To preach the gospel of Jesus Christ, making disciples to advance the Kingdom of God

Category: Sermon

The Song of Solomon Session 3 – Pastor Chris Black

The Song of Solomon is a love poem about a Shulamite farm girl that Solomon has set his sights on winning her affection; but she’s already in love with a shepherd. Solomon is the king of Israel, already married and extremely wealthy. The Shulamite is a common yet beautiful woman who works on her family’s farm. The shepherd is mysterious in that he just appears at times in the poem, yet the Shulamite describes in him in the highest esteem, and she proclaims her great love for him. He also speaks of the Shulamite in glowing and romantic descriptions.

The Pruning Season – Pastor Chris Black

In the text we just read, Jesus likens himself and his followers to a vineyard. He called himself the “true vine” or we would say root. He is the life source for all of the saved. He called his followers “branches” because of our connection and dependence on him. Just after he says that he is the true vine, he says “and my Father is the husbandman”. That’s not a term we use today; we would call him the farmer or the gardener. The husbandman owns the land on which he labors, it all belongs to him

Mary Had a Little Lamb – Pastor Chris Black

Immediately after the birth of Christ in scripture, the scene shifts to a group of shepherds that were in the same region doing what shepherds do…watching over sheep. The angel of the Lord appears to them and reveals that the greatest event in all of history has just taken place. The angel says the most gracious statement ever heard “for unto you is born this day in the city of David a Savior, which is Christ the Lord”. And over two thousand years later, we comprehend that these are tidings of great joy and they have been to all people. For the crowd that says that the birth of Christ shouldn’t be celebrated…heaven celebrated it!

For the Glory of God Part 3 – Pastor Chris Black

This is the third message in a series called “For the glory of God”. The phrase “the glory of God” refers to when God can be seen…either his attributes, power or presence. The meaning of life on earth is to glorify God meaning that through our lives, God can be seen. God is glorified in us when are character reflects his character. He is glorified when we do his will – Matthew 6:10 Thy kingdom come. Thy will be done in earth, as it is in heaven. So God can be glorified in both who we are, and what we do. Sometimes God is glorified in our circumstances. The things that happen around us and to us that we have no control over.

For the Glory of God Part 2 – Pastor Chris Black

When I was young sitting in Sunday school and they would teach the Bible stories about the well-known figures in scripture, I would build up an image of the people used by God as almost superhuman. That they were so far removed from someone like me that I had nothing in common with them. We sometimes think that there was something special about these people that God would call them to work through. But when I got older and studied the Bible through a more mature lens, I realized that that notion was completely wrong. God does the opposite of what we would do.

He is Comely in His Going – Pastor Chris Black

Proverbs 30:29-31
These verses are a part of a prophecy spoken by Agur to two men, Ithiel and Ucal. We don’t know who these men are, only that this was spoken by Agur and that it was recorded and preserved by the men of king Hezekiah. The Bible calls this chapter a prophecy, meaning that Agur spoke it by divine influence and all scripture is given by inspiration of God.
There are five lists in the prophecy that start out “there be three things, yea four are…”.