Coro Baptist Church

As we come to the last of our 'Finishing Touches' this week, my hope and prayer is that by putting before us just one of the many images of our future hope found in the Scriptures we might be encouraged and equipped to persevere in faith, even with joy, as we face times of trial and affliction in this life. More than that, I pray the Lord might produce in us the good fruit that comes through suffering in faith – the fruit of perseverance, character and hope. This hope, and the confidence we have in it, does not come because of our perseverance, or lack thereof. It is not up to us to make our hope sure. Praise be to God! This hope does not disappoint or put us to shame because of God's love which has been poured into our hearts though the Holy Spirit who has been given to us.

James exhorts us to be patient and not cave in when life throws us a curve ball. He provides some vivid examples of what it means to be steadfast in the light of Christ's coming, no matter what we face. We may struggle with the shock and despair that suffering brings and wonder what on earth God is doing. As with Job, the reason behind our suffering may be hidden from us, but we need not doubt the Lord's purpose nor His compassion and mercy even in the darkest of times. This is not an encouragement to passive resignation. It is an invitation to exercise active faith – a faith that is not closed off to the powerful action of believing prayer whereby even the sick may be healed.

1 Peter is a letter written to Christians spread across several regions. Folks who have been chosen, destined, and sanctified by the Father and Spirit to be obedient to Jesus. While many are aware of the blessing of such a calling from the Lord, the Apostle Peter knows that it comes with a cost. It is not for nothing that Peter refers to the church as Exiles, and spends a great deal of time in the letter addressing the suffering of the church. To call Jesus Lord and live accordingly results in the contempt of the world and various trials in life. How do we respond to such a foretelling of the future? It is easy for the believer to dwell on the difficulty and bleakness of such a hostile and isolating future. It is easy to be overcome with hopelessness, insecurity, and fear. It is also common not to know how to comfort brothers and sisters of the faith when they are faced with such bleak prospects. Peter addresses these very issues by offering believers a different way to look at their future. Not denying the seriousness of suffering, Peter would have the church set all their hope for the future on the grace of Jesus Christ, and the blessings he has bought and secured for us, to be revealed on the day of the Lord. Blessings that are a new birth to a living hope, an eternal inheritance of salvation kept for us in heaven, and a joy that endures every trial. Peter shows that on that final day when Christ appears, even our suffering will be revealed to have served a purpose, the testing and refining of faith, which results in the praise, glory, and honour of Christ.

Here the Apostle is giving a passage chock full of assurances for us the believers– assurances given under the backdrop of suffering in this life. We live in a sinful world, opposed to God, where the creation and we with it groan, even the Holy Spirit within us groans, as we await the final revealing of the glorified community. For this is not our home. We will be with God in the renewed creation, glorified like the Son. What is the way to glorification, it is suffering. As those who are joined to the Son, Jesus, we will all suffer too. And God will work all things out for good for those who love Him, a passage we know well and often quote. But do things always work out for "the best"? We know that they don't and know great pain in the midst of trial. To quote Ray "So what is the good that all things are working towards?" It is the being conformed to the image of the radiant Son of God, being prepared for an eternal weight of glory, of a type and manner that we cannot imagine. Is suffering the cost of glorification? No, but it is way.

After spending four months in our 'Lessons From Job' series, I wonder what we have learned. I do hope and pray we have learned something of God– his sovereignty, his justice, his love. What might we now say to a friend or loved one going through a difficult time? What comfort and counsel might we offer to those in deep anguish? I wonder what Job's three friends would tell their families when they return home after their time with Job? And especially after this final chapter in the story? They spoke wrongly of God, and yet still the Lord provides for them a path of restoration through sacrifice and intercession, just as he has for us in his Son. Even in this final 'lesson' there is much to learn.

This is the last of five studies on the topic Unstoppable Divine Blessings. Our primary focus is in the letter to the Ephesians 1:3-14 which begins, Blessed be the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in Christ with every spiritual blessing in the heavenly places. These blessings in Christ are revealed to have been planned before the foundation of the world and are many. These blessings are in Christ bring us to the place of seeking His kingdom over any other and cause us to praise Him for His glorious grace. The study concludes by highlighting the seven beatitudes contained in the Revelation of St John the Divine. The final beatitude describes those who have had their robes washed in the blood of the Lamb as blessed with the right to the tree of life and to enter the city by the gates where we joyful worship our triune God.

Behold Behemoth! Consider Leviathan! No matter how big and strong you might think you are; no matter how good and righteous, blameless and upright, or clever and wise you think you are, none of us are able to save ourselves. This is the lesson Job learns at the end of the Book of Job. The blameless and upright man repents, and puts himself in the dust and ashes. It is a lesson we all need to learn time and time again. We don't have an arm like God. He is God, and we are not. His arm alone is mighty and able to save. And in his love and his grace, he does just that! These things are "too wonderful for me, which I did not know." But now we do! What strength! What love! What grace! What a faithful covenant Father we have in the Lord God.

This is the fourth of five studies on the topic Unstoppable Divine Blessings, this time considering Jesus' teaching in the Beatitudes which appear to be in tension with Old Covenant (Mosaic) prosperity blessings. The approach is to begin with Mosaic promises of blessings in their homeland that were conditional on heart obedience. We need to see Jesus Christ as the only obedient Israelite and who is deserving of such blessing yet became curse for His redeemed people. We can then consider His teaching on blessing that rouses in us what is needed to renew our hearts to love God as He leads us to the everlasting homeland.

Where is wisdom found? Job has been looking for the wisdom needed to place his suffering in the world. His search for wisdom has been in seeking an answer to the question of "why?" Not alone, Job's friends have sought to help him out with their own answers. Yet, wisdom has eluded Job. This week, God makes Himself known. Speaking to Job from within a whirlwind, God will reveal to Job that the wisdom he is seeking isn't found in knowing the "why" of his suffering, but "who" is sovereign over it. Intent on revealing Himself as sovereign creator and sustainer, God asks Job question after question, leading him from the foundation of the world to the life of a majestic eagle. Thus, Job will begin to grow in his wisdom, through a deepening fear of the Lord, seeing his own life, the times of blessing and suffering, as in the hands of an awesome God. Pray that, like Job, we might all bear witness to the immeasurable greatness of God's power, and in that knowledge have wisdom for all seasons of life.

This is the third of five studies on the topic of Unstoppable Divine Blessings. It focuses in on the blessings contained in the Aaronic High Priestly prayer, a familiar and often recited benedictory blessing. Do we understand what it means for the Lord to bless you by keeping you, to graciously make His face shine upon you, and for you to know peace with Him when He lifts His countenance upon you? God's plan to bless Israel, His firstborn son, is revealed through their redemption and covenant. The blessings brought through sacrificial atonement are highlighted in the Aaronic high priestly blessing. It is a prayer, given by God, that points to the efficacious prayer of our High Priest who always lives to make intercession for us.

Last week Wayne introduced us to the young, angry man who name is Elihu. His name means, 'He is my God' and he is intent on telling Job who his God is and how he acts towards us mere mortals. But sadly, Elihu does not truly know his God. In fact, he admits, "God is great, and we know him not… The Almighty – we cannot find him." Elihu knows only of a deity who is distant and indifferent to us. A God who has no regard at all for the proud. But why then does the Lord come and speak to Job? Why is he mindful of us? Why does visit and speak to us? Why does he come to be with us in his Son - Immanuel? All of this suggests, not a distant and indifferent God but one who longs to know us and to be known by us, one who loves us and draws near to those who draw near to him in faith. He is my God. I pray he is yours too.

This is the second of five studies on the topic Unstoppable Divine Blessing. This study focusses on the blessings given to Abraham and Israel and their spiritual significance for believers today. It highlights God's redemptive favour through the central blessing of relational presence, alongside the blessings of place (homeland), people (offspring/nationhood), purpose and protection. The promises to Abraham are received by faith. Those of faith in Abraham's seed, Jesus Christ, are the spiritual descendants of Abraham and the "Israel of God". Those in Christ are the recipients of the covenanted blessings in His new creation. In the now, and in the yet to come, they are fulfilled more gloriously in Christ than any alternative prosperity could hope for.

Chapter 32 introduces us to Elihu, a young man who burns with anger at Job and his three friends. He thinks he has the perfect wisdom to settle the argument between them and he is busting to have his say. And he certainly lets it rip! So does he have the irrefutable answer for Job's situation? Sadly, no. His passion and self-confidence do not guarantee wisdom. While Elihu says a few things differently to the others, he still shares the shortcomings of their strict justice/retributive view of God. Lacking a covenantal understanding of God, Elihu paints God as one who may save us from destruction by terrorising us in our dreams as we sleep or by inflicting us with immense pain. He also sees God as inaccessible and so rigid in his exercise of justice that he considers Job to be blasphemous in seeking an explanation from God for his suffering. This is a far cry from the true God revealed to us in the Son, who loved us, entered our world of suffering and gave his life for us. God does speak to us in our suffering, not to terrify us but to draw us into a deeper appreciation of his own suffering for us as the cost of his atonement for sin. So it is through suffering we come to know more of the love of the Triune God for us and are led to worship him.

Whilst God blesses all of creation to flourish, People are specifically blessed by God's Word spoken directly to them. They are blessed to flourish in this blessed Place; blessed with a wonderful Purpose to Edenize the world and, most importantly to obediently walk in His Presence. In the Fall (disobedience, distrust, sin, autonomy) Man chose death, barring the way into Eden … but God has an unstoppable plan to bless through His Word.

This week, Job offers up his final defence to his friends and God. He reveals that the greatest longing of his heart is a restored intimate friendship with God. This isn't just a prize in the eyes of Job; it is the most fantastic prize any person could ever desire, let alone have. A relationship of glory and enjoyment between God and a person. It is a longing to walk with God that humanity has had from creation and will one day have again. Like all great treasures though, it can only be acquired at great cost. The cost of extreme humility, unanswered prayer, unjust suffering, and perfect obedience. Job's story is a foreshadowing of Jesus'. Jesus' humility, unanswered prayers, unjust suffering, and perfect obedience, and his reward of the ultimate prize, intimate friendship and unity with God. For Job and us, the cost for this treasure has already been paid for by our Lord Jesus Christ, and given freely to us through grace and faith. Such a prize is ours already in Him. The humility, unanswered prayer, and unjust suffering we may experience as believers are God's work in making the sufferings of Christ complete in us. He is waking us up to the glorious prize of friendship with God that we can boldly claim in Jesus' perfect obedience, that we might rejoice more fully in it even today!

In our sinful depravity we may well deserve the moniker of "maggots" that Bildad attributes to us, but that is not how God treats us. We may well be small in comparison to his infinite majesty and might as Job argues but the Lord makes much of us, having made us in his image and likeness. More than that, he has made us for his glory and speaks to us as his own children, telling us mere "worms" where it is we can find true wisdom - wisdom which equates to a true knowledge of God himself, and therefore a true knowledge of ourselves. Do you know where to find this wisdom?

It doesn't always seem fair, does it? When you look around the world and see faithful believers in Christ struggling in life's circumstances, while those who deny God seem to succeed. The lives of those who cherish the things of this world can appear so full, right up to death. Compare this to the life of a believer, who, in the pit of their despair, can come to fear what plans the Lord has in store for them next, even as he brings them into his holiness. This week in Job 20-24, we will consider four things from the comments of Job and his friends Zophar and Eliphaz. First, the success of the wicked is temporary and ultimately ends in destruction. Second, suffering can lead to impatience with the timing of God's judgment of the wicked. Third, it is easy to judge a person's favour with God based on their circumstances. Fourth, a faithful person can become afraid of God's plans for their future.

Comfort has quickly turned into competition between Job and his three friends. They are all determined to stick to their guns which, whilst admirable, only serves to intensify their animosity for each other. In the midst of all this Job maintains his innocence and displays brief but bold glimpses of his only remaining hope. He has longed for a mediator (9:33). He now claims to have a 'witness' in heaven who will testify for him (16:19) and then declares, "I know that my Redeemer lives" (19:25). This side of the cross we may know more than Job, but only because we share the same hope and Redeemer, who has revealed himself to us in his Son, Jesus Christ. In this hope we are saved!

Despite having no mediator and knowing he has little chance of surviving an encounter with the Almighty, Job is determined to argue his case with God. He has had enough of the counsel of his friends'– 'worthless physicians' that they are. He wants to take his chances with God and speak to him, face to face! A little like life itself, it is not always easy to distinguish the wise counsel from the worthless in the book of Job. Even Job's knowledge of God seems to fluctuate between the two. And yet, one thing we can learn from these chapters is Job's deep longing to both speak to and hear from God. He wants the truth revealed – even if it costs him his life! What a gift it is we have in our Mediator, Jesus Christ, who not only argues our case on our behalf, but exchanges places with us so that we might indeed meet with God, face to face! He alone is the way, the truth and the life. An inexpressible gift indeed!

A VAST GOD – Job 9-10 Dear friends, Nat continues our 'Lessons From Job' this week and writes, "Last week, we heard Bildad provide wisdom to comfort Job by setting his feet on the solid ground of God's character. So we learnt that God is just, welcoming the blameless, and rejecting the wicked. Frustratingly, Bildad's understanding of God was limited to this one characteristic, and so it offered little in the way of comfort or wisdom. This week, we hear Job's reply. Job rejects Bildad's wisdom based on his personal experience of innocent suffering. To Job's mind, God is not 'justice' alone; he is 'vast in wisdom and power' alone. Job's wisdom, like Bildad's, is greatly perverted by this limited understanding of God. Despite these misunderstandings, Job reveals a deep desire to be in good standing with God and longs for a mediator to bridge the great divide between mere mortals and God. Job cannot comprehend such a mediator existing... can you?

In difficult seasons of life, the question we often find ourselves asking and seeking comfort in is... Why? This week, in Job 8, we learn what a bad answer to this question is through the wisdom of Bildad. Bildad has a simple answer... God is just. He punishes sinners and rewards the upright. This is why Job and his family have suffered. And it is how he can be restored. That's all there is to it. Bildad's answer would have been a good one... if he had continued and also explained God to be just, loving, merciful, gracious, forgiving, and faithful. With a wider understanding of who God is, there would have been room for Job to be the Innocent Sufferer we know him to be. Room for Job to be a man God delighted in, and had chosen to reveal his glory to. Sadly, Bildad's understanding of God as 'just' alone is too small. He has no real wisdom or comfort to offer Job in these trying days. May we learn from Bildad's mistakes when considering the "why?" of our suffering in the hands of a BIG God, gracious, merciful, slow to anger, and abounding in steadfast love.

Believers are not bullet-proof – they still bleed! When what feels like undeserved suffering comes our way, it is hard to bear the counsel of those who cannot tolerate our questioning of God's wisdom and ways. Job's disillusioned faith may seem too bleak compared to the one who knows Christ and the glory He has promised. The reality is that any of us can find ourselves in places so dark and desperate that for a season we lose sight of the reality of what we have in Christ.

How does one respond to Job's deep heart cry that we heard last week from Chapter 3? Breaking a weeklong silence, Eliphaz ventures to be the first of Job's three friends to speak. And like so much false teaching, much of what he says is true, but it's not the whole truth. He declares God's sovereignty and justice but not his covenant grace and faithfulness, and he therefore fails to comfort Job. May the God of all grace, who has called us to his eternal glory, restore, confirm, strengthen and establish us in his covenant faithfulness in Jesus Christ.

Come and join us for a deep dive and discussion into the realm of Artificial Intelligence as we explore the opportunities and challenges it brings to the church. Can we, should we, and how might we engage with AI ethically, theologically and practically in life and ministry? James Foley, our guest speaker for this occasion, is the pastor of Salisbury Baptist Church where he loves to teach the Word of God and to equip others in ministry. He describes himself as a 'recovering mathematician' after studying Maths & Computer Science at Adelaide University and working for a maths textbook company for a couple of years. Since then he has studied theology at Moore College in Sydney, and worked in church & university ministry contexts. He is married to Rachelle, and they have three children. He enjoys classical music, games and puzzles, and can run further than he used to but would rather play table-tennis.

Job 3 is one of the darkest chapters in all of scripture. In it we hear the heart cry of a man in deep, deep suffering and, unusually, it ends without even a word of hope. Yet Job is not suffering for any sin or action of his own, indeed he is called 'blameless and upright' by God Himself. As with every chapter in scripture, Job 3 is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness. For those weeping now, I hope hearing Job's heart cry will be an unexpected source of comfort. For those not weeping currently, I hope we can learn something of what it might mean to weep with those who weep.

Come and join us for a deep dive and discussion into the realm of Artificial Intelligence as we explore the opportunities and challenges it brings to the church. Can we, should we, and how might we engage with AI ethically, theologically and practically in life and ministry? James Foley, our guest speaker for this occasion, is the pastor of Salisbury Baptist Church where he loves to teach the Word of God and to equip others in ministry. He describes himself as a 'recovering mathematician' after studying Maths & Computer Science at Adelaide University and working for a maths textbook company for a couple of years. Since then he has studied theology at Moore College in Sydney, and worked in church & university ministry contexts. He is married to Rachelle, and they have three children. He enjoys classical music, games and puzzles, and can run further than he used to but would rather play table-tennis.

This week we will be introduced to Job's three loyal friends who come to show their sympathy and to comfort Job. They are stunned when they see their brother. He is unrecognisable to them– such is his anguish and affliction. After weeping and wailing loudly and expressing their own grief they fall into a week-long silence with their friend. Perhaps like us sometimes, they don't know what to say. Or perhaps, just being there with Job is enough to express their love and to comfort him with their quiet company. May the Lord teach us how to 'suffer well' in faith, and to know how to love those around us who are experiencing their own anguish and grief.

We turn this week to Job 2, where Job finds himself on the receiving end of a second round of testing from the hand of Satan. And yet still, astoundingly, Job continues to hold fast his integrity. Such is the work of the Spirit in those who fear God. Even as Job sits in ashes scraping his sores with a piece of broken pottery, the glory of God shines brightly out of this jar of clay.

Does Job fear God for nothing? We started the book of Job being introduced to the man himself. As far as men go, Job is a good man, blameless, upright, fearing the Lord, and turning from sin. Job is blessed by God with wealth, power, and a harmonious family (no small blessing for a family of twelve). But… what if Job had none of these blessings, would he still bless God's name? "Naked I came from my mother's womb, and naked shall I return there; the Lord gave, and the Lord has taken away; blessed be the name of the Lord." The passage in Job seeks to stretch our understanding and worship of God into something bigger and fuller. It stretches us to see that God is worthy of our worship simply because he is the sovereign power over all creation. He is the giver and the taker.

We sometime sing "You give and take away. You give and take away. My heart will choose to say, 'Lord Blessed be your name.'" These words come from the lips of Job for whom they are not merely some theological cliché or theoretical belief, nor are they simply the emotive words of a worship song – they are his lived experience. Job's theology, his faith and his very soul are tested to the extreme and still he says, "Blessed be the name of the Lord." In our new 'Lessons From Job' preaching series commencing this Sunday, we will hear some brutally honest questions and statements from Job and his friends regarding God and his justice, especially when it comes to the matters of sin and suffering. This week we will learn that Job is both blameless and blessed, and yet he also knows the great need for sin to be atoned. This is something many in our own affluent (blessed?) society have forgotten. Job is a large book, and not an easy one to get our heads around. To help prepare our hearts and minds for the coming series can I encourage us all, young and old, to check out this short (11 minute) video from The Bible Project before this coming Sunday. It gives an excellent summary of the Book of Job. (Click HERE to watch the video! - or use the link below.) You will find it extremely helpful as we endeavour to learn some 'Lessons From Job'.

We continue in our short series from Genesis 3 as a prequel to the book of Job. God created us to be faithful and fruitful, and to find meaning and purpose in the work He intended for us. However, sin is the great disruptor causing friction, frustration and futility. We will explore three questions about work: 1. What was the original created purpose? 2. How has sin corrupted, but not destroyed, that purpose? 3. How does the Cross of Christ redeem the created purpose? Jesus has completed HIS work. God has raised HIS faithful worker from death. Therefore, we don't need to be authoritarian or weakly passive in our relationships. We don't need to use work to give ourselves an identity, and neither do we need to resent work as meaningless. Our certain hope for the future affects the way we live our lives now.

The mandate given to us by God at Creation has not been revoked because of sin, but it has surely been made more difficult to fulfil. Any fruitfulness now comes through pain and frustration– for both the woman and the man. They experience this together, but also in their own particular labours of life. As we will hear this week, the woman knows this pain and frustration particularly in motherhood and marriage. And yet, it is through this same pain and frustration that the promised 'offspring' of the woman is born. And, he will also be the True and Faithful Husband of his Bride, the church. As Paul reminds us in Romans 8– yes, creation has been subjected to futility, but in hope. Despite the pain and frustration we know in life, in Jesus Christ there is the sure hope of freedom, relief and glory beyond compare.

Have you ever loathed your life so much you wished you were never born? Have you ever cried out, "It's not fair!" Has God ever made your soul so bitter that you questioned his goodness and justice? These may sound like drastic questions– ungodly even to ask! And yet these are just some of the brutally honest questions raised in the Old Testament book of Job that we will be considering in a few weeks' time. Until then, we will be doing some 'Job Preparation' by spending three weeks in Genesis 3 looking at how God responds to Satan (this week), the woman, and the man after sin came into the world. In all of this, as Job declares, it is indeed good to know that 'our Redeemer lives'.

Matthew's gospel concludes with what has come to be known as 'The Great Commission'– where Jesus tells his disciples to, "Go therefore and make disciples of all nations… baptizing them… and teaching them." This commission is 'sandwiched' between the declaration of Jesus' authority over all things and the promise that he will be with us always, to the end of the age. As we go, wherever it is we are going, Jesus has given us all something to be about– making disciples. We do this because he is Lord, and knowing that he is with us always. Please pray that we might hear these words of Christ's afresh and respond to them in the obedience of faith.

"After three days, I will rise again". These words of Jesus ring in the ears of the priests and Pharisees. To their understanding, these words represent Jesus' last deception.Our passage starts in the historically unique time found between the crucifixion and resurrection, and faith is nowhere to be seen. Jesus' humiliating death on the cross has brought into question the entirety of his three years of ministry, the wonder of his miracles and the revelation of his teaching. The eleven disciples are broken, and the followers are in mourning. If Jesus remains dead, he will go down in history as a deceiver, faith will be useless, and all believers are most to be pitied.But what if… "He has been raised"?

On Good Friday we will hear Jesus cry out, "My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?" and will be reminded how he could not save himself, but had to be forsaken so that we might be saved, and never be forsaken.

We often sing, "Because the sinless Savior died my sinful soul is counted free, for God the Just is satisfied to look on Him and pardon me." This week, as we draw near to the cross of Christ and hear of one notorious criminal and murderer being set free while Jesus is sentenced to death, we are given a glimpse into 'The Great Exchange' that takes place on the cross. For our sake, he made him to be sin who knew no sin, so that in him we might become the righteousness of God. Hallelujah! What a Saviour!Please pray that we might know the wonder of those words and the work of his grace, 'for our sake…'.

Failure is something we would all prefer to avoid. And as for public failure… well, all the more so. And yet, Peter's three-fold denial of Jesus is recorded for all to hear and read. But what a lesson it is– for Peter, and for all who are willing to learn from it. A lesson which is in fact essential for us if we are to find our hope and strength in the unfailing love and all-sufficient grace of God rather than in our own faulty and insufficient selves. Please pray that we might be willing students in this lesson of love.

This week we read of the familiar scenes of Jesus' betrayal, arrest, and trial. For the regular joe, any one of these events would be enough to leave us spinning out of control, but not Jesus. Matthew, the gospel writer, displays a saviour who not only gave prophetic words regarding our redemption but also wilfully fulfils them through his own suffering.

We have often sung, "There in the garden of tears my heavy load He chose to bear. His heart with sorrow was torn, 'Yet not my will, but Yours,' He said." However we understand the mystery and anguish of our Lord in Gethsemane we can be sure of this– Jesus went to the cross willingly. The Son never sought to do anything but his Father's will. And his prayer in the Garden was not in any way contrary to that. The very act of prayer is the Father's will. And to pray, "your will be done," is not to acquiesce to God's will because we cannot bend it, but is in fact to "actively will God's will and aid it." (P. T. Forsyth) Willingly, Jesus did this for you and me in Gethsemane and all the way to Calvary.

This week, we read of Jesus confronting the disciples with a profound personal truth– that when left to their own devices, apart from Christ, they would not be the men they hoped they would be– that of faithful disciples who would never abandon their Lord. Instead, the personal strength in which they trust would quickly fail them, resulting in the abandonment of the one they love. Yet, while the disciples may fail when relying on themselves, their identity as disciples is not marred. For, to be a disciple is to be in unity in Jesus, and trust in his strength all the day long.

As the time of Jesus' arrest and death draws near, and knowing he has a traitor in his company, Jesus shares the Passover with his disciples and gives thanks to God. Breaks the bread and taking the cup, he tells his disciples it is his body, and his blood. In doing this Jesus establishes, not only a new custom for us to follow, but a new covenant. "Take, eat… and drink," Jesus says, "for this is my blood of the covenant, which is poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." O, how we need his forgiveness. O, how we need to feed on him.

Timing is everything. For the fifth and final time in this gospel, Matthew writes, "When Jesus had finished saying all these things." The time of Jesus teaching his disciples has come to a close. Now, until the end of Chapter 27, we will read and learn of the passion story of Matthew's gospel. This is the time when God will hand over His own Son to be crucified as a sacrificial lamb so that we might be set free to be His people and enter the promised land. Jesus' love in laying down His life inspires two different reactions: hatred in the form of plotting, self-gain, and betrayal, and beauty in the form of freely given, costly love.

Flying in the face of the world which tells us we are masters of our own destiny, Jesus makes it abundantly clear that we are not. In the 'parable' of The Sheep and the Goats it is not we who determine our fate but Jesus, the Son of Man. However, what we do or do not do in the days before he comes in glory will be remembered on that day. And on that day, I don't think I will mind in the slightest if Jesus calls me a little 'sheepish'. What about you?

What is it we are to be doing while we wait for Jesus' return? In the Parable of the Talents, Jesus teaches us what 'waiting well' looks like in practice. This is not a passive and inactive waiting, nor is it a mad rush to get things done and 'speed his coming'. Instead, 'waiting well' involves our active engagement in faithful and fruitful service of God. Faithless inactivity results in judgment. But those who 'wait well' look forward to their Master's return with eager expectation and receive his commendation, "Well done good and faithful servant… enter into the joy of your master."

Last week, as we returned to the gospel of Matthew, we heard Jesus teaching his disciples about the Day of the Lord. While they expected it to be soon, Jesus revealed that the day would be delayed and spoke of the signs believers would encounter before the illustrious day. This week, we read on as Jesus continues his teaching of the coming day. Now, rather than speaking of the signs of the times, he provides instruction on what the disciples and all believers must do as they wait out the days: "Keep watch" and "be ready". I pray that we receive this word as our Lord intended it. It is generous instruction in how we might wait out this long period well, eagerly looking forward to the day of his return while anticipating the need for enduring faith.

We recommence our series through Matthew's gospel this week with a passage which has caused much discussion and debate over the centuries. However, in answering the disciples' question regarding the destruction of the temple and his return at the end of the age, Jesus brings clarity to the situation, not confusion. And in turn, this clarity provides the courage and conviction needed when many others will be led astray, and their love grow cold. May the words of our Saviour, who will appear again in glory, bring the same clarity, courage and conviction to us so that we might live in faith and not in fear through our own days of tribulation.

Proverbs 3:13-35 urges all who read it to consider three truths before providing some very practical examples of how to love our neighbours: 1) Wisdom is way more valuable than material stuff!2) Wisdom isn't just about human decisions and interactions but is actually what God used (and uses) to create (and sustain) our world.3) Wisdom followed and valued puts Sleep Psychologists out of a job!The father writing Proverbs then finishes this section with some pretty confronting truths: seek and value wisdom, and God absolutely will bless you, butfail to find or value wisdom, and God will detest, curse and mock you (I said it was pretty confronting!).What a good thing it is that the Wise Son of Proverbs (Jesus!) not only forgives us when we treat wisdom with disdain but also gives us His Spirit, enabling us to find and value wisdom!

Once again, we hear the wisdom a father shares with his son before he heads out into the world. These words concern the keeping of wisdom in his innermost place, the character he has on display, and his attitude toward the Lord, who disciplines him with Love.

The world, as God's creation, operates according to his wisdom. Humanity, as sinners that rebel against the fear of the Lord, denies this wisdom and in doing so seeks to re-engineer creation. This is a mistake that leads only to one thing… unmitigated calamity. We are in desperate need of the wisdom of God in order to be victorious in life. But where can it be found? She is not hidden but stands in the streets calling out her wisdom to you, warning passers-by of their foolish plight. The only question we are left with is… will we heed her voice?

The world, as God's creation, operates according to his wisdom. Humanity, as sinners that rebel against the fear of the Lord, denies this wisdom and in doing so seeks to re-engineer creation. This is a mistake that leads only to one thing… unmitigated calamity. We are in desperate need of the wisdom of God in order to be victorious in life. But where can it be found? She is not hidden but stands in the streets calling out her wisdom to you, warning passers-by of their foolish plight. The only question we are left with is… will we heed her voice?