Titus 2:2: Extraordinary Ordinary

You know that old saying that "opinions are like butts; everyone has one, and yours stinks." Well, chapter 2 of Titus doesn't exactly say that, but I would translate it to say, "Everyone has a level of ordinary, but our ordinary should be extraordinary!"

So verse 2 doesn't really start with the word "teach" like we find in the NIV. I suppose you could argue that Titus is teaching them, and so he will need to teach them these things. I think it is more like Paul is saying, "Hey, this is the way you should be."
The first part is for men, so men, "be temperate, worthy of respect, self-controlled, and sound in faith, in love, and in endurance." Now this is some of that Greek freak stuff, so check it out!
Temperate (NIV) Sober (KJV)= nephalios= abstaining from wine.
Worthy of respect (NIV) Grave (KJV)=Semnos=Reverend, Honourable.
Self-controlled (NIV) temperate (KJV)=Sophron= Sound mind, in one's senses.
So the first one and the last one are kinda related. Drinking a certain amount of wine will desensitize you. In-other-words, you will be out of your senses; which means you don't have a sound mind; which means that you are not self-controlled. If you are not self-controlled; then you are controlled by something else, like booze or really anything that compels us to sin. That's right; if we can't control ourselves; then we are not sober. If we are not sober; then we are not worthy of respect. Now that word (Semnos) comes from the root word "sebo" which means worship. Now that's some weight! Is there someone who worships you? No not like they bow at your feet, but they look up to you for something. It's not that we try to get people to respect us, but that we are "worthy of respect." No, this isn't a guilt trip; It's a measuring stick. You see, "old men" doesn't necessarily refer to how old you are. You can be 95 years old physically and only 2yrs old spiritually. I was saved when I was 8yrs old, and I am now 43. I have taught the word of God almost weekly for 16 yrs. I still ain't got this thing. In some areas of my Christian life I am an old man, but in others, I'm just a child.
So in some things I should be like a spiritual father, helping the young men learn the right way, but in other things I should be looking for a spiritual father for guidance (instead of pretending to have it all together : which is a major plague in our churches today, but I digress). The point is that we are not islands. As old men, you must realize that you are being watched. Everyday, every action, every word. It isn't just what you teach, but the ordinary everyday stuff that makes a difference. So, old men, whether you are gray haired or not, we need to have an extraordinary ordinary.