Be On Display Titus 2:9-10
Titus Chapter 1 - Guidance for Church Leadership
Titus Chapter 2 - Guidance for a Holy Example
Titus Chapter 3 - Guidance for a Holy Lifestyle
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The Main Thing
“The main thing is to keep the main thing the main thing.” Keith Eitel
Bottom line:
•When we see God as he truly is, it reveals to us how we are to live. [Principle]
•When we see God as Truth, we teach it with character and competency so that God’s people live good, godly lives.
Most people are blind to the truth. That’s why they don’t teach it.
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For the Church to be sound in the faith (doctrine & deed; belief & behavior; creed & conduct), we must confront false teachings and the Errorists who spread them.
Remember what an elder does:
Lead - Follow me as I follow Jesus
Feed - Teach/Train
Protect - Confront/Rebuke/Correct
Series: Underserved Grace Scripture: Titus 1:5-9 (Main passage); 1 Peter 5:1-4; 1 Tim 3:1-7 Title: Choosing Your Elders
Bottom line: Choose elders who are blameless under-shepherds where they live, work, learn, and play. Pastor Darien walks us through the qualifications for elders as it relates to their role as husbands, fathers, Christians, and theologians. Having qualified, biblical elders is part of churches coming into maturity. Elders shepherd the flock, guard against false doctrine, sin, and other dangers. Additionally, they nurture, lead, and teach.
Have you ever felt like a failure, or of no use to God, or thought that God wouldn’t want to answer your prayers?
Until I first read Colin Urquhart’s book, In Christ Jesus, I had never realized how significant that little word ‘in’ is in the New Testament. Understanding that, as a Christian, you are ‘in’ Christ Jesus revolutionizes how you see yourself, your self-image, your identity and how you understand your value to God.
Write your name on a piece of paper. Take hold of your Bible to represent Christ. Place the paper in the book and close it. You are in Christ. Where the book goes you go. Where the paper goes he goes. You are not part of the book, but you are now identified totally with the book.
Paul uses this expression, ‘in Christ Jesus’, over and over again. God has taken hold of you and placed you inChrist. In Christ, you have received ‘every spiritual blessing’ (Ephesians 1:3). All of the blessings, including those that the Old Testament speaks about, are yours in Christ.
Who are we? Why are we (still) here?
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Pastor Darien takes us into a study of Psalm 85 and the events surrounding it. We learn about the critical need to remember movements of God in the past, and pray for Him to move now. Revival. Bottom line: Recall what God did in the past, Pray for God to wake us up in the future, and in the meantime Trust and Obey today in the present.
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Scripture: Acts 17:1-15. “Turning The World Upside Down” Bottom line: Paul and Co. gives us a battle plan for turning things around (180˚) where we live, work, learn, and play. We learn from the Bereans about how to approach the truth of God, and we learn from others on what NOT to do.
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Continuing our series , “Better Together” Pastor Darien Gabriel takes us into a study of 1 Corinthians 12 in the sermon, “Body Builders.” Pastor Darien teaches on how God has designed every Christian to have a gift or many gifts that come together to edify, that is to “build up” the Body of Christ. Bottom line: God sovereignly arranges the body of Christ with his spiritual gifts for the common good. Listen now.
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Continuing our series, “Better Together” Pastor Darien teaches on Matt 9:35-37 and Acts 2:42-47. This sermon’s bottom line: When it’s time to deliver, it’s time to move. Therefore, check your spiritual vital signs and move out! The church is pregnant with harvesters ready to enter the harvest. The harvest is ready to receive. Now is the time to faithfully make disciples, proclaim the Gospel, and do the ministry work.
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Chris & Amy Karpus share about their extraordinary experience of multiple miracles that brought Chris back from cardiac arrest (2x) and a “Brain dead” diagnosis in late July 2020. Just over a month later, Chris shares from the heart and from God’s word lessons learned along the way. Amy shares lessons too but also a lot of the medical details that help us see how miraculous this really was.
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The Big Blot Out (Psalm 51:1-9). In this sermon, we learn three key realities: 1. Broken People Need Forgiveness. vv1-9. 2. Forgiven People Need Renewal. vv10-12. 3. Renewed People Need to Serve. vv13-17. Wise warning: Wrong person + wrong time + wrong place = wrong thing happening. Only God Can Fully Forgive vv1-3. If you are coming to God for the first time, He is ready to respond to your cry of repentance. If you are a follower of Christ and have sin in your life, take a moment to repent and have your fellowship restored.
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Bottom line: Because Jesus has absolute authority in the world and deserves absolute allegiance from the world, we trust, rest, submit to and rejoice in that authority. But we must count the cost.
Jesus is worthy of unconditional trust, even if it means giving up earthly security and comforts. (Matt 8:18-20; parallel Luke 9:57-62)
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When Jesus came to die on the cross, he came to address the root problem—not suffering, but sin. The price was his life to over our sins. Does that mean his will for the world is we no longer experience pain, sickness, and suffering? No. These pictures of miraculous healings are to give us a picture of what is to come in the fullness of God’s kingdom when Christ fully exerts his absolute authority and reign over the earth. But not yet. In the meantime, we live in a world of suffering and pain. In fact, suffering will actually increase as a result of trusting Christ for salvation. So consider that before trusting and following Jesus. Lots of words from Jesus and Paul confirm this will happen.
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Jesus shows us His authority over all things, even the weather when he commands the storm to cease. Only God can speak things into being. Only God can command the winds and the waves and have them obey. This same Jesus, fully God and fully man is sovereign over every circumstance in your life.
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ACT JUSTLY & TO LOVE MERCY. In order to understand what acting justly and loving mercy looks like, we need to look at the perfect embodiment of justice, mercy AND humility – Jesus Christ. God’s justice is perfect. In God’s perfect justice, the payment for sin is blood. This week Pastor Darien addresses the issue of Justice and mercy through the lens of God’s Word, showing us what true justice and mercy really are.
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Using passages from Acts 10:1-11:4; James 2:1-9; Galatians 3:26-29; Micah 6:1-8, Pastor Darien talks about practicing what we preach on how we interact with anyone different than us by acting justly, loving mercy, and walking humbly with our God. This is not limited to black-white relations but that’s a huge part of this today. Includes people of all cultures (not races). There is one race - the human race started in Eden. Many ethnicities scattered at tower of Babel.
Micah 6:1-8, reminds us to live justly for God’s glory. Pastor Darien shows us how this applies to racial reconciliation.
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Pastor Darien continues our series on Philippians: “Joy No Matter"“ by addressing the issue of contentment in this sermon, “Be Not Restless.” In this passage, the Apostle Paul writes to the Philippian church , telling them that regardless of circumstances, he has learned to be content. Paul faced need and abundance, hunger and plentiful food. He experienced shipwreck, suffering, prison, and more. He also experienced great moves of God as he took the gospel to the gentiles. Paul noted that he could be joyful and content in any circumstance, because Christ was with him, in him, strengthening him. Paul goes on to admonish the the Philippians, because they have the same Christ in them, providing them the same contentment. Read along as Pastor Darien delivers this timely message.
Notably, if Paul could be joyful in prison and in need, then there is great hope for us in our present circumstances. The gospel of salvation in Jesus Christ means I can be joyful in all circumstances!
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Children are not a disease, hassle or distraction. Not even a necessary evil. They are a lasting reward for our efforts and gift from God himself.
Contrary to modern sensibilities, a large family is a blessing. Think about the blessing your current family is. It can be more. God is encouraging more children for his people. Obviously we’re all limited and so should our family be. But when weighing out the cost of another child consider the blessing will be even more than you can imagine.
A quiver full of arrows is meant to be emptied. Don’t empty is aimlessly.
Continuing our series of Philippians (Joy No Matter), Pastor Darien teaches how to change our self-confidence (or lack thereof) to Savior-confidence. The idea is that God is the one who works in and through us for His good pleasure. When we put our trust in Him, we place our confidence in Him. What He brings to pass is always for our good and His glory (Romans 8:28), so we can rest in Who He is.
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Continuing our series of Philippians (Joy No Matter), Pastor Darien teaches how we must be an example no matter what as we follow Christ. Series: Joy No Matter, Part 10
Scripture: Phil 2:19-30 Title: “The Example"
Today’s Bottom line: Follow the Example, Be the Example as You Worship the Example, no matter what.
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