A preacher comes back from the dedication of a new church building in northern Ghana and admits honestly that he does not know whether it will end even one of that region’s problems. Out of that admission grows a reflection on Titus 3 and two uncomfortable truths: we will not change the world, and we cannot even change ourselves. The sermon then goes further, to the kindness of God that transforms a person regardless of their efforts, and to the invitation simply to carry light where we already are. Listen if you are tired of trying to be good.
Discussion questions
For your small group or for personal reflection after the sermon.
- In Titus 3:3-7 Paul first describes who we once were and then what God has done. How do these two pictures, darkness and God's kindness, help us understand what salvation is?
- Paul writes that God saved us not because of our works but because of His mercy, through the renewal brought by the Holy Spirit. How might this have sounded to the believers on Crete, and how does it sound to you?
- The speaker claims that we cannot change the world, or even ourselves. What about this statement unsettles you, and what brings you relief?
- The speaker's son once said, "I'm just so tired of being good." In which areas of your life do you feel a similar weariness from trying to fix yourself?
- The speaker tells the story of a boy throwing single starfish back into the ocean and says that light does not make darkness disappear, but it brings light into it. How does this change the way you see the evil and hardship around you?
- Where this week, in your marriage, family, work or neighborhood, can you let the light of Jesus shine through you instead of trying to fix everything on your own?
