Florida Coast Church

The feast was over. The water and light show has dazzled the crowds. Jesus had offered living water to quench our thirst and added in John 8:12-30 that he is the light of the world. However, his hearers missed the message by challenging his procedure. In response, Jesus directed them back to himself as the “I am” and the one lifted up on the cross to die for the sins of all who believe in him. ( f...

Irony occurs when a situation turns out to be the opposite of what is expected. Dramatic irony is when the author and the audience know that the situation is opposite of what the actors think it is. The Gospel of John, especially John 7:32-52 , is dripping with irony. However, John used his irony not to amuse but to instruct us about who Jesus is and what he did. ( full sermon notes )

As we approach the end of 2019 and the beginning of 2020, we learn from John 7:1-31 how Jesus approached time and timing. He always ordered his life according to God’s timing. We too have our time, and we all have the same amount of it. The question is how we are going to use it. ( full sermon notes )

After becoming popular and attracting many followers, Jesus taught about what we call the Incarnation, the Son of God becoming human flesh. The Incarnation made it possible for people to have eternal life. Instead of being overjoyed at this news, many so-called followers turned away from Jesus in John 6:41-71 . After asking the his original followers if they also wanted to leave him, Peter respond...

Just like us, the people of Jesus’ day spent much of their time laboring for things that perish. Just like us, they often found themselves not satisfied. In John 6:1-40 , we read about two of Jesus’ most well-known miracles, feeding the 5000 and walking on water. Because the people missed the meaning of the miracles, Jesus followed them up with instruction about bread that truly satisfies and give...

If a man makes a great claim about himself, he should be ready to present evidence to back up his claim. In John 5:17-47 , Jesus made the most astonishing claims imaginable for a human being. By his own admission, if he alone held this opinion of himself, we should not believe him. Therefore, he backed up his claims with the most expert witnesses possible. For this reason, we can believe him. ( fu...

There is a popular expression that says “seeing is believing.” However, many people saw the amazing signs performed by Jesus and did not believe in him. In two separate incidents recorded in John 4:43-5:18 , Jesus performed signs of healing, but few believed in him. One politically connected man did believe while the religious leaders did not. He became a model of faith, while they became a warnin...

Things had not worked out in life as she had hoped. After five broken marriages, she found herself in another uncertain relationship with a man. Then one one hot day at noon, she met a thirsty Jewish man. At first she despised him because of his race and religion, but he spoke to her in a way that indicated that he knew all about her and loved her still. He also offered her “living water” that was...

Ever since there began to be two groups preaching and baptizing, there were those who wanted to set up a competition between them. In John 3:22-36 , John the Baptist put an immediate stop to the idea of competition between Jesus and himself. His response provides not only pastors but all Christians with an excellent motto for our lives. ( Here is a link to the full sermon notes.)

In a nighttime conversation with a religious leader recorded in John 3:1-21 , Jesus used an expression that has found its way into popular culture, being “born again.” Jesus emphasized not merely a new start but a total transformation performed by God. In other words, we all need something that only God can give. At the same time, Jesus predicted that he would be lifted up on the cross so that any...

In John 2 , Jesus began his public ministry with two incidents that started the countdown toward what he called “my hour.” Turning water into wine and driving out the marketers from the Temple courts seemed like two unrelated incidents. However, they both indicated that Jesus came to replace religious activities that could never take away sins. Also, these signs pointed forward to the way that he...

Except for John the Baptist, everyone in John 1:35-51 began the day not believing in Jesus. By the end of two days, all were believing in Jesus, following him, and telling others about him. What had happened? They had all met Jesus, and most of them met him through a relative or friend. Although they didn’t know much about Jesus, they knew enough to tell others, “Come and see!” ( Here are Larry’s...

Almost all humans recognize that there is a gap between what we should do and what we actually do. Also, we have invented many methods to try to deal with that gap. Unfortunately, we repeatedly discover that our methods don’t ultimately work. In John 1:19-34 , John (the Baptist) called Jesus “the Lamb of God” and claimed that he is able to take away that gap in our lives. ( Here are Larry’s comple...

The Gospel of John wastes no time in diving into the deep waters of truth. In John 1:1-18 , the author presents Jesus as the divine Word who became a human, the Light that came into the darkness, and the One and Only who is himself God and with God the Father. Although these are elevated ideas, they provide us with simple answers to some of the biggest questions in life: From where did everything...

One of the most difficult parables to interpret is in Luke 16:1-17 , which relates the underhanded dealings of a dishonest manager who got fired from his job. Whom does the manager represent? In what ways might we be like the dishonest manager? Listen to Dr. Tim Sansbury as he takes us through this unusual parable, which ends up challenging us to stay true to the gospel message.

In Ruth 4 , we come to the conclusion of the story of Ruth. However, the author has several surprises in store for us readers with not one, but three conclusions. These three conclusions satisfy the three problems presented in chapter one and three problems that we all face: distance from God, bitterness about life, and chaos in our lives. It turns out that the solution to all of these problems is...

At the beginning of Ruth 3 , Naomi took matters into her own hands to secure a husband for Ruth. Her plan was risky, but it worked perfectly (until a complication arose). At the end of the chapter, Boaz determined to take matters into his own hands. Both of them had previously prayed for Ruth, and the time had come for them to act. Because he was a kinsman, he could act as a redeemer. His actions...

As we ended the first chapter of Ruth, there was a ray of hope for the two widows. Maybe they would not starve to death after all, since they arrived in Bethlehem at the beginning of the barley harvest. In Ruth 2 , Ruth proposed to pick up leftover grain behind the harvesters and found her way into the field of a man named Boaz. The interaction between Ruth and Boaz on the day they met ended up pr...

In Ruth 1 , we meet three men and three women, who suddenly separate, leaving all in apparently impossible situations. By the end of the first chapter, there is a ray of hope for the women but none for the men. Even so, one of the women remains convinced that God is against her, since her life has taken tragic turns. As we face suffering in our own lives, we also can conclude that God is against u...

The final parable in our summer series appears in Luke 18:1-8 . Like last week’s parable, the Parable of the Unjust Judge focuses on the period between Jesus’ first and second comings. It too tells us what to do as we await his return, especially if he seems to delay, and especially if we are suffering unjustly. Things really will turn out well in the end as we persevere in faith until the end.

In the Parable of the Talents in Matthew 25:14-30 and in the two preceding parables, Jesus prepared his followers for his absence. He wanted us to know what to do until he returns, even if he delays a long time. As it turns out, he didn’t ask all of us to do great things, but he does expect us to do something with what he had given us. However, before we do something for him, we first need to gras...

Although we may overlook occasions when others receive unfair treatment, we become indignant when we think people treat us unfairly. In Matthew 20:1-16 , Jesus told a parable about the kingdom of God in which he described a situation that doesn’t look fair to us. As it turns out, Jesus used this apparent unfairness to teach us about God’s generosity, which we mistake for unfairness. By exposing ou...

In the earlier parables, Jesus left people wondering what he meant. In the latter parables, Jesus was often very direct. For example, in Matthew 21:33-46 , Jesus spoke a parable directly against the leaders of the Temple in Jerusalem. They had no problem understanding the parable, but they trapped themselves by their reaction to it. We too need to be careful not to fall into the same trap.

In answer to the grumblings of some religious leaders, Jesus told three parables in Luke 15 about lost and found items: a sheep, a coin, and a son. All of them emphasize the joy of God over bringing one lost person back to himself. The third parable is open-ended, forcing each of us to consider if we are going enter into God’s joyful feast or remain outside.

While attending a meal with religious leaders in Luke 14:1-24 , Jesus broke with social norms and caused multiple disruptions. His goal was not to offend but to instruct, first about the use of the Sabbath day and then about the kingdom of God, which he compared to a great banquet. At the end of the parable, the invitation is still going out, so let’s enter while there is room.