Transcript

New York Times columnist, Thomas Friedman, devoted a column once to the idea that technology has made everyone a potential paparazzi.

Friedman explains that anyone we encounter could have a cell phone with a camera that could record our actions. If we’re rude or misbehave, we could end up on the internet for the whole world to see. “We’re all public figures now,” concludes Friedman.

In this world of new and potentially revealing technology, how we live our lives and conduct our businesses has become far more significant than what we do. “We do not live in glass houses, houses have walls; we live on glass microscope slides visible and exposed to all.”

Take great care about how you live your life, because someone is watching. This might be news to columnists, but it’s hardly a revelation to those of us who believe in a sovereign, all-seeing God.

We know the Lord observes us, but we are also being watched by His holy angels. Satan’s evil host lurk in the shadows and watch us. Children, teenagers, neighbors, co-workers, fellow church members, family members, they all watch us.

Unbelievers often watch the believer to see whether our behavior either confirms their suspicion that Christianity is a hoax, or it invites them to draw near for a closer look.

This is the truth that Paul is trying to impress on the church in the Book of Titus, that we are all being watched and that we need to live consistent with what we believe.

In Titus 2:5, Paul writes about Christian conduct in order, “that the Word of God be not blasphemed.”

In Titus 2:7 he says, “In all thing shewing thyself a pattern [or example] of good works.”

In Titus 2:8, Paul writes: “that he that is of the contrary part may be ashamed, having no evil thing to say of you.”

Titus 2:10: “that they may adorn the doctrine of God in all things.” The character of the church is being watched, both from those outside the church and from within it.

Paul’s teaching here is that we “adorn the doctrine of God,” or another way you could say this is that we “beautify the Bible,” that we make the gospel message attractive to unbelievers by how we live our lives.

When the Word of God comes alive in our life and is lived out authentically, it gives life and power to the words we speak for Christ, and it makes Christianity look good to a watching world, and our lives become an authoritative, strong, beautiful testimonies to the truth and the reality of the transforming, saving power of the gospel of the grace of God.

Titus 2:7: “In all things shewing thyself a pattern of good works: in doctrine shewing uncorruptness, gravity, sincerity.”

After giving instruction for the churches in Crete, Paul turns back to Titus now and has a special bit of advice for him directly in verse 7 and says that he is to be “shewing THYSELF a pattern of good works.”

Paul says to Titus, “Set an example with the pattern of your life so that they can copy what you are. Be a sermon; don’t just preach one. Instead of being just verbal; offer your life as a visual as well.”

Titus had an obligation to exemplify the moral and spiritual qualities about which he was to admonish others and especially in the area of good works.

The word “pattern” is the Greek word “tupos” which gives us our English word “type.”

The word speaks of a “blow” or an “impression,” and it’s a word which makes reference to a die, a mold, a model, a prototype, a pattern you would trace over, it refers to the visible impression left by the strokes or blows of an instrument.

Titus was to be the living imprint of virtue, a godly model that others can follow, a life that they could trace their own life after.

Titus’s life and ministry was to impact and strike a blow and hit others, living his life in such a way that it would make an indelible, lasting impression on others for Christ.

In other words, Titus was to be a powerful example for Christ by how he lived his life, and through his “good works” and service for God.

An Olympic equestrian champion was asked, “How does your horse know when it has to leap the hedges and hurdles, and why do some horses turn away or stumble?” The woman answered, “That’s simple.

“You tear your heart out of your body and throw it over the hedge. The horse knows how desperate you are to catch up to your heart. So it leaps.”

And through our lives and good works for Christ after we are saved, that’s the kind of impact that God wants us to have on those around us.

God would have us so passionately live for Christ, and tear our hearts out of our bodies and throw ourselves into the Lord’s work so that we impact others around us and make them want to leap, and live for Christ by faith.

Example is crucial in the teaching of Paul. Example is crucial in the life of the church. Those who model Christ in their lives give us direction, they challenge and inspire us to follow the Lord and to do the same.

The Apostle Paul said, to “Be ye followers of me, even as I also follow Christ.” And Paul’s passionate life and example challenges us, to be faithful, to love others and to wholeheartedly and sacrificially live for the Lord.

No believer is perfect, but God calls all of us to be the best example possible to those around us for Him, and in all things showing ourselves an example of good works, that we might challenge and inspire others to trust, serve and live for Christ.

In Titus’ doctrine, or in his teaching, Paul instructs him in v. 7 to show “uncorruptness” or integrity, and “gravity” or seriousness, and “sincerity,” or genuineness.

Titus needed to practice what he preached. He needed to be the same man in and out of the pulpit. “For they say, and do not” was our Lord’s indictment against the Pharisees in Matthew 23:3. God wants what we say we believe and how we behave to match.

Charles Spurgeon once said, “A man’s life is always more forcible than his speech.

When men take stock of him they reckon his words as pennies, but his deeds as dollars. If his life and doctrine disagree, onlookers will first accept his practice and reject what he says he believes.”

The Word of God needs to be real in our lives. It won’t matter what we say about the Word of God if we don’t live it out.

Years ago, the day after his Sunday messages, the pastor of a church in London got on the trolley Monday morning to go back to his study downtown.

One Monday, he paid his fare, and the trolley driver gave him too much change. The pastor sat down and fumbled the change around in his hand, looked it over, counted it eight or nine times. At first, he rationalized, “It’s amazing how God provides.”

He realized his family was tight that week, and this was just about what they would need to break even.

He wrestled with himself all the way down the old trolley trail that led to his office. Finally, he came to his stop, and he got up, couldn’t live with himself, walked up to the trolley driver and said, “Here, you gave me too much change. You made a mistake.”

The driver said, “No, it was no mistake. You see, I was in your church yesterday when you spoke on honesty, and I thought I would put you to the test.”

Titus needed to teach the Word of God with integrity, living what he preached. With honor and uprightness, he was to be a living example of his teaching.

Titus needed not only to tell others how to live the Christian life; as a leader he needed to show them how.

We too need to be people of integrity with the Word. This is not the duty of the spiritual leader alone, this integrity is to characterize the entire church.

In Titus’s doctrine, he was to teach the Word “showing…gravity.” Gravity doesn’t suggest that we don’t laugh in the Christian life. Laughter is a gift from God. The fact that we are made in the image of God and that we laugh, teaches us that laughter comes from God.

This instruction doesn’t suggest that the Word be taught with a serious monotone voice, never smiling or laughing. We should make known His Word with fervor and feeling and with life, because it is the truth of God.

Our culture, however, values silliness and that which is trivial. If you don’t believe this, just look at all the “reality shows” on TV.

Many don’t want to take anything serious and to try to get through life as light-hearted as possible. And this is why the entertainment industry does so well, as people are constantly trying to escape reality.

In his teaching of the Word, Titus needed to stress the seriousness of life and purpose and ministry and the gravity of people’s spiritual needs and need of Christ.

He needed to teach the Word and stress that we must not look at life only with levity, but with a sense of brevity, that life is short.

We need to be serious about serious matters knowing that people have real needs and hurts, and that people are in danger constantly of dying and going to hell. In light of this, the Word needs to be made known with gravity and seriousness.

And Titus is told by Paul to teach the Word, “showing sincerity,” which means he was to do so being real and genuine, sincerely desiring God’s best for people and for their lives and this is done by “doctrine,” by the teaching the Word and sharing the gospel of grace.

Titus 2:8: “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.”

God cares about our speech. He wants us to be careful with our words, and to be sound in speech. The word “sound” again speaks of that which is healthy and wholesome. We get the word hygiene from the original Greek word.

Our speech is to be both spiritually healthy, life-giving, health-giving, edifying, building up. It is to be so healthy that it is beyond reproach. It is to be unable to be accused, unable to be condemned or blamed.

As it’s been said, “Say what you mean, mean what you say, and don’t be mean when you say it.” God wants our words to lift others up and to not tear them down.

Eph. 4:29 teaches the church to “Let no corrupt communication proceed out of your mouth, but that which is good to the use of edifying, that it may minister grace unto the hearers.”

A huge part of our testimony as believers is how we talk. And our speech can and should be different and set apart from the world and set apart to the Lord.

One thing that will cause definitely cause unbelievers to pause and to wonder about us is if we don’t talk like they do, or say the same things, or in the same way, or talk about the same subjects or swear.

The swearing and corrupt words we hear all around us come out of the corrupt old, nature within each person, but God wants believers to be yielding to the Spirit and living according to our new nature, and as we do our speech will be sound, healthy and encouraging.

Our words and speech are powerful and they can greatly impact others for Christ. But our speech can also give those who desire to slander the Christian faith ammunition for their attacks, and so Titus was to be careful and pure in his speech.

Paul says that those who are “of the contrary part,” or who oppose God’s Word, are put to shame when they cannot find a chink in the believer’s armor in regards to their speech. In the phrase “having no evil thing to say of you,” the word “evil” means worthless.

Paul is saying to Titus, “Don’t let them say that believers are worthless. Don’t let them say that Christianity has no value. Don’t let them speak evil against us. Don’t give them a reason tear down the faith that we know is real and true. Don’t let them say that believing in our Savior is a sham.”

But instead, “Silence them through the strong testimony that you have for Christ with your wholesome speech, and by living a life of good works, and by living a life of integrity, gravity, and genuineness for the Lord in accord with the Word of God.”

Titus 2:9: “Exhort servants to be obedient unto their own masters, and to please them well in all things; not answering again.”

The instructions and principles for the servant/Master relationship that Paul writes of, applies easily to the labor-management, employee/employer relations of today.

Someone has figured that if you spend 40 hours a week on the job between age 18 and 65 that you would amass 97,760 hours on the job!?

God cares with what you do with all that time and has instruction for it. And He desires that you use your position in the workplace to bring honor and glory to Him.

Employees have the opportunity of clearly and attractively living out the Word of God before their bosses and fellow employees on a daily and weekly basis. It’s a constant opportunity to make an impact for Christ.

Our jobs and how we conduct ourselves in them have evangelistic implications. When you live and work in the way described in God’s Word, you are presenting people with a contrast; a contrast to the way they may be living or behaving.

We serve Christ in our jobs, in any line of work. When we do our work carefully, respectfully, and obediently, it’s a testimony to unbelievers and an act of service to God.

Paul’s first instruction in our jobs is to “be obedient” to our bosses. The word “obedient,” just like in verse 5 with the instruction for wives and husbands, speaks of submission.

And just as submission simply has to do with order and responsibility in the home, it’s the same with the workplace.

We are not a lesser citizen or inferior as an employee, but there is order and responsibility in the workplace, and we have the obligation before God to willingly place ourselves under, and line up under our bosses, and to submit to them in our jobs.

Paul is asking employees here to yield to their bosses in order to avoid any unnecessary interpersonal conflict or power struggle.

As we drive each day, drivers who have a yield sign are to give right of way to the other driver, such as on the round-abouts that are everywhere now.

It would also be like driving on a country road and coming to a single lane bridge and there are two yield signs on both ends. “Yielding” in that scenario is a reasonable and gracious way of preventing a head-on collision.

When the Bible commands Christians to be submissive in general and for employees to be subject to bosses in particular, it is simply a reasonable and gracious command to let the others have the right of way and avoid head-on collisions, you might say.

Paul doesn’t identify the “masters” as believers or non-believers here.

So even if they are unbelieving, difficult people or if they are loving, godly Christians, if they are fair or unfair, kind or cruel, we are to have an attitude of yielding, willingly placing ourselves under, being subject to our superiors on the job and carrying out their instruction, and doing this because it honors Christ.

Employees are “to please them well in all things.” A godly employee should look to please their bosses. Now this doesn’t mean that you should fake your allegiance just to score points or to get ahead or get a promotion.

What pleases a boss is working hard, being dependable, and doing good work. We should strive for excellence rather than mediocrity in all areas of the Christian life, and especially in our service to Christ within our daily employment.

Being and doing our best, being better tomorrow than we were yesterday, matching our practice with our potential, doing a good job at what we do, not waiting for someone else to establish the standard or set the pace are all good and important in our work.

As a believing employee, as we respect the ranks and strive for excellence, our testimony as a Christian becomes more attractive, much more than the opposite and if we struggle with our bosses, disobey or obey grudgingly, and we only do half-hearted work.

Martin Luther once wrote, “The maid who sweeps her kitchen is doing the will of God just as much as the preacher who prays, not because she may sing a Christian hymn as she sweeps but because God loves clean floors.

“The Christian shoemaker does his Christian duty not by putting little crosses on the shoes, but by making good shoes, because God is interested in good craftsmanship.”

We serve the Lord in our jobs, and God is interested in this area of our lives. And as we seek to please our bosses and do good work, God is well-pleased with this as well.

And Paul says the employee should practice, “not answering again.” The phrase means to “speak against,” or to be argumentative. The idea is to not be obstinate or to talk back, resist, thwart, or reject what we’re told to do. Sometimes employees argue with the boss because he or she may know less about the job than the employee does.

But with God’s help, the employee is to resist the urge to be argumentative and to speak against their superiors, even though it’s hard not to do sometimes. Rather, he/she is to be known for respect for authority, and compliance to instruction.

If there’s a proper forum for discussion, we should use it. If there’s a dialogue structure in which you can share your ideas and insights, we should do it. But once the decision is made and the command is given, we should comply.

Titus 2:10: “Not purloining, but shewing all good fidelity; that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Saviour in all things.”

Paul’s next instruction for employees is “not purloining.”

“Purloining” speaks of stealing, pilfering, embezzlement. Paul is desiring honesty from believers here, instead of dishonestly keeping back or taking what doesn’t belong to them.

Millions of dollars are lost each year by employers whose workers steal from them. Often it’s justified with “They owe it to me” or “I’ve earned this.”

According to the U.S. Department of Commerce, employee dishonesty costs American businesses over $50 billion annually.

The U.S. Chamber of Commerce estimates that 75 percent of all employees steal at least once, and at half of these steal again and again. The chamber also reports that one of every three business failures are the direct result of employee theft.

Employees often have multiple opportunities to steal within the workplace. And they often have the motive for stealing in feeling underappreciated or feeling taken advantage of. Money, goods or time can all be stolen.

Employees can steal from their employers by not working as hard as they could and taking things that don’t belong to them.

A person can be on the job having shared Christ with their co-workers, humming Christian songs while they work, reading the Bible or Christian books on their break, and one misstep in stealing something from the workplace, and if it is found out, it will not matter one thing that you said, and your testimony will be dismissed.

Negatively, employees are told not to steal, but positively they are to be “showing all good fidelity,” or they are to be trustworthy, loyal, reliable, i.e., they are able to be trusted and counted on.

Finally, Paul says, “that they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior in all things.” Adorn is the word “kosmeo.” We get our word cosmetics out of it. The Greek word means “to arrange something and put in proper order.”

Women in putting their faces on in the morning, carefully arrange and put cosmetics and makeup in proper order on their faces! Properly arranged and applied cosmetics are designed to highlight features that bring out the attractive traits of someone.

And so as employees apply the cosmetics of submission, excellence, honesty, trustworthiness, they are a beautiful thing to behold. Through all this, it shows the impact of Christ on their lives, and that we are transformed by His grace.

By being a good employee, Paul says we “adorn” and make attractive the gospel and the doctrine of God our Savior. We can worship the Lord in our work so that the truth of God and His gospel will be attractive to those who watch how we live.

How we live and talk and work all reflects upon the Lord and His influence over our lives. As we demonstrate “good looking Christianity,” the world will take notice, and be drawn to find out what we know that they don’t know and want to have what we have, which is the Lord Jesus Christ.