Sermons

John 1:14

“The Word became flesh and blood, and moved into the neighborhood. We saw the glory with our own eyes, the one-of-a-kind glory, like Father, like Son, Generous inside & out, true from start to finish.”
– John 1:14 (The Message)

“Now Jesus did many other signs in the presence of the disciples, which are not written in this book; but these are written so that you may believe that Jesus is the Christ, the Son of God, and that by believing you may have life in His name.”
- John 20:30-31

Big Idea: The incarnation ignites community transformation

Because Jesus Came:

1) I can dwell personally with God (v. 14)

“Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, but in these last days He has spoken to us by His Son, whom He appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world. He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of His nature, and He upholds the universe by the word of His power. After making purification for sins, He sat down at the right hand of the Majesty on high …”
– Hebrews 1:1-3

Because God is with me:
1) I can trust God’s promises completely (Isaiah 40:8)
2) I can live with true hope daily (1 Peter 1:3-9)
3) I can experience God’s peace supernaturally (Philippians 4:4-7)
4) I can worship God passionately (Hebrews 12:28)
5) I can rest in my new identity (Romans 8)

2) I Am Commissioned To Live As An Ambassador For God (v. 14)

“This is good, and it is pleasing in the sight of God our Savior, who desires all people to be saved and to come to the knowledge of the truth.”
– 1 Timothy 2:3-4

“Jesus said to them again, ‘Peace be with you. As the Father has sent me, so I am sending you.’”
– John 20:21

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come. All this is from God, who through Christ reconciled us to himself and gave us the ministry of reconciliation; that is, in Christ God was reconciling the world to himself, not counting their trespasses against them, and entrusting to us the message of reconciliation. Therefore, we are ambassadors for Christ, God making his appeal through us. We implore you on behalf of Christ, be reconciled to God. For our sake he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God.”
- 2 Corinthians 5:17-21

"But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees, they gathered together. And one of them, a lawyer, asked him a question to test him. 'Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?’ And he said to him, 'You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. This is the great and first commandment. And a second is like it: You shall love your neighbor as yourself. On these two commandments depend all the Law and the Prophets.’”
- Matthew 22:34-40

Psalm 66

Big Idea: Considering How God’s Been To Us Causes Full-Stop Thanksgiving In Us.

5 Steps to a Full-Stop Thanksgiving:

1) Realize the awesomeness of God. (1-4)

2) Remember the faithfulness of God. (5-7)

3) Reflect on the goodness of God. (8-12)

4) Respond with sacrifice to God. (13-15)

5) Rejoice in your salvation from God. (16-20)

Titus 3:8-15

Big Idea: I Am Saved By God’s Grace Personally To Display God’s Grace Faithfully

Decisions Of The Devoted:

1. I Will Avoid Distractions From Christ (v. 8-11)

Godly Devotion: wholeheartedly delighting in God in a way that leads to a life committed to daily worshipping, walking with, and work for God that intentionally helps build the church of God for the glory of God.

Daily Distractions From Christ:
1) Foolish Debates (v. 9)

“Share in suffering as a good soldier of Christ Jesus. No soldier gets entangled in civilian pursuits, since his aim is to please the one who enlisted him.”
- 2 Timothy 2:3-4

2) Divisive People (v. 10-11)

2. I Will Give My Best To Christ (v. 12-15)

Positions I have in God:
1) Son/Daughter (1:4)
2) Servant (1:1)
3) Steward (1:3, 7)

Am I Devoted?
1) To The Messiah (3:3-7)
2) To The Message (3:3-8)
3) To The Mission (3:8-15)

Titus 3:1-8

Big Idea: I Am Born Again By God To Daily Display The Gospel Of God

1. Demonstrating The Gospel Faithfully (v. 1-5; 7-8)

“Therefore, if anyone is in Christ, he is a new creation. The old has passed away; behold, the new has come.”
- 2 Corinthians 5:17

“Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.”
- Romans 12:

My Readiness Revealed:
1) Am I submitting obediently? (v. 1)
2) Am I working for Christ eagerly? (v. 1)
3) Am I living peaceably? (v. 2)
4) Am I demonstrating humility? (v. 2)
5) Am I devoted wholeheartedly? (v. 8)

2. Believing In the Gospel Personally (v. 3-8)

The Total Package of the Gospel:
1) The Power of the Gospel (2:11)
2) The Process of the Gospel (3:5-7)
3) The Product of the Gospel (3:5-8)

“Jesus answered him, ’Truly, truly, I say to you, unless one is born again he cannot see the kingdom of God.”
- John 3:3

"For God so loved the world, that he gave His only Son, that whoever believes in Him should not perish but have eternal life. For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but whoever does not believe is condemned already, because he has not believe in the name of the only Son of God.”
- John 3:16-18

How To Sit In The Gospel Daily:
1) Accept It (Romans 10:9-10)
2) Anchor In It (Hebrews 6:19)
3) Abide In It (John 15:5-6)
4) Alignment (Matthew 7:24-27)
5) Apply & Adorn It (Ephesians 2:10)

Titus 2:11-15

Big Idea: God’s Grace Drives The Entire Christian Life From Beginning To End.

1) God’s grace has saved us from sin’s penalty. (11)

2) God’s grace is sanctifying us from sin’s power. (12)

3) God’s grace will secure us from sin’s presence. (13-15)

Ephesians 6:10-13

Big Idea: God Calls Us To Stand Firm And Fight In Spiritual Battle

Stand Firm (Ephesians 6:10-13):

1) Stand Firm In His Strength (v. 10-11a)

“For this I took, struggling with all His energy that He powerfully works within me.”
- Colossians 1:29

2) Stand Firm Against Spiritual Enemies (v. 11-12)

3) Stand Firm By Surrendering (v. 13)

Titus 2:9-10

Big Idea: A Consistent Gospel Testimony Lives Under Earthly Authority In A Way That Displays Jesus’ Ultimate Authority In Every Way

“If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved.”
- Romans 10:9

“I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God.”
- Galatians 2:20

Adorning The Gospel:

1) Obedient In Action (v. 9)

1a) “Whatever you do, work heartily, as for the Lord and not for men, knowing that from the Lord you will receive the inheritance as your reward. You are serving the Lord Christ.”
- Colossians 3:23-24

2) Pleasant In Attitude (v. 9)

2a) “Slaves, obey your earthly masters with fear and trembling, with a sincere heart, as you would Christ, not by the way of eye-service, as people-pleasers, but as servants of Christ, doing the will of God from the heart.”
- Ephesians 6:5-6

2b) “But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control; against such things there is no law. And those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. If we live by the Spirit, let us also walk by the Spirit.”
- Galatians 5:22-25

3) Uplifting In Speech (v. 9)

3a) “Let no corrupting talk come out of your mouths, but only such as is good for building up as fits the occasion, that it may give grace to those who hear.”
- Ephesians 4:29

3b) “Anxiety in a man’s heart weighs him down, but a good word makes him glad.”
- Proverbs 12:25

4) Trustworthy In Character (v. 10)

5) Faithful In Service (v. 10)

5a) “Have this mind among yourselves, which is yours in Christ Jesus, who though he was in the form of God, did not count equality with God a thing to be grasped, but made himself nothing, taking the form of a servant, being born in the likeness of men. And being found in human form, he humbled himself by becoming obedient to the point of death, even death on a cross. Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.”
- Philippians 2:5-11

Titus 2:1-8

Big Idea: God Has Given Everyone In His Church A Part To Play In The Building Of His Church

Pursuing my part means…

1) Pursuing a discipleship that is rooted in good doctrine. (1)

2) Pursuing a discipleship that results in godly living. (2)

Titus 1:10-16

“Be sober-minded; be watchful. Your adversary the devil prowls around like a roaring lion, seeking someone to devour. Resist him, firm in your faith.”
- 1 Peter 5:8-9a

Big Idea: Pursuing Gospel Purity Requires Addressing Gospel Fallacy Directly

Addressing Gospel Fallacy :

1) Diagnose It (v. 10-14)

Gospel Purity:
Jesus + Nothing = Everything

Gospel Fallacy Diagnostic Tools:
1) Observe Doctrine (v. 10, 11, 14)
2) Observe Deeds (v. 10-12; 15-16)
3) Observe Desires (v. 11)

2) Confront It (v. 11-14)

Heart Posture Of Biblical Confrontation:
1) Communicate With Love (1 Corinthians 16:14)
2) Confront With God’s Truth (Ephesians 4:15)
3) Correct With Care (2 Timothy 2:23-26)

“Have nothing to do with foolish, ignorant controversies; you know that they breed quarrels. And the Lord’s servant must not be quarrelsome but kind to everyone, able to teach, patiently enduring evil, correcting his opponents with gentleness. God may perhaps grant them repentance leading to a knowledge of the truth, and they may come to their senses and escape from the snare of the devil, after being captured by him to do his will.”
- 2 Timothy 2:23-26

The Process of Biblical Confrontation (Matthew 18:15-17):
1) Personally (18:15)
2) With a small group (18:16)
3) To the elders (18:17)

3) Resist It (v. 15-16)

Titus 1:5-9

Big Idea: Genuinely Building The Church Of God Requires Leaders Who Wholeheartedly Reflect The Character Of God

“So I exhort the elders among you, as a fellow elder and a witness of the sufferings of Christ, as well as a partaker in the glory that is going to be revealed: shepherd the flock of God that is among you, exercising oversight, not under compulsion, but willingly, as God would have you; not for shameful gain, but eagerly; not domineering over those in your charge, but being examples to the flock. And when the chief Shepherd appears, you will receive the unfading crown of glory. Likewise, you who are younger, be subject to the elders. Clothe yourselves, all of you, with humility toward one another, for ‘God opposes the proud but gives grace to the humble.’”
– 1 Peter 5:1-5

“The saying is trustworthy: If anyone aspires to the office overseer, he desires a noble task.”
– 1 Timothy 3:1

Characteristics Of Biblical Elders:
1) A Life That Continually Demonstrates Godly Character (v. 6)
2) A Home That Demonstrates Consistent Gospel Commitment (v. 6)
3) A Commitment To Steward God’s Work Faithfully (v. 7)
4) Daily Conduct That Is An Authentic Gospel Testimony (v. 7-8)
5) The Willing Capability To Teach Sound Doctrine With Biblical Conviction (v. 9)

“Do not be hasty in the laying on of hands ...”
- 1 Timothy 5:22

“Obey your leaders and submit to them, for they are keeping watch over your souls, as those who will have to give an account. Let them do this with joy and not with groaning, for that would be of no advantage to you.”
- Hebrews 13:17