If you could sum up the Christian life, what would it look like? The Apostle Paul, under the inspiration of the Holy Spirit, answers that question with a closing summary of his letter to Titus: believers are to be devoted to good works, God's word, and God's people.

These three words ring sweetly in the ears of those who have experienced this indescribable gift. But how are we saved? And what motivated God to save us? Meditating on the answers to these questions will make all the difference in how we work out what God has called us to do in response to His amazing grace.

Christians are often prone to see the unbelieving world as an oppressive adversary rather than a mission field. But when we remember that God saved us, not by any goodness of our own, but by His sovereign grace, we are motivated to be what He has called us to be in relation to them as we seek to win them to Christ.

Christians are to be different from the world, and yet engaged with the world, or as it is often said, to be in the world but not of it. We must move out of our "holy huddle" and to proclaim Christ not only with our words but with our attitudes and actions.

God's grace transforms us into the likeness of Christ, and we are to work that transformation out in practical ways not only in the community of the church, but in the larger community of the world around us. Despite the authorities over us or the way we may be treated, we are to apply ourselves to showing all people the character of our Great God and Savior, Jesus Christ.

Salvation is a work of God's grace from start to finish. The gospel of God's grace-the good news that Jesus died for our sins and rose again-not only saves us from the penalty of sin, but removes the power of sin and trains us to be transformed into the likeness of Christ as we wait for the fullness of our transformation at His second coming when we will be finally freed from the presence of sin.

If slaves are commanded to have the proper attitude, action, and aim concerning their work, how much more do employees? While the workplace can be a challenging environment, simple obedience to God's divine directives for workers makes the gospel attractive to a lost world.

The world's view of masculinity is found along a spectrum of wrong ideas. Cutting through the fog of confusion, God's Word gives clear directives for what a true man of God ought to be and do, and those who embrace them become living examples to others.

How should we pray? Thankfully Jesus answers that question for us, but before he does, he lays out a set of preliminary instructions and assumptions concerning prayer that are crucial for us to understand if we are going to be heard by God.

The world calls the Bible's directives concerning the role of young women outdated and even oppressive, but God defines them as "good." Young women find their greatest fulfillment when they focus their affection on their husbands and children.

Many who have reached the latter stage of life feel entitled to spiritual retirement, thinking that along with retirement from their occupation, their work for the Lord is done as well. Others feel the sting of a culture that increasingly prefers to discard the elderly, as if they have timed out in their usefulness. But God says older Christian men and women are treasure troves of truth and wisdom who are not only to continue their pursuit of godliness, but to intentionally invest themselves in the young.

[fusion_button link="https://firmfoundationpv.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2022/02/SG-2022.2.27-The-Power-of-a-Transformed-Church-Titus-2.1-15.pdf" target="_blank" link_attributes="" alignment_medium="" alignment_small="" alignment="" modal="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" sticky_display="normal,sticky" class="" id="" color="default" button_gradient_top_color="" hue="" saturation="" lightness="" alpha="" button_gradient_bottom_color="" button_gradient_top_color_hover="" button_gradient_bottom_color_hover="" gradient_start_position="" gradient_end_position="" gradient_type="" radial_direction="" linear_angle="180" accent_color="" accent_hover_color="" type="" bevel_color="" bevel_color_hover="" border_top="" border_right="" border_bottom="" border_left="" border_radius_top_left="" border_radius_top_right="" border_radius_bottom_right="" border_radius_bottom_left="" border_color="" border_hover_color="" size="medium" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" fusion_font_family_button_font="" fusion_font_variant_button_font="" font_size="" line_height="" letter_spacing="" text_transform="" stretch="default" margin_top="" margin_right="" margin_bottom="40px" margin_left="" icon="fa-file-pdf far" icon_position="left" icon_divider="no" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""]Download Sermon Study Guide[/fusion_button] How Shall We Then Live? In the midst of a culture that is in rapid moral decline, Christians are tempted to embrace false ideologies under the guise of gospel terminology or to follow those who seek to rally believers in the pursuit of saving the culture through social and political activism. But the Apostle Paul, who served in a culture that was just as godless-even worse-instead called Christians to be zealous in helping one another to grow in Christlikeness in whatever stage or station of life they found themselves, and through this to shine the life-transforming light of the gospel into a dark and lost world.

[fusion_button link="https://firmfoundationpv.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2022/02/SG-2022.2.20-Silencing-the-Wolves.-Taking-False-Teachers-to-Task.pdf" target="_blank" link_attributes="" alignment_medium="" alignment_small="" alignment="" modal="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" sticky_display="normal,sticky" class="" id="" color="default" button_gradient_top_color="" hue="" saturation="" lightness="" alpha="" button_gradient_bottom_color="" button_gradient_top_color_hover="" button_gradient_bottom_color_hover="" gradient_start_position="" gradient_end_position="" gradient_type="" radial_direction="" linear_angle="180" accent_color="" accent_hover_color="" type="" bevel_color="" bevel_color_hover="" border_top="" border_right="" border_bottom="" border_left="" border_radius_top_left="" border_radius_top_right="" border_radius_bottom_right="" border_radius_bottom_left="" border_color="" border_hover_color="" size="medium" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" fusion_font_family_button_font="" fusion_font_variant_button_font="" font_size="" line_height="" letter_spacing="" text_transform="" stretch="default" margin_top="" margin_right="" margin_bottom="40px" margin_left="" icon="fa-file-pdf far" icon_position="left" icon_divider="no" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""]Download Sermon Study Guide[/fusion_button] The Character of False Teachers False teachers are sometimes difficult to spot because they are subtle and deceptive. This is why our Lord Jesus called them wolves in sheep's clothing (Matt. 7:15). But elders and all believers alike must develop the discernment to identify them because their teaching is so destructive. The Apostle Paul describes some common characteristics of those who must be silenced.

[fusion_button link="https://firmfoundationpv.org/wp-content/uploads/sermons/2022/02/SG-2022.2.20-Silencing-the-Wolves.-Taking-False-Teachers-to-Task.pdf" target="_blank" link_attributes="" alignment_medium="" alignment_small="" alignment="" modal="" hide_on_mobile="small-visibility,medium-visibility,large-visibility" sticky_display="normal,sticky" class="" id="" color="default" button_gradient_top_color="" hue="" saturation="" lightness="" alpha="" button_gradient_bottom_color="" button_gradient_top_color_hover="" button_gradient_bottom_color_hover="" gradient_start_position="" gradient_end_position="" gradient_type="" radial_direction="" linear_angle="180" accent_color="" accent_hover_color="" type="" bevel_color="" bevel_color_hover="" border_top="" border_right="" border_bottom="" border_left="" border_radius_top_left="" border_radius_top_right="" border_radius_bottom_right="" border_radius_bottom_left="" border_color="" border_hover_color="" size="medium" padding_top="" padding_right="" padding_bottom="" padding_left="" fusion_font_family_button_font="" fusion_font_variant_button_font="" font_size="" line_height="" letter_spacing="" text_transform="" stretch="default" margin_top="" margin_right="" margin_bottom="40px" margin_left="" icon="fa-file-pdf far" icon_position="left" icon_divider="no" animation_type="" animation_direction="left" animation_speed="0.3" animation_offset=""]Download Sermon Study Guide[/fusion_button] The Character of False Teachers False teachers are sometimes difficult to spot because they are subtle and deceptive. This is why our Lord Jesus called them wolves in sheep's clothing (Matt. 7:15). But elders and all believers alike must develop the discernment to identify them because their teaching is so destructive. The Apostle Paul describes some common characteristics of those who must be silenced.

The qualification for an elder to be "able to teach" (1 Tim. 3:2) does not simply refer to a man's ability to captivate an audience. While the supernatural gift of teaching is essential, the content of what is taught is far more important than how it is packaged for delivery. An elder must be wholeheartedly committed to God's word so that he may be able to preach it accurately.

The man who would aspire to the office of elder must be one who gives evidence of a transformed life. Over and above any giftedness or ability, he must be above reproach in his character as the example to the flock.

A man who is qualified for the office of elder is a man of exemplary character. When defining what this looks like, it's helpful to note what it doesn't. What sort of character disqualifies a man from eldership?

All too often, churches look for leaders who are extraordinary communicators, have CEO management skills, and a track record of results. But the Lord Jesus Christ is more concerned about a man's character than his charisma. He has given us a list of what a man must be if he is to manage the household of God, and it begins with an evaluation of his own home.

The Bible is far from silent on the issue of church leadership. We should expect this to be the case since the church is made up of those whom the Lord Jesus purchased with His own blood. He said, "I will build my church, and the gates of hell will not prevail against it," and His blueprint for leadership provides for a sure foundation.

The truth of the Gospel is a treasure that God revealed in His time and in His way. What the Lord entrusted to the Apostles was proclaimed and codified in His word so that we might pass it on to the next generation.

The Apostle Paul referred to the gospel and all it's implications as a precious treasure that must not only be protected and proclaimed, but passed on to others. In the introduction to this little letter, we find the reason why this message is so priceless and how we can find assurance of our salvation and grace to be transformed.

Among those who claim to have the truth are many who allegedly speak for God and even use the title "apostle." How can we know someone is a genuine spiritual leader? The Apostle Paul provides a template for those who possess the qualities that are necessary in a true servant of Christ.

There are so many voices in our world claiming to have truth. Many promote the postmodern idea that truth is relative, and yet demand that others conform to their version of truth! God has revealed His truth in His word, and once it invades our hearts, it changes us from the inside out.