who can disciple me? Who can I look to? Who can 00:48:36.730 --> 00:48:41.090 I imitate as he imitates Christ? Lord, give us 00:48:41.090 --> 00:48:44.559 spiritual eyes to see what you have for us. I 00:48:44.559 --> 00:48:47.820 thank you for the church. I thank you for every 00:48:47.820 --> 00:48:49.539 person here this morning and the way you have 00:48:49.539 --> 00:48:51.820 brought us here for this divine appointment. 00:48:52.599 --> 00:48:55.380 So teach us now by your spirit for your glory, 00:48:55.420 --> 00:48:55.739 I pray.