Coggin Church Podcast: Recent Episodes
Coggin Avenue Baptist Church
In the last book of our wisdom series we come to the character of Job. He is described as a blameless man who fears the Lord and turns from evil. So it appears that Job lives the life that the book of Proverbs encourages all of us to live. It would seem then, that abundant blessing would also accompany Job. And it does until one day when it all falls apart.
Satan comes to oppose Job by putting his allegiance to the test. Satan believes that Job is only blameless because God has blessed him, so with God's approval, Satan begins to sift him. In all of Job's trials He remains steadfast. It is a remarkable display not only of Job's character, but the God who upholds him.
In this sermon we see the life of wisdom proved. The wise person is not one who somehow avoids suffering in their life through good decisions, but one who turns to God in their suffering and recognizes that the only true faith is a tested faith.
If you would like to hear more about what it means to have faith or would like to respond to this sermon in some way, you can reach us at main@cogginchurch.org.
Two of the great equalizers in life that no one escapes are the steady march of time and death. We currently find ourselves in a moment where maintaining our bodies through healthy eating, exercise, and skin care is all the rage. We age and yet we continually try to hide the effects of our age, hoping to appear "young" for as long as possible. This is striving after the wind.
In the final block of instruction, the critic in Ecclesiastes encourages us to remember our Creator in the days of our youth.—to fear him, live for him, and delight in the gift of youth. However, we should each adjust our expectations because youth is fleeting. The writer closes out the book of a poetic and vivid description of a decay and ultimately death that can live us feeling hopeless.
But the hope of the Gospel is a hope that is beyond the sun. What we know is that death and decay, though real and potentially scary, are not all-powerful. They, much like our lives under the sun, are transient and soon passing away. As Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 15:55, "Death is swallowed up in victory. O Death where is your victory? O death, where is your sting?"
There is hope beyond the sun in Jesus Christ. If you would like to know more about the hope found in him or if you'd like to respond to this message in some way, you can reach out to us at main@cogginchurch.org
We were created for work and it is good for our souls. There are a handful of Proverbs that teach us the inherent goodness of work. Yet, work that is wrongly understood can be corrupted. When you turn to work for identity, you can neglect the most important things like your faith and your family. When work is connected to identity and your work fails or you lose your job, then your identity goes with it.
Work in and of itself cannot bring lasting fulfillment but will only exaggerate the problem of our brokenness. However, when we find our identity in Christ, then suddenly everything that we do, including our work, becomes worship. Worship at your place of employment is working in such a way that brings Him glory in your effort, your attitude and your actions.
In Christ there is lasting fulfillment to such a degree that even our work is redeemed for His glory.
Do you have questions or are you interested in responding to the message in some way? Reach out to us at main@cogginchurch.org.
We were made for pleasure and to delight in all that God has created for the glory of God. But what happens when pleasure becomes an end in itself and we neglect to enjoy the gifts God has given in the light of His presence? Self-Indulgence.
In this sermon, Pastor Todd Gray explains that seeking pleasure and purpose, separate from God is vanity, but seeking God in Christ will result in pleasure and purpose.
If you would like to ask questions or respond to this message in some way, please reach out to us at main@cogginchurch.org
For the past four weeks we have been studying the idea of wisdom as portrayed in the book of Proverbs. There we find wisdom as an attractive woman who is calling men and women to build their lives on wisdom, beginning with the fear of the Lord. Generally speaking, when one orders their life this way, things tend to go well in terms of stability, relationships, and personal identity.
But The Teacher in Ecclesiastes sees life a little bit differently. He's a bit critical of the neat and tidy system that Proverbs provides. His warning, however, is not to abandon wisdom but to adjust our expectations of life because we don't live in an ideal world. We live east of Eden, or as the author puts it, "Under the sun."
The question becomes how do Christians navigate a world where it seems like the wicked are rewarded and the righteous are punished? Throughout this short book the clouds break and we see how the author is trying to get us to look beyond the sun to a greater hope that is to come. A hope that is ultimately wisdom made flesh—Jesus Christ.
Would you like to respond to this message in some way? Please feel free to reach out to us at main@cogginchurch.org.
In the final sermon on Proverbs, we turn to the Blessing of Wisdom.
The book of Proverbs seeks to place every reader before in the place of Adam before the tree of life and the tree of knowing good and evil. Here, Adam was faced with a choice, and in the same way, we are faced with the same decision every day. Will we receive the wisdom of God and pursue the path of wisdom, or will we seek our own way?
Wisdom calls to us and the wise response is two-fold:
1) Seek the Wise Path and Receive the Blessing of God's Presence (8:17).
2) Seek Wisdom and REceive the Blessed Fruit of Wealth and Righteousness (18-21).
As you stand at the crossroads of a decision this week between foolishness and wisdom, take a moment and look down the path of wisdom at all the blessings waiting for you if you would turn to God and follow Jesus down that path.
If you would like to respond to this message in some way, please reach out to us at main@cogginchurch.org.
From the beginning of this series we have defined Wisdom as living God’s way in God’s World. We do this by applying the knowledge of God to daily life and by abiding in the presence of Christ.
These chapters today, once again remind us that we daily stand at a crossroads where we can choose the wise path or the foolish path. Here, the author of Proverbs personifies wisdom as an adulterous woman who seeks to allure the faithful from the wise path.
Following her plays to our flesh's desires, but what is at stake if we follow her path?
As you listen today, if you would like to respond to this message in some way, please reach out to us at main@cogginchurch.org
Proverbs presents to ways to be human: the wise way and the foolish way. Both paths are marked by a posture, pace, practice, person. In this sermon, Pastor Todd Gray highlights the posture and practice of the wise person when they find themselves under the discipline of the Lord.
The wise person has a distinct perspective on God's discipline, namely, that they view it as loving instruction rather than punishment. Secondly, they delight in the Lord's discipline because they know that the Lord corrects those he calls son or daughter (See Hebrews 12:7-11). Finally, the wise person receives the discipline of the Lord because they know it is shaping them further in wisdom.
None of this is easy, and in the midst of discipline, it is difficult to have the mind that God is for you and wants His best for you. Growing to the point where you can identity the Lord's discipline and thank him for it is proof of wisdom taking root in our hearts.
Did you hear something in today's message that you would like to respond to or have questions about? We would love to hear from you! Please reach out at main@cogginchurch.org.
In week one, we established that Wisdom has a posture (humility), pace (slow), person (Jesus), and a practice (abiding).
In this weeks message, Pastor Todd dives deeper into what it means to abide in wisdom. Ultimately, to abide in wisdom is to abide in Christ.
The wise sage of Proverbs wrote "As a man thinks... so he is."
Epictetus, a first century Greek philosopher wrote, "You become what you give your mind to. If you yourself don't choose what what thoughts and images you expose yourself to, someone else will and their motives may not be of the highest order.”
Our minds have incredible power to dictate our orientation to the world. Generally speaking, if you fill your mind with negativity, you'll be a negative person—always looking for the bad news. Far from being a message about the power of positive thinking, Paul seeks to reset the mind of the believer, because after all, we have the mind of Christ (Philippians 2:1-4).
Paul's encouragement is to dwell on things that are worthy and from them, right actions will follow, which will then in turn guide us into the Lord's peaceful presence.
If you would like to respond to this message in some way, please reach out to us at main@cogginchurch.org.
Anxiety was the fastest-growing mental struggle prior to the 2020 pandemic. Since then, anxiety, worry and depression have all skyrocketed.
One sermon will likely not take your anxiety away, but perhaps can start you on a path of peace and healing. Maybe it will be one of many steps on your road to being less anxious. Many will and should seek counseling. Some will need other recommendations from their Medical Provider. But one thing we must not do is ignore the reality of anxiety or underestimate the damage it can cause.
Anxiety requires us to engage in the battle of our minds and hearts and there are a few things we can learn from Paul on how we can engage our anxiety by the power of the Spirit: 1) Embrace the Presence of Christ 2) Turn Your Worries to Prayers 3) Worry Less by Praying More and the Peace of God will guard your heart.
Again, we want to acknowledge the weight of anxiety for many. This sermon is not intended to be a fix-all, but a way to start the path to healing. If you would like more information or resources on how to take the next steps in your path to peace, please contact us at main@cogginchurch.org. You can also reach out to us there if you have other questions.
Here at the beginning of Philippians chapter 4, Paul addresses the distraction of disunity and discord in the church in a very positive way by calling the people to stand firm in the Lord, unity, and joy.
Paul just finished reminding the Philippians about the reality that they are Citizens of Heaven... This is a great theological idea, but Paul never leaves a theological idea as purely doctrine for the sake of knowledge, he loves to apply it. Todays passage is the application. Paul wanted them, as citizens of heaven, to stand firm in what they believed about Christ and in the joy they had in Him. On the matters of Christ, and His Gospel, which has purchased out heavily citizenship, we must not waiver.
The phrase "in the Lord" is repeated 3 times in these verses and Paul reminds the Philippians to 1) Stand firm in the Lord 2) Agree in the Lord and 3) Rejoice in the Lord.
The primary key is this idea of being "in the Lord." You can't stand firm unless it is in the Lord. You can't be one with others in a deep and meaningful way unless it is in the Lord. You can't rejoice even in the dark times of life unless you are in the Lord.
Are you in the Lord?
If you would like to respond to this question or this message in some way, please reach out to us at main@cogginchurch.org.
When we often think of citizenship, our earthly home country is often what first comes to mind. However, this should always be viewed as secondary to our citizenship in heaven. As Christians we need to grow in our ability to embrace our heavenly citizenship and realize that there is no neutral ground when it comes to acknowledging that Jesus is Lord. We look to the coming reign of Jesus and until then we live in the light of his glory in the here and now.
What would you do if you showed up to gym to begin a new exercise regimen and your personal trainer, though knowledgable was out of shape with unhealthy lifestyle habits? Is that a trainer worth imitating? Of course not. We all intuitively know we want a trainer who has the knowledge and who believes in it to the degree that they put it into practice.
The way of faith is no different and Jesus intends all of his apprentices (or disciples) to be those who have the understanding and how to apply what we know—Faith and Practice.
We must know what we believe, practice what we believe, and surround ourselves with godly examples who do the same.
Be on the lookout for our Core Class on The Storyline of Scripture that will launch this Fall on September 11th. Registration will be available online.
Want to respond to this message in some way? Feel free to reach out to us at main@cogginchurch.org/
The disciple who is pursuing Jesus and the life of joy can't do so if they are constantly looking to what is behind. Some of us look behind us with a sense of nostalgia, remembering a fictional glory day that has passed. Others can't shake their past either because of wrongs committed or wrongs done to us. The glory of Jesus Christ so filled Paul's heart and imagination that what lay ahead of him superseded what was behind and fueled him for his present mission and call.
For us, what do we need to forget so that we can better strive? This is not a call to forget everything or to minimize life experiences, but rather to put these things in their proper place so that we might faithfully pursue Jesus now.
Want to respond to this message in some way? We'd love to hear from you. Send us a message at main@cogginchurch.org.
The temptation to put ourselves at the center of our lives lies heavy and at every turn. We can easily come to believe that a life of joy and flourishing depends on how hard we work and on the little empires we build for ourselves.
Formerly, this is how the Apostle Paul lived—trusting in his own pedigree instead of the goodness and grace of God. But that all changed after Paul met Jesus. As he writes to Philippians, he encourages them to consider every worldly advancement, every privilege, and every pedestal as loss. His language grows stronger from here. He says to consider it nothing more than dung.
True Joy comes by choosing to treasure Christ above our worldly resume.
Want to respond to this message in some way? Please reach out to us at main@cogginchurch.org.
Consider people worth imitating and ask yourself, what is it about that man or woman that makes you want to be like them? The short answer is most likely that he or she is a person of high character.
As Paul has instructed the Philippians on the character of Christ in the beginning of Philippians, he now holds up two of his partners in ministry that he wants the Philippians to consider worth imitating—Timothy and Epaphroditus.
If you want to have godly character, then find joy in emulating those traits in other godly individuals.
What we know of Timothy and Epaphraditus is that they were men of high character. Timothy was a faithful partner to Paul and is mentioned many times throughout Paul's letters. He had compassionate faith (vs. 20) and he was dependable (v.22).
Likewise, Epaphraditus served Christ relentlessly, even to the point of death. He was willing to make the ultimate sacrifice for the service to Christ and to Paul.
Paul's command to the Philippian church was to honor men and women like this and seek to emulate them.
Challenge: Consider the men and women of high character that you look up to and tell them this week that you look up to them. Honor them and begin to ask them questions about what has formed them to be that type of man or woman.
Do you want to respond to this message in some way? We'd love to hear from you and you can reach out to us at main@cogginchurch.org
So then, my beloved, just as you have always obeyed, not as in my presence only, but now much more in my absence, work out your salvation with fear and trembling; for it is God who is at work in you, both to will and to work for His good pleasure.” (Phil 2:12-13)
There are two equal but opposite errors we make when we think about our life in Christ and what it means to be transformed into his image. The first error is to believe that being transformed into the likeness of Christ requires nothing from us and and the second is that it is solely our effort and not a work of the Holy Spirit.
In this message, Pastor Todd walks through Paul’s tension and shows how ordinary, mundane obedience is a tool in the hands of God that the Spirit uses to transform us. One way of thinking of it comes from author Jerry Bridges in his book The Pursuit of Holiness. Bridges considers a farmer, noting that the farmer cannot do what only God can do, such as: send rain, cause seeds to germinate, and make the sunshine. At the same time, God will not do what the farmer should do: tilling the soil, sowing the seed, irrigating, and harvesting.
This simple illustration is a picture of what theologians call Sanctification, which is the process of the believer’s transformation into the likeness of Jesus. We are called to impose our will, affections, and actions towards obedience to Jesus, yet it is the Holy Spirit that actively transforms us.
Are you interested in responding to this message in any way? Feel free to reach out to us at main@cogginchurch.org.
Happy Father's Day!
What does it mean to be a father worthy of honor? This week, Pastor Billy cash brings a message from Psalm 112 that will encourage and challenge fathers to be the type of dad that is life-giving to those in his care. Psalm 112 highlights 4 characteristics of this type of father:
- He fears the Lord
- He Delights in the Word
- He is Generous with His Life & Possessions
- He is Confident in Difficult Days.
Want to respond to this message in some way? Reach out to us at main@cogginchurch.org!
Jesus is the ultimate example of a humble attitude therefore as followers of Christ we should emulate that humility.
Emulating the humility of Christ begins with understanding that the mind of Christ is already ours. This is something already true of us because our lives are united to Christ. However, the mind and attitude of Christ must also be cultivated through daily practice.
Paul not only gives the exhortation to be like Christ in attitude, but he also tells us what Christ is like. Paul's encouragement is not to lookout first for our own self-interests, but also the interests of others. Jesus is the prime example of a life that empties itself of personal rights and pursues the good of another.
The question in Philippians 2 is often, "What did Christ empty himself of?" The short answer is his divine right as God the Son. There was nothing that demanded he live a life of humiliation. He was not coerced or forced in any way but emptied himself by becoming man.
This begs the question, what are we willing to empty ourselves of in order to see someone else thrive? Paul finally rounds out his discussion of the story of Jesus by noting his resurrection and heavenly exaltation.
Jesus is currently reigning as king. One day we will see his kingdom come in its fullness, but that doesn't mean he is not reigning now. Do we live as though he is currently king, or have we exalted ourselves as rival kings? There is no alternative to these two options. Scripture is clear that the lowly will be exalted and the proud brought low. If we imitate the way of Jesus, our Father in heaven will exalt us.
Want to respond to this message in some way? Feel free to shoot us a message at main@cogginchurch.org
Unity is impossible without humility. It takes very few in number to create a hole in the wall of unity. Any one of us can get distracted by a preference and start to grumble. Then, gossip starts and the next thing you know three or four people right in the middle of our shield-wall have lowered their shields, taken their eyes off the battle and division occurs.
The call to unity is achieved by way of humility, and each of us are called to walk in this path.
What is our motivation for unity? 1. Encouragement in Christ 2. Comfort of Love 3. Fellowship of the Spirit 4. Affection and Compassion
These things above are already ours in Christ. Now we must strive to show the marks of unity, which are: 1. Like-Mindedness 2. Having the Same Love 3. United in Spirit (one-souled) 4. Having One Purpose
To achieve this type of unity, we cannot be a people that are preference dominated. Humility looks to the interests of others before self.
If you'd like to respond to this message in any way, feel free to reach out to us at main@cogginchurch.org. We pray the Lord uses this resource to stir your passion for the unity of God's people.
The Gospel is worthy of a life lived in appreciation that others can see.
The term “conduct” is a very interesting term in Greek as it’s somewhat of a term of citizenship… Basically it’s used to urge a citizen of a city or nation to discharge their expected obligations in a worthy manner as said citizen. As citizens of heaven… we are expected to conduct ourselves in a certain way so that everyone can tell that we are foreigners in this land and but passing through on our way to our homeland in the presence of Christ. This conduct should reflect well of the Gospel and the name of Christ. Jesus already paid the price… If you could earn it, then Jesus would not have had to die. But you can live in a way that shows appreciation. Dallas Willard once wrote, “Grace is not opposed to effort but opposed to earning.”
What happens when we live a life in appreciation of Christ's Gospel work? Steadfastness, unity, and courage. These are military terms that carry the idea of unwavering commitment to the mission. It’s terms like this that remind me that we are in a war and our enemy is cunning. War-like imagery has fallen by the wayside in our current cultural climate, but maintaining a battle-ready attitude is not only ok, but a godly characteristic WHEN and ONLY WHEN we remember who the enemy is. often we label a political party, a political leader or a social justice warrior as the enemy. When we do this we miss the point and we often bypass Gospel proclamation and grace and go on the attack hating individuals and groups of people.. Don’t confuse your civic duty or political stand with you gospel duty otherwise the very people you should be loving and reaching with the Gospel you will end up hating and alienating them from the message you were sent to share. With Gospel living and Gospel proclamation, we wage war.
Most of us understand that we can only have faith in Christ because God has given us this faith to believe You don’t earn it, but you can receive what has been offered. Salvation is a easy gift to receive, but what about suffering? God never wastes your pain but will use it to advance his kingdom. Understanding suffering for Christ as a gift and seeing God’s purpose in struggle will allow you to suffer well.
As we seek to conduct ourselves in a manner worthy of the Gospel, may we show ourselves as Steadfast, standing firm in the Gospel, Unified as we work and fight as a team for the Gospel and Courageous as we face those that oppose the Gospel. And when they attack and we suffer that we would see suffering as an opportunity to draw near to our Savior and be reminded that we are His.
Deacons are servants and servants serve humbly. In some ways, we all are called to serve with humility as Christ is our example of a humility and service… as we will learn from Phil. chapter 2. Yet, the Deacon is given a particular responsibility to be a servant for the ministry needs of the local church.
In the New Testament, we have basically two offices of leadership in a local body of believers: the office of Pastor or Elder and the office of Deacon. How they function and have functioned in different churches across the world is varied, but biblically and how we strive to function at Coggin is pretty simple. The Pastor serves by preaching and leading while the Deacon leads by serving.
What is it that forms the basis of your life? What is the thing, desire, or idea that is at the bottom of everything for you? What is it that drives your decision making? "To Live is Christ and to die is gain" is Paul's way of answering that question.
The reason Paul is able to honestly declare "To live is Christ and to die is gain," is rooted in two ideas:
1) The Assurance of Deliverance. Deliverance here can mean rescue from harm, or it can mean preservation. What Paul is getting at is the outcome doesn’t dictate his deliverance. It doesn’t matter whether he gets out of prison or dies for his faith—either way he is delivered. This assurance spills over into the second thing—Paul's hope.
2) An Eager Hope that Paul would honor Christ in his body, whether by life or by death. His hope isn’t on his 401k, his kid’s sports team, his marriage or singleness, his wealth or his health. Simply this: in whatever comes my way, may Christ be honored in my life or my death.
These two ideas enable Paul to say honestly, "to live is Christ and to die is gain." If you and I were able to say that along with Paul, what an incredible amount of freedom we would have, because what can really happen to a person whose soul aim is to honor Christ in life or death? Nothing. Nothing can happen that can rob you of Jesus.
But we do not stumble into being the types of people who can say "to live is Christ and to die is gain." You can't treasure money, sex, and power and one day wake up finding your soul fulfilled in the person of Christ. The bottom of our joy is constructed, manicured, and cultivated. So to become this type of person we must first come to Jesus. Continually and repeatedly, we must come to Jesus. Living in pursuit of our own glory and pleasure comes naturally and it is only in the presence of Jesus that our appetites change. Second, we must cultivate an awareness of Jesus presence in the everyday stuff of life. You will never honestly say “to live is Christ” if you do not learn to enjoy the presence of Christ. This is prayer's primary aim. If we stop at petition, then we miss the sweetness of prayer because at it's very core, prayer is a posture of the heart before God that expresses our longing to know Him and experience his presence.
Motherhood is a high calling, and its not just for those who have children. The church is a spiritual family filled with women who give of themselves for the building up of the body. From Proverbs 31, Pastor Todd speaks about Mighty Mothers, both physical and spiritual.
In Philippians 1:12-18, Paul opens up about his imprisonment and you would expect to find a man in crisis, pleading for the Philippians to pray for him as he is in chains. But as we saw last week, Paul is the one doing the praying and instead of finding him depressed and defeated we find him rejoicing.
Why was Paul able to rejoice while imprisoned? Because he knew the ending of the story. He knew that the success of the Gospel was guaranteed and he knew that even as he was in chains, the message of Jesus was being unleashed—even to the imperial guard!
Joy is multiplied where victory is secure. Like Paul, we can have joy in trial because the victory has already been won in Jesus. Our eternal hope, joy, and peace come from the finished work of Jesus.
Philippians is a book where Paul shows us that to know Christ is to have the amazing option available to us to “Choose Joy,” no matter what is going on around us.
In Philippians 1:1-11 we find certain characteristics that marked Paul and the Philippian believers as a Faithful Followers. We should desire to share in these traits to find true joy. These characteristics are 1) Selflessness and 2) Intercessory Prayer.
We end with 4 questions: 1) Is your life marked by selflessness? 2) If your life marked by Support for the Gospel in both word and deed? 3) Do you participate in Gospel work spiritually through Sharing and Defending His message 4) Do you support the Gospel Physically by giving and going?
Have questions or want to respond to this message? Reach out to us at main@cogginchurch.org.
Resurrection Sunday remembers and rejoices in the reality that Jesus Christ conquered death. We can know that nothing in this life can truly overcome us because Jesus has overcome our ultimate enemies—sin and death.
In this message, Pastor Todd Gray leads us through 1 Corinthians chapter 15, where Paul gives his most lengthy description of why the resurrection matters, and continues to matter over 2,000 years later.
In the resurrection, Christ won the victory so the Gospel could be yours, so doubt could be erased, and death would have no sting.
The Garden of Gethsemane is the darkest hour in the life of Jesus before the cross. He begins to feel the weight of bearing the sin of the world and his heart is grieved.
Jesus does two very important things in the midst of his grief. One, he draws near to his Father. Pastor Todd uses the illustration of woodshop tools—the clamp and the wedge. The clamp brings two pieces of wood together, while the wedge drives them apart. Suffering operates like this in our lives. For some, it binds us to the heart of God, while others distance themselves. Jesus shows us how to pray our fears.
Secondly, Jesus draws near and invites others to bear his suffering with him. Though the disciples fail in this regard, Jesus' invitation to the disciples to walk with him through this dark valley serves as an example for how we are to invite others into our suffering. Again, a helpful metaphor is the olive press, which takes olives and presses them so that what comes out brings multiple benefits.
Jesus entered the olive press of God's judgement toward sin, so that what flows from him is healing and nourishment. His life and example leads us into a new way of viewing our suffering.
If you want to respond to this message, or if you have questions, please reach out to us at main@cogginchurch.org.
Jesus is the greater temple and is worthy of Worship… so worship Him with focus and authenticity.
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Through Christ, Worship God with Integrity Filled Focus When Jesus comes into the Temple… He enters the most outer court, which would have been the court of the gentiles and sees what most would consider, expected commerce: people buying and selling goods needed during their Passover worship. In an interesting and surprising turn of events… Jesus immediately starts driving out both the buyers and sellers from the temple area. It was not just about the commerce… it was about distracting from worship and the nefarious intentions of some of those involved. All of that commerce was loud, distracting, and took away from the intended purpose of connecting with God through sacrifice and prayer. The situation was taking glory and honor away from God. So Jesus cleaned house. Jesus took Worship seriously and so should we. He was willing to remove barriers to worship… And I am sure He is still willing to remove barriers in your heart and clean house as often as needed. A courageous question today would be… “Jesus would you come in and cleanse my heart and remove distraction?” Not only does Jesus clean house to remove distraction and wickedness… He really disrupts the whole sacrificial system… pointing to the fact that He is the Lamb of God, the ultimate sacrifice and that He is greater than the temple.
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Worship Jesus in Authentic Appreciation for Who He is. Just after Jesus cleanses the temple… we find Him healing the blind and the lame and receiving praise due to God alone. It's here, that Jesus shows Himself to be God in the flesh… He’s Messiah King of the Universe. Right there in the temple… He starts healing people.
Your life is worship. It was worship in the garden when Adam cared for God’s creation, and it is worship when you put in the hours at work, when you are at school and when you are at home with your family. Be authentic… Don’t pretend at church and be something different during the week.
The Triumphal Entry sets up the idea that Jesus' reign will be different. It won't be categorized by spectacle, might, and what we often deem as victorious.
We learn that Jesus has come to rule our hearts, and the invitation is to welcome Him with open-handed obedience and public celebration.
This week, we encourage you to publically praise your humble, victorious King by using the hashtag #CogginPraise. With all the bad news in our world, let us see the world as it really is, and yet stubbornly persist that there is good news.
Have questions or want to respond to this message in some way? Reach out to us at main@cogginchurch.org.
Dr. Todd Gray concludes our Jonah series by talking about Jonah's habitual self-focus and God's habitual and relentless compassion.
As the story of Jonah comes to a close, we find Jonah at odds with the God of mercy. In the final verses, God makes another attempt to capture Jonah's attention, imagination, and affections. But, will Jonah receive God as He is?
Jonah’s rebellious heart is blinding him from seeing the beauty of God, which causes us to scratch our heads and even poke fun at how dense this wayward prophet is. However, at that moment, the story of Jonah has pulled a fast one on us. We are Jonah.
So, there is a warning here for us to avoid a rebellious heart. A rebellious heart is something in the heart of every man and woman, but we can further cultivate our rebellious heart and harden our ability to hear from God.
We ought to avoid a rebellious heart as it will miss the will of God and incur his discipline.
Want to connect with us or respond to this message in some way? Reach out to us at main@cogginchurch.org.
Pastor Todd challenges our church family to be a place that values the spiritual formation of children. The primary place where this happens is in the home and the church supports. Every church member plays a role in the formation of every child within our church, whether that's through praying, encouraging, or serving.
God sees children as a blessing and a gift. Though raising children is difficult, the time and effort that parents and the faith community invest are worth it!
If you have questions or comments about this message or would like to respond in some way, please reach out to us at main@cogginchurch.org.
The first call from this text is to be careful to not let self-righteous anger cause you to question God’s will and character.
It was God’s will to save Nineveh, because its His character to love and show mercy, but shockingly, Jonah became angry at the LORD for saving Nineveh from destruction. The anger was Self Righteous… became it came not form God but himself. From within.
Self righteous anger comes about when you get angry toward God or others based on your preference and not His will.
Jonah actually calls what God did evil
A more literal translation of the Hebrew in v. 2 truly expresses what Jonah felt “What God did was evil to Jonah, a great evil, and he became angry.” Why would Jonah see God bringing about repentance in over 100,000 people as evil? It likely came from His ethic and political allegiance to Israel.
Jonah’s self-righteous attitude and hatred turned him against his Creator.
When you find your will at odds with God’s will… you are always wrong. When you place your self righteous preference above everything else… it becomes an idol. Therefore you can get so puffed up… that you think you can judge God.
God could turn that question back on you… Who do you think you are to judge God?
The second thing we see is how Jonah’s self-righteous anger led him to abuse God’s word, by using God’s word against him. He quotes Exodus 34, God’s own statement about his character and Jonah responds with a death wish. We ought to be careful here as well. Anyone who abuses God’s word and twists it is in league with Satan, who used the exact same tactic in Matthew 4 when Jesus was tempted in the wilderness.
Like Jonah, we often miss the fact that the ground is level at the foot of the cross. There is no moral or spiritual high ground when everyone bears the stain of sin and the mark of death. At the end of the day, recognizing this level ground leads to joy and gladness. There is no room for self-righteous anger when your heart is filled with gratitude and praise at how God could save sinners like us.
Do you want to respond to this message or follow up with a question? Feel free to reach out to us at main@cogginchurch.org
Without repentance there is no Gospel hope in your life. And there will be no repentance w/o the acknowledgment of sin. One must first recognize their in sin, and have a desire to turn from that sin toward God. Then forgiveness through Christ can be received. In this message, we see an Old Testament example of Real Repentance from the people of Nineveh and God’s response to them. Though we don’t have full gospel clarity from the mouth of Jonah, we have a wonderful word picture in this story that can be used as an illustration to better help us understand repentance and how it relates to the Gospel.
God’s compelling call gives second chances to the most unlikely people to go to the most unlikely places to do the most unlikely things. This ought to bring about a response in us.
First, our hearts should be thankful and moved to accept God's second chances. Jesus came to offer us a second chance at life, though we have rebeled and chased after death. None of us are as far gone as Jonah. God's grace extends to the deepest and darkest places!
Second, we should respond to God's authoritative call. You would think that God would look for a person that had some compassion for the people of Nineveh. Perhaps a man who had a warm and special place in his heart to serve people far from God. But that's not Jonah! He hates Nineveh, but God is in the business of using unlikely people to accomplish his purposes. Jonah's story causes us to ask, "Who have I excluded and written off as beyond God's reach?" What if God were to write us off in in the same way we write off others?
Finally, we surrender to God's compelling call. The text calls Nineveh, "a great city to God," which means at the very least that God loved the people of Nineveh like he loves all of his creatures. What motivated God to call out against Nineveh was not only his wrath against their evil, but his love for them as well.
Will we surrender to the Lord's compelling call of salvation? Will we come to him and seek mercy while it may be found? If you would like to respond to this message in some way or would like prayer, then please reach out to us at main@cogginchurch.org.
In Jonah 1:17-2:10 we learn that Salvation comes from the LORD and no matter how far we’ve run from him, if we call to Him, then He will answer and set us back on the path He created for us.
We can trust the Lord because he is the sovereign one over creation (v. 17). In this story, God has used creation to rescue this wayward prophet from himself. In the same way, we ought to allow the things we see in creation to lead our hearts to the worship and delight of the Lord.
We can trust the Lord because he answers the call of desperation (2:1-7). God pursues Jonah to the point of death. Jonah’s description brings us along in what he is experiencing and it’s terrifying. It is possible that Jonah actually dies here and then God raises him to life, but whether or not we are meant to infer that, we can know that this is a death-like experience. The point of these verses is the extent to which God was willing to pursue his prophet. For God to allow Jonah to flee and live separated from his presence would not have been loving, but cold indifference. God’s relentless, or even ruthless pursuit of Jonah is not primarily for punishment, but for Jonah’s restoration and joy. We are meant to ask, “Would God take me this far?” Would he pursue me to death? In Jesus, the answer is a resounding “YES!” God already has pursued us to the point of death—to the point of the death of his beloved Son whodied in our place, was buried in the belly of the earth for 3 days and He then rose from the dead to offer salvation if one would but repent and believe. If we cry out to the Lord in desperation like Jonah, he will hear and respond.
Finally, we can trust the Lord because he restores the repentant heart (v4, 6b, 8-10). In Jonah’s prayer he accepts that he is to blame for his predicament and desires to change his trajectory from disobedience to faithfulness. We have all mirrored Jonah’s actions and attitudes at one point or another by making ourselves and our happiness ultimate. This is idolatry, as Jonah confesses. Then, Jonah is thrown from the belly of the fish. Talk about relentless love.
Maybe you have lost touch with trusting the Lord. Perhaps you have been running and you wonder, “Will the Lord receive me if I return to him?” Let the story of Jonah inform that answer in your heart. Not only is the Lord willing, but He is eager to restore you!
Questions or comments on this episode of the Coggin Church Podcast can be sent to main@cogginchurch.org, or give us a call at 325.646.1506.
Fleeing from the Lord comes with a high price in the story of Jonah. In this sermon, Pastor Todd highlights the futility and silliness of fleeing from the Lord on a boat when Jonah himself notes, "I fear the Lord who made the seas and the dry land." Jonah appears to recognize what his sin has caused as the sailors lives are also threatened in the midst of the storm. Then, either out of concern for the sailors or one last rebellion, Jonah instructs the sailors to throw him overboard and offers himself as a substitute. This act leads to the rescue of the sailors, which is where we see the beauty of the Gospel and Christ’s substitutionary atonement. In Jesus, we don’t have to wonder about his motivation. He is the true and better Jonah who offers himself up for the rescue of others.
Jonah descends into spiritual apathy. He is a prophet asleep at the wheel, but God shows Jonah a severe mercy by pursuing him with a great storm.
In the book of Jonah, we learn how one of God’s prophets fleed from the calling placed on his life. Unfortunately, there is very little to admire in this book concerning Jonah. When you think he is finally ready to see things God’s way, his attitude takes a downward turn.
Blessed is the person who does not walk in the counsel of the wicked,
Nor stand in the path of sinners,
Nor sit in the seat of scoffers!
But his delight is in the Law of the Lord, and on His law he meditates day and night.
He will be like a tree planted by streams of water, which yields its fruit in its season, and its leaf does not wither; and in whatever he does, he prospers.
The wicked are not so, but they are like chaff which the wind blows away.
Therefore the wicked will not stand in the judgment, nor sinners in the assembly of the righteous.
For the Lord knows the way of the righteous, but the way of the wicked will perish. (Psalms 1 [NASB]).
When we live a life through the Gospel, God promises that we will live a blessed life. Church, let’s celebrate this and work hard to grow spiritually so that we can fully experience God’s plan for our lives.
Pastor Todd Gray preaches from Philippians 2, which examines Christ as an example of humility. If Christ did not grasp his divine nature or use it to his advantage, then how does that inform the way we live? Find out in this week's sermon, "Love Came Down as Our Example."
Pastor Todd begins our Advent 2021 series entitled, "Love Came Down," by focusing on the wonderful truth of the incarnation—that the Son of God became man.
On October 24, 2021, Coggin Church voted to call Dr. Todd Gray as our next Senior Pastor. In this message, Pastor Todd lays out instruction from the book of James to not be hearers of the word only, but doers of the word.
Our interim pastor, Mitch Tidwell, discusses the way of the kingdom shown in Jesus' interaction with the rich young ruler.