{"id":26167,"date":"2020-11-06T13:10:00","date_gmt":"2020-11-06T13:10:00","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/2021\/01\/08\/preaching-on-titus\/"},"modified":"2026-01-21T17:22:14","modified_gmt":"2026-01-21T17:22:14","slug":"preaching-on-titus","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.christianitytoday.com\/pastors\/content\/preaching-on-titus\/","title":{"rendered":"Preaching on Titus"},"content":{"rendered":"\n

Historical Background<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

The island dwellers of Crete (otherwise known as Cretans) were notorious for lying, corruption, violence, and sexual sin. The Greek word for, \u201cone who is a liar\u201d originates from the word, \u201cto be a Cretan.\u201d Located in heart of the Mediterranean Sea, Crete\u2019s harbors are strategically placed to service cities all over the region. For these reasons, Paul saw the island of Crete as fertile soil for the gospel of Jesus and the possibility for the message of Christ to be easily sent to the corners of the known world. Therefore, Paul sent his travel companion and trusted mentee, Titus, to the island to show them a better way of living and to restore order to a number of house churches that were being deceived by the local leaders.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The possibilities Paul and Titus dreamed of when thinking about Crete may be similar to the possibilities we see in many of our cities and towns in the 21st century. Like those on the island of Crete, many people today live on islands of sin and brokenness, longing for a more hopeful future. If God can transform the lives of the Cretans to be a light for the Mediterranean world, the gospel message has the power to transform people today to be a light for the world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Chart: Preaching Through Titus<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

We know the weekly grind of sermon prep is hard, whether you are in the midst of series or planning a new series. Trying to find key verses you need to highlight in your sermon, finding the historical background to the book, discovering the flow\/structure of book, and even figuring out what is the theme of each section.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

That is why we created this chart! This chart is designed to\u00a0save you time<\/strong>\u00a0as you prepare to preach a new sermon series from the Book of Titus.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

You will find a quick visual overview of the movement of the Book of Titus. It will help orient you and your hearers as you preach through the entire book or sections of the book. It provides, at a glance, one way to divide the book into pericopes. The chart includes key verses in the book, an overarching title for the book, the overall message of the book, and some historical background. It is color-coded to highlight certain defining aspects of the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

This chart could be used as a slide in your church service. It could serve as an introduction to a new series or a weekly check-in before you begin preaching. It could even be printed out and given to the members of your church, as a resource to help them grasp the message of the book.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

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Sermon Series<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Title: Titus\u2019 Treasure Island<\/h2>\n\n\n\n

Big Idea for Series:<\/strong> Searching for Godly Living in an Un-Godly World.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

The title of this series is a spin-off of Robert Lewis Stevenson\u2019s classic book, Treasure Island<\/em>, and fits with the Book of Titus since he was assigned to the liars on the island of Crete. Helping the believers on Crete discern the treasure of how to live lives worthy of the gospel was Paul\u2019s task to Titus. Similarly, people today are continually asking how to live in a predominantly secular world. The outline helps to see that living transformative lives comes from a different kind of church, family, and world.<\/p>\n\n\n\n

Series Outline<\/h2>\n\n\n\n