All for the Kingdom
Sermon Podcast
Lives that Testify to Truth, Titus 2:1-10
Belief that does not transform behavior is worthless. Theology that does not bear out in your ethics is pointless. Doctrine that does not inform and motivate your duty is meaningless. Sound doctrine is more than academic or theoretical; it is transformational. Every Christian must bear evidence in their behavior and character of believing and becoming sound in truth.
The teaching and preaching of sound doctrine is more than a transfer of information. The teaching and preaching of sound doctrine transforms the Christians who receive it. Sound doctrine transforms your heart, your mind, and your actions. And through this transformation, your life becomes a living testimony to the truth.
The Danger of False Teaching, Titus 1:10-16
The church's weapon against false teaching is the faithful teaching of scripture. When threatened by false teachings, the church must respond by preparing more men who can teach and preach sound doctrine.
When faced with such threats, there is a temptation to feel defeated and powerless. There is tremendous pressure to bend to the secular culture's demand to keep silent and respect everyone's right to go their own way and do their own thing. And for churches that seem irredeemably captured by error and false teaching, it is tempting to write them off as lost and unrecoverable. However, this is not the strategy that the Bible teaches.
How can the church remain faithful in a day when the threats from false teachings are so high? What must the church do to ensure false teaching does not take root? Having instructed Titus to appoint elders in every city (5-9), Paul now gives instructions for the work and mission of the elders.
Trained for Godliness, 1 Timothy 4:6-16
The instructions of 1 Timothy 4 are addressed to Timothy and his church pastoral leadership. At first reading, it may seem that verses 6-16 relate only to overseers' leadership, preaching, and teaching ministry of the church. Though these instructions are addressed to the overseer, they relate to the whole church in understanding proper biblical training, personal holiness, and the church's public worship. These instructions to the overseer help the church understand what should be honored and celebrated in the leadership of the overseer, the importance of personal holiness, and what should be honored in their public assemblies.
The Church's Ministry, Ephesians 4:11-16
When someone goes to school to learn a trade, the ultimate goal is to become proficient in the skill well enough to employ it to earn a living. When students choose their degree program in college, the intended purpose is to prepare for a career in a specific field.
Training for a job or studying for a future career are worthy endeavors and have a sense of anticipation for what is to come after the training is complete. However, if your goal were only to train but never to employ your skill, it would become a purposeless endeavor.
A ministry is something that serves as an agency, instrument, or means. The church's ministry is to equip and mature the saints for faithful service to the Lord. Ephesians 4:11-16 points to the role that church leaders have in equipping the saints and the command on all the members of the church to mature and grow.
Bonus Episode: Keep the Faith, 2 Timothy 4:3-5
This past Sunday, my friend Freddie Smith preached for me thus there is not a new sermon for the podcast this week. So I am posting a sermon I preached in 2017 on the occasion of the recognition Sunday for our high school graduates. The sermon is from 2 Timothy 4 on the spiritual dangers we face today.
Of course, these concerns are not unique to our day. The spiritual dangers we face are not new to the modern area. These concerns are what prompted Paul to warn Timothy in this passage. In this sermon, I share two warnings and then encourage you to stand firm and keep the faith.