Bible Verse for Sunday Service January 19, 2025
Hebrews 10:23
Let us hold fast the confession of our hope without wavering, for he who promised is faithful.
Announcements:
Join us for lunch immediately after today’s service. Right after lunch, we will have the annual business meeting. On the agenda is the election of church officers, approving the proposed budget (adding a missionary), and getting the go ahead from the congregation for the kitchen and bathroom remodeling project.
Next Sunday, a representative from the Gideons, Danny Ball, will give us a report on the Gideons and the ministry of worldwide distribution of scripture. We will also have the opportunity to support their work through a donation. If you choose, you can give your offering directly to the representative, or if you write a check to the church and designate the amount to the Gideons, we will pass it on.
What beginning plans for summer VBS. Please be praying for Natasha and Brie as they begin the work of planning and preparing. The date that we propose is June 9 through the 13th, but we are open to have it another week if this is a week that won’t work for you. Please let Natasha or Brie know of your schedule.
Sermon:
Today, Pastor Jim continued preparing us for a new pastor by preaching on Titus 1:1-4 in a sermon titled “Truths to Titus & Us.” In his introduction to this letter, from Paul to Titus, Pastor remarked that it is fallen out of fashion these days to write people letters, but that is what Paul was doing here. Therefore, the first few versus are the opening to his letter. However, rather than being simply pleasantries, these verses contain spiritual truths that can speak to us today. Pastor looked at these introductory verses in four points.
Firstly, pastor looked at the truth regarding our position. In his ladder, Paul talked about his position, an apostle, the more importantly to him, a servant to the Lord. We should consider this advice ourselves. What is our position? Many people in the church hold important positions. But we should think and make sure that we are being servants to the Lord in our lives and in the church.
Next, Pastor observed that the letter covered the truth regarding God’s plan. That truth remains the same always. That God has provided eternal salvation through His Son. We can think of that on three levels past, present, and future. Pastor remarked that it was not a surprise to God that Adam and Eve sinned and therefore died, and cursed us also with sin. He knew that he would need a plan for our salvation as we were incapable of saving ourselves. That this plan has existed always is made clear in revelation where he speaks of Jesus as a lamb slain before the foundation of the world.
Once we put our faith in Jesus Christ, God’s plan moves into the present for us. After salvation, God’s plan continues for us in that God’s plan becomes to make us more like himself through godliness. By continually absorbing a good biblical diet of the Word of God, and applying those principles to our lives, we can participate in God’s plan for our salvation and sanctification.
We also have God’s plan to look forward in the future, our confident expectation of being with the Lord in heaven. It is important for us to remember, as Pastor pointed out, that we can be certain of this because God promised it, and he does not lie. So for us, the plan will be complete when we can see God face-to-face.
Next in the introduction of our letter to Titus, Pastor spoke on the truth regarding preaching, that it be Christ centered. It is important that we do not forget the message of the cross, which is the power of God to salvation for all who believe. This is a fulfillment of God’s promise to use this Word through it being preached to bring salvation to the lost, and growth and encouragement to those that are saved. These ideas make us consider the place of preaching in the church, that should be a priority. A classic example of this is expositional preaching through the Bible. In other words, preaching is just that, reaching the congregation with God’s word versus a political or topical message. Another aspect in this to consider is that how can the preacher sustain this Sunday after Sunday? Pastor and said that it is good to have the congregation praying for the pastor to help him effectively and accurately preach the word of God.
For the last part of this introduction, Pastor remarked on a truth regarding our possessions. Paul reminded Titus what he didn’t have, and what he did have. Paul reminds Titus that he didn’t have Paul as a good friend any longer, and he was on his own, dealing with some difficult people in the church. But, to face these challenges, he had Grace from the Lord to carry out the task before him. He also had mercy to help him with his weaknesses and struggles. Lastly, he had peace have calmness since we raced the worries and fears that he had regarding his great responsibility. It is reminded to us that God’s grace is our sufficient for us, and rather than focusing on what we don’t have, we should focus on what the Lord has provided to us.
For conclusion, Pastor reminded us that this section contains the truth, and truths that are still applicable today to us to help us face the tasks before us. So as Paul wrote this letter to help Titus, let’s make sure that this letter can help us too.
Accessing the Service, Bulletin and Sermon Outline:
Here are the pages from the bulletin, click on the images below to see them full size:
If you would like to have the sermon outline, you can download it here, a pdf file.
If you would like a link to this service you can find it here. Perhaps you would like to share it with your friends. You could also share that link on social media, if you use any of the providers. We use Rumble, a safe alternative to Google’s YouTube.