Rockport Baptist Church

Because the glory of Christ cannot be understood apart from his suffering, death and resurrection, we must keep His suffering (and ours) in view as we follow Him. I. You Must Come Down the Mountain and Face the Suffering! v 9, Mk 9:10 II. There Are Hard Questions Only Jesus Can Answer! vv 10-11, (v 5b) III. We must listen to Jesus and Follow Him, even when it means following Him in Suffering! v 12-13

Because Christ is God the Son sent by the Father and revealed the Spirit, we must give Him our whole attention and follow Him faithfully as Lord and Savior. I. The Declaration by God the Father that this is His Son! v 5 II. The Fear that Fell Upon the Disciples Because of the Presence of God in His Glory v 6 III. The Mediator and the Comfort that Comes When Jesus Draws Near! . vv 7-8

Because Jesus has been confirmed as God the Son who shares in the Father's Glory and Deity, we can and must put all our trust in Him, giving Him our full allegiance as Saving Lord, no matter what happens. I. The Glory of Christ Revealed vv 1-2 II. The Glory of Christ Confirmed v 3 III. The Glory of Christ Proclaimed by God Himself vv 4-5

Because faith orients us to God and his future promises, we must understand that we cannot make our home here since we are pressing on to a better one in eternity! I. We Must Acknowledge that We Are Strangers here. v 13 II. We Must Live Our Lives as Those Who Are Seeking Our True Homeland! v 14-15 III. We Must orient our lives to God and press on with passion toward the home He's prepared for us! v 16

Jesus has a more excellent ministry than the Levitical priests because 1) he as a more excellent sacrifice, 2) a more excellent location, 3) a more excellent duration and 4) a more excellent intercession.

By faith, Joseph rested in the providential judgement, purposes and goodness of God

By Faith Isaac embraced God's Foundational Provision for his soul, which fueled his faith in God's ordinary plans for his life, and carried him through God's hard providences in the darkness. I. God's Foundational Provision - Moriah II. God's Ordinary Plans - Marriage III. God's hard Providence - Mess

Most of us like happy stories, or at least stories with a happy ending. Jephthah's story is neither. Bracketed by lust and pride at the start and brutal judgment at the close, you could almost class it as a tragedy. Yet the misery of this story is bracketed by mercy as Jephthah rescues his people and serves as a signpost pointing us to the real hero of the story. Trusting in our Savior, we can adjust our expectation of his people and appreciate that faith does not need to be perfect to be real.

Faith in God isn't about my ability, but rather about knowing and obeying God's Word, giving Him the glory, and being thankful for his patience towards us.

Like Abel, believers can offer to God a better sacrifice by acting in faith on what He has revealed, have God bear witness that they are righteous through offering to Him the sacrifice He has provided, and speak through their faith by entrusting themselves to Christ their sacrifice.

Because Jesus is the Son of Man who is coming in glory to judge each person's work, we must live today as His people who take up our cross and follow Him. I. The Third Reason to Take Up Your Cross – Because Jesus is Coming to Judge the Earth! vv 24-26 II. When Jesus Comes Back in Glory He will Judge Each of Our Lives. v 27 III. Some Standing There Will Not Taste Death until They See the King in His Glory v 28

Because we follow a Suffering Savior, we too must take up a cross like His and follow Him willingly into death if we wish to be His disciples. I. All Who Follow Christ Must Take Up the Cross v 24 II. Only Those Who Give All to Follow Christ Gain the Life He Gives! v 25 III. The Only Way to Keep Your Precious Soul is to Give it Away to Christ by Faith! v 26

Because being the Christ means that Jesus must suffer death and rise again, we must embrace and follow Him as suffering Savior before we can know Him as glorified King. I. The Necessity of Christ's Suffering to be Our Savior v 21 II. The Refusal to Believe that Christ Must Suffering! v 22 III. The Rebuke of Christ against the Satanic Suggestion that He Can Avoid Suffering v 23

Our world is very short on mercy these days. Cancel culture has grown like a weed and encouraged cutting off not only celebrities with whom we disagree but family and friends as well. Experts assure us this is both morally laudable and absolutely necessary for our mental health and happiness – yet it has made the world a friendless, merciless place. Sadly, the church has not been much different. We are quick to speak, quick to assume motives, quick to fixate on what the other person "ought to have known." In this passage, James warns us against such "judgment without mercy" and shows us a better way – the way of mercy. Choose mercy because love commends it, the law demands it, and you need it.

The First message is the series, "Transfiguration: Seeing Christ's Glory" begins by looking at Peter's Confession of Christ. Because we live in a world of opposition and spiritual confusion, we must come to a confident confession of who Jesus is by the gracious gift of God's Spirit through the Gospel. I. The Big Question You've Got to Answer is: Who is Jesus? vv 13-14 II. What is Your Answer to this Question? vv 15-16 III. The Grace-Given Revelation of the Truth of Who Jesus Is! v 17 (vv 18-19)

In this message we experience the thunder of God's holiness rumbling down from the Mountain of God's Law (Sinai), and then find the grace of God's mercy in the Gospel of Jesus Christ. Because God is fearsome in his holiness and His law cannot save, we must flee by faith to the Mediator He has provided in Jesus who leads us away from Sinai to the mountain of His grace. I. The Terror of the Law. vv 18-19a II. The Cry for a Mediator. vv 19-20 III. We Have a Better Mediator and a Better Mountain in Jesus. v 21; Heb 12:18-21

Because we know that God is faithful to provide all that we need, we must not allow our hearts to covet anything that belongs to another and instead strive to find our contentment in Christ alone. I. The Subtle Sin of Coveting Ex 20:17 II. As Human Beings We are Driven by Our Desires III. Only Christ by Faith Can Satisfy Your Heart, so it is Him you Must Go Php 4:11-13

The doctrine of election displays the character of a merciful, loving God and the nature of an amazing grace

Because Truth matters and God is a God of Truth, we who belong to Him must always speak the truth in love both to and about our neighbors for Christ's sake. I. God Commanded His Covenant People to Never Lie About Others Ex 20:16 II. God's People Must be Committed to Always Speak the Truth To and About Others Ex 4:25 III. Jesus Calls us to Use Our Words to Build Others Up, Not to Tear Them Down Eph 4:29

Because Christ is our Lord and the giver of all good things, we must not only reject the self-centered life of the thief, but must also embrace the self-giving generosity of Christ. I. God Commanded His Old Covenant People Israel Not to Steal from One Another! Ex 20:15 II. God is the One Who Gives What We Need to Glorify and Enjoy Him! Jas 1:17; 1 Tim 6:17; III. God Calls us as Christians to a Stewardship of Christ-like Generosity with our things Eph 4:28