Coro Baptist Church

The world, as God's creation, operates according to his wisdom. Humanity, as sinners that rebel against the fear of the Lord, denies this wisdom and in doing so seeks to re-engineer creation. This is a mistake that leads only to one thing… unmitigated calamity. We are in desperate need of the wisdom of God in order to be victorious in life. But where can it be found? She is not hidden but stands in the streets calling out her wisdom to you, warning passers-by of their foolish plight. The only question we are left with is… will we heed her voice?

Can you remember a time when your parents sat you down at the table with the words, "We need to have a chat."? This week we commence a short 'holiday series' through the first three chapters of Proverbs which read a little like one of those conversations. The book teaches practical wisdom for living in a world which does not always present us with clear, black and white options. Warning us of the various seductive voices which seek to woo and entice us down foolish paths, Proverbs directs us, young and old to the voice of wisdom - wisdom which begins with the fear of the Lord. Ultimately, it leads us to Christ himself who "became to us wisdom from God." Only fools shun this teaching. So let's be wise and pray that the Lord might help us grow in wisdom.

On Christmas Day, at our 9:30am service, we will ponder the words of Mary in response to the promises of God made to her, "Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word." May the Lord grant to each of us, by the Spirit, the same response of faith to his promises fulfilled in his Son.

What does the promise of a King, mean for us? Do we want a King? Do we need a King? Currently, in our culture, Kings and Kingship aren't in vogue, and may or may not figure much in our thinking. However, when we see Jesus, THE King, what HIS kingship looks like, we'll not only realize that we need THIS King, but that all our deepest longings find their fulfilment in the King of Kings, Jesus the Christ.

Advent points to more than the baby Jesus. It points to One born to show us how to live, and to die to atone for the sin of humanity. We will consider the sacrificial cultus initiated by God for the people of Israel and how this sacrificial system was but a shadow of things in the heavens. God promised the nation Israel He would not forsake them. Even in their continued disobedience He remained faithful. God redeems humanity through the death of His Son, Jesus Christ, the perfect High Priest and sacrifice that the blood of bulls and sheep and goats could not be. Though Jesus was forsaken on the cross, His forsakenness removes the forsakenness of those of faith. Therefore, the old covenant is replaced by a newer and better covenant; not of outward signs but one written in our mind and on our heart.

Last week we heard of the curses resulting from our unbelief and disobedience, including our enemy of death, and of the promise of a Son of Eve, Jesus Christ, who would defeat our enemies. God now speaks a Gospel promise of blessing at a time when all people groups worshiped false gods and were enslaved in dark idolatry. God's history-changing promise to bless Abraham integrates (1) a Land, (2) a Line of descendants that would bless all nations, and (3) that the Lord would be their God: A nation saved from idols, made righteous through faith in the Lord God's promises, and freed to bless the Lord in the place He provides. Abraham's promised Seed is none other than our Lord Jesus Christ. In Him, the blessing to Abraham is eternally secured and fulfilled. God's promise flows out through the generations, extending as far as Abraham's Line in the Church at Coromandel Valley. Please pray that we hear, believe, live and share in God's Salvation mission to bless the nations.

This week marks the beginning of our Advent series, a time of preparation. For the next four Sundays we will be speaking on four different promises made by God in the Old Testament that find their ultimate fulfillment in Jesus. This Sunday we approach the promise of a Son who would bring victory. The enemy, death, has stalked humanity from the moment of sin, keeping us in bondage to fear. But from the moment we had an enemy we also had a promise of a Son of Eve that would defeat it, and set us free forever.

Earlier in Matthew's gospel we saw Jesus' compassion for the people such as when they were "like sheep without a shepherd." This week we see that same compassion expressed in a different way as he declares seven "woes" against the Pharisees and Scribes - the teachers (shepherds!) of the people who do not practice what they preach and put on a show of righteousness that is merely a façade. As they reject his truth and love, Jesus grieves over what must take place – the desolation of Jerusalem. And yet, there is a word of hope in the promise that they will one day see him again and cry out, "Blessed is he who comes in the name of the Lord."

Jesus has had his turn answering the questions of the religious leaders of Jerusalem. One by one, the Herodians, the Sadducees, and the Pharisees have come to Jesus with questions designed to silence the false teacher from Galilee. One by one, this teacher from Galilee has prevailed over them in his wisdom and understanding of scripture. Now, Jesus takes a turn at asking them a question, "What do you think about the Messiah? Whose son is he?" The leaders have sought to trap Jesus with questions regarding poll taxes, marriage in the resurrection, and God's commands. Not one of these questions comes close to the primary reason they cannot accept Jesus as the Christ. The leaders' understanding of the expected messiah is small and insufficient. With a single question, Jesus reveals this inadequacy. He is the Son of David and the Son of God. He is the Lord, and his reign shall be like nothing they ever expected… or can accept. By the end of the passage, the false leaders, not Jesus, are the ones silenced. While the man from Galilee continues to speak. What is your understanding of the messiah? Join us on Sunday as we hear from the Word of God concerning who he is and why it changes everything!

Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. And love your neighbour as yourself. How wonderful it would be if we lived according to these great commandments– simply in our own homes, let alone throughout the world. But where do we find love like this? Where is the source for us to love like this? John tells us, "This is love, not that we have loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son to the propitiation for our sins." In other words, "we love because he first loved us." Please pray that the love of God might be perfected in us as we love one another.