bpchurch Sermons

Ever find yourself forgetful? It happens to all of us at some point. In our spiritual lives it's actually possible even to forget who we are. This Sunday in Titus 3:1-7 we'll take a look at Paul's words to Titus and be reminded of some essential truths that we are at times prone to forget. Truths about how we should relate to those who don't know Christ, about how we used to be just like them, and about the incredible things God has done to save us and bring us into His family.

Today let's step into Paul's crash course on everyday discipleship and ask the piercing question, "HOW, THEN, SHALL WE LIVE?" In a world marked by division and moral drift, grace bursts onto history's stage in Jesus Christ, not only rescuing us but coaching us to renounce old appetites, embrace upright living, and become "zealous for good works" that make the gospel vibrant and visible. Come ready to trade performance-driven exhaustion for grace-fueled purpose, discover how the cross frees us from sin and for Spirit-empowered service, and lift your eyes to the horizon where the blazing glory of our great God and Savior is already on its way - so together we can live as God's redeemed people in today's skeptical world.

I am planning to go see the new Superman movie this weekend, and although I am a fan of superhero movies I don't usually go to the movie theater to see them. But when I saw the trailer for this new Superman movie, it woke something up inside of me and it got me excited to watch this epic battle of good vs. evil, and I know I'm not alone. There is a universal drive among humans to see good triumph over evil, that's why these types of movies are so popular. And ultimately that is the message of the Gospel as well, good triumphing over evil; and yet, Jesus does not battle against evil the same way that Superman does. In fact the way that Jesus deals with the powers of evil often seems backwards. The way that we understand the message of the gospel and how Jesus deals with evil greatly affects how we will understand our passage in Titus this week.

Have you ever wondered what God is doing—or where your life, or even this whole world, is headed? In Ephesians 1:3–14, we discover that we’re not left to guess. God has revealed His master plan: to bless His people in Christ through adoption, redemption, and grace, and to unite all things—both in heaven and on earth—under His loving rule. Ephesians 1 invites us to step into that revealed purpose, to see that our lives are not random or forgotten, but woven into God’s eternal plan. When we know where the story is going, we can live with hope, confidence, and praise—even when we’re still in the middle of the journey.

You have probably heard the phrase "do what I say, not what I do." Those are not words to live by, even though we often find ourselves acting that way, whether we say the words or not. This is actually the opposite of what Paul tells Titus in our passage this week, because the truth is, people often learn far more from watching us, than from listening to us. And they are far more likely to listen to us if our message is consistent with our actions. But this passage this week is not only for teachers and preachers, we all have an opportunity to point people to Jesus, and how we do that matters. Join us as we learn how to better point people to Christ and the Gospel.

As we look at Titus 2:1-6, the first question that came to my mind is who are these older people (both men and women)? None of us like to admit that we might be that generation. We might not mind being retired, but "being old" is always someone else! But you might be surprised at the people I think Paul had in mind! And even if you don't qualify yet we can learn some important principles to apply to our lives.

What do you think the biggest threat to the church today is? I'm sure we could come up with many different ideas related to the influence of culture, corruption in leadership, or even complacency in mission. But the only way that those things can make their way into the church is through false teaching. That is the biggest threat to the church; false teaching. But most of us would never think that that could happen at our church, but it can, and it will, unless we hold firm to God's word. This week in Titus we will reflect on how our situation may not be so different from the church in Crete and like them we must hold firm to the truth of the Gospel that is only found in Scripture. Join us as we learn from Scripture together.

It's been said that if you can make the man right, you can make the world right. Making the world right should perhaps be left in God's hands, but what if we held fast to the faithful Word, could we make the church right? Embracing not only the idea of grace but the person of Christ is all that is required to make the man right. If that man is obedient to the knowledge of Christ, his faithfulness will help make the church right!

Jesus gives the disciples a beautiful illustration in John 15 about a vine and it's branches. Jesus is the vine, and His followers are the branches. Our true life is found only in Him. And I don't want to stretch the illustration too far, but if you have ever grown a vine like plant, what is necessary if you want it to grow well, and be healthy? A trellis. A trellis is basically any structure that the vine can use to grow on, without a trellis the plant will flounder and rot on the ground, it will not grow well. But with a trellis the plant can flourish and grow. There is no life in the trellis, but it helps the life to grow. Paul sends Titus to the churches in Crete with a purpose, we talked about that last week, but in order to fulfill the purpose of the church, something else is necessary, "that you might put what remained into order..." The true life of the church is found in Christ alone, and yet He has given us order, and structure to help us grow. Join us to find out more about what God has given His church to help us grow in faith, knowledge, and obedience.

How often do you think about eternal life? We know that it's good to keep our eternal life in view, and yet, it's easy to get distracted and forget about it in the midst of everyday life. A big reason for this is that our eternal life seems to have little impact on our present circumstances, except to give us hope that it won't always be like this. But, what if we're missing something? What if our understanding of eternal life actually has a profound effect on our daily life right now? Join us on as we dig into Titus 1 and see how our purpose as a church, and our individual purpose in life, is related to our eternal life in Christ.