Going back to Adam in the Garden, we see this pattern of God initiating and man responding. God creates the world and plants a garden and puts Adam and Eve in it. They respond by resting and rejoicing in His goodness. They love because God loved them first. God called Abraham to follow him into…
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Exhortation “The law of the Lord is perfect, reviving the soul” (Ps. 19:7).
There is much said in our world about stress and anxiety and worry and weariness and burn out. We live in a fallen world where things tend to fall apart. Friendships and marriages strain and weary us and sometimes break us. Business ventures fail. Bills add up. Hopes and dreams are shattered. Bodies grow weak…
The Gift of Self-Control
In Titus, one of the key virtues that Paul exhorts God’s people to pursue is self-control. Also, in Galatians, Paul highlights this self-control as the final capstone of the fruit of the Spirit. The world, on the other hand, says give into the self. In our culture, there is no god so fervently worshiped and…
Living the Good Life – Titus 2:1-10
Introduction In contrast to the false teachers who “profess to know God, but deny him by their works” and “are detestable, disobedient, unfit for any good work,” Paul now urges Titus to “teach what accords with sound doctrine.” Remember that “sound” literally means “healthy” so Titus is supposed to lead his people to build their…
Beware False Teachers – Titus 1:9-16
Introduction The final quality an elder must possess is a firm commitment to “the trustworthy (lit. healthy) word as taught so that he may be able to give instruction in sound doctrine and also to rebuke those who contradict it” (1:9). One of the central reasons the church needs faithful elders is because of the…
Stewards of God’s Household – Titus 1:1-8
Introduction: Blueprints for Growing Maturity Titus is a book concerned with how a fledgling church grows up into the maturity of Christ. By listening to Paul’s instructions to Titus, we have the privilege of overhearing the blueprints for building a healthy, vibrant church that is a living witness of Jesus’ character and life-transforming power….
Why We Practice Church Discipline Part 2 Mt. 18:15-18
Introduction Last week we looked at several reasons for church discipline: warning the people of God, guarding the health of the church, protecting the honor of Christ, as well as preventing the wrath of God. This week, we look more closely at the aim of reclaiming and restoring an erring brother or sister. This is…
Why We Practice Church Discipline, Part 1 – 1 Cor. 5:1-13
Introduction One of the signs of the weakness of the modern church is her failure to discipline sin. In many modern churches, church discipline is unheard of. But the fact is that discipline is inescapable: there will always be discipline; the only question is what standard will govern that discipline. Some object to church discipline…
Trinity Sunday IV: Eucharistic Meditation
“The cup of blessing that we bless, is it not participation in the blood of Christ? The bread that we break, is it not a participation in the body of Christ? Because there is one bread, we who are many are one body, for we all partake of one bread… You cannot drink the cup…
Trinity Sunday IV: Exhortation
Paul writes, “Now the law came in to increase the trespass, but where sin increased, grace abounded all the more, so that, as sin reigned in death, grace also might reign through righteousness leading to eternal life through Jesus Christ our Lord” (Rom. 5:20-21). One of the most terrible things that can slowly kill a…