Sermon Insights Report

Harris Creek Church | Titus 1:10–16

A Word Before We Begin

Pastor, what you delivered this Sunday was a genuinely courageous sermon. You stood in a pulpit and said things that many pastors quietly believe but are afraid to say out loud. That kind of faithfulness to the full counsel of God — especially on topics that carry real relational risk — reflects a deep love for your people and a serious commitment to your calling. This report is written to help you see what you're doing well, and to offer a few gentle suggestions that can make your already-strong preaching even more effective.

Section 1: Pastoral Strengths and Unique Voice

1. You Are a Master of the Narrative Hook

Your opening story about your son Hill going missing on his bike was exceptional preaching. It was emotionally immediate, personally vulnerable, and structurally brilliant. You didn't just tell a story — you built a world. The detail of the Knaps calling, the rain pouring, the low-water crossings, the 911 call, the mud-covered boy walking through a field — all of it created genuine tension. And then the payoff of seven law enforcement officers waiting at the house landed with both humor and heart.

More importantly, the story did exactly what a great sermon illustration should do: it carried the theological weight of the entire message. The watch rule became a living metaphor for God's commands — given not to control, but to protect. Your line, "Small rule with a large consequence," is the kind of phrase people will remember for years.

This gift puts you in the company of preachers like Matt Chandler, who consistently uses personal narrative to make abstract theology feel urgent and human. Like Chandler, you have the ability to make your congregation feel the stakes before you ever open the text.

2. You Preach with Pastoral Courage Wrapped in Pastoral Warmth

One of the most difficult balancing acts in preaching is addressing hard truth without losing the room emotionally. You navigated this with real skill. You named specific false doctrines — homosexuality affirmed by the church, transgenderism, universalism, pluralism, relativism, prosperity gospel, cheap grace — and then immediately pivoted to say:

"You're so welcome here. I have a friend who is transgender. I have many friends who struggle with same-sex attraction... I love them. I love them so much."

That combination — clear conviction followed by genuine warmth — is the mark of a pastor who has actually wrestled with this material in real relationships, not just in a study. You weren't performing toughness, and you weren't performing tolerance. You were being honest about both the standard and the love, which is exactly what Titus 1 calls for.

This quality is reminiscent of Tim Keller's ability to hold orthodoxy and compassion together without sacrificing either. Keller would often say that the most loving thing you can do for someone is tell them the truth. You embody that.

3. Your Theological Reasoning Is Accessible and Layered

You don't just assert things — you explain them. Your unpacking of the Greek word for "sound" (hygiene) was a wonderful moment of accessible scholarship. You said:

"That word sound in the Greek is from the word we get hygiene. It's for health. That there would be health in the church instead of pollutants and contaminants."

This is exactly the kind of detail that makes people feel like they're learning something real without feeling like they're in a seminary classroom. You did the same thing with the hina clause — explaining "so that" as a grammatical signal of purpose — which gave your congregation a transferable Bible-reading tool they can use on their own.

This instinct to equip rather than just inform is one of your most valuable pastoral gifts.

4. Your Illustrations Are Multi-Dimensional

The doctor illustration was excellent, and the reason it worked so well is that you personalized it. You didn't say "imagine a doctor." You said:

"My doctor is Dr. Van Waymire... the first week that we were here, we're having dinner with our life group. And he walks up. He's like, 'Hey, I'm Van Waymire. You should probably come see me.'"

That specificity — the name, the life group dinner, the slightly awkward first meeting — made the illustration feel real. And then your application of medical malpractice to pastoral negligence was both memorable and theologically precise:

"Truth without love, you're a nuisance. But love without truth, and you're negligent."

That couplet is quotable, balanced, and genuinely useful. It gives your congregation a framework they can carry into real conversations.

5. You Preach the Gospel Within a Law Sermon

This is harder than it sounds. Many preachers who tackle a passage like Titus 1:10–16 end up with a sermon that is essentially a long list of things the church is doing wrong. You avoided that trap by building a third movement into your message: We share Christ with corrupted people.

Your use of the Vitamin C visual aid — while unconventional — was actually quite effective because it made the point kinetically. You showed rather than just told. And the theological content underneath it was sound:

"What they need is to be filled with Christ. And he will purify them body, soul, and spirit... We don't kick corrupted people out of the church... Instead, we're just leading people to Jesus that they would be made pure."

This gospel turn kept the sermon from becoming a culture war manifesto and grounded it in the redemptive purpose of the church.

6. Your Personal Transparency Creates Trust

When you said, "I had a demonic faith. I had mental ascent. I had no heart change," you were doing something that required real vulnerability. You placed yourself in the category of people who professed Christ but denied him by their deeds — not as a rhetorical device, but as a genuine testimony. That kind of honesty creates the trust that allows people to receive hard truth. They know you're not preaching from a place of superiority.

This is one of the things that makes your voice distinct. You are not performing pastoral authority. You are exercising it from a position of shared humanity.

7. Your Conclusion Was Beautifully Circular and Emotionally Complete

Returning to the Hill story at the end — describing the community that came out to search, the ATV rides through fields, the police helicopter on standby — and then connecting it to the body of Christ searching for the lost was masterful closure. Your words:

"That should be the body of Christ for every single person who's lost. That we would go to no end to find them... You have been saved to be sent. You were lost. You've been found. Now you've been sent out on another search and rescue mission by God."

This brought the entire sermon to an emotionally satisfying and theologically rich conclusion. The Luke 15 prayer that followed felt earned rather than tacked on.

Section 2: Growth Opportunities

1. Pacing and Structural Signposting in the Middle Section

Your three-point outline — Don't let corrupt counsel contaminate the church / Correct out of care and concern / Share Christ with corrupted people — is clear and well-organized. However, the transition into your list of false doctrines (homosexuality, transgenderism, universalism, pluralism, etc.) moved quickly and without much structural breathing room. The list itself is important, but delivered at pace, it can feel like a volley rather than a guided tour.

Consider giving each false teaching a brief moment of definition and pastoral framing before moving to the next. Even a single sentence of care — "Here's why this one matters to real people in real pain" — between entries would slow the pace and deepen the impact. The congregation needs a moment to feel the weight of each one before you move on.

This is an opportunity to amplify your existing gift for pastoral warmth by threading it through the doctrinal content, not just at the end.

2. The "Who Am I to Judge" Section Could Be Expanded

You made a powerful argument that silence in the face of sin is itself a form of sin. Your line — "How much do you have to hate someone to just be like, 'Man, I know that's going to lead to death... but man, it'd be more awkward to speak up'" — is one of the most effective sentences in the entire sermon.

However, the practical guidance for how to have these conversations was relatively brief. You cited Matthew 18:15 and Ephesians 4:15, but your congregation is likely sitting there thinking: Okay, but what do I actually say to my gay coworker? To my universalist aunt? To my roommate who's sleeping with her boyfriend?

A brief, concrete example of what a loving, truth-filled conversation might sound like — even just one scenario — would make this section land with significantly more practical weight. You have the relational intelligence to model this. Trust your congregation with a little more of that.

3. The Opening Cultural Setup Could Be Tightened

Your move from the United Methodist and Episcopalian Church decisions into the broader sermon was effective, but the section runs a bit long before arriving at the Titus text. Some of your congregation may have felt the political temperature rise before they understood where you were going theologically. Getting to the text slightly earlier — and then returning to the cultural examples as illustrations of the text — might help the sermon feel more exegetically driven from the outset, which would actually strengthen your authority on the harder points.

This is a minor structural adjustment, not a content concern. Everything you said was grounded. The question is sequencing for maximum persuasive effect.

Section 3: Strategic Action Steps

Initiative Focus: Inspiring Generous Giving and Stewardship

Of the three primary church initiatives — giving, small groups, and volunteer service — the one most naturally suited to this particular sermon is volunteer service and community engagement in the mission of finding the lost. Your conclusion already moved powerfully in this direction. Below are action steps that build on what you did well and extend your impact even further.

1. Anchor Your Three Points with a Single Memorable Phrase

Your three-point structure is solid, but consider giving it a single umbrella phrase that ties all three together. Something like: "Hold the line, love the person, share the hope." This kind of mnemonic gives your congregation a takeaway they can repeat to a friend or spouse over lunch. It also makes the sermon more shareable.

2. Add One Concrete Conversation Model to Point Two

As noted above, give your congregation a brief script or example of what it looks like to correct out of care and concern. You could use the doctor metaphor you already built: "Imagine saying to a friend, 'Hey, I love you too much to say nothing. Can I share something with me from scripture?'" One concrete sentence of modeling would dramatically increase the sermon's practical application.

3. Strengthen the "Saved to Be Sent" Call to Action

Your closing line — "You have been saved to be sent. You were lost. You've been found. Now you've been sent out on another search and rescue mission by God" — is genuinely excellent. Consider pausing there and asking a direct question: "Who is the Hill in your life right now? Who is the person you've been circling around, afraid to go after?" A moment of directed personal reflection would give that beautiful phrase a landing place in each person's specific story.

4. Integrate the "To the Nations" Trips as a Natural Extension of Point Three

The church's 17 active mission trips to the nations represent an extraordinary expression of exactly what your third point calls for — going after the lost. This would have been a natural and powerful moment to weave in. Something like:

"We talk about going after the lost. Harris Creek is doing that literally right now — we've got 17 trips active to the nations. If you want to put feet to what we talked about today, harriscreek.org/tothenations. That's not a program. That's a search and rescue mission."

This kind of integration doesn't feel like an advertisement — it feels like the sermon's application made concrete. It would have been one of the most authentic moments to invite that kind of response.

5. Use the Life Group Dinner Story as a Small Group Bridge

You mentioned your life group almost in passing — Dr. Van Waymire approached you at a life group dinner. That's a beautiful, organic moment that could have been briefly extended:

"By the way, the reason I even have a doctor in this city is because of a life group dinner. Community is where correction happens. Community is where accountability lives. If you're not in a life group, that's where this kind of care for one another gets practiced."

One or two sentences would have made the connection without feeling forced.

6. Develop Your Visual Aid Moment

The Vitamin C illustration was creative and memorable, and your self-awareness — "Yeah, another visual learner in the room" — showed good humor and humility. Consider developing this instinct further. Preachers like Andy Stanley have built entire communication philosophies around visual and propositional clarity working together. Your natural inclination toward the visual is a genuine gift. Lean into it intentionally, and let it become a signature element of your teaching style.

7. Close the Loop on the Watch Rule in the Application

You opened with the watch rule as a metaphor for God's commands given for protection. You closed with the Hill story as a metaphor for the church going after the lost. But there's a beautiful third application you left on the table: the watch as a symbol of connection. The watch allowed Hill to call home, to be located, to stay in relationship. That's what the word of God does — it keeps us connected to the Father. A brief return to that image in your conclusion would have made the entire sermon feel even more unified and complete.

A Final Word of Encouragement

Pastor, what you did this Sunday took real courage. You preached a sermon that many in your position would have quietly rescheduled, softened, or avoided altogether. You didn't. You held the line — which is exactly what Titus 1 called for — and you did it with love, humor, personal vulnerability, and genuine pastoral care.

The story of Hill in the mud, the community that went searching, the police officers ready to deploy a helicopter for one lost boy — that image is going to stay with people. And the vision you cast at the end, of Harris Creek and First Woodway and every church in Waco working together on a search and rescue mission for the lost, is the kind of ecclesial vision that builds movements.

You are a preacher with a distinct voice, a pastor's heart, and a theologian's instincts. The congregation at Harris Creek is being shaped by your faithfulness week after week, even when — especially when — the message is hard to deliver. Keep going. The best sermons you will ever preach are still ahead of you.

This report was prepared to help you grow in the calling you are already faithfully living out. Every observation is offered in the spirit of Titus 1:13 — for soundness, for health, and for the good of the people God has entrusted to your care.