Our Resurrection Weekend services begin with our Good Friday Evening Gathering, March 29 at 7:00 pm, and conclude with our regular Sunday activities on Resurrection Sunday Morning, March 31!

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Prepare your heart for the Sermon by looking through these suggestions that will assist you in making the most of our time together hearing God's Word.

You will find suggestions for thinking more critically through the passage, meditating more intently on the text, and prayerfully seeking wisdom to deepen your understanding of the passage to be preached this Sunday.

Carefully Think

  • The text for this Sunday is Titus 3:5-7. Read all of Titus to prepare for the sermon this week. It is only three chapters and could be read in less than 15 minutes.  
  • Focusing on Titus 3:1-4, verse 3 starts with a "for" statement showing how it is related to the previous verses. Verse 5 starts with a "but" statement, also showing how it is realted to what is before and after it. What are these linking statements telling us about the context prior to verses 5-7?
  • What is the reason for God saving us? What does Paul state is not the reason God is saving some? 
  • The second half of verse 5 starts with "by". How does this help clarify the previous verses?
  • What is the imagery in verse 6? How is that helpful for us to understand how we are saved?
  • Finally, verse 7 starts with "so that" showing the purpose of saving, what is this purpose or result of these verses?  
  • The Sermon Study equipping class notes are available online for anyone wanting to dig deeper. Please review this week's notes to help study this passage. Click here for the notes.

Prayerfully Meditate

  • What is Paul trying to communicate in telling us how, why, and for what purpose we have been saved?
  • How do you reflect on your salvation?  Do you mediatate on verses like this that God has intended for us to meditate on?  Why or why not? How can this help you gain understanding of your salvation?  How should this encourage us?
  • In verse 7 it mentions becoming heirs to eternal life.  Does that cause excitement in you?  Do you look forward to it?  Think through what actually gives the greatest excitement now.  It is worldly or heavenly?  It it temporary or eternal?