Florida Coast Church

In our third look at Matthew 6:1-18 , which contains the Lord’s Prayer, or the Our Father, we examine the prayer itself, which serves not only as a prayer of Christians of all places and times but also as a model for our praying. It consists of an initial address to God, three requests for God’s glory, and three requests for our more pressing needs.

During three weeks, we are looking at  Matthew 6:1-18 , moving from the outside toward the Lord’s Prayer in the middle. First we considered Jesus’ warnings about hypocrisy: doing the right things in order to receive human applause. This week we looked at Jesus’ three instructions about how to pray: in secret, with simplicity, and with forgiveness.

During three weeks, we will look at Matthew 6:1-18 , moving from the outside toward the Lord’s Prayer in the middle. First we considered Jesus’ warnings about hypocrisy: doing the right things in order to receive human applause. Jesus called us rather to focus on the divine audience and receive grace upon grace from God.

Following up on last week’s sermon about the who, where, and what of Jesus’ birth, we turn to Hebrews 2:14-18 to learn more about what the incarnation was and also why it had to happen.

In the first of a two-part Christmas series, we studied the announcement in Luke 1:26-38  that the angel Gabriel made to Mary about the baby she would bear.  We focused on who was involved in this announcement, where it happened, and what it meant.  Next week we will study why it had to be this way.

In the dramatic concluding section,  Galatians 6:11-18 , Paul brought the whole message of the letter together by writing about boasting.  He contrasted worldly religious boasting with Christian boasting.  Christians are to boast only in something that was and is despised by most people: the instrument of execution known as a cross.

In Galatians 6:1-10 , Paul took the general principles of the fruit of the Spirit (which we studied last week) and applied them to three situations in the church in order to provide concrete examples of Christian living.  The three situations are: when a Christian falls into sin, when ministers need support, and when any member needs help.  The way we treat sinners, ministers, and the needy demons...

Continuing the theme of the results of faith in Christ, Galatians 5:16-26 lists specific manifestations of the flesh (sinful nature) and of the Holy Spirit.  The outward evidence of living by the Holy Spirit is the fruit of the Spirit: love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, and self-control.

After four chapters of telling us what Christ has done for us and urging us to have faith in him alone in order to be right before God, Paul turned in Galatians 5:1-15 to explain the main thing that faith produces in our lives, which is love.  While we are saved by faith alone, faith is itself never alone in the lives of believers but always accompanied by love.

In Galatians 4:21-31 , Paul gave an interpretation of the story from the Old Testament about Abraham and the two sons he had, one to Hagar the slave woman, and the other to Sarah his wife.  The false teachers in Galatia were perhaps using this story to try to force non-Jewish believers to become Jews.  However, Paul showed how the story itself supports his main thesis that both Jews and non-Jews m...

Having described the experience of Jewish Christians as coming into their full inheritance, Paul described the conversion of Gentiles (non-Jews) in  Galatians 4:8-20 .  Simply speaking, they (we) had not known God but then came to know him.  However, the Galatians later turned back to a form of religion that was similar to what they had when they were enslaved to idols.  Therefore, they serve as a...

Although it is impossible to say what is the best thing about being a Christian, the theme of Galatians 4:1-7 is an excellent candidate for “our highest privilege.”  In fact, the privilege is so exalted that it sounds at first like we have gone too far and said too much when we speak of it.  Indeed, we would never dare to suggest it if it were not so clearly taught in God’s word.

With so much insistence in Galatians on our being right before God through faith in Christ and not by the works of the law, we might well wonder what is the purpose of the law.  In Galatians 3:15-29 , Paul raised this question and gave a partial answer to it by laying out what is called the first use of the law.  As it turns out, the law is not against the gospel but in fact prepares us for and dr...

In the previous section, Paul asserted that no one can be right before God by observing the law but rather through faith in Christ.  In Galatians 3:1-14 , he presented three strong arguments to support his assertion.  He laid out in the clearest terms the difference between two systems of salvation: relying on the works of the law and relying on Christ.

Continuing his defense of the one and only gospel in Galatians 2:15-21 , Paul addressed two basic questions: 1) How can we be in a right relationship with God?  2) How can we live godly lives?  It turns out that the answer to both questions is the same: by faith in Jesus Christ.

In Galatians 2:1-14 , Paul continued his personal story about his interaction with the leaders in Jerusalem, relating that they completely supported his message and ministry.  He recounted these events in detail in order to defend the gospel and protect the unity of the church.  It is still true today that we can maintain unity amidst great cultural diversity only if we hold on to the one and only...

Continuing his argument that he received the one and only gospel directly from Jesus Christ, Paul demonstrated in more detail in Galatians 1:11-24 his lack of dependence on the apostles in Jerusalem.  He also brought up the most shameful part of his past, which he mentioned repeatedly in his letters, and which served to magnify the grace of God in his life and in ours.

As we begin a new series in the letter to the Galatians that will take us through most of the rest of this year, we read in Galatians 1:1-10 Paul’s opening salvo against those who were trying to distort the gospel.  Beginning with  his opening greeting, Paul emphasized what the gospel is and that there is only one true gospel.

Pastor Al Barth preached from John 4:1-30 about Jesus’ encounter one hot day with a foreign woman who had a checkered past.  As it turns out, we have much in common with that woman and the same need for what Jesus had to offer her.

Before preaching on John 4:1-30, Pastor Al Barth gave an encouraging review of the history and work of City to City in helping to start new churches around the world.

The vision that John saw in Revelation 4-5  concludes the opening section and prepares for the rest of the book.  After reading about the difficulties in the seven churches, we get a glimpse of the heavenly control room and witness a two-part worship service focused on a central throne.  This second vision reminds us of what is really happening in the universe and helps us to keep going amidst the...

In the final of the seven letters in Revelation 3:14-22 , Jesus addressed the church in Laodicea, which had no redeeming qualities. He described the church as lukewarm. It is remarkable that Jesus explicitly expressed his love, humbled himself to show his love, and promised the most exalted privileges to this, the worst of the seven churches. In other words, this letter shines with God’s grace and...

In the letter to the church in Philadelphia in Revelation 3:7-13 , we read the second of two letters that contains only praise and encouragement from Jesus for the church.  Although the church in Philadelphia looked weak, it was actually strong, because it had done the one simple thing that all churches and all Christians must do: keep Christ’s word.  Jesus’ instruction to them (and to us) was cor...

In the letter to the church in Sardis in Revelation 3:1-6 , Jesus had a surprise announcement for the church and promised a surprise visit if things did not change for the better.  The announcement was that, in spite of appearances of vitality, the church was really quite dead, which would have fallen as a huge surprise to the church itself and to everyone who knew the church’s great reputation.  ...

In Revelation 2:18-29 , Jesus sent the longest letter to the church in the least important city, Thyatira, perhaps because its situation was complicated.  In general, it was a great church, growing in faith and love.  However, they tolerated false teaching that led to bad living.  Jesus himself would deal with the false teacher and her followers, and he called the rest simply to hold on and keep g...