Coro Baptist Church

This is the first of five studies from the letter to the Hebrews.-The writer exhorts the readers to hold fast to their faith in Jesus Christ and not drift back to the Old Covenant. This drift was happening because of cultural and physical opposition to the Gospel as well as lazy inattention. It is addressed by contrasting the finality and superiority of the New Covenant to what has come before as well as strong exhortations against going back leading to apostasy.-In these five studies we'll be focussing on passages that pick up five such contrasts- Superior Revelation, Priesthood, Sacrifice, Covenant and Kingdom.--In this first study the writer contrasts the way God has spoken in the past -revelation- to His superior and final Word by Son and exhorts us to pay closer attention to Him.

When the going gets tough… the church sticks together. Aware they are about to be tested by conflict and opposition, Paul exhorts the Philippian believers to be in 'full accord and of one mind.' He knows their strength and unity will be threatened if they seek to look after themselves and their own personal interests in the face of the coming trials. And so, pointing them to the source of his own sure hope¬ - the example of Christ himself, who 'humbled himself' and became 'obedient to death, even death on a cross' Paul entreats the church to have the same mind. This is both the way of glory, and the way to glory.

For me to live is…? For me to die is…? It is amazing how many different answers there are to these profound questions. Answers that, if true, reveal the heart's desire. A desire that gives purpose and reason in life and death, even in difficult circumstances. Sadly, many people in the world answer this question poorly, revealing inadequate desires and shallow purpose and reason for their lives, not to mention death. But, this is not the case for the Christian. For us, "to live is Christ, and to die is gain." In Philippians 1:18b-30, Paul is in prison, and his future is uncertain…will he be released or killed? Faced with an unclear future, Paul, quite astonishingly, rejoices. For him, "to live is Christ, and to die is gain." His future, no matter the uncertainty of life or death, will result in the one whom he loves being exalted. For this reason, Paul rejoices and has confidence when others would fear. Christ offers himself to us as he did to Paul. He is willing to be our answer to these important questions, to be our heart's great desire, giving us purpose and reason to rejoice, both in life and death.

What brings you joy in life? And what robs you of joy? Despite his own predicament– under house arrest and unable to publicly proclaim the gospel, Paul rejoices. Why? Because his own imprisonment has in fact served to advance the gospel. In fact, Christ is being proclaimed in places he would not likely have had access to if not for his arrest. Even those who are jealous and in competition with Paul give him reason to rejoice, because they are proclaiming Christ, and in that he rejoices. May God grant us the same heart and joy as Paul and, whatever our circumstances, may there be good reason for us to rejoice as Christ is proclaimed in our day.

Paul's confidence that God would complete the work he began in the saints at Philippi does not move him to be complacent or passive. On the contrary, in that confidence, Paul is moved to pray for the Philippians and later to 'press on toward the goal' himself. How wonderful it is to be able to pray with such confidence rather than mere wishful thinking.

This week we will commence a preaching series through Paul's letter to the Philippian believers. Often described as Paul's 'letter of joy', we will hear how this same joy can be ours in Christ as it is grounded in the sure hope that "he who began a good work in you will bring it to completion". Whilst we are all a 'work in progress', what joy and comfort it is to know that our heavenly Father never leaves a job undone.

This week, we continue our sermon series in Matthew as we look at the secrets of the kingdom given by Jesus through the parables. The parables of Wheat and weeds, mustard seed, and yeast. These parables tell us of our sovereign Lord's patient tolerance of sin for the sake of his children's glory and the method in which he wields his most significant power in this current age.

The Gospel of Matthew began telling us that Jesus is the Messiah, the son of David (the King of the kingdom), the son of Abraham (a great nation of God's own people, through whom the nations would be blessed and came to His own to save them). Jesus began His ministry by teaching, healing the sick and releasing those bound by the evil one. Rather than hearing and believing we have seen that the source of His power was mis-attributed and signs were requested, not to believe in Him, but to use against Him. Chapter 13 of Matthew records a new phase in Jesus' ministry. Jesus speaks in parables to the crowds then separately teaches their hidden meanings to His sovereignly chosen twelve. He begins with the parable of the Sower, a Kingdom parable, teaching about the proclamation of the Word in the Kingdom. What He taught, why He spoke in parables, and what the parable means is laid out for us to read and hear. Please do! The twelve, and we, need to hear and understand the central importance of preaching and declaring the Gospel without resorting to worldly methods, nor seeking to measure effectiveness, efficiency or reception. Our Lord Jesus Christ remains the sower and the seed. He is the doer and we are His means. We need not be discouraged by the various ways those who hear receive Him. Neither should we be cold or heartless in the knowledge of God's Sovereignty over Gospel reception. By the Spirit we see that we have been redeemed through our Redeemer's action of love; He speaks through the gracious Word of the Cross. It is in that Loving Spirit of the Father and Son that we proclaim the Gospel and believe the promise that there will be a wonderful harvest.

Have you ever heard someone say, -If only God would show me a miracle or a sign, then I would believe--- It's a relatively common thought expressed by non-believers. I have good news- Jesus uses miracles, signs, or wonders to prosper faith through the gospels, and he has given the world a sign that is greater and more sufficient than any other- a sign that shows how great he is. That sign is the sign of Jonah- his own resurrection. The sad news is that for a great number of people who say, -If only God...- this great sign will only prove them to be lovers of wickedness and idols who refuse to believe. They are people whose bodies are dens for unclean demons and whose -good deeds- in life surmount to room cleaning for those who occupy them. But for those who believe in Jesus and obey his word, he calls family.

Have you ever heard someone say, "If only God would show me a miracle or a sign, then I would believe?" It's a relatively common thought expressed by non-believers. I have good news! Jesus uses miracles, signs, or wonders to prosper faith through the gospels, and he has given the world a sign that is greater and more sufficient than any other- a sign that shows how great he is. That sign is the sign of Jonah- his own resurrection. The sad news is that for a great number of people who say, "If only God..." this great sign will only prove them to be lovers of wickedness and idols who refuse to believe. They are people whose bodies are dens for unclean demons and whose "good deeds" in life surmount to room cleaning for those who occupy them. But for those who believe in Jesus and obey his word, he calls family.