Coro Baptist Church

Where is our satisfaction found in life? Where do we go to rejoice? There is no limit to the imagination when answering these questions. Even churches seem to have more than one answer. Yet whether it is the love of self or the love of vital theology concepts, the Bible says that all fall short compared to Jesus Christ. Jesus is the great lost love of the world. And in this series titled "Rejoicing in Christ" we will simply be spending time looking at him.

Last week we heard how our glory restored in Christ reaches its peak in our worship of God. This week we will consider how the unity established among us in Christ is not broken or divided by the exercise of authority and submission but is in fact sustained and upheld. Just as it is within the Godhead, Father, Son and Holy Spirit, so it is to be with us, made in his image– loving and serving one another in willing obedience to God and according to his glorious design for humanity.

The progressive fading out of Christian values in our culture is not a new phenomenon. It may be new for us. It may cause us to grieve and even tempt us to despair, but this is not the first time in history that God's people have had to work out how to live in a culture which rejects the notion of God and refuses to live according to his Word. We have exchanged the glory and truth of God for a lie, and God is handing us over to the lusts of our hearts and our wayward ways. Rather than despair in this, Paul boldly declares the gospel, knowing it alone is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes. Only the greater exchange which took place at Calvary can restore humanity and transform our hearts so that we will again worship the one, true, living God.

In our series so far we have heard a story that has traversed from created glory to the corruption of sin. Yet, despite the devastation of humanity's sinful predicament, we are not without a future hope. A hope, not only of restored glory, but a greater glory than even Adam and Eve knew. This glory is found in being conformed to the image of Jesus– a glory which brings with it adoption, redeemed bodies, and freedom from corruption for the saints as well as all of creation.

What is mankind that you are mindful of them, human beings that you care for them?" This is the question the psalmist wonders as he stares at the stars and moon. Last week Ray began our new series called "Glorious Humanity" by following the rest of the psalm, showing that humanity has been crowned with glory. This week I will answer that question from another point of scripture. In Genesis 3 we read that the glory humanity has been crowned with has become corrupted by sin. Once described as good, and given good words in creation, Jesus calls unrepentant humanity and all of its works evil. So what hope does humanity have? None in itself. Humanity hangs by a single thread over destruction. That thread is the mercy of God, as he patiently waits for us, and works in us, to place our faith in our only salvation- the death and resurrection of his own Son.

If we are ever to consider who we are, what it is to be human, and what we are to be about in this life we must first start with who God is and what he is about. Contrary to the humanism so prevalent in our present culture, we will only ever know our true identity and reach our full potential when we know the Lord – his character and purpose. And all this, will be to the praise of his glory, not ours. This will be the thrust of a new preaching series titled "Glorious Humanity" commencing this week with Psalm 8, which among other things provides us with a wonderful framework for life and learning what it is to be human.

The sermon this week is from Mark 4:1-34 focussing on "the primacy of the word in our ministry and particularly to proclaiming the gospel."

Together with those who sat at Jesus' feet when he first gave the Sermon on the Mount, we have heard all that Jesus said. But 'hearing' alone, he concludes at the end of his message, is not enough. The way of life in the kingdom of heaven is in hearing and doing all that Jesus has taught. This is the will of the Father, and only those who do his will enter the kingdom of heaven. So then... in the obedience of faith, let's choose life-

Together with those who sat at Jesus' feet when he first gave the Sermon on the Mount, we have heard all that Jesus said. But 'hearing' alone, he concludes at the end of his message, is not enough. The way of life in the kingdom of heaven is in hearing and doing all that Jesus has taught. This is the will of the Father, and only those who do his will enter the kingdom of heaven. So then... in the obedience of faith, let's choose life!

Over the last few weeks we have begun to hear Jesus' words to his disciples of what it means to live for God. We have read the words 'judge not' and 'ask and it will be given'. This week we read 'do to others', 'enter through the narrow gate', and 'beware false prophets'. Through these words we receive instruction in His way of life for the church - a way of loving sacrifice, hopeful difficulty, and discerning wariness.