The Bible's Instruction to Older Brethren

Thank you very much, Greg. That was very hard to do. And especially, a cappella. Thank you very much. It was very appropriate. One of the amazing discoveries that I had when I came into the church was that the Bible contains vital knowledge about every aspect of life for both men and women. It truly liberates us from all the false values that there are.

And for me, that was such an awakening. I had a scientific mind. I always liked to study things from a scientific point of view. And of all things, to discover that in the Bible are the solutions, are the instructions about what all of this life is about. That's something we're not going to find watching through a telescope or a microscope about things. And this principle of the Bible that applies to all areas of life is found in 2 Timothy 3, verses 16-17.

And I'd like to read it to you in the New Living Translation, probably one of the pivotal scriptures in all the Bible. It says, all scripture is inspired by God and is useful to teach us what is true and to make us realize what is wrong in our lives. It corrects us when we are wrong and teaches us to do what is right. God uses it to prepare and equip his people to do every good work.

This is especially important if we are learning God's ways so that we can be there with Christ and serve and reign under him for a thousand years. He's coming back to establish his kingdom to show the difference between man's governments and God's government so we can contrast what is happening. Many Christians don't believe this. They don't believe that Christ is coming and setting up his kingdom here on this earth. They don't read what it says in Revelation 20 verse 6.

It says, and they shall be priests of God and of Christ and shall reign with him a thousand years. Can you imagine the vision of that? How would you like to be chosen by God to be personally taught by Jesus Christ and you get a chance to reign and serve under him for a thousand years to renew the faith of God?

You renew the faith of the earth to bring back that peace and all the harmony that there was during that Garden of Eden before all that sin was introduced and God let man go his own way. Can you imagine what it is to live in a world where the animals are all going to be tamed? Where there's not going to be war? Where there's not going to be exploitation? And people are going to live truly as brothers in Christ?

That's the chance that we get. For example, I just completed 50 years of attending God's church. I was 17 when I learned about this way of life and I can attest about that statement above that all scripture is inspired by God and useful. I dedicated my whole life to proving that it is true. Even going through the entire Bible for 30 years in successive Bible studies starting in Genesis, finishing in Revelation, I got to 300 and 54 studies. I did it in Spanish and in English.

In English, I did it here in the congregation for all those years that you were here, but in Spanish, I went through every book in the Bible. Just also to check it out. Is it all inspired by God? Is it all useful? And after all those years, I can attest I did not find one false teaching. I did not find something that did not make sense in the scriptures. I found every word in the Bible is inspired by God and gives the right advice about everything.

In other words, all of us are human beings. We're like watches. We have all these cogs and we try to figure out how to do things in life. But God is the master watchmaker. In his hands, he puts all the cogs together. And then the time is correct on that watch. It gives the right time. It was designed to do that. For example, let's take one example, one case in this short time that we have here in this message.

What about the older brethren among us? About people that are up in their sixties, seventies, eighties, whatever it is. What does the Bible tell us? Today's society doesn't really pay much attention to the elderly, do they?

The youth don't respect them that much. Yet, they should be deeply respected. And by extension, this is covered in the fifth commandment in the Bible. It says, honor your father and your mother. But actually, it's an extension of everybody that has a fatherly and motherly instruction. And it's part of that relationship. That includes grandparents, too. Notice in Leviticus 19 verse 32. I'd like to read it in God's word translation.

It says, show respect to the elderly and honor older people. In this way, you show respect for your God. I am the Lord. So he says that's one of the instructions. You want things to go well in life?

Respect the elderly. Don't think, oh, they're just over the hill. Not much I can learn from them. History shows that when the elderly are disregarded in society, it's a sign of deteriorating morals and greater selfishness. Instead of going the right way, people are going the wrong way. Thinking more about themselves, not thinking about maybe the elderly, parents, those that are in need of help.

Notice in 1 Timothy 5 verse 4 from the Good News Bible translation. It says, but if a widow has children or grandchildren, they should learn, talking about the grandchildren or children, learn first to carry out their religious duties toward their own family and in this way repay their parents and grandparents because that is what pleases God. So you see, in the Bible, it tells us that a way to repay our parents all the work, all the hard effort they did and that continue to do, that the children have a responsibility toward them as they age, as they get sick, as they have more needs, that we take them into consideration.

And of course, we don't see that applied very much today. There's a key section in Scripture that gives us instructions for older men and women in our congregation. The Bible is God's instruction book. It doesn't matter if it was written 2,000 years ago because it's a spiritually guided book. God does not age. He has just one view of things. He never changes because he's perfect and he has placed his instructions in the Bible.

So they are ageless. Notice in this second chapter of the Epistle of Titus, that's where you find the principal instructions to more elderly people. What does God say? And again, I look at it from a scientific point of view because I just come from that background and I just love to see, psychologically, socially, every which way it still sounds true. It's still the standard for all time. Notice in Titus 2, verse 2, it says the following. The New Living Translation version says, teach the older men to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect, and to live wisely.

The Passion Translation goes on to say, urge them to have a solid faith, generous love, and patient endurance. So here we have six different instructions that are given to us to be able to use as goals in our lives because we're going to age.

A lot of people might be in their 30s, 40s, 50s, but sooner or later you will get there, right? Just like I got there. And many others here as well. So I'd like to go into these six different words that describe what a goal of an elderly person, a person that is older now, it says here, first of all, teach the older men to exercise self-control.

The word is nephaleos in the Greek, which the primary meaning is sobriety in contrast to drunkenness from overindulgence in wine. So the first thing it tells us is for a person to manifest self-control because as you get older, drinking can become a problem. It can become your master. And then you no longer are a master. You're a servant. And your life can revolve around drink or drugs, anything like that that is going to cause you to be enslaved by it. So that's healthy instructions. That psychologist would tell you the same thing. If you want to have a healthy lifestyle when you're older, don't get caught up in these vices that are going to enslave you. That are going to cause you not to be a person that's going to be respected, that is going to have success in whatever he does. And so it's something that people struggle with. And here the instructions are, don't let that become your master. Fight it. Seek help. Whatever you do. But here it tells us older people don't want to become subjected to alcoholism or any other types. The preacher's Bible commentary says here, The word is also used in the wider sense of being clear-headed. Here's a picture of a person who has achieved a sound perspective in life. One who is not under the influence or addiction to outside forces, whether alcohol, money. Money can become this great ambition in life and you're going to do whatever it takes. Well, it's an addiction because guess what? Just because you have some dollars in your pocket or you have them in your bank account, that's not going to tell you that you have succeeded in life. To the image that God made us in his image and we have to learn. So not succumb to these outside forces, alcohol, money, anger. That's something that a person can be controlled by. Lust, that's a common one. Be controlled by lust or greed. Now again, if you take 20 scientists and I'm talking about doctors, psychologists, and you ask them for an older person what's one of the most important things because they have to deal with addictions in the people. They say, first of all, keep yourself free from these issues. Don't let them master you. You have to control them.

Whatever else the experience of aging should do for us, they should enable us to develop a perspective in which our values are brought into line with God's intentions for us. Now God did not intend for us to end up in a gutter someplace. He made us in his image for us to follow his example. It reminds me of the saying, do you have 30 years of experience or do you just have one year of experience repeated 30 times? Some people don't ever learn. They still haven't learned the lessons in life. The second word used here, it says, teach the older man to exercise self-control, to be worthy of respect. Again, a Greek word is semnas, describing serious and mature behavior. The Bible knowledge commentary says, don't be known as a clown. Somebody that's unreliable, that is not going to give you an example, especially an older person. They have to have certain gravity. They've learned from the experiences of life. They're not 18, 19 year old, that still is out there for all the frivolity and just not have any real responsibilities. It means to take things seriously, but don't take yourself too seriously. Yes, if you're going to work, take it seriously, but don't take yourself so seriously. In Ecclesiastes 7, verse 16, it tells us the Bible, the BBE version in basic English. It says, be not given over much to righteousness, and be not over wise. Why let destruction come on you? See, one thing is to be righteous. Another thing is to be self-righteous or a smart-alic. Because you're religious, it doesn't mean that you're going to be out there flaunting your religion or trying to show up people. That's not it at all. Let's realize we need the same forgiveness. They're saved for the grace of God. Go I. If God hadn't rescued us, where would we have ended up? The third word it says here is to live wisely. The word sofronas in the Greek, which is translated as prudent or sensible, it means having a good and balanced judgment. A person who has a sound mind, who gives good advice when asked. It doesn't go around giving advice if you're not asked. But again, see, all of these principles, they're not really religious. They're the key to a successful life, a successful relationship. Because if you are a person that first has self-control, don't you like to be around people that have self-control, that are not going to fly off the handle? Or look at the prettiest girl out there, especially if you have a wife or a girlfriend. That's not it. You've got to exercise self-control.

And to be worthy of success, of respect, having serious and mature behavior. I remember years ago, I haven't really told you this, although I've been here for almost two decades, but I remember my uncle was an executive at the Pepsi Cola Company in Mexico City. I was going to visit him one day, and he said, Oh, I heard that you entered into a church, and your mom and dad told me how much you've changed and everything. But you know what? From what I hear, you're a serious person. You're taking life seriously. And you know that's the right way to go. Don't be this little social butterfly and all the frivolity and things like that. Have a serious mind. Take things seriously. It's so important. The fourth, it mentions about having, urge them to have a solid faith. Solid faith means you know God's truths, and you apply them in your everyday life. See, it's not just once a week, or when we think about God, or we think about going to church someplace. No, this is something that you've incorporated into your life. A solid faith. You know, I don't need anybody to support my faith. I have it in me. I will walk this way because I'm convinced, and I've believed it and proven it for myself. It's not because somebody else is telling me to do it. So this is solid faith that is going to be tested time and time. Then it talks about having generous love.

In other words, always be willing to sacrifice your own interests to help others out. To put yourself in second place. That's so important in a marriage. Not to put yourself in first place. Boy, if a husband puts his wife's interests first, he's not going to have to worry about her not loving him. If the wife puts her self-interest first, then she's not going to have the same type of respect from the husband. But if she puts her husband's interests first, that's the way things work.

I told me one day an illustration talking about this fictional heaven and hell where somebody was taken up, first of all, down to hell. What was it like? They said there was this large table, and all the food was piled up on top of it. Everybody was sitting, and they had, stuck in their hands, this paddle that had a big spoon that was three feet long. And the problem was that they could pick the food up, but they couldn't twist it to be able to eat it. So they were all dipping in, and they were all famished. They couldn't eat anything because the paddle wouldn't bend.

And then that person was taken up to the fictional heaven, and there was the same table, and they had everybody sitting in the same way, and had the same food, and they had the same paddles. Everybody was happy. You know why? Because they picked it up, and they were feeding the person in front of them. They weren't thinking about themselves. They were thinking about the other person. So those are two attitudes that are important in life.

And then, the sixth and last goal is to have patience and patient endurance. This is something that you gain with experience in life. You know how to face trials with courage and perseverance for a greater good. To obtain, as in Hebrews 11-15 says, a better resurrection. Patient endurance. Because we're all going to endure different things, but we have to learn. To be patient, to go forward, take our licks if necessary, get up, and continue forward.

Now, let's go to the next verse, because it talks about older women. We've talked about the goals for older men. Here, we have the goals for older women. It's the next verse, verses 3 and 4 of Titus 2. In God's Word version, it says, Tell older women to live their lives in a way that shows they are dedicated to God. Tell them not to be gossips or addicted to alcohol, but to be examples of virtue. In this way, they will teach young women to show love to their husbands and children. So first, they put God first in their lives and show it in their behavior, in their words and actions.

If a woman is dedicated to God, there's a lot of things that's going to fix in her life. Because if she's just dedicated to her husband or to her children, those are like idols. You are worshiping people, even if they're part of your own kin. No, worship God. Put Him first. Put His principles first. If we're doing that, the atmosphere in the home is going to change. I always told my four daughters as they were growing up, said, Well, just remember one thing. I love your mother more than every one of you girls, but I love God first, and He's first.

So just remember that. And those are principles. Number two, it says, tell them not to be gossips. In other words, they are discreet with information given. They don't take pleasure in gossiping about others or spreading false rumors. She's going to be discreet. She's going to be able to keep confidentiality. Number three, it says, they are not to be addicted to alcohol. Well, the men aren't the only ones. Women can also fall into this as well, which in their loneliness, they can resort to the bottle or to other things instead of God. And then it says, to be examples of virtue.

In other words, have an inner attractiveness. To have their husbands proud to have them at their side. It's so important. It's not just the outer person. We should value even more the inner person because that's the person we're going to live with. And as they age, it's still the quality of those inner virtues that really stand out in life. In a sense, it's like an automobile that you buy, but through the years, they're going to have all kinds of issues, but it's still your car.

And you're going to have to learn to love it, to take care of it. It's not going to be as shiny. It's not going to be as attractive. But guess what? Those inner virtues, they stay shiny and attractive. They don't age with time. And finally, it says, for the elder women to be a teacher of young women on how to be a success as a wife and a mother. And I see this all the time. My daughters still look at their mother for instruction, for guidance, and it's so valuable when you're older to be able to give the advice to younger women about being a successful wife or a mother.

So this is a general description of an older member of the congregation. An example in their home, in their church, and in their community. Many are able to serve their community, volunteering their time to pray for God's work for those that are infirm. They don't have to have a job every day. They have time to be able to pray, to think about what the needs are of others. So I'd like to end with one scripture, Psalm 92, verses 12 through 15. This is in the easy reading version. It says, Good people are like budding palm trees.

They grow strong like the cedar trees of Lebanon. They are planted in the house of the Lord. They grow strong there in the courtyards of our God. Even when they are old, they will continue producing fruit like young, healthy trees. They are there to show everyone that the Lord is good, that He has fulfilled His promises. He is my rock, and He does nothing wrong. No matter what we learn, God's ways are the best. I'd like to end with that commentary by the Believer's Bible commentary.

It says, In other words, these people live in daily fellowship with their God, drawing their strength and sustenance from Him. Age does not impair their fruit-bearing capabilities. They continue to pulsate with vigorous spiritual life, like the sap of a tree, and their testimony remains evergreen. Their prosperity is in evidence that the Lord is upright in fulfilling His promises. So, these are just instructions from the Bible about how to have a better life as an older person.