Sermon Tone Analysis

“As for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.

Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.

Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine.

They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.”

[1]

North American churches have trended toward specialised ministries for many years.

Often, these ministries have found their genesis in current social trends leading the churches into areas that are impossible to justify with what has been written in the Word.

Often, the ministries developed have dramatically altered the concept of the congregation, the novel face of the assembly often rendering as unrecognisable the New Testament church.

One major factor in this descent into irrelevance is a failure of sound instruction from the pulpit.

In some measure, this failure has been driven by the demands of unconverted church members who are convinced that the services of the congregation should be adjusted to satisfy their lust for entertainment.

Tragically, church goers have become either incapable of thinking deeply or they are now unwilling to confront their own froward attitudes.

ORTHODOXY MUST LEAD TO ORTHOPRAXY — “Teach what accords with sound doctrine.

Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.

Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine.

They are to teach what is good, and so train the young women to love their husbands and children, to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.”

In earlier years, evangelical believers consistently emphasised orthodoxy.

The standard has slipped during the past several decades; and with the absence of emphasis on orthodoxy has come a notable dismissal of orthopraxy among the professed people of God.

Let me remind you what these two terms mean.

Orthodoxy simply means correct doctrine.

The term speaks of teaching that measures up to the biblical standard, teaching that is true to what God has given through His Word, instruction that reflects the mind of the True and Living God.

Orthopraxy refers to correct actions.

When an individual embraces correct doctrine, that person will also endeavour to live in a manner consistent with what is professed.

You may recall a previous message from this pulpit that spoke of the purpose of the law.

[2] Turn back to the text for that message, “The law is not laid down for the just but for the lawless and disobedient, for the ungodly and sinners, for the unholy and profane, for those who strike their fathers and mothers, for murderers, the sexually immoral, men who practice homosexuality, enslavers, liars, perjurers, and whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine, in accordance with the gospel of the glory of the blessed God with which I have been entrusted” [1 TIMOTHY 1:9-11].

In this passage, we discover a series of actions that are obviously detestable before the Lord are listed as necessitating the Law.

Then, in order to include summarily all that displeases the True and Living God, Paul speaks of “whatever else is contrary to sound doctrine.”

The passage expresses an obvious relationship between sound doctrine and sound action.

Again, bear in mind that the term “sound doctrine” speaks of teaching that is spiritually healthy.

Throughout the Word are a number of passages urging believers to act in a manner consistent with the Faith.

These passages are provided with the assumption that those reading them hold to the truths that define the Faith.

Think of a few of the passages in question.

Here is the first of several passages that are indicative of God’s demand that we live according to what we profess.

“Do you not know that the unrighteous will not inherit the kingdom of God? Do not be deceived: neither the sexually immoral, nor idolaters, nor adulterers, nor men who practice homosexuality, nor thieves, nor the greedy, nor drunkards, nor revilers, nor swindlers will inherit the kingdom of God” [1 CORINTHIANS 6:9, 10].

Keep in mind that the Apostle is writing “To the church of God that is in Corinth, to those sanctified in Christ Jesus, called to be saints” [1 CORINTHIANS 1:2].

Though the Corinthian congregation may be dysfunctional, these are Christians!

They are identified as belonging to God, as declared holy in Christ Jesus and thus identified as God’s peculiar people.

However, redemption did not instantly qualify them as living righteous lives.

They still needed to be taught.

Just so, though a congregation in this present day may be composed of those who are saved, those who are known by God and who are declared holy in His sight, this does not mean that they automatically choose actions and lifestyles that qualify as righteous and godly.

The encyclical we have received as the Letter to the Ephesians, was addressed “To the saints who are … faithful in Christ Jesus” [EPHESIANS 1:1].

Ancient copies of this letter leave the recipients blank, so that they could be filled in as a copy was delivered to each assembly.

In other words, the letter was circulated among churches throughout the Province of Asia Minor.

Many of these saints were known to Paul, undoubtedly having been led to faith during his extended ministry in the city of Ephesus [see ACTS 19:1-10].

What is important for our study today is the knowledge that those to whom Paul was writing were identified as saints, and as people who were “faithful in Christ Jesus.”

The Apostle assumed that he was writing to believers who had been redeemed by the Risen Son of God.

In light of this knowledge, note how he instructs the readers to cast off actions unworthy of God who saved them, embracing a lifestyle worthy of the Son of God.

“Be imitators of God, as beloved children.

And walk in love, as Christ loved us and gave himself up for us, a fragrant offering and sacrifice to God.

“But sexual immorality and all impurity or covetousness must not even be named among you, as is proper among saints.

Let there be no filthiness nor foolish talk nor crude joking, which are out of place, but instead let there be thanksgiving.

For you may be sure of this, that everyone who is sexually immoral or impure, or who is covetous (that is, an idolater), has no inheritance in the kingdom of Christ and God.

Let no one deceive you with empty words, for because of these things the wrath of God comes upon the sons of disobedience.

Therefore do not become partners with them; for at one time you were darkness, but now you are light in the Lord.

Walk as children of light (for the fruit of light is found in all that is good and right and true), and try to discern what is pleasing to the Lord.

Take no part in the unfruitful works of darkness, but instead expose them.

For it is shameful even to speak of the things that they do in secret.

But when anything is exposed by the light, it becomes visible, for anything that becomes visible is light” [EPHESIANS 5:1-14].

The Letter to the Colossians was likely written at the same time the Letter to the Ephesians was written.

The two letters are more similar than any other two letters attributed to Paul.

Many of the verses of Colossians and Ephesians are strikingly similar, if not identical.

Here is one instance of similar material presented.

“Put to death therefore what is earthly in you: sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, which is idolatry.

On account of these the wrath of God is coming.

In these you too once walked, when you were living in them.

But now you must put them all away: anger, wrath, malice, slander, and obscene talk from your mouth.

Do not lie to one another, seeing that you have put off the old self with its practices and have put on the new self, which is being renewed in knowledge after the image of its creator” [COLOSSIANS 3:5-10].

Again, note that the Letter to the Colossian believers was specifically addressed “to the saints and faithful brothers in Christ at Colossae” [COLOSSIANS 1:2].

Paul is not writing to people in order to get them to clean up their lives so they can be saved; the Apostle is writing to people whom he accepts as saved by the Living Son of God.

Though they are redeemed, he recognises the necessity of holding them accountable for the manner in which they lived.

I’ve invested this time to emphasise a vital point that must not be neglected among the faithful in this day—ORTHOPRAXY DOES NOT NECESSARILY LEAD TO ORTHODOXY, BUT ORTHODOXY IS EXPRESSED THROUGH ORTHOPRAXY.

Rephrasing this truth so that no one need be confused, we can say—LIVING RIGHT DOES NOT MEAN THAT YOU WILL BELIEVE WHAT IS TRUE, BUT BELIEVING WHAT IS TRUE MUST LEAD TO LIVING AS A RIGHTEOUS INDIVIDUAL.

Paul warned that a dissipated lifestyle was indicative of the unredeemed.

“This I say and testify in the Lord, that you must no longer walk as the Gentiles do, in the futility of their minds.

They are darkened in their understanding, alienated from the life of God because of the ignorance that is in them, due to their hardness of heart.

They have become callous and have given themselves up to sensuality, greedy to practice every kind of impurity.

But that is not the way you learned Christ!—assuming that you have heard about him and were taught in him, as the truth is in Jesus, to put off your old self, which belongs to your former manner of life and is corrupt through deceitful desires, and to be renewed in the spirit of your minds, and to put on the new self, created after the likeness of God in true righteousness and holiness” [EPHESIANS 4:17-24].

Paul’s cautionary statements anticipate that which was drafted by Peter.

“The time that is past suffices for doing what the Gentiles want to do, living in sensuality, passions, drunkenness, orgies, drinking parties, and lawless idolatry.

With respect to this they are surprised when you do not join them in the same flood of debauchery, and they malign you; but they will give account to him who is ready to judge the living and the dead” [1 PETER 4:3-5].

Peter also wrote of a day when the professed churches of our Lord would be led astray by “false teachers.”

“There will be false teachers among you, who will secretly bring in destructive heresies, even denying the Master who bought them, bringing upon themselves swift destruction.

And many will follow their sensuality, and because of them the way of truth will be blasphemed” [2 PETER 2:1, 2].

Peter foresaw that professed followers of Christ would begin to live in a manner inconsistent with what they claimed to believe, bring censure even from the watching world.

This time of which Peter spoke mirrored, and perhaps even exaggerated, the ridicule Jewish worshippers experienced because of their own inconsistencies.

Paul warned, “You who boast in the law dishonor God by breaking the law.

For, as it is written, ‘The name of God is blasphemed among the Gentiles because of you’” [ROMANS 2:23, 24].

Here, then, is the take-home thought that each believer must seize: SAVED PEOPLE ARE RESPONSIBLE TO LIVE CONSISTENTLY WITH WHAT THEY PROFESS.

We are now ready to give particular attention to the text before us.

Paul insists that Titus must “teach what accords with sound doctrine.”

The preacher is responsible to present healthy teaching, and he is to expect that those accepting the healthy doctrine will reveal the reality of what is professed through a righteous life.

A saying that was heard among the Puritans of old warned, “Say not thou hast royal blood running in thy veins, and art begotten of God, except thou canst prove thy pedigree by this heroic spirit, to dare to be holy in spite of men and devils.”

[3] Paul was clearly of that persuasion; and he makes plain his expectation that those who confess Christ will reveal the reality of their confession through the manner in which they live.

The first group whom the Apostle addresses are the “older men.”

I dare not say what particular age is in view—we tend to demand precision rather than exercising judgement in our day.

I will suggest, however, that in general we are able to recognise that some individuals qualify as belonging to this particular category.

Moreover, we believe that all men should aspire to move toward this particular characterisation.

The Apostle is quite clear in his assertion that OLDER MEN AMONG THE SAINTS ARE EXPECTED TO MEET STANDARDS REFLECTING GODLINESS.

The lives of older men should be marked by temperance, dignity, self-control, soundness in faith, love and endurance.

Consequently, temperance, sober-mindedness or restraint, is, or should be, a characteristic both of elders and of the wives of deacons [see 1 TIMOTHY 3:2, 11].

Likewise, the older men within the congregation are to be worthy of respect, living in such a manner that they are counted as honourable.

As stated for the previous characteristic, this particular characteristic is to be witnessed in elders and deacons’ wives [see 1 TIMOTHY 3:2, 11].