Paul instructs Timothy to establish elders and leadership in the various Cretan churches that they had planted together. In his explanation of what the character of an elder ought to be, he demonstrates that this the life that the believer should aspire to. In many ways, there is nothing overly special about the list, but in contrast to the living of the culture, this stands out as radical or bold. Again the emphasis for living an Gospel-centered life does not come from the command itself (legalism) but from the grace of God given to us in Jesus.
As Paul opens his letter to Titus and the Cretan church, Paul reminds Titus that the Gospel of Jesus was not something that happened as a response to sin as if God didn’t know that it was going to happen. Instead it was his plan to pour out his grace on us to give us hope and demonstrate his love for us. The grace of God in Jesus is a recurring theme. The emphasis becomes on the connection between grace and action. Such is the overwhelming nature of God’s grace that we are to respond to his grace wholeheartedly and without reservation.
On this Easter Sunday we look at the 7 last words spoken during His last hours on the cross, specifically unpacking one little word “TETELESTAI” (Greek for It is Finished).
Today we look at the final days leading up to the crucifixion of Christ and some of the characters of the cross revolving around the last supper in 3 different sermon segments.
God is not silent. His Word is clear, sufficient and authoritative. God reveals His mercy through the plagues, revealing the lies upon which the Egyptians have built their lives. This sermon centers around Pharaoh’s question, “Who is the Lord, that I should obey his voice?” as this is an applicable questions in our day and age as well. Through the first five plagues he reveals the false promises of the Egyptian gods, just as God reveals the false promises of our American gods of comfort, wealth, and prosperity, by proclaiming himself as the “I AM.”
Christian or not, heartbreak and disappointment are a part of the human experience because of the sinful brokenness of our world. This passage gives us a picture of the hardships of life wringing out the hopes of God’s people. In that we see God remind Moses that He is the Lord. That he is faithful to keep His promises. That He desires to work during our brokenness. That His work and plan always move forward. It is in the heartbreak and trials of life that the glory of God is most revealed in our lives. Through this passage we are drawn to see how Jesus came to give us freedom and hope in Him.
God chooses to display his sovereign might through imperfect people like Moses. The Moses we find in Exodus 4 is much different than the one found in Exodus 2. He has been shaped by his time in the wilderness and his experience with God. In this we discover that the might of God almost always flows through obedience rooted in faith. God pulls Moses away from his selfdoubt and anxiety toward faithful obedience through which God will use Moses powerfully. God wants to use us. He asks us to stopping looking at ourselves and to look up toward Him.
The nature of who God is, both transcendent—above us—and eminent—among us. God shares his personal name and reminds us that he defines himself. We do not define God. Because of this, our identity is found in God not in our own created identities. This is a powerful moment as this is the first time that God speaks in the book of Exodus. In this sermon we will seek to explore the nature and identity of God and how it shapes our identity and purpose.
Moses’ giftedness was not enough for him to take matters into his own hands. He had to trust in the sovereignty of God, just as we do today. As Moses takes the saving of the Israelite people into his own hands, he quickly discovers that his power, knowledge, and status were not enough. Because of his failed attempt, he runs from Egypt and finds himself as a traveler in a strange land. But in the wilderness, he ends up broken and ready to be used by God.
We are powerless to free ourselves from sin and death, but God graciously frees us from impossible situations. In watching Moses get drawn out of the water by the daughter of Pharaoh, we are beautifully reminded that God desires to draw us out of sin. In this message, we will look at the extent and power of sin in our lives and how it leads to death. With this we will find the passionate grace of God through his son, Jesus, in which he seeks to draw us out of the impossible situation of sin and into a new life and relationship with God.