Florida Coast Church

In Romans 15:14-26 , Paul explained his ministry as a presentation of the nations to God though presenting the Gospel of God to the nations. He also expressed his pioneering desire always to push out into new territory. Although our church is not in completely new territory, we share something of the pioneering spirit of Paul as we go out to take the gospel to those who have not heard. Today we ce...

Human beings love using metaphors, comparisons between two things that are unlike to bring out some special way in which they are alike.  In I Peter 2:4-12 , the author piled on a series of metaphors and quotations from the Old Testament to explain, first, who Christ is and, second, who Christians are.  The first metaphor he used was that Christ is a living stone, the cornerstone in fact.  Christi...

Although we may not long to be holy as much as we long to be hopeful (see last week’s sermon), the way Peter describes holiness in I Peter 1:13-2:3 shows how very beautiful and attractive it is, not only for us but also for everyone around us.

Recognizing the key role that hope plays in our lives, we encourage each other by saying, “Keep your hopes up!”  We also realize that a situation is lost if someone gives up hope.  With so many difficulties in our lives, we need hope to keep going.  In I Peter 1:3-12 , God calls his people to be a hopeful people, but not based on wishful thinking but on his own work for us.

To start the year, we are studying Peter’s first letter by beginning with I Peter 1:1-2 .  In each section, we will see how he describes the people of God.  In his greeting, Peter calls Christians “elect exiles,” which is a curious expression that mixes something positive (elect, chosen, selected) with something negative (exiles, driven out, rejected).  As it turns out, God’s election makes his pe...

In order to prepare for the happiest 2018 possible, we ended 2017 focusing on God’s word and how we hear it, looking at Jesus’ Parable of the Sower in Mark 4:1-20 .  Nothing will be more beneficial to our lives, our family, and our happiness than careful attention to God’s word.  As a church, we are joining together to read the New Testament during 2018 following this plan .

At first glance, it looked like Matthew made a big mistake in his genealogy of Jesus by placing him in the line of David, since he admitted that Jesus was born of Mary, not of Joseph.  In Matthew 1:18-25 , he went on to explain how Jesus was conceived and what role Joseph played in his life, which in turn explains how Jesus entered the line of David.  He also revealed the meanings of the two names...

If genealogies are not the most engaging reading, why would Matthew begin his history of Jesus with one in Matthew 1:1-17 ?  Actually, genealogies can be very engaging if we find in them connections with our story.  Because Matthew wanted to connect Jesus with Jewish people, he emphasized Jesus’ descent from the patriarch Abraham and from King David.  At the same time, he included some fascinating...

In Jonah 4 , we find the most successful preacher of his day angry enough to die after his greatest triumph, because God had done in Nineveh exactly what Jonah had suspected he would do.  In this final chapter, God presented two arguments to teach Jonah about compassion, the same two arguments that still hold for us who have received God’s compassion in Christ.

In Jonah 3 , we find that God did not give up on Jonah or on the people of Nineveh, which encourages us to believe that he has not given up on us either.  Upon hearing Jonah’s preaching of impending destruction, the Ninevites surprised everyone by believing God and turning from their sins to him.  According to Jesus, they became an example for later generations of what it means to repent.  God’s r...

In Jonah 2 , we take a break from the narrative to read a poem of thanksgiving that Jonah prayed when he was detained for three days and three nights.  It turns out that the fish that swallowed Jonah was God’s appointed means not for Jonah’s destruction but for his rescue.  By surviving his brush with death, Jonah learned an important lesson that we all must learn.

In  Jonah 1 , we meet the Israelite prophet who preferred to flee rather than obey the Lord’s call to do something new, surprising, and unpleasant, namely, go preach to the Ninevites, the mortal enemies of the Israelites.  However, God did not give up on Jonah, or, as we shall see, on the Ninevites, or on us.

“Priorities for Parents” – Ephesians 6:4 and Deuteronomy 6 . All families develop customs that reflect their priorities. Today we look at three biblical priorities for parents to establish and maintain in their family customs so that it may go well for our children throughout their lives.

“Only Christ” from I Timothy 2:1-7 .  Last week we saw that we access God’s rescuing grace by faith alone, but faith in whom or what?  The fourth essential truth coming out of the Reformation is summarized in the motto, “Christ Alone.”

“Only God’s Glory” from Ephesians 2:1-14 .  In the conclusion to our Reformation Anniversary series, we ask a practical question: What is the purpose of our existence?  It turns out that we must first understand the purpose of God’s existence to find our own, and when we do, it filters down into every aspect of our lives.

From Ephesians 6:1-3 , Proverbs 1:1-9 , and Genesis 2:24 , we put together an overall structure for parenting: the first stage of teaching first-time obedience, the second stage of teaching wisdom, and the third stage of independence. In every stage, both our children and we need to rely on God’s grace as the process exposes the bent of our hearts.

“Only Faith” from Romans 4:1-8 .  If God by his sheer grace intervened in history to rescue us from all that threatens us, how do we respond in order to receive his grace and enter into a right relationship with him?  The third essential truth that came out of the Reformation is “Sola Fide” or “Only Faith.”

The second essential truth that came to the fore in the Reformation 500 years ago is “Sola Gracia” or “Only Grace.”  While “Only Scripture” answers the question of what is the infallible word of God for us, “Only Grace” answers the question of why God intervened on humanity’s behalf by sending his Son.

Paul reported to the Philippians that his being in prison in Rome had actually produced the positive benefit of encouraging more preaching of the gospel. There were, no doubt, some who preached from bad motives, but Paul rejoiced anyway. In fact, he had a reason to rejoice, not only in prison but also in all circumstances, whether positive or negative, in life and even in death.

As was typical in Paul’s letters, he began this one with a greeting, a thanksgiving, and a prayer. In these, he didn’t waste any words but gave some previews of the major themes of the letter.

“God Has Spoken” from II Timothy 3:16-17 and II Peter 1:19-21 .  In recognition of the 500th Anniversary of the Reformation, during October, we are doing a five-part series that covers the “solas” or the “onlys” that summarize five truths that came to the fore in the life of the church, thanks to the work of ministers who were studying the Bible anew.  We start with sola Scriptura or Scripture Alo...

We begin with an overview of the history of the church in Philippi, especially in relationship to Paul and his companions. Also, we were able to cover part of the very first verse, which contains some fascinating previews of attractions coming later in the letter.

From Genesis 2:18-25 and Ephesians 5:22-22 we learn why to get married, how to get married, and how to stay married.

I Corinthians 7:25-35. With an increasing number of adults living alone and only about half of American adults being married, it is important to understand God’s purposes for singleness, which Paul said had distinct advantages over being married if we use it as God intended.

Psalm 90. Today we reflected on what is important in life and how to make our lives count.