November 24, 2019 • Pastor Phil Burggraff • Titus 3:8–11
Passage: Titus 3:8–11
Theme: A Focused Church Membership
As members of Clearwater Community Church,
1. We must focus on the truths of God’s word (8).
a. A focus on the truths of God’s word motivates us to good works that please him.
b. A focus on the truths of God’s word benefits all people.
2. We must avoid issues that distract from the gospel (9).
3. We must distance ourselves from people that divide (10–11).
a. We are to humbly point out their error
b. If they persist, we must separate from them.
Conclusion: Biblical church members seek to please God by holding undistractedly to the gospel and pursuing the things it calls us to do.
Application Questions:
• Looking back over the letter to Titus, what good deeds are we to be careful to devote ourselves to as church members? How do these deeds benefit people with the church as well as those outside the church?
• What are examples of foolish controversies in our church today that distract us from the gospel and our responsibility to live it out in our own lives and in community with one another?
• Why do we resist the kind of confrontation and discipline that Paul calls for in v. 10? What should this look like if done right in our church?
• How is it unfruitful or unproductive for us if we fail to meet the needs of God’s servants and leaders (vv. 13–14)? What should this mean in our providing for needs of those leaders within the church?
November 17, 2019
November 17, 2019 • Pastor Josh Kee • Titus 3:1–8
“I Do” Sermon Series :: Saved to Do Good Works
Passage: Titus 3:1-8
Paul continues his thought from 2:13-15:
• "…waiting for our blessed hope, the appearing of the glory of our great God and Savior Jesus Christ, who gave himself for us to redeem us from all lawlessness and to purify for himself a people for his own possession who are zealous for good works.
• "…Declare these things; exhort and rebuke with all authority. Let no one disregard you."
o Titus is to have clear-minded vision as to what he is to be devoted to as he develops leaders who will help shepherd God's people in Crete.
(3:1-2) Remind God's people how God is glorified
• Be submissive to rulers and authorities
• Be obedient
• Be ready for every good work (righteous deeds for the benefit of others; Eph. 2:10)
• Speak evil of no one, seriously
• Avoid quarreling (flee from it, intentionally keep away from it)
• Be gentle
• Show perfect courtesy to all people
o We are to be models of respect in society
(3:3) Remember who we were (are) apart from grace
• Foolish and disobedient (senseless, unwise, and rebellious)
• Deceived and enslaved (victims of evil)
• Lived in malice and envy (ugly twins that disrupt human relationship)
• Hated by others and hating one another (enmity)
(3:4-7) The glorious gospel
• 6 essentials of salvation (John Stott)
1. We need it because "we are guilty and enslaved
2. Its source is God's goodness and loving kindness
3. Its ground is God's mercy, not our works
4. Its means is the regenerating and renewing work of the Holy Spirit
5. Its goal is our final inheritance of eternal life
6. Its evidence is our diligent practice of good works"
(3:8) Saved to do good
• We are to be devoted (resolutely committed) to do good for the benefit of others
• Good works never save, but they give evidence that we are saved
• Look how you might do good to others and you will live an excellent and profitable life
Main Point: We have been saved, by grace, to do good works for the benefit of those who do not know God, so that God will be glorified
• We are the redemptive presence in the world
• This is the summary of our 5 convictions
Discussion Questions for Application:
1. How zealous (eager) are you to do good works that benefit others (2:14)?
2. What is most difficult for you out of the list in Titus 3:1-2?
3. What kind of community is created when these commands are obeyed? (Use your imagination)
4. Why is it important for us to know remember who we are/ were apart from God’s grace? How does this remembrance shape our disposition toward others?
5. Spend some time soaking in the beauty of the gospel in Titus 3:4-7.
o Contemplate these truths, rejoice over them, and root your hope and joy in them.
o Ask God to help them take deep roots in your heart (borrow Paul’s prayer in Ephesians 3:14-20).
o Where do you see God’s grace in your life?
6. How does the grace of God motivate us for good works? Is grace, or something else, the motivator in your life?
7. What “good works” give evidence of your salvation (Perhaps ask someone close to you)? What are you devoted to? Who can you be a benefit to this week?
8. Remember, you are God’s redemptive presence in your segment of the world. Rest in his lavish grace and live for his glory by doing good this week.
November 10, 2019
November 10, 2019 • Pastor Phil Burggraff • Titus 2:11–15
Passage: Titus 2:11–15
Theme: The Teaching of God’s Grace
Q: Why is the teaching ministry of the church necessary (2:1–10)?
A: God’s grace has appeared and will appear again (11).
Notice two results that stem from God’s grace appearing:
1. God’s grace teaches us how to live in this present age (12–13).
a. Reject the world’s way of life (12b)
b. Pursue the virtues that please God (12c)
c. Keep Christ’s return in view (13)
2. Jesus’s self-sacrifice transforms us to be able to live this way in this present age (14). For those who trust in him,
a. Jesus removes us from the control of sin
b. Jesus purifies us to be his very own people.
Main Idea: God’s grace compels us as a church to teach his saving and transforming work accomplished by Jesus Christ so that we can live out what it means to be the people of God.
Application Questions:
• To what does the language of appear/appearing refer in these verses? What would you say to someone that claimed Christians spend too much time looking to the distant past or future and are out of touch with what is happening presently?
• What do the three things that God’s grace teaches us in vv. 12–13 look like in real life? How should we go about teaching these things?
• According to v. 14, what is accomplished by Jesus’s saving work in our lives? How should this impact the way we think about our lives and the choices that we make?
• From the commands given to them in v. 15, how are church leaders to carry out this teaching ministry that is focused on the saving and transforming work of God’s grace? Why is this encouraging but challenging for you as a church member? What is this calling you to do presently?
November 3, 2019
November 3, 2019 • Pastor Josh Kee • Titus 2:1–10
I Do Sermon Series :: Adorning the Gospel
Passage: Titus 2:1-10
Doctrine (sound teaching; the gospel) produces ethics, which prove doctrine (2:1-10)
• The older men (2:2)
• The older women (2:3-4a)
o Responsible to teach the younger women (by word and by example)
• The younger women (2:4b-5)
• The younger men (2:6)
• Titus’ responsibility (2:7-8)
o Elders and church leaders are responsible to set an example by their teaching and by their lives
o Integrity
o Dignity (Seriousness)
o Soundness in speech
• Bondservants (2:9-10)
The glory of God and the mission of the church are Paul’s primary concerns (2:5b, 8, 10b)
Main Idea: The church is sustained, grown, and made effective through sound teaching that results in godly living at all stages of life. Members of the church have a responsibility to teach and equip one another for godly living that result in the glory of God.
Application Questions:
• How would you define discipleship? How does discipleship shape the character of the community?
• Does your life demonstrate the characteristics Paul lists for the various segments of the household? Where is growth needed?
• Where have you experienced/ seen cross-generational discipleship?
• Based on these verses, why is teaching so critical to discipleship? Where are you getting sound teaching?
• In what ways does sound teaching go beyond transferring information into transformed living? Is the teaching you receive leading to transformed living? How so?
• Why is it critical to have older generations of Christians connected to the younger generations of believers? What are the obstacles to this happening?
• In what ways are we prone to turn Paul’s teaching/ exhortation into an attack on individual freedom/ rights rather than focusing our utmost attention on the glory of God and the witness of the church?
• How are you involved in discipleship at CCC? If you’re not, how might you get involved?
October 27, 2019
October 27, 2019 • Pastor Phil Burggraff • Titus 1:10–16
Passage: Titus 1:10–16
Theme: Exposure to Faithful Preaching
Faithful Preaching of Sound Doctrine …
1. Silences erroneous teaching (10–11)
a. The identity of erroneous teachers (10)
b. The reason for silencing them: they mislead church members (11)
2. Counterbalances cultural influence (12–13a)
3. Rebukes wayward faith (13b–16)
Two-fold purpose for rebuke:
a. Restores believers to healthy faith
b. Exposes those who adhere to a false gospel
Main Thrust of Passage: We must submit our lives and actions to the faithful application of God’s word that occurs in the preaching ministry of the church.
Application Questions:
• From these verses, what characterizes false teaching within the church? How do we see this manifest in church today?
• How does faithful preaching of God’s word combat wrong belief in our own individual lives? How does it combat it in the life of the church? What might this look like in action in our churches today?
• Paul seems to stereotype the false teachers according to the cultural context of the Cretans. While we tend to shy away from stereotyping individuals today, what might we learn from Paul’s approach, and what does it teach us about cultural influence in our own lives?
• According to vv. 14–16, what indications are seen in the life of one who truly exhibits faith when confronted with their error? What is exposed in the life of one who doesn’t truly believe the gospel of Jesus Christ?
• What applications can you make to your own life concerning the preaching ministry of the church?
October 20, 2019
October 20, 2019 • Pastor Phil Burggraff • Titus 1:5–9
Passage: Titus 1:5–9
Theme: The Leaders in the Church
1. God expects his church to cultivate and call leaders from within itself (5).
2. We, as the church, are to select leaders that are blameless in their reputation (6–8).
a. Blameless in family life (6)
b. Blameless in personal and interpersonal life (7–8).
3. We must choose leaders that faithfully live and effectively communicate God’s word (9).
Application Questions:
• From your past church experience, how have churches in which you have been involved selected pastors for ministry? How does this differ from what Paul called Titus to do in vv. 5–9?
• Discuss what is meant by Paul’s double use of the qualification of blameless in v. 6 and 7. What does this term mean? How might it be misunderstood and applied in seeking qualifications for leaders?
• As we read these qualifications, we tend to think of them only in terms of our pastors. How are these lists applicable to the members of the church? What areas does Paul focus on? What is missing from this list that we might tend to highlight?
• As a church body, how do we apply the teaching here to our church situation today? How should what is said here inform what we do as a church in the cultivation and selection of leaders?
October 13, 2019
October 13, 2019 • Pastor Phil Burggraff • Titus 1:1–4
Passage: Titus 1:1–4
Theme: Why Church?
Why do we need to become members of a church? The ministry that occurs in church …
1. Strengthens our faith
2. Increases our knowledge of the truth
3. Enables us to live godly lives
4. Connects us with the eternal plans of God.
How?
a. Before time began, God guaranteed our eternal hope.
b. Presently, God reveals his plans through the preaching of his word.
c. God empowers his people who share this common faith to minister to one another in the context of the church.
Main Idea: God is accomplishing his ultimate plans of salvation for his people through ministry that only takes place in the local church.
Are you truly a part of what God is doing here and now?
Application Questions:
• When and why did you begin to attend church? What may be some well-intentioned but faulty reasons that people have for attending church or for not attending church? In what ways have you possibly struggled with these in the past?
• In Titus 1:1, how should faith be understood? Is this talking about our faith for salvation or for increasing faith/faithfulness as we mature as Christians? How does the ministry of church strengthen our faith?
• What is the knowledge of truth? In what ways does the ministry of church increase our knowledge of truth?
• Titus 1:2–3 speaks of our hope of eternal life. How do the contents of these verses produce hope in us? Explain the different aspects time that Paul elucidates in these verses and what they teach us about God’s plan for our church today?
