Behavior That Fits – part 1
Titus 2:1-10 (1-5)
May 11, 2025
Well tonight let’s jump back into our study of the book of Titus.
We did look at a couple of verses this morning in honor of Mother’s Day, and we’ll go back through them a little here in this text, but let’s dive back into the book study now.
To remind you of what is going on in Titus.
• Titus is the protégé of Paul.
• He has been left on the Island of Crete
• And he is there to put the churches back in order and to appoint elders
And we spent several weeks discussing
What he was to look for in elders and why they were necessary.
But there is a greater theme at work here in the book of Titus.
We have called this study, “Adorning The Gospel”.
The overall point to be made is that
Not only must the believers on Crete learn to preach the gospel,
But they must also live lives that work in tandem with the gospel.
And I think you all understand this.
Have you ever been perplexed by someone who professes to be a Christian and then has terrible behavior?
• Maybe someone who claims Christianity but they engage in sexual
immorality?
• Maybe someone who claims Christianity but they have a foul mouth?
• Maybe someone who claims Christianity but they have no commitment to the
local church?
And you sort of walk away scratching your head
Because you don’t really know what to do with such a person.
Certainly we know that
• No believer is absolutely sinless.
• Even genuine believers can in fact fall into sin.
We have all read the book of 1 Corinthians where we saw a church with more problems than one can shake a stick at:
• Divisions
• Lawsuits
• Prostitution
• Idolatry
• Gender confusion
• Drunkenness
• Incest
• Gifts out of control
• Denying the resurrection
They had problems, but Paul still recognized them as a church.
So we understand that even a believer who is currently in sin
Can still be a genuine believer.
THE PROBLEM IS that their testimony is confusing.
Their life does not match the gospel they claim to believe.
And not only is it confusing to you,
But it is absolutely detrimental to their witness to the lost.
What is a lost person supposed to do with a professing Christian who is living in sexual immorality?
What is a lost person supposed to do with a professing Christian who spews foul language?
What is a lost person supposed to do with a professing Christian who never goes to church?
Do you see the problem?
THEIR TESTIMONY IS SHOT.
NOW we certainly understand the necessity of gospel preaching.
• We studied it Wednesday night, you read the insert in your bulletin this morning.
Romans 10:14 “How then will they call on Him in whom they have not believed? How will they believe in Him whom they have not heard? And how will they hear without a preacher?”
We understand that preaching is essential.
• You’ll never do enough good works to supplant the necessity of preaching.
• You’ll never love someone enough to save them without giving them the gospel.
But at the same time we understand that
There must be consistent living with the gospel we preach.
I think in many circles this is a little misunderstood.
People agree that we must live lives consistent with the gospel,
But I’m not sure there is an accurate understanding
As to what that means.
We were driving back from Gainesville Sunday and listening to Casting Crowns and a song I hadn’t heard in a long time came on.
He sang:
“When we love, we earn the right to speak the truth.
When we speak truth, we show the world we really love.”
Not a bad lyric, but not totally right either.
First of all, you do not need to “earn the right” to speak the truth.
• The truth deserves to be spoken, even from unworthy vessels.
• Christ deserves to be proclaimed.
• Every man is obligated to hear it because they have been created by God.
• So we aren’t trying to earn the right to speak truth.
But also I would point out that being loving or caring or accepting
Is not the chief adornment we put on the gospel we preach.
If you want to support the gospel you preach.
If you want to truly adorn the gospel you proclaim.
THEN OBEY IT.
In short, “Practice What You Preach”.
You may be “loving”, but if you are not also obedient
YOUR GOSPEL WILL HAVE NO POWER
We believe the gospel changes lives
So it must be preached by those who can also testify to a change.
• Be loving yes
• Be caring yes
• But be holy
Failure to do this and you render your testimony ineffective.
Paul told Timothy:
1 Timothy 4:12-16 “Let no one look down on your youthfulness, but rather in speech, conduct, love, faith and purity, show yourself an example of those who believe. Until I come, give attention to the public reading of Scripture, to exhortation and teaching. Do not neglect the spiritual gift within you, which was bestowed on you through prophetic utterance with the laying on of hands by the presbytery. Take pains with these things; be absorbed in them, so that your progress will be evident to all. Pay close attention to yourself and to your teaching; persevere in these things, for as you do this you will ensure salvation both for yourself and for those who hear you.”
It wasn’t just his teaching that he needed to pay close attention to,
But also his example of “love, faith, and purity”.
Or how about the negative example of the Jews?
Romans 2:21-24 “you, therefore, who teach another, do you not teach yourself? You who preach that one shall not steal, do you steal? You who say that one should not commit adultery, do you commit adultery? You who abhor idols, do you rob temples? You who boast in the Law, through your breaking the Law, do you dishonor God? For “THE NAME OF GOD IS BLASPHEMED AMONG THE GENTILES BECAUSE OF YOU,” just as it is written.”
That makes the point doesn’t it?
If you go out and preach against sin while living in sin,
I don’t care how loving you are to sinners,
You will blaspheme the name of God and the gospel you proclaim.
• If you’re going to call people to repentance then you need to be repentant.
• If you’re going to call people to faith in Christ then you need faith in Christ.
• If you’re going to call people to obedience then you need to be obedient.
Otherwise your message is nothing but hot air.
Consider what Jesus said:
Matthew 23:1-3 “Then Jesus spoke to the crowds and to His disciples, saying: “The scribes and the Pharisees have seated themselves in the chair of Moses; therefore all that they tell you, do and observe, but do not do according to their deeds; for they say things and do not do them.”
You see the problem again.
Right message, wrong behavior.
“they say things and do not do them.”
And their message falls on deaf ears.
The call of the book of Titus is to address this problem.
It is not only to call men to proclaim the gospel,
But to address the lifestyle of the one who proclaims it.
IT IS TO MAKE SURE THAT
• When the gospel is preached
• And the lost start examining the church to see if the gospel is real,
• That they are blown away by the difference they see in the redeemed.
That the gospel they are hearing matches the gospel they are seeing.
I hope you realize that about yourself.
• People are watching you
• You are the evidence that the gospel is true.
Paul wrote:
2 Corinthians 3:1-3 “Are we beginning to commend ourselves again? Or do we need, as some, letters of commendation to you or from you? You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men; being manifested that you are a letter of Christ, cared for by us, written not with ink but with the Spirit of the living God, not on tablets of stone but on tablets of human hearts.”
There you see the same principle.
When Paul spoke of the credentials behind his gospel ministry,
• He didn’t point to miracles he had worked,
• He didn’t point to his ability to speak in tongues.
When Paul wanted to give evidence of the power of his gospel ministry
He offered men the letter of the Corinthian lives.
“You are our letter, written in our hearts, known and read by all men”
Their lives were meant to be the testimony.
YOU GET THE POINT.
The testimony that you offer of a life-changing gospel
Is a changed life.
And that is the point Paul wants Titus to drive home
To the churches of Crete.
As Titus travels throughout Crete
• He will set churches in order like a spiritual chiropractor.
• He will appoint elders in every city for the shepherding of the flock
• And He is to remind the believers that their lives must match the gospel they preach.
Their lives must be different from the world.
We saw that this morning didn’t we?
How women are called to reject the ideology of the world and embrace a biblical mindset.
• If a woman wants a testimony of the effectiveness of the gospel then go be a faithful homemaker, something the world does not do.
THE CALL IS TO ADORN THE GOSPEL.
And that is so clearly seen in this chapter.
Look at the first verse.
(1) “But as for you, speak the things which are fitting for sound doctrine.”
Paul tells Titus to go and encourage behavior
That fits with the gospel they preach.
“fitting” is PREPO
It’s where we get our word “proper”
1 Corinthians 11:13 “Judge for yourselves: is it proper for a woman to pray to God with her head uncovered?”
• Women with uncovered heads were dressing like prostitutes.
• Women who shaved their heads were dismissing femininity.
Paul asked, “Does it fit for a woman to dress like a prostitute or dress like a man and then go in to pray?”
Something is off there. It’s just not proper.
Paul taught Timothy the same thing:
1 Timothy 2:9-10 “Likewise, I want women to adorn themselves with proper clothing, modestly and discreetly, not with braided hair and gold or pearls or costly garments, but rather by means of good works, as is proper for women making a claim to godliness.”
A woman who wants to claim godliness
Should show it not only in her speech,
But also her wardrobe and by her good works.
And obviously this isn’t only true for women, but FOR ALL BELIEVERS.
Ephesians 5:3 “But immorality or any impurity or greed must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints;”
• It just doesn’t fit for someone to claim Christianity but then to live in “immorality or any impurity or greed”.
It’s not proper, it doesn’t fit.
AND THAT IS THE CALLING HERE.
Go and call them to live lives that fit.
WHY?
• (5b) “so that the word of God will not be dishonored”
• (8) “so that the opponent will be put to shame, having nothing bad to say
about us.”
• (10) “so that they will adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in every
respect.”
• Live fitting lives so that God’s word won’t be blasphemed.
• Live fitting lives so that your opponents won’t have any ammunition.
• Live fitting lives so that God’s gospel appears beautiful.
IT MAKES SENSE TO US.
WELL HERE IN OUR TEXT: Paul begins to explain what he means.
• What is the behavior that fits the gospel?
• What is the behavior that protects the gospel from dishonor?
• What is the behavior that silences our opponents?
• What is the behavior that adorns the gospel of God?
I realize we looked at two this morning, but in reality there are 5.
Older men, Older women, Young women, Young men, and Slaves.
We can look at each.
#1 OLDER MEN
Titus 2:2
So here we answer the question:
How does an older man adorn the gospel with his life?
And again, it is by
Living in contrast to the norms of the world.
John MacArthur wrote:
“Increased age typically brings decreased energy, diminished vision and hearing, more aches and pains, and often more depression, hopelessness, and cynicism. In the last chapter of Ecclesiastes we are told, “Remember also your Creator in the days of your youth, before the evil days come and the years draw near when you will say, ‘I have no delight in them’; before the sun, the light, the moon, and the stars are darkened, and clouds return after the rain; in the day that the watchmen of the house tremble, and mighty men stoop” (12:1-3). As we grow older, change can become harder to accept. Life can become less fulfilling, less satisfying, and more disillusioning. It is easy to become a creature of habit, and the longer a habit is practiced, the more deeply entrenched and formidable it becomes. Besetting sins can become such an integral part of daily living that they cease to be recognized as sins at all.”
(MacArthur, John [MacArthur New Testimony Commentary: Titus; Moody Press; Chicago; IL; 1996] pg. 72)
We sort of understand the stereotype of the “Grumpy Old Man” don’t we?
• The man who is generally unhappy
• The man who is set in his ways
• The man who is unwilling to acknowledge his faults
• The man who is unwilling to change
And the world sort of accepts that persona of an old man.
So, if older men are going to adorn the gospel they preach,
They are going to have to throw off that stereotype and be different
HERE’S HOW:
“Older men are to be temperate”
“temperate” translates (nay–FALL–ee–os)
It means “abstaining from wine”
I don’t think the call here is that they can’t have any at all,
But certainly that they have it under control.
Similar to older women who Paul said “likewise”
They didn’t need to be “enslaved to much wine”.
• Far too many men in our culture actually find identity in the bottle.
• Being a drinker is a celebrated thing.
• Going out to drink is considered entertainment.
And so Paul simply calls for older men to be different.
Ephesians 5:15-19 “Therefore be careful how you walk, not as unwise men but as wise, making the most of your time, because the days are evil. So then do not be foolish, but understand what the will of the Lord is. And do not get drunk with wine, for that is dissipation, but be filled with the Spirit, speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody with your heart to the Lord;”
• Paul spoke to the Ephesians who saw their culture get drunk and speak like
fools.
• Paul called for Ephesians believers to instead be spirit filled and to speak true
and God-honoring words.
IN OUR CULTURE, even if you avoid drunkenness
You still have to be aware of the stigma of alcohol.
You and I both know that if you’re sitting at the homecoming parade with a beer in your hand your Christian witness is going to suffer.
• You can argue that you’re not getting drunk…ok
• You can talk about Jesus turning water to wine…ok
But you know there is a stigma that comes with it
And the question is, which matters more;
Your witness or your tastebuds?
IT MATTERS.
Paul gives another criteria
“dignified”
• It comes from a word that just means “honest” or “honorable”.
One thing we have seen drastically decline in our culture is the reality of integrity.
• People no longer keep their word.
• Some intentionally lie, some just don’t value keeping their word.
The older Christian man is called to be different.
THE AREA OF HONESTY IS CRUCIAL.
How will they believe your gospel to be true
If they can’t believe anything else you say?
“sensible”
• It is that word we looked at this morning which means “of sound mind;
curbing one’s desires ore impulses”
• Control yourself.
• Control your emotions.
• Control your desires.
• Control you tongue.
As we spoke about young women being “sensible” this morning
We talked about them not buying the psychotic thinking of the world.
THE SAME WOULD BE TRUE FOR OLDER MEN.
• Our world thinks backward about everything.
• You have the witness and experience and maturity to see through the
nonsense.
• You know where the thinking of the world leads.
• You know the foolishness of the younger generations.
• Don’t embrace it or endorse it, be “sensible”
There is no respect to be had for an older man acting like a teenager.
DON’T BUY THE MESSAGE OF THE WORLD.
“sound in faith, in love, in perseverance”
“sound” of course means “healthy”
AND I LOVE THIS LIST.
What do you think of when you think of a successful older man?
What sort of things do you strive for as an older man?
• Money, fame, pleasure?
Paul said that a godly older man,
Who is adorning the gospel with his lifestyle
Will seek for “faith” and “love” and “perseverance”
These are men who are devoted to the faith and to the local church.
THEY STICK.
• They trust God regardless of the trials or hardships.
• They love God and God’s people regardless of the setbacks.
• And they stick.
And if you want to really sort of summarize how an older man is to live his life to adorn the gospel, I would say it like this: FINISH STRONG
There was an older man at Crawford named Charles Rogers
• I actually got to preach his funeral.
• He had spent his life as a part time tent maker and part time evangelist.
• When he got really old and knew he was near the end he would say, “I’m in my sprinting years now”.
Consequently I grieve over men like Steve Lawson.
• I loved Steve Lawson, still do.
• I learned a lot from him, especially in the realm of church history.
• But he didn’t finish strong and he shipwrecked his ministry.
• He did not adorn the gospel he preached.
Older men, your focus now must be on finishing well.
Think of Paul in his final letter:
2 Timothy 4:6-8 “For I am already being poured out as a drink offering, and the time of my departure has come. I have fought the good fight, I have finished the course, I have kept the faith; in the future there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous Judge, will award to me on that day; and not only to me, but also to all who have loved His appearing.”
• That is the goal.
• Finish well.
Think of the church at Philadelphia
Revelation 3:10-11 “Because you have kept the word of My perseverance, I also will keep you from the hour of testing, that hour which is about to come upon the whole world, to test those who dwell on the earth. ‘I am coming quickly; hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
What an admonition,
“hold fast what you have, so that no one will take your crown.”
Don’t disqualify yourself now.
Let go of all the juvenile temptations that ensnare younger men.
• Don’t go out drinking and seeking pleasure.
• Don’t get selfish and try to live it up.
• Don’t leave your wife for some younger fling.
• Don’t try to hold on to some cool image in the world.
Strive to live a “temperate, dignified, sensible” life as a Christian should.
Be known for your “faith” and “love” and “perseverance”.
RUN WELL AND FINISH WELL.
Don’t give the enemy any reason to discredit the life of work you have put in to the gospel.
You are at the point in life where all that should matter to you
Is Christian faithfulness.
You are sooner now to standing before the Lord than at any point in your life.
• You ought to be sprinting toward the finish line.
• You ought to be storing up treasure left and right.
• You ought to be showing the world what really matters.
They should see in you a man who truly believes
He cannot keep this world, but a better world awaits.
MAKE THE GOSPEL LOOK GLORIOUS!
FINISH STRONG.
That is the admonition to old men.
Let’s quickly look again at the two we examined this morning.
#2 OLDER WOMEN AND YOUNG WOMEN
Titus 2:3-5
I don’t want to rehash it all, or put you ladies through the ringer again,
But simply to point out again the purpose.
I like Paul’s use of the word “likewise” in verse 3.
“Older women likewise…”
That is to say, as older women you should share a similar ambition as the older men.
• You too, are in your sprinting years.
• You too should finish strong.
• You too should set your gaze, not on the things of the world, but on the things of heaven.
Again there is a call to reverence, not gossiping or wine.
LET’S JUST CALL THIS LIKE IT IS.
Ladies if you’re in your 40’s or 50’s or 60’s or beyond,
Don’t play the fool like you’re some 20 year old.
• Don’t act like them.
• Don’t dress like them.
• Don’t talk like them.
You ladies know exactly what I mean.
Be dignified.
Paul said you should be “teaching what is good”
That’s all one word in the Greek (kalodi – DOSkillos)
Paul likes to cram words together.
DIDASKILOS = “teacher”
KALOS = “beautiful, handsome, precious, genuine, noble, praiseworthy”
• It is used in Matthew 13 to speak of “fine pearls”
• It is used in Matthew 18 as what is “better”
James used it:
James 4:17 “Therefore, to one who knows the right thing to do and does not do it, to him it is sin.”
There it is translated “right thing to do”.
And that is what Paul asks you to be a teacher of.
Be an instructor of what is beautiful and precious
And genuine and noble and praiseworthy.
It brings to mind:
Philippians 4:8 “Finally, brethren, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is right, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is of good repute, if there is any excellence and if anything worthy of praise, dwell on these things.”
Be a woman who does not dwell on the sinful things of this world,
But a woman who points to what is good and pure and beautiful.
FOR EXAMPLE,
• Go teach the younger women how beautiful their family is.
• Go encourage that young mother that motherhood is a precious thing.
• Go encourage that woman at her wits end with kids that children are a blessing.
• Go encourage that woman in a difficult marriage how beautiful submission is in the eyes of God.
AS WE SAID THIS MORNING
Go break those harmful deceptions of the world and teach that young woman to love her husband and her kids.
• Tell her to be sensible and chaste and modest and pure.
• Tell her it’s ok to work at home and in fact it is preferable.
• Tell her to be kind.
Encourage her in the beautiful things of God when the world never does.
That is what an older woman does to adorn the gospel.
1. When you think of older men think of FINISHING STRONG
2. When you think of older women think of ENCOURAGING
And then of course we discussed the YOUNGER WOMEN as well.
Because of the degree of attack you face,
You have perhaps the greatest opportunity to adorn the gospel.
What a testimony you give to the world
When you reject all the expectations for women.
• When you refuse to dress like they dress, but instead choose purity and modesty.
• When you refuse to talk like they talk, but instead choose kindness.
• When you refuse to think like they think, but instead choose sensibility.
• When you refuse to pursue what they pursue, but instead choose to work at home.
• When you refuse to act like they act, but instead choose submission.
WHAT A TESTIMONY THAT IS!
NOW,
• They may not like you for it.
• They may even mock you for it.
• They may call you a waste and a fool or lazy or whatever.
But one thing they cannot do
Is deny that you believe what you read in the Bible, and that is the point!
“so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”
That is all we are after here.
• We’re NOT trying to win popularity.
• We’re NOT trying to gain their approval.
• We’re NOT trying to get invited into their circle.
We’re trying to prove that the Bible is true!
We’re trying to show that we believe God’s way is right!
We are trying to live in a manner which is “fitting for sound doctrine.”
I didn’t do this this morning,
But let me give you a few negative examples in Scripture here.
Proverbs 9:13 “The woman of folly is boisterous, She is naive and knows nothing.”
Proverbs 11:22 “As a ring of gold in a swine’s snout So is a beautiful woman who lacks discretion.”
Proverbs 21:9 “It is better to live in a corner of a roof Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.”
Proverbs 25:24 “It is better to live in a corner of the roof Than in a house shared with a contentious woman.”
Proverbs 27:15 “A constant dripping on a day of steady rain And a contentious woman are alike;”
Boy that is the worldly woman right there.
BE DIFFERENT FROM HER.
Be like that excellent wife of Proverbs 31 who honors her husband and feeds her family and clothes her children and teaches kindness.
And show that the gospel
Has not only approached your life, but has transformed it.
THAT IS THE GOAL.
We’re going to stop there tonight,
We’ll get the next two next Sunday, but you are getting the point.
It is absolutely imperative that the church live redeemed lives
To match the redemption that they preach.
“so that the word of God will not be dishonored.”
