The David Spoon Experience 11-20-23 part 1

A) Titus Chapter 2, Verse 12 instructs us to live soberly, righteously, and godly in this present age. Interestingly, the Greek word for ‘soberly’ is “soz-phron-os”, which has ‘sozo’ as its root and translates to ‘safe’ and “phren” which means thinking. This implies that living ‘soberly’ means thinking safely and sensibly and exhibiting prudence and self-control. It involves directing our intellect and emotions appropriately. Being excessively intoxicated likely hinders this.

B) The subsequent scripture in Titus anticipates the Blessed Hope and the glorious appearance of our great God and Savior, Jesus Christ. This passage not only identifies Jesus as God but also proclaims His appearance as our blessed hope. Some interpret this hope as our future presence with Him, from which we will never part. Others perceive it as The Rapture or eternity. The safest interpretation is that we will ultimately and always be with Jesus.

C) Jesus sacrificed Himself for us to redeem us from our harmful, lawless deeds. He did this to create His own special people. It might sound odd to say that we’re special, but Jesus declared us as such. He affirmed that we are His special people, which is incredibly wonderful for all of us. Despite our sins and other issues, we remain His chosen ones.

D) Titus is instructed to speak, exhort, and rebuke with all authority without letting anyone belittle his youth. The way to prevent someone from despising you is simply not to let their contempt affect you. Ignore it as a duck does with water rolling off its back. To exhort and rebuke means acknowledging both the good and the bad, and we’re supposed to do it with authority - the authority that God grants each of us, and in Titus’s case, most specifically for his ecclesiastical position.