Rockport Baptist Church

Because Christ on the cross has finished the work of redemption for all His people, we can rest fully in Him and what He has done by faith and rejoice in the fact that the work is done--I. Jesus Knew His Work of Redemption was Finished- v 28-II. Jesus Finished Out the Promise of Scripture for Us vv 28b-29-III. Jesus Declares the Work of Salvation Finished for all who trust in Him- v 30

Because the response of each person to the cross of Christ reveals where they stand in relation to Him, we must be among those who, out of love for Him draw near to find his caring compassion that brings us the assurance of belonging to Him as family.--I. The Cruel Cruelty of the Unbelieving Soldiers vv 23-24-II. The Caring Concern of the Believing Women Who Draw Near to Christ v 25-III. The Compassionate Care of Jesus from the Cross in Providing for His Mother vv 26-27

This message represents the charge given to a brother being ordained to the office of pastor-elder at Rockport Baptist Church as well as the charge given to the congregation to receive the gift of his ministry.

Because Jesus, the rightful King of Heaven, has been crucified in the place of us sinners, we who believe in Him ought to honor Him as our true king, surrendering all to Him in gratitude and joy for what He has done for us.- I. Jesus was handed over to be killed vv 16-17- II. Jesus was crucified as a criminal among criminals v 18- III. Jesus, in his death, is seen as the Exalted King vv 19-22

Because Jesus truly is God's Messiah-King, we must beware the temptation to turn from him and the promise of His heavenly kingdom in order to embrace allegiance to another king.-- I. Pilate's Dilemma- He must choose between Caesar or Christ- v 12- II. Christ's Judgement- Here we see the Condemnation of the King- vv 13-14- III. The People's Choice- They Embrace Caesar, Not Christ- vv 15-16

Because this is an unjust world where the innocent are condemned, our only hope is to be found in Jesus, the Man of Sorrows, who took our place in death, fulfilling the sovereign plan of God for our salvation.-- I. The Injustice of Christ's Innocent Suffering vv 1-4- II. The Injustice of Christ's Brutal Condemnation vv 5-7- III. The Sovereign Mercy of God that Sent Christ to the Cross vv 8-12

Because Christ is heaven's true King who is innocent of any crime and the very embodiment of Truth, we must not fail to hear and believe what He says and place our trust fully in Him.-- I. Jesus Stands Accused as a Criminal vv 28-32- II. Jesus Stands Revealed as Heaven's True King vv 33-38a-III. Jesus Stands Acquitted of Any Crime, yet is rejected by those who refuse to believe vv 38b-40

Because Christ's accusers were determined to reject Him, refusing to consider the truth of His claims, we must expect the hard heart of unbelievers to do the same as we continue to stand boldly and unashamedly for the truth He represents.

Because we, like Peter, are weak and easily intimidated and tempted to deny Christ when owning him would come at a cost, we must learn to keep our eyes on Him, trusting in His power to uphold us and to restore us when we fail

We are tempted to think about spiritual growth in very individualistic terms. We are reminded by this passage that maturity is all about knowing Jesus and growth in him means growing together as part of his body. If you want to grow spiritually, plug into a local, gospel-centered, Bible-believing church.

Because the Lord Jesus came to lay down His life for His sheep, He willing offered Himself up to the enemy even as He continued to exercise complete sovereignty over the situation. Here in John's narrative of Jesus' arrest, we see his faithfulness and sovereignty as he willingly lays down His life for His sheep.

Because God's word has power to bring us the blessing of a life in fellowship with Him, we should set our hearts to pursue Him by honoring and obeying His word with all our hears.

Because Christ has come in fulfillment of God's promise to send a Savior, we who are ready to receive Him need no longer fear, but instead should rejoice at the good news what brings us the assurance of salvation.-I. Fear Not-II. I Bring You Good News-III. There is Great Joy When Christ is Near

What terrified the Shepherds- It was the manifest glory of God. This Christmas Eve devotional looks at the terror and comfort of God's Glory.

The angels announced -peace on earth-. But what is this peace- And how does a person receive it- This message looks at the peace of Christ given in the Gospel as promised that first Christmas-I. The Praise of Peace-II. The Person of Peace-III. The People of Peace-IV. The Response to Peace

Hope is critical. It points us outside ourselves and promises us, -Everything is going to be alright.- Through this passage, we hear God's reassuring promise that the gloom and anguish we may be facing in current circumstances will not last forever. Our darkness does not get the last word. Our sin does not get the last word. Our enemies do not get the last word. The hope we have at Christmas is that Jesus gets the last word.

Because we are God's people, called by grace to belong to Him, we must not only realize that we will be strangers in this world, but must also seek to live bold, God-glorifying lives so that others may see Him in us.

Because Jesus declared that our highest responsibility is to love God supremely and then out of that love, love our neighbors, we as Christians must learn how to apply such God-centered love toward all people, and in particular toward those with whom we disagree on fundamental biblical issues like those in the LGBTQ- community.

Because God has made each person in his image to live for his glory as male or female, we must teach our children the beauty of the binary and equip them to receive this good gift and live it out with compassion and joy for his glory in the face of the increasing moral confusion of our world. Here are some steps we can take to teach our kids to love God's good design and protect them from the harmful confusion of gender ideology.

Because God calls shepherds to be servants who care for those entrusted to Him and threatens abusers with judgement, we need to understand what abuse is so that we can give care to the abused and call abusers to repentance.