WEBVTT 00:00:00.000 --> 00:00:01.780 I want to start this morning by doing something 00:00:01.780 --> 00:00:04.500 I almost never do, but it actually makes sense 00:00:04.500 --> 00:00:07.379 for today's message. I'm going to recommend a 00:00:07.379 --> 00:00:11.259 book to you guys. And not just any book, but 00:00:11.259 --> 00:00:14.800 a book that's written by one of the great men 00:00:14.800 --> 00:00:18.059 of the faith and not all that long ago. Every 00:00:18.059 --> 00:00:20.660 once in a while, you'll hear me quote or cite 00:00:20.660 --> 00:00:25.579 this man, J .C. Ryle. And sometimes I forget 00:00:25.579 --> 00:00:28.000 that not everybody in the body is as much of 00:00:28.000 --> 00:00:31.140 a church history nerd as I am. So sometimes I 00:00:31.140 --> 00:00:33.740 just quote guys and expect you to know. But let 00:00:33.740 --> 00:00:36.119 me take just a moment this morning to introduce 00:00:36.119 --> 00:00:39.280 him to you and to introduce to you one of the 00:00:39.280 --> 00:00:41.219 great books that he has written that's still 00:00:41.219 --> 00:00:44.579 in print today. J .C. Ryle was a brilliant scholar 00:00:44.579 --> 00:00:48.990 at Oxford in 19th century England. He originally 00:00:48.990 --> 00:00:52.189 thought about studying law and going into politics. 00:00:52.530 --> 00:00:55.270 In fact, at one time in his life, he intended 00:00:55.270 --> 00:00:58.409 to run for parliament, but financial problems 00:00:58.409 --> 00:01:01.509 forced him to take another path into the ministry, 00:01:01.609 --> 00:01:04.150 and he was ordained in the Church of England 00:01:04.150 --> 00:01:06.950 as a minister and preacher of the gospel. Over 00:01:06.950 --> 00:01:11.450 a career of almost 60 years in the pulpit, 60 00:01:11.450 --> 00:01:15.709 years, he pastored churches in Winchester, Suffolk, 00:01:15.709 --> 00:01:19.250 and Liverpool. He wrote more than 200 books and 00:01:19.250 --> 00:01:21.790 gospel tracks during his life that had a circulation 00:01:21.790 --> 00:01:26.849 of millions in both the UK and America. He married 00:01:26.849 --> 00:01:31.230 three times and was widowed three times. So you 00:01:31.230 --> 00:01:33.349 can imagine the amount of suffering that he endured 00:01:33.349 --> 00:01:36.120 in his life. marriage relationships. And as for 00:01:36.120 --> 00:01:38.819 his final days, Ryle finally retired from his 00:01:38.819 --> 00:01:42.540 pulpit at the age of 82 and died less than two 00:01:42.540 --> 00:01:45.739 years later at the very turn of the century in 00:01:45.739 --> 00:01:49.200 the year 1900. Now, as you might have guessed, 00:01:49.299 --> 00:01:52.340 he and Spurgeon were contemporaries and they 00:01:52.340 --> 00:01:55.159 were friends. And even though Spurgeon was a 00:01:55.159 --> 00:01:59.099 Baptist and Spurgeon jokingly chided him for 00:01:59.099 --> 00:02:01.780 remaining in the Church of England, They spoke 00:02:01.780 --> 00:02:03.739 highly of each other. In fact, Spurgeon called 00:02:03.739 --> 00:02:08.099 Ryle an evangelical champion and one of the bravest 00:02:08.099 --> 00:02:11.699 and best of men. And Ryle wrote that he admired 00:02:11.699 --> 00:02:14.259 Spurgeon's sermons so much that he often studied 00:02:14.259 --> 00:02:17.120 them during the week for their clarity and effectiveness. 00:02:18.340 --> 00:02:21.979 And in the year 1865, when he was approaching 00:02:21.979 --> 00:02:24.360 the age of 50, about to become an older man, 00:02:24.639 --> 00:02:28.199 Ryle stopped and wrote a book titled Thoughts 00:02:28.199 --> 00:02:32.560 for Young Men. Thoughts for Young Men. And this 00:02:32.560 --> 00:02:34.639 is the book I would highly recommend to anybody 00:02:34.639 --> 00:02:37.639 here this morning who is a young man in our congregation. 00:02:37.680 --> 00:02:40.560 It's not a long book. It's less than 100 pages 00:02:40.560 --> 00:02:43.539 long, but incredibly insightful and very, very 00:02:43.539 --> 00:02:46.080 practical. So I thought as a lead -in to our 00:02:46.080 --> 00:02:48.240 time in Titus this morning, I'd share just a 00:02:48.240 --> 00:02:52.139 few of his, I think, brilliant general insights 00:02:52.139 --> 00:02:54.080 for young men. I'll give you just three of them. 00:02:54.139 --> 00:02:56.939 Number one, he says that death and judgment are 00:02:56.939 --> 00:03:00.469 not far away. and that young men seem not to 00:03:00.469 --> 00:03:04.949 be aware of this. I think that's true. And he 00:03:04.949 --> 00:03:07.090 writes that to combat the common idea that when 00:03:07.090 --> 00:03:09.409 you're young, you can just go out and live with 00:03:09.409 --> 00:03:12.870 abandon with no repercussions whatsoever. But 00:03:12.870 --> 00:03:15.330 that is far from true, and an older man can tell 00:03:15.330 --> 00:03:18.889 you that that is true. No matter how strong and 00:03:18.889 --> 00:03:21.110 healthy you feel in this stage of life, you are 00:03:21.110 --> 00:03:25.169 not invincible, nor are you impervious. to the 00:03:25.169 --> 00:03:27.789 possibility of dying and he cites ecclesiastes 00:03:27.789 --> 00:03:31.289 chapter 11 verse 9 that says this rejoice young 00:03:31.289 --> 00:03:34.669 man while you're young and let your heart be 00:03:34.669 --> 00:03:38.069 glad during the days of young manhood follow 00:03:38.069 --> 00:03:40.550 the impulses of your heart and the desire of 00:03:40.550 --> 00:03:44.849 your eyes yet yet know that god will bring you 00:03:44.849 --> 00:03:48.889 to judgment for all of these things like all 00:03:48.889 --> 00:03:52.030 men even when you're young your days are a mist 00:03:52.030 --> 00:03:56.719 that comes Therefore, Ryle says, don't wait until 00:03:56.719 --> 00:03:59.020 later in life to get serious about spiritual 00:03:59.020 --> 00:04:03.800 matters. That's good advice. Second thing, what 00:04:03.800 --> 00:04:08.419 young men will be depends on what they are now. 00:04:08.919 --> 00:04:12.879 And they seem to forget this, Ryle says. Youth 00:04:12.879 --> 00:04:17.660 is the planting time of full age, he says. Think 00:04:17.660 --> 00:04:20.860 about that. This is the planting time of your 00:04:20.860 --> 00:04:25.889 older age. Both good and bad have deep roots. 00:04:27.370 --> 00:04:29.769 And you're developing them right now, young men. 00:04:30.709 --> 00:04:33.089 And once sin is allowed to settle in your heart, 00:04:33.189 --> 00:04:35.790 change becomes more and more difficult. Here's 00:04:35.790 --> 00:04:38.509 a great quote from the book. He says, custom 00:04:38.509 --> 00:04:41.709 becomes second nature and its chains are not 00:04:41.709 --> 00:04:45.149 easily broken. Habits are like stones rolling 00:04:45.149 --> 00:04:48.490 downhill. The further they roll, the faster and 00:04:48.490 --> 00:04:52.300 more ungovernable is their course. So he says 00:04:52.300 --> 00:04:55.879 today, young men, today is the day to put off 00:04:55.879 --> 00:05:00.920 sin. Just a third thing. The devil uses special 00:05:00.920 --> 00:05:03.879 diligence to destroy the souls of young men and 00:05:03.879 --> 00:05:08.920 they don't seem to know it. Satan knows all too 00:05:08.920 --> 00:05:11.379 well who exactly is going to make up the next 00:05:11.379 --> 00:05:13.620 generation of Christ worshipers and therefore 00:05:13.620 --> 00:05:16.620 he employs every trick in his book to cause you 00:05:16.620 --> 00:05:19.439 to stumble. So don't be ignorant of his schemes. 00:05:20.829 --> 00:05:23.529 Again, quoting Ryle, young men, you are those 00:05:23.529 --> 00:05:27.709 on whom he puts his choicest temptations. He 00:05:27.709 --> 00:05:30.250 spreads his net with the most watchful carefulness 00:05:30.250 --> 00:05:34.310 to entangle your hearts. He baits his trap with 00:05:34.310 --> 00:05:37.170 the sweetest morsels to bring you under his power. 00:05:37.290 --> 00:05:40.129 He displays his wares in order to make you buy 00:05:40.129 --> 00:05:44.990 his sugared poison. So what the devil does is 00:05:44.990 --> 00:05:48.649 he dresses up sin, but he never tells you anything 00:05:48.649 --> 00:05:52.050 about the sting that comes later. He promises 00:05:52.050 --> 00:05:54.350 everything but delivers only pain, sorrow, and 00:05:54.350 --> 00:05:57.069 regret. So just as a closing to our intro this 00:05:57.069 --> 00:05:59.649 morning, Ryle writes this, young men, young men, 00:05:59.810 --> 00:06:02.290 I wish you could know the comfort of having a 00:06:02.290 --> 00:06:05.550 conscience that is not burdened with a long list 00:06:05.550 --> 00:06:09.769 of youthful sins. Be merciful to yourselves. 00:06:10.290 --> 00:06:13.310 Seek the Lord early so that you will be spared 00:06:13.310 --> 00:06:18.329 many a bitter tear. Let's dive in. Grab your 00:06:18.329 --> 00:06:25.899 Bibles. We're going to Titus chapter 2. Titus 00:06:25.899 --> 00:06:28.699 chapter 2. So we're in our fourth and final message 00:06:28.699 --> 00:06:31.399 in this little series within a series addressing 00:06:31.399 --> 00:06:35.019 God's expectations for four different categories 00:06:35.019 --> 00:06:37.740 of people in the church. We have talked about, 00:06:37.839 --> 00:06:40.439 first of all, older men, and then we addressed 00:06:40.439 --> 00:06:43.920 older women, and then last Sunday, younger women, 00:06:44.019 --> 00:06:46.899 and today it's the young guys that are up to 00:06:46.899 --> 00:06:51.040 bat. By the way, when we arrived in chapter two 00:06:51.040 --> 00:06:53.519 a number of weeks ago, of the four messages, 00:06:53.639 --> 00:06:55.360 this is the one I was most looking forward to 00:06:55.360 --> 00:06:58.519 preaching, primarily because it's so badly needed 00:06:58.519 --> 00:07:02.459 in the church today, but also a moment of transparency. 00:07:02.639 --> 00:07:04.819 I'm convinced that God has used much of my own 00:07:04.819 --> 00:07:08.800 foolishness as a young man to sort of put me 00:07:08.800 --> 00:07:11.100 in this moment here today. And this is one of 00:07:11.100 --> 00:07:12.879 the things that age teaches you. You look back 00:07:12.879 --> 00:07:14.980 and you look at all of your foolish mistakes, 00:07:15.120 --> 00:07:18.209 and by the grace of God, you've survived. But 00:07:18.209 --> 00:07:22.089 regret happens often. And so it gives me a chance 00:07:22.089 --> 00:07:25.350 to stand up here and equip me to sort of warn 00:07:25.350 --> 00:07:27.589 you guys and also encourage you in the Lord. 00:07:28.310 --> 00:07:30.189 So I'm grateful that he's given me a platform 00:07:30.189 --> 00:07:33.029 to do this. All right, let's back up to verse 00:07:33.029 --> 00:07:35.050 1. Let's read this whole section, verses 1 through 00:07:35.050 --> 00:07:37.250 8, which, by the way, the theme has been all 00:07:37.250 --> 00:07:40.170 along. How can we develop into a healthy body 00:07:40.170 --> 00:07:42.639 and a beautiful bride? one that displays the 00:07:42.639 --> 00:07:45.500 splendor of Christ to a watching world. All four 00:07:45.500 --> 00:07:48.160 categories of believers in this section have 00:07:48.160 --> 00:07:50.959 a responsibility to be a part of that great vision. 00:07:52.019 --> 00:08:02.620 Verse 1 says, Older men are to be temperate, 00:08:02.740 --> 00:08:06.879 dignified, sensible, sound in faith, in love, 00:08:06.980 --> 00:08:15.209 in perseverance. Older women. Okay, man, you 00:08:15.209 --> 00:08:16.569 know, that was the moment. The woo -hoos are 00:08:16.569 --> 00:08:18.490 so, you guys are the loudest group in the church. 00:08:18.589 --> 00:08:21.389 Come on now. Let me say it again. Older women. 00:08:25.550 --> 00:08:27.870 Likewise are to be reverent in their behavior. 00:08:28.350 --> 00:08:29.949 Was that reverent? Yeah, that was reverent. That's 00:08:29.949 --> 00:08:32.370 okay, that's good. Reverent in their behavior, 00:08:32.470 --> 00:08:34.990 not malicious gossips nor enslaved to much wine, 00:08:35.129 --> 00:08:38.789 teaching what is good so that they may encourage 00:08:38.789 --> 00:08:45.720 the young women. Give them time. Give them years. 00:08:45.940 --> 00:08:50.139 They'll get better at that. Encourage the young 00:08:50.139 --> 00:08:52.440 women to love their husbands, to love their children, 00:08:52.639 --> 00:08:56.039 to be sensible, pure, workers at home, kind, 00:08:56.240 --> 00:08:59.080 being subject to their own husbands so that the 00:08:59.080 --> 00:09:02.830 word of God will not be dishonored. And now our 00:09:02.830 --> 00:09:05.309 text for this morning, verse 6. Likewise, and 00:09:05.309 --> 00:09:07.289 again, that's an important word, right? Paul's 00:09:07.289 --> 00:09:09.409 saying, look, in the same way that older men 00:09:09.409 --> 00:09:12.370 and older women and younger women are called 00:09:12.370 --> 00:09:15.529 to the standard of godliness, likewise, Titus, 00:09:15.529 --> 00:09:18.850 now urge the young men to be sensible in all 00:09:18.850 --> 00:09:22.190 things. Show yourself to be an example of good 00:09:22.190 --> 00:09:26.269 deeds with purity and doctrine, dignified, sound 00:09:26.269 --> 00:09:29.220 in speech, which is beyond reproach. so that 00:09:29.220 --> 00:09:31.639 the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing 00:09:31.639 --> 00:09:36.240 bad to say about us. Okay, once again, let's 00:09:36.240 --> 00:09:39.100 ask the question, what age are we talking about 00:09:39.100 --> 00:09:42.100 when Paul speaks of young men? And again, he 00:09:42.100 --> 00:09:44.500 doesn't give us a number. But I think it's best 00:09:44.500 --> 00:09:47.799 to think about the age here in relation to Titus 00:09:47.799 --> 00:09:50.019 himself. Now, I think I mentioned this in the 00:09:50.019 --> 00:09:53.299 very first sermon in the series, that most scholars 00:09:53.299 --> 00:09:55.679 believe that at this point Paul is in his early 00:09:55.679 --> 00:10:00.080 60s and that Titus is in his early to mid 30s. 00:10:00.080 --> 00:10:01.960 So if you want a picture of this, this is like 00:10:01.960 --> 00:10:07.299 me and Ken. Okay? You didn't know that was coming, 00:10:07.379 --> 00:10:10.940 but that's what we're talking about. So early 00:10:10.940 --> 00:10:13.200 to mid -30s at the time that this letter is being 00:10:13.200 --> 00:10:15.659 written to him. So he's a young man himself. 00:10:15.759 --> 00:10:19.139 This is his peer group that Paul is now addressing, 00:10:19.220 --> 00:10:21.779 so it's very personal for him. By the way, just 00:10:21.779 --> 00:10:23.639 as a teaser, if you just want to take a peek 00:10:23.639 --> 00:10:26.299 at what comes next, verses 9 and 10, look what 00:10:26.299 --> 00:10:29.529 comes next. Paul addresses slaves in the church. 00:10:29.690 --> 00:10:33.009 And this has become an incredibly divisive and 00:10:33.009 --> 00:10:36.549 controversial topic online these days. So the 00:10:36.549 --> 00:10:38.470 next time we're together to talk about this, 00:10:38.509 --> 00:10:41.009 what I want to do is address the controversy 00:10:41.009 --> 00:10:43.110 and hopefully provide you guys with a strong 00:10:43.110 --> 00:10:46.110 apologetic for what the Bible actually says and 00:10:46.110 --> 00:10:49.049 teaches about slavery. So don't miss that. Okay, 00:10:49.110 --> 00:10:51.070 two things I want to do before we break down 00:10:51.070 --> 00:10:53.590 these three verses in detail. First, I want to 00:10:53.590 --> 00:10:56.549 talk about the challenges that men face. in our 00:10:56.549 --> 00:10:58.549 culture today. And then I want to specifically 00:10:58.549 --> 00:11:01.889 talk about the challenges that younger men have 00:11:01.889 --> 00:11:05.110 to face in this age. So we'll do that, and then 00:11:05.110 --> 00:11:07.570 we'll get to the verses, I promise. Now, last 00:11:07.570 --> 00:11:10.049 Sunday, I said, young women don't have it easy 00:11:10.049 --> 00:11:13.830 today. And I really did mean that. Because this 00:11:13.830 --> 00:11:16.590 culture is constantly bombarding young women, 00:11:16.649 --> 00:11:19.149 trying to tell them, first of all, who they are, 00:11:19.230 --> 00:11:22.000 and second, what they should become. And those 00:11:22.000 --> 00:11:25.039 voices come at women from both the secular left 00:11:25.039 --> 00:11:28.879 and the traditional right. And it can be confusing 00:11:28.879 --> 00:11:31.740 to navigate through all of those opinions and 00:11:31.740 --> 00:11:35.000 all of those expectations. And yes, the same 00:11:35.000 --> 00:11:37.759 is true for young men today. All these cultural 00:11:37.759 --> 00:11:41.720 voices out there attempting to define manhood 00:11:41.720 --> 00:11:45.039 and then to fit you and I into one box or another. 00:11:45.639 --> 00:11:47.539 And sadly, I don't think the church has done 00:11:47.539 --> 00:11:51.129 a great job at helping this. In fact, shallow 00:11:51.129 --> 00:11:55.070 evangelicalism has tended to send men in one 00:11:55.070 --> 00:11:57.769 of two opposite directions. On the one hand, 00:11:57.769 --> 00:12:00.389 telling some men, well, you need to tamp down 00:12:00.389 --> 00:12:03.250 your masculinity and sort of lean into that more 00:12:03.250 --> 00:12:06.009 emotional side, that more feminine side of who 00:12:06.009 --> 00:12:08.610 you are. And on the other extreme, I've seen 00:12:08.610 --> 00:12:11.129 movements within the church that look more like 00:12:11.129 --> 00:12:14.500 a beer commercial. than they do for biblical 00:12:14.500 --> 00:12:16.940 masculinity, right? Where it's all about, it's 00:12:16.940 --> 00:12:18.840 just glorifying things like, you know, toughness 00:12:18.840 --> 00:12:22.980 and guns and combat sports and the like. So last 00:12:22.980 --> 00:12:25.639 week I put up this picture, these pictures, and 00:12:25.639 --> 00:12:28.299 got a bit of a laugh talking about the voices 00:12:28.299 --> 00:12:31.279 coming at women, right? On the one side, you've 00:12:31.279 --> 00:12:33.720 got the killer businesswoman. On the other side, 00:12:33.740 --> 00:12:37.039 you've got the trad wife. And you ladies are 00:12:37.039 --> 00:12:38.840 trying to figure out, well, where do I fit on 00:12:38.840 --> 00:12:41.080 that spectrum? Well, the same thing is true for 00:12:41.080 --> 00:12:48.899 guys. On the one side, you got the emo guy. On 00:12:48.899 --> 00:12:53.179 the other side, you got the camo guy. And we're 00:12:53.179 --> 00:12:56.580 trying to figure out where we fit on this spectrum. 00:13:00.779 --> 00:13:05.019 Don't stare at that too long. But there's an 00:13:05.019 --> 00:13:07.399 identity crisis out there for young men, even 00:13:07.399 --> 00:13:10.820 in the church, where, guys, we have the perfect 00:13:10.820 --> 00:13:15.600 masculine image in Jesus. Here's a man who walked 00:13:15.600 --> 00:13:18.299 the earth as both a spiritual warrior who was 00:13:18.299 --> 00:13:21.460 strong and unbending on the truth, but also the 00:13:21.460 --> 00:13:24.779 good shepherd, meek and gentle in his love and 00:13:24.779 --> 00:13:27.000 care for others. And so that's what the church 00:13:27.000 --> 00:13:30.279 needs to fight for and teach, true biblical manhood, 00:13:30.360 --> 00:13:34.000 not one extreme or the other. We need to exhort 00:13:34.000 --> 00:13:37.100 men to faithfulness as leaders and as husbands 00:13:37.100 --> 00:13:40.960 and as fathers to have both strength and the 00:13:40.960 --> 00:13:44.450 heart of a servant, one that cares. And if we 00:13:44.450 --> 00:13:46.389 don't balance that well, the church is going 00:13:46.389 --> 00:13:49.590 to suffer. And we've seen a lot of churches suffering 00:13:49.590 --> 00:13:52.730 because we've gotten manhood all out of whack. 00:13:52.870 --> 00:13:55.370 We've seen churches where men now sit back and 00:13:55.370 --> 00:13:58.250 they just passively relinquish the authority 00:13:58.250 --> 00:14:00.509 that God has called them to. And then we see 00:14:00.509 --> 00:14:04.070 in other churches where ungodly men, seeing that 00:14:04.070 --> 00:14:06.269 vacuum of power, step in and grab it and then 00:14:06.269 --> 00:14:10.309 abuse that power. Recently, we've seen too many 00:14:10.309 --> 00:14:13.389 churches where women have also noticed that vacuum 00:14:13.389 --> 00:14:16.250 of power and have stepped in taking control of 00:14:16.250 --> 00:14:19.529 leadership. So the church needs to get this right, 00:14:19.669 --> 00:14:21.789 and we at Oak Hill need to make sure that we're 00:14:21.789 --> 00:14:24.850 actually teaching and promoting true biblical 00:14:24.850 --> 00:14:28.059 manhood. I find it interesting if you look at 00:14:28.059 --> 00:14:30.539 the first century church in Corinth, it's a prime 00:14:30.539 --> 00:14:33.419 example of what happens when a church of men 00:14:33.419 --> 00:14:36.220 don't understand who they are or what role they're 00:14:36.220 --> 00:14:38.919 supposed to play. And if you read 1 Corinthians, 00:14:39.059 --> 00:14:41.500 you know that that church was mired in all kinds 00:14:41.500 --> 00:14:45.000 of sins, doctrinal error and sexual immorality, 00:14:45.159 --> 00:14:47.860 divorce, dissension, and so many more things. 00:14:48.139 --> 00:14:49.980 And I think the best way to explain it is there 00:14:49.980 --> 00:14:52.039 were a lot of males in the church in Corinth, 00:14:52.100 --> 00:14:55.580 but not enough men. And there's a difference. 00:14:55.659 --> 00:14:58.220 A lot of males, but not enough men. And Paul 00:14:58.220 --> 00:15:01.399 chastised them for their immaturity. He writes, 00:15:01.519 --> 00:15:03.960 for example, and I, brothers, could not speak 00:15:03.960 --> 00:15:08.039 to you as spiritual men. Guys, I cannot even 00:15:08.039 --> 00:15:10.679 speak to you as spiritual men. But as the men 00:15:10.679 --> 00:15:15.320 of flesh, men driven by fleshly desires, infants 00:15:15.320 --> 00:15:19.659 in Christ, I gave you milk to drink, not solid 00:15:19.659 --> 00:15:21.940 food, for you were not yet able to receive it. 00:15:21.960 --> 00:15:25.220 Indeed, even now. You are not able. They're going 00:15:25.220 --> 00:15:27.620 through like this protracted adolescence. They're 00:15:27.620 --> 00:15:31.440 not growing up. They're not able to receive solid 00:15:31.440 --> 00:15:33.960 food. He goes on later to say in chapter 13, 00:15:34.080 --> 00:15:36.419 when I was a child, guys, I used to speak like 00:15:36.419 --> 00:15:39.960 a child, think like a child, reason like a child. 00:15:40.039 --> 00:15:43.259 When I became a man, I did away with childish 00:15:43.259 --> 00:15:48.919 things. He writes, some of you have become arrogant 00:15:48.919 --> 00:15:52.649 as though I were not coming to you. Uh -oh, dad's 00:15:52.649 --> 00:15:56.070 coming home. He says, what do you desire? Shall 00:15:56.070 --> 00:15:59.629 I come to you with a rod, like a father spanking 00:15:59.629 --> 00:16:02.370 his kids, or with love and a spirit of gentleness? 00:16:04.289 --> 00:16:06.669 And as he wraps up this first letter to this 00:16:06.669 --> 00:16:09.149 immature church, he urges them with these very 00:16:09.149 --> 00:16:12.250 famous words. He says, be on alert, stand firm 00:16:12.250 --> 00:16:17.389 in the faith, act like men. Not like males, but 00:16:17.389 --> 00:16:21.909 men. Be strong. Let all that you do be done in 00:16:21.909 --> 00:16:26.610 love. In other words, guys, look around, grow 00:16:26.610 --> 00:16:31.110 up, and be sober -minded. You have a defined 00:16:31.110 --> 00:16:33.509 role of leadership and authority and protection 00:16:33.509 --> 00:16:35.990 that is essential to the life of the church, 00:16:36.110 --> 00:16:38.990 and if you fail, there will be spiritual disaster. 00:16:40.029 --> 00:16:42.370 And I know that's a heavy burden for men to carry, 00:16:42.450 --> 00:16:46.590 but it's what God has given us. In my experience, 00:16:46.669 --> 00:16:49.379 I have found that men... relish the idea of a 00:16:49.379 --> 00:16:52.679 grand vision for their lives, one marked by leadership 00:16:52.679 --> 00:16:55.700 and service and devotion to something far greater 00:16:55.700 --> 00:16:58.100 than themselves. And we have that in the kingdom 00:16:58.100 --> 00:17:00.580 of God. We have that in the mission of the church. 00:17:00.740 --> 00:17:03.460 We just need men to step in and embrace that 00:17:03.460 --> 00:17:06.500 and say, I want to become what God has called 00:17:06.500 --> 00:17:10.920 me to be. So let's talk a little bit about particular 00:17:10.920 --> 00:17:13.420 dangers then that come to young men. What are 00:17:13.420 --> 00:17:15.680 the stumbling blocks that sometimes get in the 00:17:15.680 --> 00:17:20.000 way of us? meeting this call to action that young 00:17:20.000 --> 00:17:22.819 men have. By the way, to some extent, some of 00:17:22.819 --> 00:17:24.799 what I'm about to share does apply to women as 00:17:24.799 --> 00:17:27.900 well, so ladies, don't check out on me. Let's 00:17:27.900 --> 00:17:29.279 talk about youth. First of all, let me say this 00:17:29.279 --> 00:17:33.880 clearly. If you are in your 20s, 30s, enjoy this 00:17:33.880 --> 00:17:36.500 time in your life. It's wonderful. You should 00:17:36.500 --> 00:17:39.099 enjoy this time in your life. I don't want to 00:17:39.099 --> 00:17:40.900 be one of those crabby old men that's like, ew. 00:17:43.079 --> 00:17:46.819 Right? Get off my lawn. Not going to be that 00:17:46.819 --> 00:17:49.799 guy. You should enjoy this time of life. It is 00:17:49.799 --> 00:17:52.180 an amazing thing to be in your 20s and 30s. I 00:17:52.180 --> 00:17:55.279 would say for me and for Tanya, our 40s was actually 00:17:55.279 --> 00:17:58.539 our favorite decade. So you are in a good place 00:17:58.539 --> 00:18:01.259 right now. Enjoy it while you have it. And most 00:18:01.259 --> 00:18:04.079 importantly, give thanks to God for all that 00:18:04.079 --> 00:18:06.099 you have at this stage of your life. Thank him 00:18:06.099 --> 00:18:08.579 for your health. Thank him for your energy level. 00:18:09.079 --> 00:18:11.420 Thank him for what you're building in life, your 00:18:11.420 --> 00:18:13.380 careers, your families, all of these things. 00:18:13.579 --> 00:18:15.980 Thank him for what still lies ahead in the time 00:18:15.980 --> 00:18:18.920 that you're given. And then do this old man a 00:18:18.920 --> 00:18:21.640 favor. Don't take all the things that you have 00:18:21.640 --> 00:18:26.799 for granted. Because it can go away fast. And 00:18:26.799 --> 00:18:29.299 time moves faster than you think it does. Don't 00:18:29.299 --> 00:18:33.099 take it for granted. Enjoy the season you are 00:18:33.099 --> 00:18:35.849 in right now. Don't always, I did this. This 00:18:35.849 --> 00:18:37.769 is one of those little bits of wisdom that I 00:18:37.769 --> 00:18:40.049 wish I knew back then that, man, if I could go 00:18:40.049 --> 00:18:42.250 back, I would change it. Don't always be looking 00:18:42.250 --> 00:18:46.670 forward to speed up into the next season. Enjoy 00:18:46.670 --> 00:18:48.869 the one you're in right now and be thankful to 00:18:48.869 --> 00:18:51.289 God for all of it. Know that one day, Lord willing, 00:18:51.450 --> 00:18:53.950 you too will be an older person and you are going 00:18:53.950 --> 00:18:56.809 to want to look back and have fond memories of 00:18:56.809 --> 00:19:00.569 this time, not regrets, because of things you 00:19:00.569 --> 00:19:03.710 got entangled up with. So think carefully about 00:19:03.710 --> 00:19:06.009 these things. And to that end, let me share with 00:19:06.009 --> 00:19:08.529 you a few warnings that could trip you up. Some 00:19:08.529 --> 00:19:10.509 of this comes from Ryle's book. Some of it is 00:19:10.509 --> 00:19:14.109 just my personal thoughts about my memory of 00:19:14.109 --> 00:19:16.390 being a young man. And let me just start with, 00:19:16.509 --> 00:19:19.109 can I start with the oldest sin in the book? 00:19:19.710 --> 00:19:24.349 It's pride. Pride. Men, beware of how easy it 00:19:24.349 --> 00:19:27.049 is to become prideful, especially as a young 00:19:27.049 --> 00:19:31.829 man. Now, we're all born proud, but as J .C. 00:19:31.829 --> 00:19:36.000 Ryle says, Pride never reigns anywhere so powerfully 00:19:36.000 --> 00:19:39.440 as in the heart of a young man. I remember this 00:19:39.440 --> 00:19:44.000 well. So often young men don't seek out or even 00:19:44.000 --> 00:19:46.079 if they do seek it out, don't listen to wise 00:19:46.079 --> 00:19:50.500 counsel. Don't listen to older men. Because even 00:19:50.500 --> 00:19:52.119 at their young age, they're convinced that they 00:19:52.119 --> 00:19:55.460 know everything they need to know. In fact, it 00:19:55.460 --> 00:19:57.019 almost makes them angry to be told otherwise. 00:19:58.440 --> 00:20:01.490 I have literally sat down with young men. And 00:20:01.490 --> 00:20:03.210 they've looked me square in the eyes and said, 00:20:03.390 --> 00:20:05.630 Jeff, thanks for the advice, but I know everything 00:20:05.630 --> 00:20:13.069 I need to know. I've got this figured out. Okay. 00:20:14.650 --> 00:20:16.269 You know, sometimes we just have to learn the 00:20:16.269 --> 00:20:19.130 hard way. But don't let pride get in the way. 00:20:19.230 --> 00:20:23.950 Ray Abom was an amazing example of this, wasn't 00:20:23.950 --> 00:20:26.680 he? Do you remember the story? A young man who 00:20:26.680 --> 00:20:30.140 despised the counsel of the older, experienced 00:20:30.140 --> 00:20:32.380 men who had served his father Solomon. What did 00:20:32.380 --> 00:20:35.599 he do instead? He turned to all his buddies and 00:20:35.599 --> 00:20:38.779 he said, young guys, give me some advice. How'd 00:20:38.779 --> 00:20:41.900 that work out for him? He lived long enough to 00:20:41.900 --> 00:20:44.759 reap the consequences of his foolishness. The 00:20:44.759 --> 00:20:47.359 prodigal son is another example. This young man 00:20:47.359 --> 00:20:49.779 who insisted, I've got to have my share of the 00:20:49.779 --> 00:20:52.200 inheritance right now because I have a lifestyle 00:20:52.200 --> 00:20:56.000 I want to get to. I want to be my own boss. And 00:20:56.000 --> 00:20:58.099 he ran from his father's counsel, but he too 00:20:58.099 --> 00:21:01.240 quickly discovered the sting of his own folly. 00:21:01.579 --> 00:21:06.980 Pride, young men. Pride will take you down. Second 00:21:06.980 --> 00:21:09.500 warning. Young men today have too much freedom, 00:21:09.680 --> 00:21:12.400 too many choices, and not enough self -discipline. 00:21:14.299 --> 00:21:17.759 It's true. Look, I know this might be a little 00:21:17.759 --> 00:21:20.640 painful. It's okay. I was with you. I was there 00:21:20.640 --> 00:21:24.279 once. I know. I lacked discipline in my early 00:21:24.279 --> 00:21:27.400 20s. Some have never been taught the value of 00:21:27.400 --> 00:21:31.480 hard work. Others have been indulged too much, 00:21:31.500 --> 00:21:34.319 had everything done for them. And when young 00:21:34.319 --> 00:21:36.579 men are left to do as they please with all this 00:21:36.579 --> 00:21:38.900 freedom and all these choices, they will often 00:21:38.900 --> 00:21:42.539 choose self -destructive things, things that 00:21:42.539 --> 00:21:45.509 will come back to haunt them. Things that will 00:21:45.509 --> 00:21:48.150 hurt them in the present. It's a dangerous time 00:21:48.150 --> 00:21:51.369 to be young if you have not developed the skill 00:21:51.369 --> 00:21:54.529 of self -discipline. That's number two. Third 00:21:54.529 --> 00:21:56.690 thing to be aware of. Young men, you live in 00:21:56.690 --> 00:21:58.990 a culture that is more sexualized than any before 00:21:58.990 --> 00:22:03.130 you. Don't take it lightly. There are so many 00:22:03.130 --> 00:22:05.569 pernicious things that you can fall into these 00:22:05.569 --> 00:22:08.170 days. And when you're young, a combination of 00:22:08.170 --> 00:22:11.349 factors makes this very hazardous for your soul. 00:22:11.900 --> 00:22:14.339 Number one, you're in the strongest and healthiest 00:22:14.339 --> 00:22:16.980 time in your life. But number two, your lusts 00:22:16.980 --> 00:22:20.539 and passions are at their height. Number three, 00:22:20.559 --> 00:22:22.799 you don't recognize how vulnerable you are because 00:22:22.799 --> 00:22:24.940 you really think you're invincible and you can't 00:22:24.940 --> 00:22:28.579 be touched. And number four, you don't yet realize 00:22:28.579 --> 00:22:32.019 just how empty and unsatisfying all those things 00:22:32.019 --> 00:22:35.940 of the flesh will turn out to be. Until you get 00:22:35.940 --> 00:22:38.759 older and you look back and go, none of it satisfied. 00:22:39.200 --> 00:22:44.220 What was I thinking? Fourth thing, stumbling 00:22:44.220 --> 00:22:46.640 block for you, the fear of man, the fear of man's 00:22:46.640 --> 00:22:50.880 opinion. It is strongest when you are young to 00:22:50.880 --> 00:22:54.299 fear the opinion of men. Proverbs 29, 25 says 00:22:54.299 --> 00:22:57.960 the fear of man is a snare. It will trap you, 00:22:57.980 --> 00:23:01.400 it will make you a slave. Most men are like sheep, 00:23:01.460 --> 00:23:04.019 they just follow the flock. Why? Because they 00:23:04.019 --> 00:23:05.779 want to be liked, they want to be admired, they 00:23:05.779 --> 00:23:07.819 want to be with the crowd. So if the crowd says 00:23:07.819 --> 00:23:09.740 this is right, then I say that's right. When 00:23:09.740 --> 00:23:11.480 the crowd says this is wrong, then that's wrong. 00:23:12.149 --> 00:23:15.049 I'm not willing to be that fish who swims upstream 00:23:15.049 --> 00:23:19.829 because of the fear of man. I was afraid of the 00:23:19.829 --> 00:23:22.809 people, so I gave in to them, said Saul to Samuel. 00:23:24.369 --> 00:23:26.569 I was afraid what the people would think, so 00:23:26.569 --> 00:23:30.970 I gave in as he disobeyed the Lord. Friends, 00:23:31.069 --> 00:23:33.670 the fear of man is a form of slavery. J .C. Rowell 00:23:33.670 --> 00:23:36.509 puts it this way. Be courageous, young men. Do 00:23:36.509 --> 00:23:39.170 not worry what the world says or thinks, for 00:23:39.170 --> 00:23:43.190 you will not always be with the world. That's 00:23:43.190 --> 00:23:46.049 good advice. Finally, one last warning for young 00:23:46.049 --> 00:23:48.710 men. And this is a strange one, thoughtlessness. 00:23:50.150 --> 00:23:52.150 Thoughtlessness. Now, maybe this sounds strange, 00:23:52.190 --> 00:23:55.630 but realize when you're young, you have a tendency 00:23:55.630 --> 00:24:00.809 not to take stock of where your life is at. Young 00:24:00.809 --> 00:24:03.589 men often don't look back to acknowledge the 00:24:03.589 --> 00:24:05.869 mistakes that they've made. They often don't 00:24:05.869 --> 00:24:07.930 look around to see what trouble they're in right 00:24:07.930 --> 00:24:10.170 now in the present, and they often don't look 00:24:10.170 --> 00:24:12.529 forward to see where they're trying to go. They 00:24:12.529 --> 00:24:15.450 just live in the moment. Everything is about 00:24:15.450 --> 00:24:19.349 the here and now, nothing else. Think of Esau. 00:24:20.710 --> 00:24:23.609 Think of Esau, a thoughtless man who just had 00:24:23.609 --> 00:24:27.009 to have his brother's stew in that moment because 00:24:27.009 --> 00:24:29.269 of a desire of the flesh. I'm super hungry. Give 00:24:29.269 --> 00:24:31.670 me that stew. I'll give up my entire birthright 00:24:31.670 --> 00:24:35.130 for it, not realizing later on how much he wished 00:24:35.130 --> 00:24:40.210 he had it. Don't think, just hurry, whispers 00:24:40.210 --> 00:24:43.769 Satan. Just hurry. What's the reason to slow 00:24:43.769 --> 00:24:49.009 down, right? Young man, be careful. Don't be 00:24:49.009 --> 00:24:53.130 impulsive. Don't be thoughtless. I could go on 00:24:53.130 --> 00:24:55.630 and on with such things. That's just a small 00:24:55.630 --> 00:24:59.190 sampler, guys, that issues that you're facing 00:24:59.190 --> 00:25:01.930 today and you need to be aware of them. You need 00:25:01.930 --> 00:25:04.470 to be aware. So what I want to do now is go back 00:25:04.470 --> 00:25:07.170 to the text because Paul has a few things to 00:25:07.170 --> 00:25:09.789 say about this as well. So let's look back at 00:25:09.789 --> 00:25:11.859 verses six through eight. and we'll see what 00:25:11.859 --> 00:25:16.980 the divine counsel is for young men. Now, as 00:25:16.980 --> 00:25:19.619 you do that, look at verse 6. You're going to 00:25:19.619 --> 00:25:22.160 notice this word that keeps coming up in each 00:25:22.160 --> 00:25:25.000 of these messages. In verse 6, he says, Likewise, 00:25:25.099 --> 00:25:29.019 urge the young men to be sensible. In the New 00:25:29.019 --> 00:25:32.019 American Standard, sensible. But before we get 00:25:32.019 --> 00:25:34.539 into that, do you see the phrase, in all things, 00:25:34.619 --> 00:25:38.700 at the beginning of verse 7? Grammatically, that... 00:25:39.039 --> 00:25:42.059 That verse number, I think, is not in the right 00:25:42.059 --> 00:25:46.119 place. Grammatically, that phrase, in all things, 00:25:46.200 --> 00:25:48.180 should be attached not to the beginning of verse 00:25:48.180 --> 00:25:50.680 7, but to the end of verse 6. So I'll put this 00:25:50.680 --> 00:25:52.660 on the screen. I think, in my opinion, this is 00:25:52.660 --> 00:25:54.920 actually the way it should read. Likewise, urge 00:25:54.920 --> 00:25:58.660 the young men to be sensible in all things. Show 00:25:58.660 --> 00:26:01.000 yourself to be an example of good deeds. I think 00:26:01.000 --> 00:26:02.960 that's right. That's the point Paul is making. 00:26:03.039 --> 00:26:06.259 Be sensible in every area of your life, men. 00:26:07.420 --> 00:26:10.529 Be sensible. Now, the Greek word for urge there 00:26:10.529 --> 00:26:13.630 is the perfect descriptor. I love this. This 00:26:13.630 --> 00:26:16.569 is when sometimes the Greek language, and by 00:26:16.569 --> 00:26:18.130 the way, let me apologize. I know we've probably 00:26:18.130 --> 00:26:20.750 done more Greek in the last four weeks than in 00:26:20.750 --> 00:26:23.650 the previous entire year, but these definitions 00:26:23.650 --> 00:26:26.009 are so important in the original languages, so 00:26:26.009 --> 00:26:29.829 thanks for bearing with me. But Paul uses parakaleo 00:26:29.829 --> 00:26:33.230 here, and in its most literal form, it means 00:26:33.230 --> 00:26:37.529 to call to one side. Like a father might do a 00:26:37.529 --> 00:26:40.690 son. Son, come here. Let's talk. That's what 00:26:40.690 --> 00:26:42.970 this means. And it's often used in the Bible 00:26:42.970 --> 00:26:46.369 when somebody is imploring somebody or pleading 00:26:46.369 --> 00:26:49.190 with them in some way. So the best way to think 00:26:49.190 --> 00:26:52.109 of this is Paul says, Titus, I want you to call 00:26:52.109 --> 00:26:55.769 the young men of Crete to your side. Come alongside 00:26:55.769 --> 00:26:58.950 them and plead with them to be sensible in every 00:26:58.950 --> 00:27:02.190 area of their life. And so we're back to the 00:27:02.190 --> 00:27:05.170 Greek verb sophroneo, which means to be sensible. 00:27:05.869 --> 00:27:08.150 And Paul has used it in every section. Remember 00:27:08.150 --> 00:27:10.730 in chapter 1, he said elders need to be sensible. 00:27:11.210 --> 00:27:13.470 Then in chapter 2, he said older men need to 00:27:13.470 --> 00:27:15.990 be sensible. And that older women should focus 00:27:15.990 --> 00:27:18.509 on bringing younger women back to their senses 00:27:18.509 --> 00:27:21.690 so that they'll be sensible. So this is a hugely 00:27:21.690 --> 00:27:24.589 important theme. Guys, it's still true today. 00:27:25.009 --> 00:27:27.509 That was not just first century Crete. Still 00:27:27.509 --> 00:27:31.069 true today. God would have all of us live sensibly. 00:27:32.240 --> 00:27:34.720 regardless of the category we're in, young, old, 00:27:34.779 --> 00:27:37.180 male, or female, it doesn't matter, we glorify 00:27:37.180 --> 00:27:39.779 God and we make the body of Christ beautiful 00:27:39.779 --> 00:27:44.460 when we act sensibly. Now, once again, what does 00:27:44.460 --> 00:27:47.000 that word mean? Primarily, it means to be self 00:27:47.000 --> 00:27:51.579 -controlled, to be self -controlled, to have 00:27:51.579 --> 00:27:54.759 your desires and your passions under control, 00:27:54.859 --> 00:27:58.619 to show sound judgment in your choices and decisions. 00:28:00.219 --> 00:28:02.880 So in just this single word, Paul captures the 00:28:02.880 --> 00:28:06.079 main quality that young men need to have if they 00:28:06.079 --> 00:28:08.299 want to live godly lives. Men, do you hear that? 00:28:09.000 --> 00:28:11.319 Paul says, if there's just one word I can use, 00:28:11.519 --> 00:28:15.079 it'd be this one, be self -controlled, be sensible 00:28:15.079 --> 00:28:18.140 in the way you live. And it's a big challenge 00:28:18.140 --> 00:28:22.119 for men in our younger years. Again, I can testify 00:28:22.119 --> 00:28:24.539 to this. It's that stage of life when we are 00:28:24.539 --> 00:28:27.339 impulsive and we are prideful and we are ambitious. 00:28:28.220 --> 00:28:30.259 And at the same time, we're lacking wisdom and 00:28:30.259 --> 00:28:32.759 experience. Can you see what a recipe for disaster 00:28:32.759 --> 00:28:37.759 that is? If it's not under control, this is how 00:28:37.759 --> 00:28:40.359 we get ourselves in trouble. Unrestrained desires 00:28:40.359 --> 00:28:44.880 combined with foolishness and impatience. So 00:28:44.880 --> 00:28:46.799 young men need to learn to have self -control 00:28:46.799 --> 00:28:49.420 so that they don't fall into all the snares and 00:28:49.420 --> 00:28:52.039 traps that are out there. Just waiting for the 00:28:52.039 --> 00:28:56.690 next victim to step in the loop. As an illustration 00:28:56.690 --> 00:29:00.789 of this, back in 2001, a researcher went out 00:29:00.789 --> 00:29:03.849 and wrote a book called Over the Edge. And this 00:29:03.849 --> 00:29:07.349 researcher documented all the deaths that have 00:29:07.349 --> 00:29:11.089 taken place at the Grand Canyon. About 900 people 00:29:11.089 --> 00:29:13.910 have died since they started keeping track of 00:29:13.910 --> 00:29:18.170 it. And on average, 11 people die each year through 00:29:18.170 --> 00:29:21.309 accidents and falls and drowning. People get 00:29:21.309 --> 00:29:23.710 lost and then die of exposure, things like that. 00:29:23.890 --> 00:29:29.819 And guess what? 82 % of the ones who died were 00:29:29.819 --> 00:29:36.799 young men. And we all could have predicted that, 00:29:36.960 --> 00:29:42.039 right? Men who set out in weird ways to prove 00:29:42.039 --> 00:29:44.660 their manhood, but end up making foolish choices 00:29:44.660 --> 00:29:46.940 that cost them their lives and devastate entire 00:29:46.940 --> 00:29:50.579 families. These were young men who were not sensible, 00:29:50.759 --> 00:29:55.240 according to Paul's definition. And again, I 00:29:55.240 --> 00:29:57.559 was once there, putting myself in harm's way 00:29:57.559 --> 00:30:00.400 out of some misplaced need to prove myself as 00:30:00.400 --> 00:30:03.079 a man. It is only by the grace of God that I 00:30:03.079 --> 00:30:07.460 am alive today. And I mean that in all seriousness. 00:30:07.660 --> 00:30:11.079 Multiple near -death experiences because of my 00:30:11.079 --> 00:30:14.359 own foolishness in my late teens and early 20s. 00:30:14.359 --> 00:30:17.579 The grace of God. So younger men, follow the 00:30:17.579 --> 00:30:20.339 example of Paul here. Paul uses himself as a 00:30:20.339 --> 00:30:22.299 great example here. In 1 Corinthians 9, he says 00:30:22.299 --> 00:30:25.809 this. I do not run like one who runs aimlessly 00:30:25.809 --> 00:30:29.410 or box like one beating the air. Instead, I discipline 00:30:29.410 --> 00:30:32.950 my body and bring it under control. That's so 00:30:32.950 --> 00:30:36.029 important. And this is a godly older man who 00:30:36.029 --> 00:30:39.150 has real life experience. And he's telling you, 00:30:39.190 --> 00:30:41.970 look, learn to discipline yourself. Learn to 00:30:41.970 --> 00:30:44.730 control your passions. Walk with consistency 00:30:44.730 --> 00:30:47.569 rather than just bursting out your front door 00:30:47.569 --> 00:30:51.960 every morning and running around aimlessly. which 00:30:51.960 --> 00:30:54.859 is what young men tend to do. What a great example. 00:30:55.380 --> 00:30:57.519 Discipline your body and bring it under control. 00:30:58.579 --> 00:31:00.799 All right, let's look at verse seven. Now there's 00:31:00.799 --> 00:31:03.400 a shift in language at verse seven. Notice Paul 00:31:03.400 --> 00:31:06.319 was sort of speaking generally about young men, 00:31:06.380 --> 00:31:09.799 about being sensible, but now he says, show yourself, 00:31:09.900 --> 00:31:12.660 meaning he's now talking to somebody in particular, 00:31:12.980 --> 00:31:16.059 who's of course Titus, who he's writing to. He's 00:31:16.059 --> 00:31:19.119 like, Titus, show yourself as an example to all 00:31:19.119 --> 00:31:23.230 those young guys on Crete. Okay? And what is 00:31:23.230 --> 00:31:26.529 he exhorting him to do? To be an example to these 00:31:26.529 --> 00:31:28.890 other men. Show them what it looks like to live 00:31:28.890 --> 00:31:32.970 sensibly, to live with self -control. The word 00:31:32.970 --> 00:31:34.930 example there is tupos. It's where we get our 00:31:34.930 --> 00:31:38.789 word type from. We're typology. So Paul is saying 00:31:38.789 --> 00:31:41.569 to Titus, I want you to get out there with the 00:31:41.569 --> 00:31:44.470 guys, and I want you to establish a type of life, 00:31:44.509 --> 00:31:48.730 a pattern of living. that other young men can 00:31:48.730 --> 00:31:51.029 see and go, oh, that's what I'm supposed to be 00:31:51.029 --> 00:31:55.109 doing and imitate it. And that idea of imitation, 00:31:55.349 --> 00:31:57.910 this is foundational, you guys. I know we talked 00:31:57.910 --> 00:31:59.670 a lot about spiritual mothering with the ladies, 00:31:59.809 --> 00:32:03.250 but this is so foundational for men, this idea 00:32:03.250 --> 00:32:05.970 of example and imitation. It's all over the Bible. 00:32:06.109 --> 00:32:08.750 Paul says to the Corinthians, he says, I exhort 00:32:08.750 --> 00:32:12.619 you, be imitators of me. And then later in chapter 00:32:12.619 --> 00:32:15.559 11, he adds this important disclaimer, just as 00:32:15.559 --> 00:32:20.259 I imitate Christ. And we need mature men to do 00:32:20.259 --> 00:32:23.420 this, to be examples to the younger men and say, 00:32:23.519 --> 00:32:26.140 imitate me as I imitate Christ. Don't just do 00:32:26.140 --> 00:32:28.660 what I do, do it because I follow Christ, right? 00:32:28.759 --> 00:32:31.359 That's important. In Philippians 3, Paul writes 00:32:31.359 --> 00:32:34.619 again, brothers, join in following my example 00:32:34.619 --> 00:32:38.039 and observe those who walk according to the pattern 00:32:38.039 --> 00:32:42.779 you have in us as apostles. Walk in that pattern. 00:32:44.079 --> 00:32:46.480 Okay? You know what this means, young guys? You've 00:32:46.480 --> 00:32:49.140 got to get to know some older guys. You've got 00:32:49.140 --> 00:32:51.700 to observe. You've got to pay attention. Ask 00:32:51.700 --> 00:32:54.720 questions. Do you know how much older guys like 00:32:54.720 --> 00:32:58.140 getting questions? And then we start into our 00:32:58.140 --> 00:33:00.819 stories. Well, when I was young, I had to walk 00:33:00.819 --> 00:33:05.480 to school in the snow. But we love it. Come ask 00:33:05.480 --> 00:33:10.289 us questions. Oh, we've got stuff to share. And 00:33:10.289 --> 00:33:14.170 then we also find Paul writing in his other pastoral 00:33:14.170 --> 00:33:16.869 letter to another young man, Timothy. He says 00:33:16.869 --> 00:33:19.529 this, let no one look down on your youthfulness, 00:33:19.650 --> 00:33:22.690 Timothy. And that's important too. Because sometimes 00:33:22.690 --> 00:33:25.730 young men feel judged. No, don't let people look 00:33:25.730 --> 00:33:29.170 down on you. But if you want to be respected, 00:33:29.210 --> 00:33:33.049 do this. In speech, conduct, love, faith, and 00:33:33.049 --> 00:33:35.490 purity, show yourself an example to those who 00:33:35.490 --> 00:33:38.920 believe. What a great list that is, right? In 00:33:38.920 --> 00:33:41.559 the way you speak, in your lifestyle, in your 00:33:41.559 --> 00:33:44.519 love, in your faithfulness, in your sexual purity, 00:33:44.700 --> 00:33:48.019 in all those areas of life, Timothy, you be a 00:33:48.019 --> 00:33:52.380 pattern for others to look at and imitate. And 00:33:52.380 --> 00:33:54.039 listen, this is a pattern of life in the church 00:33:54.039 --> 00:33:56.480 that we need to live out, even today, right? 00:33:56.819 --> 00:33:58.880 Those who are mature in the faith, setting the 00:33:58.880 --> 00:34:02.960 example. Young men slowing down long enough to 00:34:02.960 --> 00:34:05.900 look. Right? Because I know you're impulsive. 00:34:05.900 --> 00:34:08.139 You're ambitious. I got things to do, places 00:34:08.139 --> 00:34:11.039 to be. Slow down long enough to see the example 00:34:11.039 --> 00:34:15.059 of older, wiser men. But then let me also challenge 00:34:15.059 --> 00:34:20.260 you with this. You too are an example. I don't 00:34:20.260 --> 00:34:22.219 want you to step away from this going, oh, well, 00:34:22.320 --> 00:34:24.519 my only responsibility is to look and imitate. 00:34:24.719 --> 00:34:28.059 No, you're an example too. You can be an example 00:34:28.059 --> 00:34:30.420 to your peers, by the way. If you're growing 00:34:30.420 --> 00:34:33.369 in maturity, be an example to your peers. But 00:34:33.369 --> 00:34:36.030 secondly, if you're in your, and you may say, 00:34:36.050 --> 00:34:38.909 look, I'm in my late 20s, my early 30s. I'm too 00:34:38.909 --> 00:34:41.809 young to be an example. Guys, there's already 00:34:41.809 --> 00:34:46.230 a generation coming behind you. There are youth. 00:34:46.349 --> 00:34:48.829 There are 17, 18 -year -olds. There are college 00:34:48.829 --> 00:34:52.250 students who are looking to you. If you're in 00:34:52.250 --> 00:34:55.269 that upper 20s, early 30s, they're looking at 00:34:55.269 --> 00:34:57.550 you because you're the next step ahead of them. 00:34:58.389 --> 00:35:01.329 So know that your life is on display. This is 00:35:01.329 --> 00:35:04.050 a responsibility for everybody in the body to 00:35:04.050 --> 00:35:06.269 know that our lives are on display for others 00:35:06.269 --> 00:35:10.010 to see and to imitate. I'll give you a quote 00:35:10.010 --> 00:35:12.429 from Dr. MacArthur who always sort of summarizes 00:35:12.429 --> 00:35:15.469 things so well. He says, to convince a man that 00:35:15.469 --> 00:35:18.230 God can save, I need to show him a man he saved. 00:35:20.030 --> 00:35:22.409 To convince a man that God can give hope, I need 00:35:22.409 --> 00:35:25.869 to show him a man with hope. To convince a man 00:35:25.869 --> 00:35:28.469 that God can give complete and total and utter 00:35:28.469 --> 00:35:31.320 satisfaction, I need to show him a satisfied 00:35:31.320 --> 00:35:36.099 man. We demonstrate the beauty of a saving God 00:35:36.099 --> 00:35:40.780 by showing saved lives. Sinners have to see the 00:35:40.780 --> 00:35:43.199 transforming power of Christ's presence, not 00:35:43.199 --> 00:35:46.099 in some clever technique, but in someone's life. 00:35:47.679 --> 00:35:51.940 That's brilliant. So the example matters. The 00:35:51.940 --> 00:35:54.179 example matters, the observing matters, the imitation 00:35:54.179 --> 00:35:58.289 matters. This is the life of the church. So now 00:35:58.289 --> 00:36:00.110 let's ask the question, in what ways is Paul 00:36:00.110 --> 00:36:02.550 telling Titus to set an example? Well, there's 00:36:02.550 --> 00:36:05.409 four things here in verses 7 and 8. And let's 00:36:05.409 --> 00:36:08.070 start with the foundational one. Show the young 00:36:08.070 --> 00:36:11.190 men, Titus, what it means to have purity of doctrine. 00:36:11.309 --> 00:36:14.329 This is what it's built on, purity of doctrine. 00:36:15.650 --> 00:36:17.809 Now, two definitions here. First, the word for 00:36:17.809 --> 00:36:21.409 doctrine, didaskalia, really just means teaching 00:36:21.409 --> 00:36:25.469 or instruction. To be a godly man, listen now. 00:36:26.030 --> 00:36:29.210 To be a godly young man, you must build your 00:36:29.210 --> 00:36:31.670 life on teaching that is consistent with the 00:36:31.670 --> 00:36:35.889 scriptures. You must build your life on teaching 00:36:35.889 --> 00:36:38.449 that is consistent with the scriptures. Paul 00:36:38.449 --> 00:36:42.690 adds that qualifier, pure teaching, right? In 00:36:42.690 --> 00:36:45.170 the Greek word there for pure means uncorrupted. 00:36:46.670 --> 00:36:50.730 Doctrine, teaching that is not tainted by falsehood, 00:36:50.750 --> 00:36:53.929 not stained by false teachers. teaching that 00:36:53.929 --> 00:36:57.190 is truly divine, as perfect as God himself is. 00:36:57.730 --> 00:37:00.550 That's what we seek out, to build as a foundation, 00:37:00.889 --> 00:37:04.969 young men, for godly living, scripture. There's 00:37:04.969 --> 00:37:07.949 no substitute for this, by the way, for knowing 00:37:07.949 --> 00:37:09.769 truth and then living it out with integrity. 00:37:10.510 --> 00:37:13.110 There's no magical pill you can take to just 00:37:13.110 --> 00:37:16.190 go, oh, there's no AI that you can, you know. 00:37:17.179 --> 00:37:19.440 conjure up to put it in your brain and have it 00:37:19.440 --> 00:37:21.679 lived out in your life. Sorry, you've got to 00:37:21.679 --> 00:37:23.239 study the word. You've got to know the word. 00:37:23.280 --> 00:37:25.900 You've got to live the word if you want to be 00:37:25.900 --> 00:37:29.460 that godly young man. So that's the foundation 00:37:29.460 --> 00:37:33.059 for sensible living. Pure doctrine, fundamental 00:37:33.059 --> 00:37:37.619 teaching, uncorrupted truth. Make sense? Don't 00:37:37.619 --> 00:37:40.659 skip that part. Then second, Titus, show the 00:37:40.659 --> 00:37:42.789 young man. The young man, what it looks like 00:37:42.789 --> 00:37:44.670 to be dignified. Now, this is kind of a strange 00:37:44.670 --> 00:37:48.030 one. This is the Greek word semnades, meaning 00:37:48.030 --> 00:37:50.150 something that's worthy of reverence, worthy 00:37:50.150 --> 00:37:53.949 of respect. And the way this sentence is constructed 00:37:53.949 --> 00:37:56.409 in the Greek grammatically, it's a little bit 00:37:56.409 --> 00:37:58.690 strange. I think Paul is connecting the sense 00:37:58.690 --> 00:38:02.010 of dignity to the way that pure doctrine should 00:38:02.010 --> 00:38:06.289 be communicated. In the way you communicate your 00:38:06.289 --> 00:38:10.269 teaching, be dignified. Do it with all seriousness, 00:38:10.550 --> 00:38:12.949 Titus. If you're gonna proclaim sound doctrine, 00:38:13.070 --> 00:38:16.809 do it with all seriousness. Teach doctrine in 00:38:16.809 --> 00:38:19.329 a way that commands respect for the word and 00:38:19.329 --> 00:38:23.250 submission to its authority. So Titus, be sober 00:38:23.250 --> 00:38:25.010 -minded about this when it comes to teaching 00:38:25.010 --> 00:38:28.130 the word. Be dignified. Now does that mean we 00:38:28.130 --> 00:38:30.869 can't have a sense of humor and laugh? We've 00:38:30.869 --> 00:38:33.130 already done that this morning, right? That too 00:38:33.130 --> 00:38:36.030 is a gift from God. So it's not that we have 00:38:36.030 --> 00:38:38.949 to be humorless. But it does mean in living life 00:38:38.949 --> 00:38:44.349 together, we take truth seriously. We give the 00:38:44.349 --> 00:38:47.690 teaching of God's word its place as a time of 00:38:47.690 --> 00:38:54.170 sacred sharing in the sense of reverence as we 00:38:54.170 --> 00:38:56.750 listen to his word preached. And that's important. 00:38:57.110 --> 00:39:00.050 So dignify. Third thing, Titus, be an example 00:39:00.050 --> 00:39:03.489 of good deeds for young men. Be an example of 00:39:03.489 --> 00:39:08.550 good deeds. Now, here, Paul has a specific point. 00:39:08.630 --> 00:39:13.309 He's not saying teach, teach sound doctrine. 00:39:13.369 --> 00:39:15.550 He's saying, I want you to live sound doctrine, 00:39:15.670 --> 00:39:19.289 okay? I want you to live this out. His point 00:39:19.289 --> 00:39:21.190 is practical. You believe in sound doctrine, 00:39:21.349 --> 00:39:24.170 good. You proclaim sound doctrine, great. Now 00:39:24.170 --> 00:39:27.230 walk in sound doctrine. Let your deeds be evidence 00:39:27.230 --> 00:39:29.989 of all. Let your actions be consistent with what 00:39:29.989 --> 00:39:32.650 you believe and what you say. How important is 00:39:32.650 --> 00:39:34.809 this in our world we live in today as a witness? 00:39:36.289 --> 00:39:38.829 We profess Christ. We put ourselves out there. 00:39:38.909 --> 00:39:41.590 But do we walk in the things that we believe? 00:39:41.670 --> 00:39:44.130 Do we walk in the things that we say? The world 00:39:44.130 --> 00:39:45.929 is watching. We talked about that last Sunday. 00:39:46.429 --> 00:39:50.849 And they smell hypocrisy, don't they? So walk 00:39:50.849 --> 00:39:53.929 in your doctrine. Engage in good deeds for the 00:39:53.929 --> 00:39:55.690 glory of God and for the good of your neighbor, 00:39:55.889 --> 00:39:58.530 for the good of your fellow believer. Titus, 00:39:58.530 --> 00:40:01.030 your life should be full of this visible good 00:40:01.030 --> 00:40:03.789 works that all the young men in Crete can see 00:40:03.789 --> 00:40:08.400 and imitate. I think what Paul is doing here 00:40:08.400 --> 00:40:11.360 is he's sort of drawing a contrast. Remember 00:40:11.360 --> 00:40:13.800 in chapter one, he addressed the false teachers 00:40:13.800 --> 00:40:16.940 and he said, they profess to know Christ, but 00:40:16.940 --> 00:40:20.380 by their deeds, they what? They deny him, being 00:40:20.380 --> 00:40:23.800 disobedient. So he's saying, look, Titus, make 00:40:23.800 --> 00:40:26.619 the contrast obvious because the men in Crete 00:40:26.619 --> 00:40:29.079 are watching. Make it obvious. Let the young 00:40:29.079 --> 00:40:32.579 men see the disobedience of those wolves, but 00:40:32.579 --> 00:40:34.519 then let them see the genuine Christian love 00:40:34.519 --> 00:40:38.250 and service in you. And that's important for 00:40:38.250 --> 00:40:41.489 us as well. And listen, friends, we should, you 00:40:41.489 --> 00:40:44.989 know, we often make fun of all other belief systems 00:40:44.989 --> 00:40:48.469 about good works, but we should understand that 00:40:48.469 --> 00:40:52.269 the command to excel in good deeds matters. Don't 00:40:52.269 --> 00:40:56.210 fall into the trap of easy believism. Trusting 00:40:56.210 --> 00:40:58.650 in Christ and doing good deeds go hand in hand. 00:40:59.610 --> 00:41:03.070 They do. We're not saved by our good deeds, but 00:41:03.070 --> 00:41:06.360 we're saved for good deeds. And the best way 00:41:06.360 --> 00:41:09.199 to understand this, we have this amazing chapter. 00:41:09.820 --> 00:41:12.579 When someone says, why do you believe that we 00:41:12.579 --> 00:41:14.519 can be saved by grace alone through faith alone? 00:41:14.719 --> 00:41:17.280 We almost immediately jump to Ephesians 2, right? 00:41:17.420 --> 00:41:20.099 And we should. What does it say? By grace you've 00:41:20.099 --> 00:41:22.360 been saved through faith and that not of yourselves. 00:41:22.739 --> 00:41:25.400 It's the gift of God, not as a result of work, 00:41:25.460 --> 00:41:28.880 so that no one may boast. And we say, amen, that's 00:41:28.880 --> 00:41:32.480 wonderful. What's the next verse say? How often 00:41:32.480 --> 00:41:35.440 do we forget this? What does it say? For we are 00:41:35.440 --> 00:41:38.440 his workmanship, created in Christ Jesus for 00:41:38.440 --> 00:41:42.860 good works. It's all right there in just three 00:41:42.860 --> 00:41:45.980 verses. We're saved by grace through faith alone, 00:41:46.139 --> 00:41:50.239 but we're saved for good works. So don't be surprised 00:41:50.239 --> 00:41:54.219 when you see a verse in Titus 2 like this. Listen, 00:41:54.300 --> 00:41:56.340 we are going to keep preaching the Reformation 00:41:56.340 --> 00:41:59.539 doctrine of justification by faith alone, but 00:41:59.539 --> 00:42:03.610 we dare not promote a dead orthodoxy. Where belief 00:42:03.610 --> 00:42:06.230 doesn't translate into practical work for God's 00:42:06.230 --> 00:42:09.849 glory, right? Amen? Make sure we get that balanced 00:42:09.849 --> 00:42:14.710 well. Last thing. Fourth thing, Titus. Show the 00:42:14.710 --> 00:42:19.190 young men how to be sound in speech. The type 00:42:19.190 --> 00:42:21.650 of speech that's beyond reproach, that cannot 00:42:21.650 --> 00:42:24.869 be condemned by the world because of its virtue. 00:42:25.929 --> 00:42:29.610 Now, the word used here for speech is not actual 00:42:29.610 --> 00:42:33.139 formal teaching. Paul uses the very well -known 00:42:33.139 --> 00:42:36.519 Greek word logos here, which is just the simple 00:42:36.519 --> 00:42:39.699 Greek word for words. So what he's talking about 00:42:39.699 --> 00:42:42.599 here is everyday speech, everyday conversations. 00:42:43.599 --> 00:42:47.360 In all of your conversations, make sure that 00:42:47.360 --> 00:42:51.079 it's sound. What does sound mean in Titus? Healthy. 00:42:52.139 --> 00:42:54.119 Same, right? Remember we talked about the Greek 00:42:54.119 --> 00:42:57.260 word is the same word we have for hygiene. Sound 00:42:57.260 --> 00:43:00.599 speech is healthy speech. Remember what Paul 00:43:00.599 --> 00:43:02.940 said to the Ephesian church? Let no unwholesome 00:43:02.940 --> 00:43:05.619 word or foul language proceed from your mouth, 00:43:05.800 --> 00:43:09.320 but only, only what is good for building up someone 00:43:09.320 --> 00:43:12.159 in need so that it gives grace to those who hear. 00:43:12.719 --> 00:43:14.960 That should mark our speech together. Again, 00:43:14.980 --> 00:43:17.340 does that mean we can't joke around? Of course 00:43:17.340 --> 00:43:19.699 not. Does that mean we can't tell lighthearted 00:43:19.699 --> 00:43:22.579 stories or have lighthearted conversations? Of 00:43:22.579 --> 00:43:25.139 course not. It just means that in all of our 00:43:25.139 --> 00:43:28.610 communication, we honor God as we talk. And we 00:43:28.610 --> 00:43:30.610 acknowledge that we have this shared relationship 00:43:30.610 --> 00:43:34.849 in him, that it matters. This is what Paul means 00:43:34.849 --> 00:43:36.829 by sound. Our words should be health -giving. 00:43:38.070 --> 00:43:39.989 Even when we tell stories, even when we tell 00:43:39.989 --> 00:43:44.809 jokes, even when we talk about the Dodgers. Especially. 00:43:45.809 --> 00:43:49.650 It should be health -giving. Let your speech 00:43:49.650 --> 00:43:52.170 be wholesome. Even if it's for fun, let it be 00:43:52.170 --> 00:43:55.880 wholesome. Right? Let it be edifying. Let it 00:43:55.880 --> 00:44:00.280 not be crass or useless. Let it be beyond reproach. 00:44:00.280 --> 00:44:02.559 So that if anybody in the world hears you talking 00:44:02.559 --> 00:44:04.659 to a believer, they're gonna say, oh, that's 00:44:04.659 --> 00:44:07.099 interesting, that's different. Or they say, man, 00:44:07.159 --> 00:44:09.079 aren't those guys Christians? I thought they 00:44:09.079 --> 00:44:10.960 were supposed to be different. You guys sound 00:44:10.960 --> 00:44:15.480 just like me and my friends. We need to be distinct 00:44:15.480 --> 00:44:19.480 in that. Sound in speech. And then that brings 00:44:19.480 --> 00:44:20.940 us to what I would call the purpose statement 00:44:20.940 --> 00:44:23.179 of this whole section about young men. Look at 00:44:23.179 --> 00:44:26.739 the end of verse eight. If young men are sensible 00:44:26.739 --> 00:44:31.280 and self -controlled, if they're engaged in good 00:44:31.280 --> 00:44:34.079 deeds that come out of pure doctrine, if they're 00:44:34.079 --> 00:44:36.199 acting with dignity and soundness in the way 00:44:36.199 --> 00:44:38.719 they speak to each other, then Paul says anyone 00:44:38.719 --> 00:44:42.019 who's hostile to the faith, any opponent is going 00:44:42.019 --> 00:44:43.599 to be put to shame because they don't have anything 00:44:43.599 --> 00:44:48.320 bad to say about you. Now, Paul's point here 00:44:48.320 --> 00:44:49.760 isn't that, well, look, if you do everything 00:44:49.760 --> 00:44:52.340 really well, that your opponents are going to 00:44:52.340 --> 00:44:54.380 go away. Or they're going to stop persecuting 00:44:54.380 --> 00:44:56.099 you. That's not what he's saying. In fact, it 00:44:56.099 --> 00:44:59.179 may get worse, right? They may persecute you 00:44:59.179 --> 00:45:01.940 even more. His point is, if we're handling our 00:45:01.940 --> 00:45:05.000 business spiritually as a church, our enemies 00:45:05.000 --> 00:45:07.260 are going to be at a loss when they try to criticize 00:45:07.260 --> 00:45:10.679 us. They're going to go, I don't have any ammunition 00:45:10.679 --> 00:45:13.679 to shoot at these Christians because we haven't 00:45:13.679 --> 00:45:17.059 handed them any ammunition. And we tend to do 00:45:17.059 --> 00:45:21.820 that far too often. In fact, in order to come 00:45:21.820 --> 00:45:24.360 after us, they'd have to make stuff up if we 00:45:24.360 --> 00:45:26.900 were this pure. They'd have to lie about us, 00:45:26.940 --> 00:45:28.800 and then when their lies get exposed, they're 00:45:28.800 --> 00:45:31.980 put to shame in their untruths. That's the point 00:45:31.980 --> 00:45:34.440 that Paul is making here. And the thing to realize 00:45:34.440 --> 00:45:37.179 about this, and we all felt this before, we either 00:45:37.179 --> 00:45:41.099 rise or fall together on this because the hypocrisy 00:45:41.099 --> 00:45:44.619 of one Christian affects all of us. We've all 00:45:44.619 --> 00:45:46.880 felt that before. You're like, oh, really, that 00:45:46.880 --> 00:45:49.880 guy fell? You know, I'm witnessing to my friend 00:45:49.880 --> 00:45:51.960 at work, and now there's this scandal, right? 00:45:52.079 --> 00:45:54.159 It affects all of us, so we're all responsible 00:45:54.159 --> 00:45:57.440 for this. All of that hypocrisy casts a shadow 00:45:57.440 --> 00:46:00.699 over the church, and it gives unbelievers an 00:46:00.699 --> 00:46:03.219 excuse in their heart to reject Jesus, and we 00:46:03.219 --> 00:46:05.539 don't want to give them that excuse. We don't 00:46:05.539 --> 00:46:07.440 want to give them that ammunition to shoot at 00:46:07.440 --> 00:46:10.480 us. So this responsibility falls on all of us, 00:46:10.500 --> 00:46:13.239 and let me just say, because I think Paul's hinting 00:46:13.239 --> 00:46:15.519 at this, it falls on young men in particular. 00:46:16.750 --> 00:46:18.690 because of where you're at in the stage of your 00:46:18.690 --> 00:46:22.349 life. So guys, don't let our enemies speak evil 00:46:22.349 --> 00:46:24.329 against us. Don't give them that ammunition. 00:46:27.949 --> 00:46:33.150 Okay, I don't know. I forgot my watch this morning. 00:46:33.190 --> 00:46:35.489 Wow, I know I'm running out of time. I can't 00:46:35.489 --> 00:46:38.929 see well, but Grant's like, yes. Okay, so let 00:46:38.929 --> 00:46:42.789 me wrap this up. All right, let me say, first 00:46:42.789 --> 00:46:45.739 of all, I said to my wife this morning, this 00:46:45.739 --> 00:46:51.239 message is hard on the young guys. So, sorry, 00:46:51.360 --> 00:46:56.119 not sorry. There's been a lot of warnings and 00:46:56.119 --> 00:46:59.039 challenges here, but I honestly, from the bottom 00:46:59.039 --> 00:47:02.559 of my heart, as an older guy, I urge you to heed 00:47:02.559 --> 00:47:06.019 them and to not think of yourself as wise and 00:47:06.019 --> 00:47:09.519 invincible right now. or unable to learn things 00:47:09.519 --> 00:47:12.320 anymore or to think that you've got it all figured 00:47:12.320 --> 00:47:17.000 out. Take the dangers seriously. Take the challenges 00:47:17.000 --> 00:47:19.079 seriously. If you won't take them from me, will 00:47:19.079 --> 00:47:22.340 you take them from J .C. Ryle? A far greater 00:47:22.340 --> 00:47:25.840 man than I. But let me also share with you before 00:47:25.840 --> 00:47:29.380 we go this encouragement. Young men, you guys 00:47:29.380 --> 00:47:31.659 have some incredible opportunities in front of 00:47:31.659 --> 00:47:35.719 you. This is such a sweet and rich season for 00:47:35.719 --> 00:47:39.159 you. Honestly, I wish as I was writing this, 00:47:39.219 --> 00:47:41.860 I was like, I wish I could go back. With the 00:47:41.860 --> 00:47:45.320 knowledge I have now and go back and redo, Lord, 00:47:45.559 --> 00:47:48.559 can I get a redo? It doesn't work that way, but 00:47:48.559 --> 00:47:52.119 I wish. Young man, your ministry in the church 00:47:52.119 --> 00:47:56.320 is so important right now. Your leadership in 00:47:56.320 --> 00:47:59.679 the home is so desperately needed today. And 00:47:59.679 --> 00:48:02.139 this is why I want you to avoid all these traps 00:48:02.139 --> 00:48:05.139 and snares. because you're desperately needed. 00:48:05.239 --> 00:48:07.380 If you will seek to put the Lord first in your 00:48:07.380 --> 00:48:11.440 life in these coming years, which are so formational, 00:48:11.639 --> 00:48:15.500 you can build healthy marriages and you can lead 00:48:15.500 --> 00:48:18.179 families that will flourish under God's gracious 00:48:18.179 --> 00:48:20.929 hand. You'll have a chance to make a huge impact 00:48:20.929 --> 00:48:23.389 on the lives of the people around you, a chance 00:48:23.389 --> 00:48:26.269 to step into important roles and minister to 00:48:26.269 --> 00:48:29.429 so many other people. Young men, please do not 00:48:29.429 --> 00:48:31.469 sit out there and go, well, look, we've got these 00:48:31.469 --> 00:48:33.530 older guys, and the calling is for them. No, 00:48:33.530 --> 00:48:36.889 the calling is for you. And the preparation starts 00:48:36.889 --> 00:48:40.809 today. And I'll close with this, and this may 00:48:40.809 --> 00:48:44.150 shock you. The church is counting on you. Young 00:48:44.150 --> 00:48:48.170 men, the church is counting on you. The rest 00:48:48.170 --> 00:48:51.230 of us in this church are counting on you. You 00:48:51.230 --> 00:48:57.469 know why? Because I won't be here forever. I 00:48:57.469 --> 00:49:00.329 won't. And some of our other elders who I know 00:49:00.329 --> 00:49:03.329 you love and I know you admire and you count 00:49:03.329 --> 00:49:05.989 on, they're aging too and they won't be here 00:49:05.989 --> 00:49:12.869 forever. So what then? We're counting on a younger 00:49:12.869 --> 00:49:16.579 generation of men. Who will look at the scriptures 00:49:16.579 --> 00:49:19.980 and take these commands and these exhortations 00:49:19.980 --> 00:49:23.300 to heart. We're looking for a generation of men 00:49:23.300 --> 00:49:26.099 who will answer the call that God has on their 00:49:26.099 --> 00:49:30.659 life to step into roles that are needed to advance 00:49:30.659 --> 00:49:34.900 the kingdom of God in this place. So I'm looking 00:49:34.900 --> 00:49:37.940 at you young men. We need you. We're counting 00:49:37.940 --> 00:49:42.500 on you. Because I'm getting old. And we're praying 00:49:42.500 --> 00:49:46.440 for you. Us older guys are praying for you that 00:49:46.440 --> 00:49:49.739 God would raise up this next generation of faithful 00:49:49.739 --> 00:49:52.960 men. So let's bow our heads and we'll pray for 00:49:52.960 --> 00:50:01.840 them now. Lord, what a privilege it is to look 00:50:01.840 --> 00:50:05.519 into the text of your word and to see these generational 00:50:05.519 --> 00:50:10.119 concepts come to the top and to... And to trust, 00:50:10.159 --> 00:50:12.039 Lord, as we always do, that you're sovereign 00:50:12.039 --> 00:50:14.000 and that you are building your church and you 00:50:14.000 --> 00:50:16.800 will not let it fail and that you're raising 00:50:16.800 --> 00:50:21.780 up men to answer that call and to step into these 00:50:21.780 --> 00:50:26.340 important roles of leadership. And, Lord, as 00:50:26.340 --> 00:50:30.059 an older man and with my fellow older men here, 00:50:30.179 --> 00:50:32.760 Lord, we're thankful for the leadership you've 00:50:32.760 --> 00:50:34.420 brought to Oak Hill. Even in a church of our 00:50:34.420 --> 00:50:37.280 size, you've given us some godly men. We're grateful 00:50:37.280 --> 00:50:40.420 for that, Lord. And now we pray for all the guys 00:50:40.420 --> 00:50:42.280 that are out here in this congregation in their 00:50:42.280 --> 00:50:45.400 late 20s, early 30s, that, Lord, they would not 00:50:45.400 --> 00:50:49.860 take this message, these exhortations lightly, 00:50:49.960 --> 00:50:54.039 but they would begin to pray and ask you to give 00:50:54.039 --> 00:50:56.679 them a vision for what roles you have for them 00:50:56.679 --> 00:50:58.840 in the church, that they might be shaken from 00:50:58.840 --> 00:51:01.860 any lethargy they might have about the importance 00:51:01.860 --> 00:51:04.949 of this role for men in the church. Lord, that 00:51:04.949 --> 00:51:07.449 you would do a great work. We pray for these 00:51:07.449 --> 00:51:10.190 young guys. We pray, Lord, and ask that you would 00:51:10.190 --> 00:51:13.210 raise up the right men who can lead this church 00:51:13.210 --> 00:51:16.110 into the future. So thank you for doing that, 00:51:16.170 --> 00:51:18.510 Lord. Again, as I say, we always trust that you 00:51:18.510 --> 00:51:21.269 are sovereign at work in us. We just know that 00:51:21.269 --> 00:51:23.130 sometimes we don't have because we don't ask, 00:51:23.210 --> 00:51:26.090 so we ask. And we thank you, Lord, that you hear 00:51:26.090 --> 00:51:30.949 our prayers. To you be all glory for this time 00:51:30.949 --> 00:51:33.630 that we have together this morning. In Jesus' 00:51:33.750 --> 00:51:35.690 name we pray. Amen.