God's Design for Older Men

These pulpit notes are provided unedited and will thus contain some grammatical or typographical errors.

Thank you for joining us again this morning. You can open your Bibles to Titus 2.

The book of Titus is an incredibly practical book. For a church which desires to know how they should organize, and function, the instruction here is a goldmine.

And that really should be our desire as a church, right? As an assembly of believers, we want to know from God himself how we should live and relate to one another. We desire clear direction regarding how we as a church should operate. As a church, we want to please God in our leadership, our teaching, our worship, our character, and our relationships with one another.

For example, we want to know what sort of family life glorifies God. We want to know God’s design for men and women. We want to know how we as a church should relate to the world around us; and how we should view our civil authorities.

Because we are those who desire to live to the glory of God by living out his design for us here and now, we count a book like Titus invaluable.

Not only does this letter give us as a church clear instruction, it does so from the vantage point of an Apostle to a Pastor. Paul writes to Titus, giving him direct instruction regarding his personal character and responsibilities. In that way it is a personal correspondence, but it is also an open letter. Paul would have the church read and hear the mandate which is upon the Pastor and them.

This is valuable because it enables the churches to understand the weight of ministry and the seriousness of the mandate which their Pastors must bear. It helps us to put into context our leader’s teaching and their methods of ministering to us. It helps us to appreciate that our elders, as students and stewards themselves, are also under authority. They are driven by a mandate to fulfill the commission handed to them by God himself, through the Apostles.

They teach what they teach because that teaching has been handed down by Christ and the Apostles. This includes, not only theology, but the ethical and behavioural applications and implications which flow from that theology.

The Pastor gives instruction regarding personal character, gender roles, homelife, child-rearing and many other areas of practical life and godliness, because he is under obligation to do so. Such things are the mandates of a faithful Pastor.

We see this in the Pastoral Epistles when Paul addresses Titus and Timothy directly and personally:

1 Timothy 6:11 (ESV)   But as for you, O man of God, flee these things. Pursue righteousness, godliness, faith, love, steadfastness, gentleness.

2 Timothy 3:14-15 (ESV)   But as for you, continue in what you have learned and have firmly believed, knowing from whom you learned it  15 and how from childhood you have been acquainted with the sacred writings, which are able to make you wise for salvation through faith in Christ Jesus.

2 Timothy 4:5 (ESV)   As for you, always be sober-minded, endure suffering, do the work of an evangelist, fulfill your ministry.

So, the Pastor himself is a man who has been instructed, directed, warned, encouraged and corrected. He is a man constrained by scripture to be, and do, and teach whatever God has commanded. He then counsels and exhorts and corrects and warns the church in order to lead it according to the pattern which God has given in the scripture.

Our passage this morning brings us to another such passage:

Titus 2:1-2 (ESV)   But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine. 

Paul’s, “but as for you” is given here as a contrast to the character and behaviour of the false teachers which he addressed in 1:10-16. They were teaching error. They were teaching that you could add works to grace. They were misapplying the law; they were mythologizing the truth; and they were manufacturing commands.

What else did we learn about these false teachers last week? According to verse 16:

Titus 1:16 (ESV)   They profess to know God, but they deny him by their works. They are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work.

The false teachers not only taught error but they separated their beliefs from their lifestyle. They professed to know God, but denied him by their works. In other words, they were hypocrites whose language was spiritual, but whose lifestyle was just like the culture.

Well, Titus could not be like this. In contrast, he would have to not only teach sound doctrine but the real-life implications and applications of that doctrine. He would have to teach believers how what they believed should change how they lived.

And so, we learn the faithful Pastor knows and teaches theology and also shows the church how that theology should impact their daily life. Such theology gives instruction in proper Christian attitudes, affections, and behaviour, showing how these things flow from sound theology.

It is for this reason that it is not uncommon in scripture to find lists of appropriate Christian behaviour and lists of corresponding prohibitions. Romans 12; 1 Corinthians 6; 1 Corinthians 13; Galatians 5; Ephesians 4; Philippians 2; Colossians 3; 1 Thessalonians 5; Hebrews 13; The entire book of James; and 1 Peter 2-3 are all passages which teach appropriate Christian behaviour or “a manner of life which is worthy of the gospel” (Php 1:27).

Well, among these passages we also find instruction given in regards to specific demographics within the church. That is, we find instruction given explicitly to men; to young men, to married men, to single men, to older men; to women; to young women; to single women; to married women; to widowed women; to divorced women; to women married to believers; to women married to unbelievers; and to children.

These passages are clear and direct and provide for us a practical guidebook for living lives shaped by the gospel.

The passage we will see today and in the coming weeks is such a passage (see also 1 Tim 5:1-2). Let’s look at it:

Titus 2:1-14 (ESV)   But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.  2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.  3 Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good,  4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,  5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.  6 Likewise, urge the younger men to be self-controlled.  7 Show yourself in all respects to be a model of good works, and in your teaching show integrity, dignity,  8 and sound speech that cannot be condemned, so that an opponent may be put to shame, having nothing evil to say about us.  9 Slaves are to be submissive to their own masters in everything; they are to be well-pleasing, not argumentative,  10 not pilfering, but showing all good faith, so that in everything they may adorn the doctrine of God our Savior.  11 For the grace of God has appeared, bringing salvation for all people,  12 training us to renounce ungodliness and worldly passions, and to live self-controlled, upright, and godly lives in the present age,  13 waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ,  14 who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.

And in these 14 verses we not only have instruction for older men, older women, young women, young men, and Pastors but we also have the theological motivation for such good works. We will explore each of these in the coming weeks.

For today however we are going to focus on that first group mentioned in verse 2:

Older Men

Titus 2:1-2 (ESV)   But as for you, teach what accords with sound doctrine.  2 Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.

Who are the older men?

We know that Paul in his letter to Philemon and at about 60 years old refers to himself as and “old man”. There is also evidence that in the ancient world to be an “old man” was to be 50 or over, and some suggesting as young as 40 years old. We should remember that we are given only two categories – young and old. We are not given young, middle-aged, and old. So, as much as we might not want to acknowledge it, if using biblical categories, we who are no longer young men, must be older men!

Now Titus, as we learn from 1:4, was much younger than Paul, so that Paul referred to him as his “true child in the faith”.

So, what we have here is a young Pastor being directed to instruct older men. This says something about Pastoral authority, doesn’t it? It tells us that older men must be teachable and must be willing to submit themselves to the teaching of young Pastors. That being said, God would have the young Pastor show due respect to the older men.

1 Timothy 5:1-2 (ESV)   Do not rebuke an older man but encourage him as you would a father…

The older men are to be willing to be taught and lead by younger Pastors. The younger Pastors must show appropriate respect to them.

I say “appropriate respect” because scripture teaches that it is a feature of a well-ordered society to value and respect those who are older.

In Leviticus 19 where God presents his statutes and rules to be obeyed by Israel, he says:

Leviticus 19:32 (ESV)   "You shall stand up before the gray head and honor the face of an old man, and you shall fear your God: I am the LORD.

It is good and right for a society to recognize and honour older men. In fact, so important is such respect that God describes a nation under his judgment this way in Isaiah 3:

Isaiah 3:4-5 (ESV)   And I will make boys their princes, and infants shall rule over them.  5 And the people will oppress one another, every one his fellow and every one his neighbor; the youth will be insolent to the elder, and the despised to the honorable.

What we learn is that there is a certain level of due respect which is to be given to those who are older. The assumption here is that with age comes a level of experience and wisdom.

They have an array of life experiences under their belts. They have laboured for many years. They have experienced successes and failures. They have learned much in relationships. They have experienced disappointment and loss. They have become wise to human nature. They have come to learn their own nature and what it is to live the Christian life, not only in a fallen world, but as those still subject to fallen passions.

They have the insight of decades of prior experience to guide them as they engage with life each day.

What the young only know in theory, they have tested and tried and proven.

The younger men and women should therefore approach the older men and women with respect. There should be an acknowledgement that these have wisdom and experience beyond their own. These who have lived half a century or more living in this sin-cursed world have something valuable to share with those who have not.

Think for a moment about how our world gets this backwards.

It seems that there is a modern trend to revere the young and dismiss the old. Just in recent memory a very young woman became a global sensation as she lectured the world about their misguided ways. She took the older generation to task repeatedly denouncing them by angrily asking “how dare you!”

I shouldn't be up here. I should be back in school on the other side of the ocean. Yet you all come to us young people for hope. How dare you! – Greta Thunberg, U.N. speech. Sept. 23, 2019

Well, she was right about that. She should have been in school on the other side of the ocean and not at the U.N. lecturing world leaders and diplomats. Such a thing was a gross disordering of healthy society.

You see it again with the short-lived viral phrase which popped up in the last few years – “OK Boomer!”. That cutting dismissive was meant to do what? To mock any opinions from the Baby Boomer generation as irrelevant (and by the way, it is done in typical internet fashion by diminishing and stereotyping instead of contending with ideas).

The exponential advancements in technology have only increased the young’s dismissal of the old since the older generation is very unlikely to keep up with the ever-changing technological landscape. Without engagement in the latest viral trends, or participation in the newest social media platform, or ability to wield the newest tech, the older are dismissed as irrelevant. The future is firmly within the grasp of the young and the old will be left behind. At least, that seems to be the prevailing notion.

How far this is from God’s plan for healthy society.

Contrary to what some may think, life is about far more than the latest technological advancements, the current social trends, or whatever may be the cause du jour.

Wisdom is to know human nature; it is to understand the human condition; it is to discern human purpose; and it is to know the path to divine blessing.

These essentials remain exactly the same no matter what age you are or in what century you live. And the assumption is that the longer you have lived, the more wisdom you have gained in these areas.

The longer you have lived, the more likely you are to come to Solomon’s conclusion at the end of the book of Ecclesiastes:

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14 (ESV)   The end of the matter; all has been heard. Fear God and keep his commandments, for this is the whole duty of man.  14 For God will bring every deed into judgment, with every secret thing, whether good or evil.

Solomon had discovered human purpose and the path to divine blessing. He did so, in part, through many years of trying to find these things in sources other than a life devoted to the glory of God. He made tremendous mistakes and learned the lessons. As a result, he gained wisdom and passed that wisdom on to others.

That is what we should respect about older men and women. They have been there and done that. They have made their mistakes. They have, through both knowledge and experienced tested and tried the divine plan for life. They are now tremendous sources of practical wisdom from which we can benefit.

And do you know what the benefit of receiving wisdom from others is? You don’t have to experience the pain of discovery which many of them have. You don’t have to go through the throes of trial and error like they already have.

The Hikers

Imagine you are traversing a difficult, dangerous and unfamiliar trail and are unaware of the dangers that lay ahead or the best way to navigate through or around them. Then imagine that as you are labouring ahead you see others coming in the opposite direction. These are fellow hikers who have finished the trail successfully and are walking back. You see that they have seen better days. They look tired and exhausted. Their bodies bear scratches and bruises from the rough terrain. They have clearly been through a lot.

As you consider the state of these hikers, you notice something else. Although their clothing is dirty, their supplies are depleted and their bodies are banged up, they don’t seem to be anxious or afraid. They don’t share the same fear or trepidation that you do as you forge ahead. Why is that?

Well, that’s because they’ve already seen what is ahead of you. They have already met those challenges and overcome them. The unknown that you fear, is already known to them. Yes, their bodies are worse for wear, but their experience on the trail has increased their knowledge and ability.

If you were that hiker, embarking upon the trail for the first time and unsure of the path forward; if you were that hiker fearful of what lay ahead; if you were that man or woman who was anxious about the unknowns concerned that you were not prepared for them, how would you treat these passing fellow hikers?

Would you ignore them? Would you take one look at their outward appearance and dismiss them? Would you silently judge the condition of their bodies and equipment as you consider your fresh energy and superior gear? How would you treat them?

The smart hiker would do what? He would respect the fact that their appearance reflects the fact that they have already accomplished what he has just set out upon. He would recognize that these accomplished hikers possess something that he does not have. They have experience and with that experience, wisdom. He would recognize that such wisdom is rare and therefore valuable.

If he were smart, he would offer these accomplished hikers some water, some food and some rest. He would sit down and hear what they have to say about the path forward. He would mine their knowledge, gained through experience, for anything that might help him have a safer and more successful journey than he would have had otherwise.

Think next about what these experienced hikers might tell you. First, they might tell you the best path to take. They might recount how at multiple points they had to choose one way or another, and only through trial and error, found the best way forward. This knowledge would save you hours of time.

They might also warn you about hazards that they encountered on the way. Look out for the snake den which is by the creek. Be careful when descending the big hill, the rocks are slippery with moss. This knowledge will keep you from danger.

When you get to the steep incline, make sure you rest periodically because the trail becomes more difficult, not easier beyond that. This knowledge will help you conserve energy and maintain endurance.

When you reach the summit with the extraordinary views, you’ll be tempted to linger there for a long time. Take it in, but keep going because there is much trail ahead of you. This knowledge will help you properly pace yourself.

Oh, and by the way, they might say, we came to a stretch of trail that couldn’t be traversed because of deep mud. We threw logs down to make it easier for us and for those who came after us.

Do you get the picture? The grey hair and the worn body are not signaling that these are people who should be dismissed, but that they should be learned from. They have already been where we are going. Through their wisdom, we can save ourselves suffering and anguish. We don’t have to learn from our own mistakes, or our own bad experiences; we can learn to avoid them through their wisdom.

You say, but times have changed! Yes, times have changed. But human nature hasn’t changed. The human condition has not changed. The path to divine blessing has not changed. These have wisdom to share that can help us succeed in the most important aspects of life.

But that will take humility, won’t it? Humble yourself and acknowledge that the older generation has something to share with you, that if heeded, will make your life easier. So, sit and learn.

Proverbs 1:5 (ESV)   Let the wise hear and increase in learning, and the one who understands obtain guidance,

So, God would have the church also show due respect to the older generation. Through experience, they have gained knowledge and wisdom which God intends to be a valuable resource for the next generation. Skip ahead a bit to see that in the context of older women:

Titus 2:3-5 (ESV)   Older women likewise are to be reverent in behavior, not slanderers or slaves to much wine. They are to teach what is good,  4 and so train the young women to love their husbands and children,  5 to be self-controlled, pure, working at home, kind, and submissive to their own husbands, that the word of God may not be reviled.

Older men, and older women are to be a source of wisdom and instruction in the church and are therefore to be shown due respect.

So, does that mean that older men are to feel as if they deserve honour and respect due to their age, regardless of their character and behaviour? Absolutely not!

What we find in our text is that because the church is to look to older men has a source of wisdom and natural leadership, they must be careful to also possess godly character.

That’s what we will look at for the remainder of our time this morning.

Titus 2:2 (ESV)  Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.

Let’s take these one at a time.

The Older Man’s Godly Character

1. Sober-Minded

Titus 2:2 (ESV)  Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.

To be sober minded is to think rationally, and with sound judgment.
 
The older man should not only be respected because of his past experience and wisdom, but should be known for a present sober-mindedness. That is, he reliably exercises proper judgment.

The term for soberminded literally means to not be intoxicated but is used figuratively here. It means to not be drawn away by irrational influences. It means to be calm and levelheaded. It means to be free from excesses or rash behaviour. You can see how, although sober is used figuratively here, these qualities also require that this man be sober, literally.

The godly older man is stable, and clearheaded. He is not unpredictable, or prone to extremes. He sees life and situations with clarity and consequently, makes sound judgments and gives sound counsel.

2. Dignified

Titus 2:2 (ESV)   Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.

The word dignified means that the godly older man conducts himself in a way which is worthy of respect.

In 1 Timothy we see this as a qualification for deacons and their wives.

The idea is that the godly older man has a gravitas to him. He conducts and carries himself in a way which is worthy of respect. There is a seriousness about him. He understands decorum. He is not silly, goofy, or frivolous.

To be worthy of respect is also to avoid what is vulgar, and profane. He does not entertain what is off-colour or inappropriate. He has a Philippians 4:8 thought life:

Philippians 4:8 (ESV)   Finally, brothers, whatever is true, whatever is honorable, whatever is just, whatever is pure, whatever is lovely, whatever is commendable, if there is any excellence, if there is anything worthy of praise, think about these things.

3. Self-Controlled

Titus 2:2 (ESV)   Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.

This is that same word that we studied in verse 8 as a qualification of a Pastor. A form of this word is also found in the instructions for older women, younger women and younger men. I will summarize here what we learned previously about this quality. It means that:

• He is a reasonable man whose life is consistently directed by a set of sensible principles.
• He is not erratic or unpredictable in his positions or reactions.
• He is not given to extremes but can understand nuance and can strike balance. That is, he does not run off half-cocked with one truth or another but rather has the ability to assess the larger picture and properly balance a series of truths.
• When giving counsel to others, he does not rush to judgment or allow his prejudices to affect his advice.
• Others can count on him to give well-reasoned, unimpassioned, wise counsel which will not lead them to undue negative consequences but rather into the path of blessing.
• He does not pass judgment or offer an opinion until he has heard all sides of an issue.
• He is not known for swings in temperament or opinion but is rather reliable, dependable and generally predictable in his behaviour.
• He is not given to being overwhelmed or debilitated by emotion in the face of disappointment, frustration or challenges. But is rather unflappable.
• He is not easily led astray by false teaching; distracted by unhelpful controversies or subject to gullibility when it comes to conspiracy theories.
• He does not get caught up in the moment, making rash, ill-informed or ill-advised decisions.
• He is not likely to be led astray by the crowds or popular movements.
• He is cool, calm and unimpassioned, always using temperate language.
  

Next, in addition to being sober-minded, signified, and self-controlled, the godly older man is to be:

4. Sound in Faith, love, and steadfastness

Titus 2:2 (ESV)   Older men are to be sober-minded, dignified, self-controlled, sound in faith, in love, and in steadfastness.

Throughout the New Testament we find what have been considered the triad of chief Christian virtues – faith, love, and hope.

Paul to the Corinthians:

1 Corinthians 13:13 (ESV)   So now faith, hope, and love abide, these three; but the        greatest of these is love.

He told the Thessalonians:

1 Thessalonians 5:8 (ESV)   But since we belong to the day, let us be sober, having put on   the breastplate of faith and love, and for a helmet the hope of salvation.

The older man is to be sound in faith. This is not speaking primarily of the body of faith that we saw as we studied the Pastor’s mandate to teach the trustworthy word as taught. But is speaking primarily about personal faith. That is, the older man in the church is to be a godly man. With his maturity of years has also come a maturity of faith.

He long ago became established and rooted in faith and his roots have only grown deeper and wider.

To be sound in faith is to be healthy and whole. What he believes and lives by, rings true. He is stable, secure, consistent and faithful.

Next, he is sound in love. He loves God with all his heart, soul, mind and strength and loves his neighbour as himself. He loves the brotherhood of believers and whatever else God loves.

The fact that he is sound in love means also that he possesses the characteristics of genuine love. He is patient and kind. He does not envy or boast. He is not arrogant or rude. He does not insist on his own way. He is not irritable or resentful. He does not rejoice at wrongdoing but rejoices with the truth. He bears all things, believes all things, hopes all things and endures all things.

And that flows into the next aspect of his sound character. He is sound in steadfastness.

Generally when we see this triad of Christian virtues we read faith, love, and hope. But here we read faith, love and steadfastness. Why is that? Well, I think 1 Thessalonians gives us the answer:

1 Thessalonians 1:2-3 (ESV)   We give thanks to God always for all of you, constantly mentioning you in our prayers,  3 remembering before our God and Father your work of faith and labor of love and steadfastness of hope in our Lord Jesus Christ.

Hope produces steadfastness. Because of his hope in God and God’s promises, the godly older man possesses endurance or perseverance. He does not, because of his age, feel that he has earned the right to lay down his arms in the spiritual war. Even in his old age he presses forward. He can say like Paul:

Philippians 3:13-14 (ESV)   Brothers, I do not consider that I have made it my own. But one thing I do: forgetting what lies behind and straining forward to what lies ahead,  14 I press on toward the goal for the prize of the upward call of God in Christ Jesus.

He perseveres in the faith with steadfastness so that he can also say with Paul:

2 Timothy 4:7-8 (ESV)   I have fought the good fight, I have finished the race, I have kept the faith.  8 Henceforth there is laid up for me the crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, will award to me on that Day, and not only to me but also to all who have loved his appearing.

What keeps him enduring, and persevering? His hope. He looks forward to the coming of Christ and the commendation he will receive from Him. He knows the day is coming when he will hear those coveted words “well done my good and faithful servant”

CONCLUSION

In conclusion, the godly older man is an example of sober-mindedness, dignity, self-control and is sound in faith, love and steadfastness. And as we close we might ask, why are the older men encouraged to possess these qualities in particular?

John Chrysostom the early church Father and preacher of Antioch has some helpful words here. He says:

THERE are some failings which age has, that youth has not. Some indeed it has in common with youth, but in addition it has a slowness, a timidity, a forgetfulness, an insensibility, and an irritability. For this reason he exhorts old men concerning these matters, “to be vigilant.” For there are many things which at this period make men otherwise than vigilant, especially what I mentioned, their general insensibility, and the difficulty of stirring or exciting them. Wherefore he also adds, “grave, temperate.” Here he means prudent. For temperance is named from the well-tempered mind. For there are, indeed there are, among the old, some who rave and are beside themselves, some from wine, and some from sorrow. For old age makes them narrowminded.

Tim Chester in his commentary on this passage suggests that these qualities are given because…

[The older man’s] temptations may be to be grumpy, or to pick arguments, or to be cynical, or to be weary of giving themselves in service.

There are natural temptations which accompany aging and Paul would have the older man recognize this and instead be vigilant in maintaining his godly character so as to be an example to others and a credible source of wisdom.

The older man should accept his station in life as an older man. He does not long to be younger or try to behave like he is younger. Instead, he embraces the stage of life he is in and seeks to order his life according to God’s design for him. He lives in a manner that is dignified and worthy of respect. He seeks opportunity to share the faith and impart wisdom to others.

In all of this, he remains teachable. He has a willingness to be lead and taught even by those who are younger than him, as evident from our very passage.

Well, in closing I would like to read something from D.A. Carson. He recounts that when his father, a godly older man and preacher, was 80 years old, he found this note in his diary:

“Merciful Father, save me from the sins of old men: too much looking backward, a tendency toward self-pity, whining because of aches and pains, the ease with which I now turn on the television. Save me from the sins of old men.”

Let that be the prayer of every godly older man.