To Young Men Titus 2:2-6 CLICK TITLE FOR AUDIO

In the prior broadcast we spoke to young ladies and their parents and today we will speak to young men and their parents.  Paul gave Titus some excellent doctrine concerning the behavior and deportment of the aged men in Titus 2:2.  Then he simply exhorts young men to be sober minded in verse 6.  I believe that young men then have the example of the aged men to follow from verse 2 and so we are going to preach on this example to young men.

Like aged men, young men need to be:

Sober – restrained in appetite; even-tempered; humble.  Many young men today are using drugs and alcohol.  They seek entertainment and recreation continually.  Churches entertain them rather than teach and train them.  Rarely do you see young men doing manly chores and rarely are they occupied with manly things which help them to be sober.  Young men must abstain from drugs and alcohol and must learn early to work [Lam 3:27].

Grave – having a serious, sedate, and dignified appearance or demeanor.  Young men are far from this bearing today.  Just look at the way they dress and groom themselves.  They are disheveled and dress like their clothes were laundered by a cat, all ripped and bleached out.  They are far from dignified.  The difference between Christian young men and the world should be unmistakably obvious today.  Young men need to have the bearing of men.

Temperate – having their bodies in subjection like a well-trained athlete; not given to lust.  These days men are lovers of themselves and they are lovers of pleasures more than lovers of God.  They are not in training as soldiers of the Lord.  Young men should be training the way that soldiers and top athletes train.  Sinners shouldn’t be able to easily entice them.

Sound in faith – sound faith is based on truth that is free from error.  This faith strengthens with age and experience as it is tried.  Thus, young men should be skilled in the words of God and should know how to stand on those words in the face of temptation.

Sound in charity – sound charity is marked by loyalty and dependability.  Young men need to develop these characteristics early in life.  Young men should be helping widows and doing favors for those in need.  They should be doing chores for others and for their church.  They should be giving to the Lord.

Sound in patience – sound patience is reliable and unperturbed.  A young man possessing sound patience is unflappable.  Men are in too much of a rush these days.  They are not willing to wait on the Lord or to wait to develop character.  As parents you need to let them experience delayed gratification.  They are too used to having what they want and having it as soon as they want it.

Conclusion: young men do not come by these characteristics naturally.  They must be learned by example and by instruction.  As parents you need to train your sons with these objectives in mind and develop these traits in them.  Keep them away from those who would diminish these qualities and encourage them to be with those who will strengthen them.