Zechariah - Talk 2

‘The Lord Almighty and the Temple of all the earth’

Introduction
Now today we are up to our second and last talk on Zechariah, and as you may remember from last week if you were here, that Zechariah is a prophet of God who lived in Jerusalem in 520 BC. Now the whole of the nation of Israel had been invaded and exiled from their land in two parts, the north fell in 722 BC and the south in 586 BC.

The Persian emperor who was now in control had allowed the people to return to the land and start building a new temple of God in 538 BC. Zechariah is given his first message of God in 520 BC for the people. And the message is essentially, stop stuffing around and get on with it.

Today we will be looking mostly at Chapter 8 and it is at middle point of the rebuilding work in around 518 BC, so they are back under way with building, but haven’t finished yet.

As you may remember I mentioned last week, the story of Zechariah is really the story of the temple. The temple is the place where God meets his people. The Temple is where God does business with his people about sin. The Temple is the sign of God’s Kingly rule amongst his people in the land.

We pick up today from our final Idea last week that God doesn’t just let the small things bear his name, infact.

God has passionately set the desires of his heart upon his people
8:1-3a
Again the word of the LORD Almighty came to me.
2 This is what the LORD Almighty says:
"I am very jealous for Zion;
I am burning with jealousy for her."
3 This is what the LORD says:
"I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem.
This verse goes out of its way to stress that God is exceedingly jealous for his people, he is not interested in some sought of spiritually ‘open’ relationship, he is steadfastly and sacrificially committed to his people and they should be the same in return.

But previously Israel’s determination to reject God’s love ensured that God would have to enact his judgment on this unfaithful people in their exile from the land of Israel to Babylon. The judgment of God can sound extremely harsh in it’s starkest moments, to be stricken by God is a terrible thing. But for Israel’s centuries of at best apathy and at worst out right disobedience, God shows the overriding depths of his mercy because in only 70 years he orchestrates the return of his people and a new chance to get their relationship right.

God is the one who is risking it all, to make this relationship work. God is the one who putting out his heart – with the very real danger of it being trampled on. Can you see just how miraculous it is to be able to say that God passionately desires a relationship with his people?

For the ancient Greeks, god was just a watchmaker of the world, the one who puts it together and sets it moving and then cares nothing for it.
Or today events of our world that are too awesome for us, are put down to being a act of mother nature, or maybe fate… some sought of indeterminate, random natured force that intervenes in our life when it’s fickle whim pleased it.

And who really wants to live in a world like that?

But this is not the way of the God of the Bible, the creator God who passionately desires that people would have a relationship with him, a God who is not fickle or disinterested but steadfastly committed to his people and his promises to them.

If you had to sum up the message of the whole Old Testament it is found in Zech 8:8 God’s Covn’t promises of:
they will be my people, and I will be faithful and righteous to them as their God."
And we see this time and time again ()
Zech Zechariah 13:9 - 14:1 I will refine them like silver and test them like gold. They will call on my name and I will answer them; I will say, 'They are my people,' and they will say, 'The LORD is our God.'"

God is determined to be with and care for his people, he will return and he will dwell amongst his people, and not even the doubt or compromise of his people will prevent it. God loves his people and will return, will the people be ready and will they stump up and show it by finishing the temple and preparing the way for God’s presence.

Sometimes in life God’s interest in our particular affairs can seem like an inconvenience, I mean why can’t he just let us do our own thing, be more like a policeman who stays out of my life until I need help, rather than being like an over eager parent.

Even the psalmists lamented the challenge it was for broken people to live under the intense gaze of a holy God. But it is this intense interest, this passionate gaze of God is a good thing, it’s a good thing for all of us because God’s intense interest is what gives every life meaning.

The world may think your life is small, and unimpressive by it’s standards, it may even to you feel – well boring at times – but make no mistake, every life is important because it is lived in the site of God whether it is 70 days or 70 years long. No matter how bland, no matter how short.. God sees, God knows and God cares..

God is not dispassionate policeman, but a loving father who cares for us at a cost beyond anything that we deserve, even when we mess up the good things he gives us. God is a passionate father is the clear testimony of all the scriptures.

Luke 15:11-32 11 Jesus continued: "There was a man who had two sons. 12 The younger one said to his father, 'Father, give me my share of the estate.' So he divided his property between them. ………. 18 I will set out and go back to my father and say to him: Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. 19 I am no longer worthy to be called your son; make me like one of your hired men.' 20 So he got up and went to his father. "But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him. 21 "The son said to him, 'Father, I have sinned against heaven and against you. I am no longer worthy to be called your son.' 22 "But the father said to his servants, 'Quick! Bring the best robe and put it on him. Put a ring on his finger and sandals on his feet. 23 Bring the fattened calf and kill it. Let's have a feast and celebrate. 24 For this son of mine was dead and is alive again; he was lost and is found.'

Zechariah is challenging us today that God has passionately and great expense sought a relationship with us. It is a genuine offer, have you given a genuine acceptance?

God has passionately set the desires of his heart upon his people

There is a future to come that is much greater than these small things!

3 This is what the LORD says:
"I will return to Zion and dwell in Jerusalem.
Then Jerusalem will be called the City of Truth,
and the mountain of the LORD Almighty will be called the Holy Mountain."

4 This is what the LORD Almighty says:
"Once again men and women of ripe old age will sit in the streets of Jerusalem, each with cane in hand because of his age.
5 The city streets will be filled with boys and girls playing there."

6 This is what the LORD Almighty says:
"It may seem marvelous to the remnant of this people at that time,
but will it seem marvelous to me?"
declares the LORD Almighty.

This imagery of peace and contentment, the old age of the people who watch the multiple children play in peace, is all because of God’s return. God will change the very nature of life itself when he returns. The animosity or fear between God and people we see in verse 11 will cease, or more correctly God will cause it to cease. As will the animosity amongst the people themselves, which we see in v10.

This peaceful ‘eden’ like existence of people living in harmony and the ground will give bountiful crops as in verses 12, and it will be, it seems, a reversal of the curse of Genesis Chapter 3, where the ground will no longer bare fruit easily and there will be enmity between man and beast and indeed man and woman.

This harmonious picture is because sin has been removed from the frame. A picture of no more hurt or pain or hardship. This will be a powerful act of God as we see from verse 6, where it seems a miraculous to the small band of returned people of Israel who are trying to build the temple, but it won’t even rate on the scale of being miraculous to a mighty God.

The building of the temple is of course was the key to preparing the way for God’s return, but this little temple was never going to rid sin from the land, much less the entire earth, much less from the hearts of a stubborn people. The removal of Sin is something that only God can do. And it is something that God will do as, those you who have had a chance to read the book will know from chapter 5, when there is a vision of metaphorical woman of sin being put in the basket and carried from the land.

IF you notice in this section of the book, a good question is where are all the people, we met last week? Where is Joshua, and where is Zerubbabel and Darius and co. Well their absence highlights for us the important truth that this Great work will be all God’s action. Nearly the whole chapter is the Lord speaking and doing in a unaided fashion.

For God to dwell in Jerusalem, for there to be peace and prosperity in the land, well only God can do it. Only God can turn this unfaithful people and city into a city called truth and a holy mountain as promised in verse 2 & 3.

These images of peace are of course end of time pictures which many of the prophets told of the ‘Day of the Lord’ and of the new Jerusalem of ‘Mt Zion’. The great end time event when God’s breaks into time and acts in profound and unchallengeable way to recreate his world and bring peace.

The book of Zechariah itself uses this imagery of the day of the Lord in chapter’s 12 and 14 where God will deal comprehensively with his enemies as we read:

Zechariah 14:5-9 Then the LORD my God will come, and all the holy ones with him. 6 On that day there will be no light, no cold or frost. 7 It will be a unique day, without daytime or nighttime-- a day known to the LORD. When evening comes, there will be light. 8 On that day living water will flow out from Jerusalem, half to the eastern sea and half to the western sea, in summer and in winter. 9 The LORD will be king over the whole earth. On that day there will be one LORD, and his name the only name.

As important as the rebuilding of the temple is, it will never achieve this, which is the profound work of God.

So, There is a future to come that is much greater than these small things!


So what does this message of Zechariah mean for us. Well it means that return of the Lord we experience now is not yet what it will be. So knowing God and serving God mightn’t feel as passionate and personal as the picture that Zechariah 8 gives, but that’s because ‘Day of the Lord’ has not come in full yet. The best is yet to come, we only have a deposit at this stage.

As Paul reminds us in
1 Corinthians 13:12 Now we see but a poor reflection as in a mirror; then we shall see face to face. Now I know in part; then I shall know fully, even as I am fully known.

As surely as God judge Israel, he will return and make it right.. verse 14 tells us. And hopefully it is soon.. because as good as a lot of life is, it isn’t great is it, I mean we all know of people who have had a rough trot recently, or worse. But God Will Return and he will make things right.

But this hope informs us as to what is important now doesn’t it? I read this idyllic picture of Zechariah 8 a couple of times, and you know what, it never mentioned people driving suv’s, worrying about the latest Ipod or sweating over real-estate prices in order to stump up to by a place near the beach!

Zechariah is a challenge to us, to keep focused upon working towards the Kingdom of God, even if it seems like they are small things now… they won’t always be.

God’s desire is not only for his own people, but all people!
verse 7-8

The poetic image used by Zechariah here is one that the Lord will bring people from the land’s where the sun rises to as far as the lands in the west where the sun sets. Every people will know, and no people will remain untouched by the Lord’s call to live with him in peace in Jerusalem.

Have you ever stopped to wonder why God would bother to save an Australian? I mean why are you and I so fortunate as a small bunch of people on the other side of the world to all these events? Why us and so few Christians in closer lands like the middle east or Asia?

Makes you thankful for the grace and mercy of God doesn’t it! And thankful for his faithful and humble servants who came to this back water land, with a bunch of crims, in order that God would have mercy on some!

So how will the events of Zechariah’s day, this day of small things, turn into a dramatic end time event? How will God change the day of small things and it’s prophet into being a Temple of all the earth for the Lord Almighty?

Well we know from Zechariah the primary issue, that sin needs to dealt with, and he tells us that God will deal with it in one day Zech 3:9

And in Chapter 6 God promises that these events will happen through the coronation of a priest.

The small things of Zechariah’s day looked for a priest who would be king

Zechariah 6:9-15
9 The word of the LORD came to me:
10 "Take silver and gold from the exiles Heldai, Tobijah and Jedaiah, who have arrived from Babylon.
Go the same day to the house of Josiah son of Zephaniah.
11 Take the silver and gold and make a crown,
and set it on the head of the high priest, Joshua son of Jehozadak.

12 Tell him this is what the LORD Almighty says:
'Here is the man whose name is the Branch, and he will branch out from his place and build the temple of the LORD.
13 It is he who will build the temple of the LORD, and he will be clothed with majesty and will sit and rule on his throne. And he will be a priest on his throne. And there will be harmony between the two.'
14 The crown will be given to Heldai, Tobijah, Jedaiah and Hen son of Zephaniah as a memorial in the temple of the LORD.

God commands Zechariah in this passage to take silver and gold from those who have returned from Babylon and make a crown for Joshua the priest. Joshua is to be both the priest and king of the people returned from exile. Now God is doing something profoundly new at this point.

In the Old Testament there are three significant offices of people who serve God among the people of Israel, the Prophet who is the mouthpiece of God, The King who rules on behalf of God, and the Priest who mediates between God and sinful men to deal with their sin. And here God is joining the role of priest with the King.

Joshua was an important figure for the people who were building the temple, but as the crown was removed from his head and placed in the temple as a memorial, the people knew that another was to come from GOD who would truly fulfill the role.

The people were looking for the ‘branch’ a term that the prophets used to describe the Messiah figure that would come from David’s family, and more importantly God, to deliver and rule over the people of Israel.

Isaiah 11:1 A shoot will come up from the stump of Jesse; from his roots a Branch will bear fruit.
2 The Spirit of the LORD will rest on him-- the Spirit of wisdom and of understanding, the Spirit of counsel and of power, the Spirit of knowledge and of the fear of the LORD--
3 and he will delight in the fear of the LORD.
This branch would be the priest and king that builds the temple of God.

John 2:14-21 In the temple courts he found men selling cattle, sheep and doves, and others sitting at tables exchanging money. 15 So he made a whip out of cords, and drove all from the temple area, both sheep and cattle; he scattered the coins of the money changers and overturned their tables. 16 To those who sold doves he said, "Get these out of here! How dare you turn my Father's house into a market!" 17 His disciples remembered that it is written: "Zeal for your house will consume me." 18 Then the Jews demanded of him, "What miraculous sign can you show us to prove your authority to do all this?" 19 Jesus answered them, "Destroy this temple, and I will raise it again in three days." 20 The Jews replied, "It has taken forty-six years to build this temple, and you are going to raise it in three days?" 21 But the temple he had spoken of was his body.

The Temple for Israel was the place where God meets with his people and the place where God does business with his people about their sin. And all these promises of a new temple, a new Jerusalem and Mt Zion are picked up in the book of Hebrews in the new Testament.

Where Jesus is shown to be the one who has built a new temple for a new covenant, that will truly be a temple of the Lord Almighty for the people of all the earth.

Hebrews 3:1-6 Therefore, holy brothers, who share in the heavenly calling, fix your thoughts on Jesus, the apostle and high priest whom we confess. 2 He was faithful to the one who appointed him, just as Moses was faithful in all God's house. .. 6 But Christ is faithful as a son over God's house. And we are his house, if we hold on to our courage and the hope of which we boast.

Hebrews 9:15 For this reason Christ is the mediator of a new covenant, that those who are called may receive the promised eternal inheritance-- now that he has died as a ransom to set them free from their sins.

God, through Christ’s work of redemption and sacrifice now through his spirit has made us his temple, the place where God meets with man as John 17 confirms for us.

So take a look at God’s temple! Not all that impressive is it? But do not despise the day of small things, because small things like mustard seeds grow into big things, like trees in which all the birds of the sky can nest. God is pleased to have his name upon you, who call on the name of Christ.

But even more than that he has passionately set his heart on you, and that is what gives life, any life, short or long, plain or impressive, meaning.

SO will you passionately set your heart on him? Zechariah and his people were to prepare the way for the coming of the kingdom of God by building a small temple. We are to prepare the way of the Lord by proclaiming a small Gospel message and living small lives of integrity, remembering that every small life is important because it is lived in the presence of a great and loving God.

Zechariah - Talk 1

‘The Prophet and the day of small things’

Introduction
Time
520BC – mightn’t jump straight to mind as being a postcard moment in your life, so let’s go back a bit. In around 1000 BC the Great King David’s Son Solomon, built the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem, and it was massive and impressive and you can read about it and its dedication in 1 kings 7 and 8.

But it all went down hill from there for Israel, because when Solomon died two of his sons fought over the throne and the Kingdom was split into two regions. Jeroboam became king over the northern kingdom of ten tribes called Israel and Rehoboam became king over two tribes in the south called Judah.

In 722 BC the Northern Kingdom was invaded by Assyria. Assyria was in turn invaded by Babylon, and some 150 years later in 586 BC the Southern Kingdom of Judah fell to them and people were taken as captives to Babylon. In time Babylon fell to Persia.

According to the prophetic messages of the Old Testament and particularly of Jeremiah, God would take his refugees to resettle back from Babylon to Jerusalem, the promised land. And this happened in about 538 BC

Zechariah’s message is dated at 520 BC 18 years after the return, and two months after the prophet Haggai had started his ministry. In short, the refugees are back, but they are struggling.

Place - Well the place is Jerusalem mark two with the refugees from Babylon. But the particular focus of the book of Zechariah is the temple of the Lord in Jerusalem. The story behind Zechariah is the story of the Temple.

People
Zechariah - is the prophet to whom God spoke. His name means Yahweh remembers. He authenticity as a prophet of God is shown in his prediction of Zerubbabel finishing the temple, which we will see in chapter 4.
Darius – Is the Persian King who wants the temple of God to be rebuilt and his family to be prayed for. He is the historic yardstick we can work out the timing of events from.
Zerubbabel – Is sent to be the governor of the new Jerusalem region called Yehud. He brings some expectation with him because he is a descendent of King David.

Joshua – Is a priest who figures prominently as part of God’s purposes, but mostly in chapter 3 which we don’t have time to look at, but he also appears as part of a prophecy that we will see in chapter 4.

Yahweh of Hosts or the Lord Almighty – God’s name, which is translated Almighty in the NIV, can also be translated ‘hosts’ in other English versions, has great significance for the presentation of God in the book. Hosts is a term referring to a military commander, the General of the Ranks, the commander. The Expression ‘the Lord of Hosts’ appears some repeatedly in the verses of Zechariah. God is the warrior who will ensure the cause of the people.

The book itself
Consciously sees itself as prophecy, It is 14 chapters long and divided under three headings specified by time markers relating to Darius
Intro section is from 1:1-6
2nd Section is from 1:7 to the beginning of Chapter 7 and includes 8 visions that come to Zechariah from the Lord with the help of a messenger or angel
3rd Section begins at 7:1 and includes two oracles of God

The main theme of the introduction section of 1:1-6, which is in fact something of a main theme for the entire book of Zechariah is;

The time of judgment is over, are you ready for the celebration to begin?

Zechariah 1:1-6
In the eighth month of the second year of Darius, the word of the LORD came to the prophet Zechariah son of Berekiah, the son of Iddo:
2 "The LORD was very angry with your forefathers.
3 Therefore tell the people:
This is what the LORD Almighty says:
'Return to me,'
declares the LORD Almighty,
'and I will return to you,'
says the LORD Almighty.
4 Do not be like your forefathers, to whom the earlier prophets proclaimed:
This is what the LORD Almighty says:
'Turn from your evil ways and your evil practices.
'But they would not listen or pay attention to me,
declares the LORD.
5 Where are your forefathers now?
And the prophets, do they live forever?
6 But did not my words and my decrees, which I commanded my servants the prophets, overtake your forefathers?
"Then they repented and said,
'The LORD Almighty has done to us what our ways and practices deserve, just as he determined to do.'"

In chapter 1 God calls for his people to be ready for his return. Zechariah is to proclaim the prophetic word of the Lord to encourage the people, that they have been returned by God from their exile in Babylon, and now they are to get ready for God’s presence amongst them.

The time of God’s judgment is over as 1:12 conveys, the 70 years has passed and this ending of judgment is the grounds, for the Israel’s new confidence that God really will return. As surely as God was faithful to his word in judging Israel, he will be faithful to his word in his return.

Now, Verse 3 can make God’s return sound like a conditional promise in the way it is translated, 'Return to me,' declares the LORD Almighty, 'and I will return to you,' says the LORD Almighty.

But this probably doesn’t quite capture the certainty of God’s return that is seen throughout the rest of Zechariah’s message, such as 1:16
Zechariah 1:16 "Therefore, this is what the LORD says: 'I will return to Jerusalem with mercy, and there my house will be rebuilt. And the measuring line will be stretched out over Jerusalem,' declares the LORD Almighty.

The idea is clear that God’s coming is immanent, so be ready!

God had physically brought them to place where they could meet with him, so in a real sense they had ‘returned’ to God, but we learn that they hadn’t returned wholeheartedly. What the prophets Zechariah and Haggai as well as Ezra tell us, is that the people struggled to get on with living in a way, that was right before God.

We learn that there were two things in particular they struggled with: Firstly, the building of the temple (which we will look at in a moment when we discuss chapter 4) and, Secondly, there was an issue of intermarriage with unbelieving peoples who lived in the land.

The people had be returned to the land and were on the verge of a great act of God towards them, but they suffered from both Doubt and Compromise.

In Zechariah’s day God had drawn near and the people needed to ready themselves for his immanent arrival at the temple. God wants his arrival to be a day of celebration and not a day of judgment like last time.
They appeared to be where they were supposed to be, but they were in danger of not being wholehearted in their relationship with God ( as we see from the discussion of sacrifices).

So what does Zechariah’s message to the returned exiles mean to us today?
Two Things: Be Glad and Be Ready!
Be Glad!
The time of judgment had passed for the people returned from Babylon and the time to get ready for the impending celebration had begun. The specter of judgment had passed for them and so they could celebrate.

How much more can we celebrate and be glad, and prepare for the celebration with God to come, because our judgment, the ultimate judgment of God has also passed.
How much more is this true for us because of God’s promises – Rom 5:8 Gospel

Romans 5:5-8 God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us. 6 You see, at just the right time, when we were still powerless, Christ died for the ungodly. 7 Very rarely will anyone die for a righteous man, though for a good man someone might possibly dare to die. 8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

Be Ready!
Zechariah’s message to the returned people was, Don’t be overwhelmed by the events of this world, even in some of the extremely hard situations, God the Lord of Hosts is in control and trustworthy.

Zechariah reminds them that they are on the edge of something special, don’t get complacent or anxious now!! A complacency or anxiety that would inhibit you from doing the Lord’s work and preparing the way for him to return.

Or as Paul would put it, The night is nearly over and a new day has dawned!
Romans 13:11-14 The hour has come for you to wake up from your slumber, because our salvation is nearer now than when we first believed. 12 The night is nearly over; the day is almost here. So let us put aside the deeds of darkness and put on the armor of light. .. 14 .. clothe yourselves with the Lord Jesus Christ, and do not think about how to gratify the desires of the sinful nature.

So Be Glad and Trust God’s word of promise judgment has been dealt with and Be Ready because the time of celebration is here!

Well, for Zechariah and his hearers the judgment is over and the celebration is to begin, but well the celebrations aren’t exactly millions of dollars of fireworks or even an APEC conference, they are in fact they are pretty uninspiring indeed.

Ezra 3:8-13 .. 10 When the builders laid the foundation of the temple of the LORD, the priests in their vestments and with trumpets, and the Levites (the sons of Asaph) with cymbals, took their places to praise the LORD, as prescribed by David king of Israel. 11 With praise and thanksgiving they sang to the LORD: "He is good; his love to Israel endures forever." And all the people gave a great shout of praise to the LORD, because the foundation of the house of the LORD was laid. 12 But many of the older priests and Levites and family heads, who had seen the former temple, wept aloud when they saw the foundation of this temple being laid, while many others shouted for joy. 13 No one could distinguish the sound of the shouts of joy from the sound of weeping, because the people made so much noise. And the sound was heard far away.


God is not ashamed to have ‘small things’ bearing his name!

4:6 So he said to me,
"This is the word of the LORD to Zerubbabel:
'Not by might nor by power, but by my Spirit,'
says the LORD Almighty.
7 "What are you, O mighty mountain? Before Zerubbabel you will become level ground. Then he will bring out the capstone to shouts of
'God bless it! God bless it!'"
8 Then the word of the LORD came to me:
9 "The hands of Zerubbabel have laid the foundation of this temple; his hands will also complete it.
Then you will know that the LORD Almighty has sent me to you.
10 "Who despises the day of small things? Men will rejoice when they see the plumb line in the hand of Zerubbabel.

Clearly the heart of this passage is seeing that God will achieve his goal of dwelling with his people in the reconstructed temple in Jerusalem. Zerubbabel is the divinely appointed agent of God’s decree, but the Spirit of God is the source of the decree’s power. The temple will be completed for the return of God as guaranteed by God’s own spirit. It will be a great day of celebration for both God and his people.

Spirit/flesh
It seems to me that Some Christians today can feel that for something to be done by the Spirit of God, means it is the opposite of works of human hands. The spirit works in a direct and miraculous way that bypasses ‘natural’ means. And certainly in Paul’s writings we see that there is a proper place for talking about the spirit and the flesh being in opposition to each other.

But this isn’t the only way that spirit and the flesh interact in the Bible, our bodies are not totally evil, but they are totally fallen. What I mean is, our natural born inclinations are to oppose God, but the body is still able to be renewed and used by God. Just like the rest of creation, which is also fallen, God used it to provide rain and food.

God has determined that by the power of his spirit, we can serve his means, in the physical bodies he has given us. God is not ashamed to use the small things of this world to represent him and carry out his purposes.

If the body was fit enough for the Lord Jesus to use it to reveal very God himself, then our renewed bodies are fit to serve God in the power of his Spirit.

SO! What about the vision of the lampstand? What’s that all about? Well as I said earlier there are eight visions in Zechariah, and they all have their little difficulties for us to understand. The main thing with these visions is to not get too hung up on the details and the general sense of them is clear.

So quickly, for my two cents, what do I think the vision of the lampstand is about?
The lamp is a ‘menorah’ which is a Jewish lampstand found in the temple, and in this vision it seems to represent the presence of God in his temple, God really will return!
The two anointed ones in verse 14 that are the olive trees in the vision, it seems are most likely to be Joshua the high priest we read about in chapter 3, and Zerubbabel the governor who is from the line of David. God really will use these two men and the works of their hands to establish his presence in his temple amongst his people.

God really will use these people and the works of their hands, but make no mistake, primarily and decisively this work is a great spiritual work of God, ‘not by might, not by power, but by my spirit says the Lord.’

In spite of great political opposition, In spite of the complacency of the people, God will do a great work and Zerubbabel will complete the temple. God is not ashamed to use ‘small things’ to bear his name, whether a governor of a small back water, a small temple or a small and troubled people. God can and will, and indeed is pleased, to use them all.

So let me ask, What is it you despise?
What small things about the Christian faith you deem to be beneath God?

Does the unimpressiveness of it all get to you enough, that you sometimes feel like giving up on it all? Let’s face it, it really can be unimpressive at times can’t it.
It’s pretty easy to despise the small things of Christianity, lets face it, there are lots of things about the church and its’ people that can drive us a little insane and look silly by the worlds standards.

I mean look at our church building, it is hardly an ode to great 20th C architecture!

I mean our church doesn’t even have a television show, and the churches that do have a TV show produce such uninteresting content even I’m not impressed and I’m a Christian!

But of all the small things that seem so unfit for God to be associated with, surely its easy to despise ourselves most. WE all know how week and feeble our bodies can be. Who else knows the depths of our hard and stubborn hearts, who else knows the pettiness and hostility we all store up inside.

Well God does. God knows and he knows enough that he sent his son to heal the sick, not the healthy. We may feel inadequate and unimportant by any of the worlds standards, or even our own standards, but by the grace of God, we are loved and forgiven. We may often be ashamed of ourselves, but God is not ashamed to use us, as broken as we are this side of heaven, but as saved as we are this side of the cross. We are part of the kingdom of God that is being revealed.

God is not ashamed to use the small things of the Christian faith, the unwise by the worlds standards, and we see it most clearly in the Bible in 3 ways.
The Small Messiah:
Zechariah 9:9 9 Rejoice greatly, O Daughter of Zion! Shout, Daughter of Jerusalem! See, your king comes to you, righteous and having salvation, gentle and riding on a donkey, on a colt, the foal of a donkey.

The king of the World coming into his kingdom on public transport!

The Small Gospel Message:
1 Corinthians 1:17 - 2:13 ..18 For the message of the cross is foolishness to those who are perishing, but to us who are being saved it is the power of God. 19 For it is written: "I will destroy the wisdom of the wise; the intelligence of the intelligent I will frustrate." .. Has not God made foolish the wisdom of the world? 21 For since in the wisdom of God the world through its wisdom did not know him, God was pleased through the foolishness of what was preached to save those who believe. 22 Jews demand miraculous signs and Greeks look for wisdom, 23 but we preach Christ crucified: a stumbling block to Jews and foolishness to Gentiles, 24 but to those whom God has called, both Jews and Greeks, Christ the power of God and the wisdom of God. 25 For the foolishness of God is wiser than man's wisdom, and the weakness of God is stronger than man's strength. 26

How can God’s death be a message of wisdom, much less God’s death like a pitiful, penniless thief upon a cross? How can this message be the power of God?

Romans 1:16 16 I am not ashamed of the gospel, because it is the power of God for the salvation of everyone who believes: first for the Jew, then for the Gentile.


The Small Christian People:
Brothers, think of what you were when you were called. Not many of you were wise by human standards; not many were influential; not many were of noble birth. 27 But God chose the foolish things of the world to shame the wise; God chose the weak things of the world to shame the strong. 28 He chose the lowly things of this world and the despised things-- and the things that are not-- to nullify the things that are, 29 so that no one may boast before him. 30 It is because of him that you are in Christ Jesus, who has become for us wisdom from God-- that is, our righteousness, holiness and redemption. 31 Therefore, as it is written: "Let him who boasts boast in the Lord." .. 4 My message and my preaching were not with wise and persuasive words, but with a demonstration of the Spirit's power, 5 so that your faith might not rest on men's wisdom, but on God's power.

God is at work in his work through small things, broken things like you and me, who he is not ashamed to call us his children. God has given us the small things of a gospel message, about a small thing of a crucified messiah, to achieve the salvation of many, indeed to the ends of the earth.

As surely as God’s word of return to Israel was shown to be true when Zerubbabel laid the capstone, God’s promise of salvation will be shown to be true. Don’t loose heart now, and don’t get distracted from serving God now. Because
..it is not by might, nor by power, but by my spirit says the Lord.

Titus 3

The Kindness and Love of God.

Have you ever had a Slogan that sticks in your head, just through plain repetition, you know the kind of thing, where you have heard the phrase so many times, that you can just hear the phrase said and a whole heap of images come flooding back with it. Maybe it’s a line from a movie, like tell him he’s dreaming, Or, you can’t handle the truth!

Some phrases just have an amazing ability through repetition to stick with you, kind of like the last song you hear, on the radio before you go to work, it just stays there until something else can squash it out.

Like, na na na, na na na na, na na na, na na na na na, I just can’t get you out my head..
That’s a song that can haunt you at night, but the advertisers picked up on this kylie minogue song didn’t they, because if you close your eyes for a minute and hum the song whose face do you see?

Merv Hughes! And that beer commercial!

So repetition has value for remembering things and it certainly does for Paul in the book of Titus – he just keeps presenting the same theme, in different arrangements, the theme of doing good!

And so to Titus chapter 3, the first idea we get from Paul today, well actually it’s a command.. is a command to

1. Remember these things

Titus is to remind the Christians in Crete of all that they have been taught. The command ‘to Remind’ seems almost synonymous with the commands ‘to teach’, and ‘to speak’, the truth in the earlier two chapters of Titus. And it is reinforced in V8 of Chapter 3, where Paul urges Titus to stress these things.

Paul wants the Christians to Remember these things:
NIV Titus 3:1
Remind the people to be subject to rulers and authorities,
to be obedient, to be ready to do whatever is good,
2 to slander no one, to be peaceable and considerate, and to show true humility toward all men.

Paul wants the Christians to live good lives in the eyes of God, and also their brothers and sisters in the faith, but also in the eyes of all people.. This is nothing new for us as we read Titus is it? Paul seems to again be driving home the point, of the big theme of Titus, that knowledge leads to godliness and godliness is self-control.

Our self control is to be shown in our respect, for God instituted authority. And also actively expressing our freedoms to pursue the good of others. We are able to show our self-control, in the control of our tongues, in our good actions, including humility. And we can show it in how we value our relationships with others.

Self Control is to be subject to rulers, to be obedient, in short it is to do, whatever is good..

Because doing good, pleases God, and is consistent with who he made us to be, and in a very important way in Titus, it will commend the Gospel to those who observe, the gospel message being lived out.

[illus] So what does this look like in real life, well in some ways that is what you have to contemplate and pray about isn’t it?

But Paul puts forward a few areas to stimulate your thinking in this area, of how the whole of your life can commend the gospel:
- Alcohol
- Sexual Immorality
- Speech
- Relationships

There is no end to ways that Christians, can live godly self-controlled lives, that are good for all people, and in the process commend the gospel.

Now, There was one group of society that would find this incredibly difficult, who we didn’t get a chance to talk about last week - The Slaves
Paul in Titus chapter 2 verse 9 addresses the issue of slaves

9 Teach slaves to be subject to their masters in everything,
to try to please them, not to talk back to them,
10 and not to steal from them,
but to show that they can be fully trusted,
so that in every way they will make the teaching about God our Savior attractive.

What about the slaves? - Why doesn’t Paul do something for them? - It seems this is probably a more sharply defined question in 21st century - than it was when Paul wrote in the 1st Century. In this passage - Paul addresses the slaves themselves - not their owners. It seems to focus on those - who are in the weaker position, - not for them to overturn their position, - but for them to commend the gospel in the position they find themselves.

And Paul is no outsider to the experience of being a slave - as we saw a couple of weeks ago, - Paul is a slave of Christ to the point of chains - in gaol. And why is he a slave,

Titus 1:1 for the faith of God's elect and the knowledge of the truth that leads to godliness--

He doesn’t ask anyone to do, what he is not willing to do himself. Paul is a slave who lives for his masters purposes alone - because Paul’s hope of eternal life, shaped the way he lived here.

This section seems to implicitly acknowledge - the hardness of certain situations, - but it wants to commend an attitude that is consistent with the gospel and acceptable to society, where possible . Even slaves are to live in a way, that makes the gospel admirable - and the teaching of God attractive.

So at what point - does the Gospel need to clash with culture!! Well really it clashes at every point - at one level, - and yet Gospel message most pointedly clashes with culture - in the hearts of people, - not in structures.

These situations of slavery are legally acceptable structures in the first century Roman Empire, - and Paul, in this section of Titus, is more concerned about saving the people - than saving the structures.

Even a person in slavery is able to commend the gospel to others, including their masters, - through their lifestyle, - through their self-control, - their respect, honesty and hard work.

How much more are we, who are free, able to do this in our situations of life?

[NEW] The Bigger issue of slavery for Paul is picked up, however, in chapter 3, where he goes on to explain, that all men are slaves, because all men are enslaved to sin, as we are deceived by passions and pleasures – and being enslaved, we act out in disobedience.

3 At one time we too were foolish, disobedient, deceived
and enslaved by all kinds of passions and pleasures.
We lived in malice and envy, being hated and hating one another.

There seems to be great echoes of the message of Romans five in this chapter in particular

Rom 5:8. But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

And in the next couple of verses of Titus, Paul will explain how in God’s timing, our rescue is to come about. But did you notice that sin seems to particularly have a social and relational consequence. Our slavery to sin, results in relationships of malice, envy and hatred, the total opposite of relationships, that seek good, and are humble from verse 2. Sin impacts not just on ourselves, but on those around us as well.



[aside] Now as we move on to look a the following verses, there are two great questions to ask when we read any passage of scripture, that can enrich our understanding of the passage and help us to personally meet with God. The two questions are: Firstly, what do I learn about God in this passage, and the second is, How does what I have learned about God impact upon me?

4 But when the kindness and love of God our Savior appeared,
5 he saved us,
not because of righteous things we had done,
but because of his mercy.
He saved us through the washing of rebirth and renewal by the Holy Spirit,
6 whom he poured out on us generously through Jesus Christ our Savior,
7 so that, having been justified by his grace, we might become heirs having the hope of eternal life.

I reckon there are at least five things in this passage, that teach us what God is like. And I reckon there are at least another five ways, that this knowledge of God impacts upon us directly.
Our second idea from Paul today in Titus is

2. Our God who is:

1. Our God who is.. A Revealing God

Have you ever on a rainy afternoon stopped to think, of where you would go to find God, if he didn’t want to be found? It’s a brain curdingly difficult question and the answers you come up with are in fact pretty scary.
It’s an issue Job tried to grapple with as we see in Job 23

Job 23:1-9 Then Job replied: 2 "Even today my complaint is bitter; his hand is heavy in spite of my groaning. 3 If only I knew where to find him; if only I could go to his dwelling! .. "But if I go to the east, he is not there; if I go to the west, I do not find him. 9 When he is at work in the north, I do not see him; when he turns to the south, I catch no glimpse of him.

As humans born into this world we can tend to be very self assured, in our capacity to do things on our own. But we don’t actually have the ability, on our own, to find God. We’ve got crossed wiring from being enslaved to sin.

The Revelation of God is an sovereign activity of God, his gracious movement towards us in revealing himself, and we see this most pointedly in his Son Jesus Christ. The Immanuel, God who is with us!

God has appeared in our world, so if you want to know what God is like, you don’t contemplate a tree, or listen to a small voice within, you don’t even follow ‘the secret’, ‘the shack’, or go to Oprah. You come to God himself, you come to God revealed, you come to God appeared, you come to Jesus Christ. And we only know the truth of Jesus Christ, through the testimony of the pages of the Bible.

We are entirely dependent, from start to finish upon God revealing himself to us, so we can in fact, know God. And because God is a revealing God, we really do know God personally.

Our God is a revealing God.

2. Our God who is.. A Saving God

Well what is this God who has revealed himself like? We see from the rescue of Israel, from the slavery of Egypt in the Exodus, to the rescue from slavery of all God’s people, from our sin, through the death of his son on a cross, - Our God is a God who saves. As we remembered at Christmas this year the name Jesus means…, Jesus means God saves?

God saves his people, not because of their righteousness – or goodness. But because of his mercy Titus 3:5 tells us. But then this is no real surprise to us, that God, is a God who saves is it, because we learned way back in Deuteronomy that God is a God who saves because of his mercy, and in particular because he keeps the merciful promises he has made.

Deuteronomy 7:7-9 7 The LORD did not set his affection on you and choose you because you were more numerous than other peoples, for you were the fewest of all peoples. 8 But it was because the LORD loved you and kept the oath he swore to your forefathers that he brought you out with a mighty hand and redeemed you from the land of slavery, from the power of Pharaoh king of Egypt. 9 Know therefore that the LORD your God is God; he is the faithful God, keeping his covenant of love to a thousand generations of those who love him and keep his commands.

Our God, is a God who saves, because he keeps his promises.

3. Our God who is.. Trinity

Despite what much of the press would have you believe, lot’s of people are actually ok with talking about God, but then what makes the God we are talking about Christian? Well what makes it a Christian God, is that we are talking about Jesus as God, isn’t it? And that’s exactly the point when people can get a little uncomfortable, in talking about God.

How can Jesus be God, when he prays to another God, his father. Well that is when the difficult, and yet profoundly Christian idea comes to the fore, that God is in himself, trinity. In Titus you’ll note we see the three persons of the trinity as one God in action. Where God the father, is the one who in his kindness and love (v4), expressed his mercy, in the appearing of his son (v4) and with this son and through this son, God expresses his mercy in our rebirth and renewal in the Holy Spirit (V5). God saves us.


All three persons are involved in our salvation, because all of God is involved in our salvation. This God of all the universe, this revealing God who saves, has revealed himself in the pages of the Bible as a God, who is trinity. Just have a look at Jesus baptism in Matthew 3:26-27 later. One God who is three persons. The three persons of the trinity who as Father, Son and Holy Spirit are one God in a profound relational unity.

Our God is, a God who is trinity.

4. Our God who is.. Personal

And this knowledge of God as revealer, saviour and trinity is a personal knowledge. God convicts us within ourselves, and in our experience, of the truth about himself, through the Holy Spirit. The Holy Spirit illuminates to us, what God has revealed about himself, in the Bible.

If you like God confirms in our hearts by his spirit, the truth about himself, as he has shared about himself, for all time in the Bible. Our God is a relational and personal God. God has poured out his holy spirit upon us V6. like Romans 5:5 God has poured out his love into our hearts by the Holy Spirit, whom he has given us.

Our God isn’t a uninterested watchmaker, who just made the world, set it in motion, and now cares nothing for it. Neither is our God just an impassionate judge of all men, one to be feared without any available recourse.

Our God is, a God who is personal. Our God reveals himself personally, into the depths of our hearts, as a saving God, who is trinity.

5. Our God who is.. true in his actions

John Calvin came up with the great catchphrase that, God is in himself as he is towards us. What those lawyeresque terms means, to you and me is that, God is not two faced. God is not something in himself, and then another persona in his actions.

In a positive expression, God is truthful to who he really is, in all his dealings with mankind. We really do know the God of the universe in his actions, because it is exactly the same, as he is in his character. And V5 tells us God is kind, loving, merciful and generous, and his actions towards us confirm it.

And Paul will go on to challenge us, to be like the God we serve, and were created by. We are to strive for a continuity of who we are, and how we act. We also are to be kind, loving, merciful and generous. In a total contrast to the ungrateful servant of Matthew 18.

Our God is true in his actions. Our God who has revealed himself personally, (in those same actions), to be the saving triune God.

[aside] The second question we can ask of any passage of scripture as you may remember is:
How does what I have learned about God, impact upon me?
We’ll move through these ideas a little more quickly.

3. Our God who has..

1. Our God who has.. washed us with rebirth

Through the sacrifice of the blood of his son, God has paved the way, for the washing away of all our sins. This washing, deals with stain of sin on our lives, and on our conscience. Washing is for the Christian, Getting rid of the negative, the removal of all of the guilt and shame, of sin.

Christians struggle against sin, and we need at times to be convicted of our sin, but the cross of Christ takes away, our guilt and our shame; before God, before each other, and before ourselves when we look in the mirror. We are a people of grace, who have been washed clean.


2. Our God who has.. renewed us by the Holy Spirit

If you like, this is Getting the positive, after the removal of the negative of sin. We are not what we once were, because God has renewed our minds and persons, to serve him in a way, that we were unable to before. We are no longer enslaved to sin, but servants of the God most high because v5 tells us we have been renewed, in the Holy spirit.

3. Our God who has.. Poured out the Holy Spirit

Our God is personal, as we see in Titus. Just like at Pentecost and in Romans 5, he has poured his spirit onto us. Not only are we renewed in this way, but God actually dwells with us, he has made his home with us. Just like Jesus promised in John chapter 17. God dwells in us, and that is why we really do know him personally.

4. Our God who has.. justified us by his grace

Justified as I’m sure most of you are well aware is legal language – it’s about being acquitted in a court of law. It is having no charges to answer.
God acted in his son to take the charges we deserved so we may be justified by God’s grace, as we see in verse 7.

One amazing Christian man explained it like this; he said Jesus takes all the sin, the filth, the brokenness of my life that is mine and my doing, and he makes it his at the cross. The righteous dies for the unrighteous. And then Jesus takes all the good that he has done, including his relationship with God the Father and makes it mine. We are justified by the grace of God, found in Jesus Christ.

5. Our God who has.. made us heirs of the hope of eternal life

We saw in Titus chapter 1, that the hope of eternal life is what drives Paul on, and this hope shapes our lives now. Hope is the only thing that gives life meaning, and we have a sure and certain hope, as heirs with Christ, as we see in verse 7.

We live as Christians in a time of conflict, between what we experience now, and the hope of what is to come next.
And so as Christian’s we live with this sure and certain hope of resurrection, in the hardships of this life. With Christ we are co-heirs of eternal life.

[illus] All well and good I suppose, but what do we do with all this stuff? Our Response to all the ten things we have looked at, should be to wonder at the nature, and graciousness of God, and then a response of prayerful and obedient thankfulness! Because he saved us, not because of our righteousness, but because of his mercy. We were slaves, and now we are heirs.

The final idea, that Paul leaves us with the book of Titus, is no real surprise.

4. Do what is Good

Three times in this chapter alone, Paul emphasizes the need for the Cretans to what is good. In Verse 1 Titus is to ‘remind them’, in verse 8 he is to ‘stress these things’, and in v14 they are to ‘learn these things’.. as we read.

14 Our people must learn to devote themselves to doing what is good,
in order that they may provide for daily necessities and not live unproductive lives.

Why don’t I pray for us now, that we would be a people who grow in our knowledge of God, that it may result in self control. And that we learn to do what is good and lead productive lives to the glory of God.

Lets Pray.

Titus 2

Teach the hope of eternal life that results in self-control

When I was a new graduate working in the consulting firm mentioned last week - one of the first big jobs I worked on - involved putting an 8 storey extension on top of a 14 storey existing building.

That is no mean feat let me tell you, - after you take out the underground car park levels, - this extension effectively doubled the height of the building.

And being a new graduate - they didn’t let me undertake this on my own, - which was a good thing I might say, - but they assigned me to work under a head designer who was in his early 30’s.

And this guy was the golden boy of the section, - he was tall and athletic and he wore nice suits, - which is something of a statement if you’ve seen the state of attire - in the average engineering firm. And in contrast - this guy was a real French cuff sleeves and Windsor knot ties - sought of fellow.

Well I got under way with my initial tasks - and things went well enough. But as the tasks got harder and I needed more direction from my superior, - BUT I started to get the sneaking suspicion that this guy was not quite as knowledgeable - as the suits he wore made out!

One day I had a technical question - from the current design standards that we had to comply with, - and he looked blankly at me in response. And then admitted he still needed to use the superseded codes (that were superseded 6 years ago at this point!) and he mentioned he didn’t know how to use the new ones – the only ones we had learnt to use in university.

It became a very steep learning curve for me that project - and needless to say, - I had to source other avenues - for my advice.

I’m sure everyone knows that uncomfortable feeling of losing faith in a teacher, - then it’s all over for them as a source of learning for you isn’t it?
If they can’t show an integrity of their knowledge and their action, - a continuity between what they do and what they profess to know, - well what good are they?

For the Christian, as we learned from Titus chapter 1 last week, - knowledge leads to godliness. And as Paul points out in chapter 2 of Titus this week, - both knowledge and godliness are taught. Paul instructs Christians – and in particular Titus - to teach the good teaching.

And in addition in Chapter 2 - Paul will go on to spell out - how the knowledge of God will result in godliness, - how it will be displayed in our self-control. And in an interesting twist Paul shows that godliness - not only impacts on us as individuals, but it also impacts and governs our social relationships.

But first - we’re going to look at what Paul has to say - about the person of Jesus Christ and his work on our behalf. For Paul - any action he asks of Christians - is always grounded first in the action of Christ on their behalf.

If you like - we are always; passive recipients; - prior to our being active participants.
Or Christ has done, - so Now you! - Is another way of putting it.

Paul’s teaching about Jesus Christ - is our first idea for today that.

1. The truth about God is found in Jesus Christ

11 For the grace of God that brings salvation has appeared to all men.
12 It teaches us [in order to] to say "No" to ungodliness and worldly passions,
and to live self-controlled, upright and godly lives in this present age,
13 while we wait for the blessed hope--
the glorious appearing of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ,
14 who gave himself for us [in order to] to redeem us from all wickedness
and to purify for himself a people that are his very own,
eager to do what is good.

So what is this salvation that has appeared, well it is Jesus Christ. An In particular Christ’s person and work - to use a more technical description, on our behalf. In v11 - God’s grace that brings salvation, has appeared to all men. God has chosen to reveal himself specifically in his son, Jesus Christ.

God has chosen to save men by his gracious act, of sending his son to live the obedient and faithful life, that we could not do. He lived this obedient life out - in perfect relationship with God the father.

Jesus lived in perfect obedience - until his innocent death on a cross - for the sins of guilty men. A death that gives all men – who’ll receive it’s benefits, - a hope. A blessed hope of eternal life from V13, - a blessed hope that shapes life now in self-control - as we await the appearing of the Lord.

Jesus has redeemed us - from septic mire that is own sin. A redemption that cleanses us from our guilt and debt in order to that we may be purified as Christ’s people. Christ’s life and its’ reward becomes our benefit.

So we see that Christ is the grace that has come - and he will also return; And We live in these days between the cross and his return, and in our passiveness – we have NOW received this redemption that is our certain hope of salvation.

You see; if you want to know The truth about God [it] is found in Jesus Christ

But the truth about God in Jesus - never leaves us as these passive recipients; - the truth about God in Jesus - always - compels and commands us - to be active participants in response.

The truth about God is found in Jesus Christ - and it results in self-control.

So how are we to be active recipients, what we are to do? Well We are to learn from the grace we have received, and We are to be active in our self control. We are to Say no to (to deny) ungodliness. Self-control is Our denial of worldly passions, - like excessive drinking and sexual immorality of the Cretans.

The hope we have and the grace we have received teaches us to be self controlled. We are to learn to be specific and in control of our actions, and not out of control in our passions - like the Cretan unbelievers.

This redemption and salvation given to us is to result in us having an attitude, that is eager to do what is good. We aren’t to be some kind of ‘recalcitrant’ - to use a Keatingism. We aren’t to be the kind of people who need to be dragged kicking and screaming to godly self-controlled behaviour, but we are to eagerly desire it. We are to be zealous about doing good. And you know what, self-controlled godly behaviour is actually for our good! Why? well because it pleases God and is consistent with whom he has made us to be in the first place

Jesus Christ is our saviour - and in response we actively live out self-controlled lives. Our self-control – however, is for a purpose, - the purpose is that the teaching of God will be attractive to all men V10.

The truth about God is found in Jesus Christ -and it results in self-control.

The 2nd idea we see in Titus chapter 2 - looks forward from the received teaching - and focuses on the action of Christians in response, - actions that will have a relational focus.

2. Christianity is taught!

2:1 You must teach what is in accord with sound doctrine.
2 Teach the older men to be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled,
and sound in faith, in love and in endurance.

Paul commands Titus to teach, - to teach the good teaching. And this will be the key theme throughout this chapter. In the NIV - ‘Teaching’ pops up 8 times in these 15 verses

The older Christian men are to be temperate. They are to be sober in regard to alcohol. They are to live in a way that earns respect. They are to be men who are worthy of respect, - not just people who demand respect. It is something that is to be received by them, - not taken.

They are to be sound in faith, love and endurance. This is an approach that seems to imitate the resounding - faith, hope and love of 1 Corinthians 13, - with the exception that they are to ‘endure’.

Paul instructs Titus is to teach both sound doctrine, - the good teaching, - and sound lifestyle. The knowledge of God - is to result in godliness. And godliness is self-control.

Self-Control is the key element of the godly life commended for all the groups in chapter 2 - as it will enable believers to commend the Word of God - in every way.

In Verse 3 Paul continues
3 Likewise, teach the older women to be reverent in the way they live,
not to be slanderers or addicted to much wine,
but to teach what is good.
The older ladies are to be reverent in lifestyle, - to be respectful and modest. They are not to be slanderous - with the words that come from their mouths.

[APPLICATION] It has been reported - that in any given day, - an average woman will speak three times as many words as an average man. I can believe that. So if you are going to speak three times as many words, - you’d need to be three times as careful about the words that are about to come out of your mouth, wouldn’t you? Our godly self-control - has to exhibit itself in our speech.
And Paul goes on to explain why - it is so important that the older women are self-controlled, - the purpose of their good life and teaching is

4 Then they can train the younger women to love their husbands and children,
5 to be self-controlled and pure, to be busy at home, to be kind,
and to be subject to their husbands,
so that no one will malign the word of God.

Just like the elders in chapter 1 last week, - the people at the top have a unique opportunity to influence the culture of the whole group. The older women are to be self-controlled - to facilitate the younger women being likewise.

In contrast to the older women, - self-control for the younger women, - is focused upon them loving their husbands and loving their children, - to care for them and their interests, even at the expense of their own interests.

The younger women are to be self-controlled - and in particular sexually pure, - not immoral or even questionable in their behaviour. Paul emphasizes that women are to be industrious and constructive with their time. - To be busy, not busy bodies.

[APPL] I’m sure all of us know the curse that it is, - to have to much time on our hands, - it leads to idleness - and idle thoughts. Too much time is a bad thing – so the passage is instructing younger women - to find active ways of using their time.

Let’s be clear - this isn’t primarily a command to stay at home, - it is a primarily a command to be self-controlled, - and to be self-controlled - by being constructive in the use of their time.

All our behaviour needs to stem from the good teaching we have received - in order that we may live in a way that commends the same good teaching, - the good teaching of the gospel of Christ.

The relationship exhibited between husbands and wives - is a key relationship to commend the Gospel to others, - it commends the Gospel - in the way husband and wives lovingly, caringly and kindly express their ordered relationship.

[STORY] Now I reckon - you need to do something fairly special to grab people’s attention - as you walk up the road from our old place - and go down King Street Newtown. If you’re a man - walking down King St dressed as I am, - some people may look, - but it would be no surprise to anyone.

If you were a man - and you dressed as a woman and walked down King St, - you’d get a few more looks I’d imagine, - but still not many people would be surprised.

Now If you were a man - and you walked down King St with no clothes, - I think you would get a lot more looks - and most people would be surprised, - but not everyone.

BUT if - you walked down King St - saying ‘wives must subject to their husbands’ - I guarantee you - that everyone would look - and everyone would be surprised!

Wearing funny clothes - or tattoos - or what ever else floats your boat, - might feel like you are being counter cultural, -
but is really only playing at being counter cultural. If you really want to ruffle some feathers, - say ‘wives must be subject to their husbands’.

While we don’t have time - to go into a detailed and exhaustive discussion - of what Biblical relations between men and women to look like, - it is worth making a couple of comments at this point.

The word ‘sub-ject’ - is seen as an ugly word - with suspect overtones - in our day and age. In our context - it often means oppression, - it often means an exercise of power of a stronger person, over a weaker one. It’s use is seen as - a tool of an authoritarian.

And you know what, - I think there is something in that. When sinful humans get power, to varying degrees, - they seem to be incapable of not using the power - for their own interests, - and I think the Bible would lead us to agree with this - at one level.

But is this exactly - what the Bible means with it’s use of the term ‘sub-ject’? I looked up every New Testament reference to this word ‘sub-ject’, - and all of them expressed a relationship were one party had a sense of authority - in relation to another party. And in the most frequent instances - it was used to describe the relationship between husbands and wives. In other cases it was used of parents and children - and other relationships of the like.

Two things are worth noting - about a position of authority - in the Bible; Firstly, - all authority is a derivative authority - received from God’s ultimate authority. (And as a consequence all derivative authority will ultimately be subjected to God’s final judgment -which those of us who have received authority from God would do well to remember this); Secondly, All submission to worldly authority - is a derivative act - of our ultimate submission to God’s authority.


It reflects our confidence in God’s sovereignty, (including his ultimate justice - and his resolution to work in all things - for the good of those who love him). It enables us to trust his command - as our creator and saviour - about the world he has made and redeemed. Including the relationships that exist in this broken world. Even when society thinks it looks quite crazy.

Authority in the Bible - always emphasizes the responsibility of the position - as the priority -over any power - associated with the role. The person with the authority - has to see themselves in light of the responsibility before God himself - with their task to care for the other.

Authority in the Bible - does not need to be an expression of power that is godless and oppressive, - in fact order (or authority) is part of the creator’s creation - and a part that has been redeemed in the same way as people. As husband and wives are redeemed from their sin, - so the marriage relationship has been redeemed.

Paul highlights - that submission (or reverence) - is an act of self-control by the wife –self-control expressed in her love and honour of her husband. Her self-control expressed in this way - will silence the opponents of the Gospel - and they will not be able to malign, - (or more literally blaspheme) - the word of God.

And that’s some thought isn’t it, - someone could blaspheme God, - because of your behaviour! So the younger women, - just like the older women, - just like the older men, they are to be self-controlled - for the sake of the Word of God.

Christianity is taught! – So Teach sound doctrine as it will enable believers to commend the Word of God - in every way.

And just as the older women were to train the younger women, Titus is to be an example to the younger men

6 Similarly, encourage the young men to be self-controlled.
7 In everything set them an example by doing what is good.
In your teaching show integrity, seriousness
8 and soundness of speech that cannot be condemned,
so that those who oppose you may be ashamed
because they have nothing bad to say about us.

And this godly life - will cause the opposition in Crete - to be silenced, - it will mean they are unable to say anything bad about us.

Mark 14:55-59
The chief priests and the whole Sanhedrin were looking for evidence against Jesus so that they could put him to death, but they did not find any. 56 Many testified falsely against him, but their statements did not agree. 57 Then some stood up and gave this false testimony against him: 58 "We heard him say, 'I will destroy this man-made temple and in three days will build another, not made by man.'" 59 Yet even then their testimony did not agree.

A godly life - is a powerful testimony - that silences mouths

Self-Control commends the Gospel.

And this doesn’t just mean the private piety of clean living - and clean speech, - but also importantly the nature of our relationships - commends the Gospel.

Are you kind to your spouse? –
Are you kind to your children or parents? –
Are you an honest employee, - or are you one who ducks off 20 mins early, with a bag full of stationary, - because ‘you’ve had a big day!’?

The Christian Gospel - commends itself in the integrity of the lives of Christian people!!

Christianity is taught! – So Teach sound doctrine as it will enable believers to commend the Word of God - in every way.

You may have noticed we’ve skipped the slaves issue! It was a little to big to fit in today so We’ll be able to pick that up next week.

So Paul summarizes his main argument in the third idea in verses 2:15 to 3:2, Paul tells Titus.

3. So Teach!

15 These, then, are the things you should teach.
Encourage and rebuke with all authority.
Do not let anyone despise you.

The Chapter ends where it starts - in Paul’s command to Titus to ‘teach’. In verse one he is to ‘speak’ the things – that are in accordance with good teaching, -
and this idea is tied to the end of the chapter in verse 15 - where again he is to ‘teach’, to ‘speak’ the things in accordance with good teaching.

Our good teaching - is based upon the gifts we have received from Christ, - it’s based upon the gift - of the hope of eternal life. And it is this gift - that will result in our active self-control and our good teaching.

It is a teaching and lifestyle - that will impact those who see it. Our lives will Commend and defend - the Gospel of Christ - and in the process they will silence our opposition!

And one final thought of application, I think this passage is encouraging us, if not explicitly, then by implication, that Christian things should happen in Christian homes. Our society is very comfortable with outsourcing most aspects of our children’s education to others. Now as much as we thank God for all the 19 year olds who volunteer to teach our children in an average church, our children’s Christian education is a little too important to leave in the hands of a volunteer.

I think the passage is reminding us of the importance of Christian teaching, so be encouraged to ensure Christian things like prayer, bible reading and talk of the things of God happens in Christian homes.

[help for this!!]

Yet another difficult challenge from the book of Titus, so why don’t I prayer for us that God’s help in these things.

Prayer
What does the passage want you to know?
The Grace of God, Jesus Christ our saviour has appeared, and we wait with a blessed hope until he returns and makes us a pure people of his own
What does the passage want you to do?
Both learn and teach all that is in accordance with sound doctrine, so that you may live self controlled and ordered lives, in order that you may commend (and no one may malign) the word of God our saviour.