Aged Women: Transformed to Mentor
Pastor Matt Black
15 August 2007
Midweek Bible Study
Titus 2:3-4
Introduction: Open your Bibles to Titus 2:3-10. The title of our message is “Aged Women: Transformed to Mentor”. This message is really about living a transformed life that is powerful enough to mentor others.
This evening I want all of you ladies out there to be encouraged. Whether you are single or married, God wants to use you in ways you cannot even imagine. I also want you to see how gravely important your task is in this world. The Bible tells us that the ladies of the church are to be sober.
So let’s read this text on how important young families are to the life of the church.
Titus 2:3-10, “The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; 4 That they may teach the young women to be sober, to love their husbands, to love their children, 5 To be discreet, chaste, keepers at home, good, obedient to their own husbands, that the word of God be not blasphemed. 6 Young men likewise exhort to be sober minded. 7 In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity, 8 Sound speech, that cannot be condemned; that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you. 9 Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again; 10 Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things”.
By way of introduction, the whole idea of tonight’s message is that you need to live a transformed life, because everything you do either preaches the Gospel or denies it. The greatest proof to the Gospel is a transformed life living under the Lordship of Jesus Christ. To be a Christian is to be in love with Christ—it is to have your heart ravished with Holy Spirit’s power, not only in the prayer closet, but also in every action of life. Now if you claim Christ but live for the devil, you do yourself or anyone else no favor by claiming to be a Christian. You instead blaspheme and dishonor God and grieve the Holy Spirit.
So the message here in these verses that we’ll cover tonight directed to the women of our church is: ladies, you need to live like ladies. You need to live a feminine life according to God’s creative order. If you don’t do that, verse 5 says something horrific happens: “the Word of God is blasphemed”.
I. Ladies, these verses imply first that you are to live a transformed life. And for this point, I want to look at the verses regarding mature women in the church. We read in verse 3, “The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness…”
Before we get into the unpacking of this text, let me give a general challenge and application to all who name Christ’s name. A word in this text just jumps out of the text! “Holiness”! We read in 2 Timothy 2:19, “Nevertheless the foundation of God standeth sure, having this seal, The Lord knoweth them that are his. And, Let every one that nameth the name of Christ depart from iniquity.”
A. Your life is a living Gospel tract. If you call yourself a Christian, then you must understand that Gospel evangelism is not just what you do on Saturday mornings for evangelistic team, but your whole life is a “living epistle” a living letter, “written not with ink, but with the Spirit of the living God; not in tables of stone, but in fleshy tables of the heart” (2 Corinthians 3:3)! An early Christian once said, “Preach the Gospel, use words if necessary” (St. Francis of Assisi).
We all say that we believe the Bible, and here we have some verses that challenge our thinking. If we follow the Bible and we have our ladies follow these verses in particular, then we will most definitely stand out from the world.
B. Your life if lived consistently will oppose this fallen world system.
We live in a world that is basically controlled by Satan. If you insist on following the culture, then most of the time you will be following the father of lies. Romans 12:2, says it perfectly well! “And be not conformed to this world: but be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind, that ye may prove what is that good, and acceptable, and perfect, will of God”. In other words, “Do not let the world around you squeeze you into its own mold” (JB Phillips).
So let’s come to our text in Titus 2 and verse 3 and let the Word of God squeeze our minds into its mold.
II. Ladies, these verses also imply you need to live a life of mentoring or training! Mature ladies need to be mentoring younger ladies. “The aged women likewise, that they be in behaviour as becometh holiness, not false accusers, not given to much wine, teachers of good things; 4 That they may teach the young women.
A. Training in Holiness: “behaviour as becometh holiness”: Those ladies who have known Christ for five, ten years or more—are you in a place where your life is holy? This is a communicable attribute of God.
Are you spending much time in God’s presence? Are you a holy woman?
“Holiness, not happiness, is the chief end of man.” Oswald Chambers
“No attribute of God is more dreadful to sinners than His holiness. “ Mathew Henry
Holiness is not simply the outward appearance, but the inward reality!
Holiness is essentially complete moral purity of the heart, character, and actions. To put it another way, it is conformity to Christ. It is Christlikeness.
There are two types of holiness; that which God gives us at salvation and that which He calls us to in our daily living.
1 Peter 1:15-16, “But as he which hath called you is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; 16 Because it is written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.”
God gives us the power to resist sin. The responsibility of resisting sin though is up to us. There is no such thing though as instant holiness. Holiness indeed is a continual journey, a constant battle.
Jay Adams says. “It is by willing, prayerful and persistent obedience to the requirements of the Scriptures that godly patterns are developed and come to be apart of us.”
What I want to ask you is are you progressing in holiness? Are you hungering and thirsting for God and for Christlikeness? Are you willfully disobeying any command of God? Is that what you want more than anything?
B. Training in Truthfulness: “not false accusers”.
1. This requires love. The word her is diabaloos. It is the word for devil. The devil is the accuser of the brethren. This is the direct opposite of love which thinks no evil. We ought to always think the best. The same word is used of deacon’s wife in 1 Timothy 3:11, “Even so must their wives be grave, not slanderers, sober, faithful in all things”
2. This also requires solid evidence. It means to think the worst and promote the worst about someone without any solid evidence.
3. Implicit in this command is that you must have discernment. You need to know how to weigh words, have patience, cover as much as you can with love, have the gentility to approach someone for evidence, etc. Aged women need to teach this to younger women!
4. It finally implies self-control. This especially means controlling your tongue. Essentially, you need to have self control with your tongue!
Let’s close with a few verses on the tongue. Turn over to James 3, “2 For in many things we offend all. If any man offend not in word, the same is a perfect man, and able also to bridle the whole body. 3 Behold, we put bits in the horses’ mouths, that they may obey us; and we turn about their whole body. 4 Behold also the ships, which though they be so great, and are driven of fierce winds, yet are they turned about with a very small helm, whithersoever the governor listeth. 5 Even so the tongue is a little member, and boasteth great things. Behold, how great a matter a little fire kindleth! 6 And the tongue is a fire, a world of iniquity: so is the tongue among our members, that it defileth the whole body, and setteth on fire the course of nature; and it is set on fire of hell. 7 For every kind of beasts, and of birds, and of serpents, and of things in the sea, is tamed, and hath been tamed of mankind: 8 But the tongue can no man tame; it is an unruly evil, full of deadly poison. 9 Therewith bless we God, even the Father; and therewith curse we men, which are made after the similitude of God. 10 Out of the same mouth proceedeth blessing and cursing. My brethren, these things ought not so to be.”
Conclusion: Next week we are going to talk about a tender life and the eight priorities of a woman in this chapter.
But tomorrow morning—I want you to think of two things: holiness and truthfulness. You cannot mentor these younger women without those two attributes.
Closing Hymn: 51 Father I Adore You