A Personal Encounter with God

Marco De Leon - Preaching & Teaching Pastor
Sunday, November 10th 2019

Jonah 1:17-2:10

A Great Fish Swallows Jonah

17 And the Lord appointed a great fish to swallow up Jonah. And Jonah was in the belly of the fish three days and three nights.

Jonah's Prayer

1 Then Jonah prayed to the Lord his God from the belly of the fish, 2 saying,

“I called out to the Lord, out of my distress,

and he answered me;

out of the belly of Sheol I cried,

and you heard my voice.

3 For you cast me into the deep,

into the heart of the seas,

and the flood surrounded me;

all your waves and your billows

passed over me.

4 Then I said, ‘I am driven away

from your sight;

yet I shall again look

upon your holy temple.’

5 The waters closed in over me to take my life;

the deep surrounded me;

weeds were wrapped about my head

6 at the roots of the mountains.

I went down to the land

whose bars closed upon me forever;

yet you brought up my life from the pit,

O Lord my God.

7 When my life was fainting away,

I remembered the Lord,

and my prayer came to you,

into your holy temple.

8 Those who pay regard to vain idols

forsake their hope of steadfast love.

9 But I with the voice of thanksgiving

will sacrifice to you;

what I have vowed I will pay.

Salvation belongs to the Lord!”

10 And the Lord spoke to the fish, and it vomited Jonah out upon the dry land.

SERMON NOTES

A Heart For Rebellion

Marco De Leon - Preaching & Teaching Pastor
Sunday, November 3rd 2019

Jonah 1:1-16

Jonah Flees the Presence of the Lord

1 Now the word of the Lord came to Jonah the son of Amittai, saying, 2 “Arise, go to Nineveh, that great city, and call out against it, for their evil has come up before me.” 3 But Jonah rose to flee to Tarshish from the presence of the Lord. He went down to Joppa and found a ship going to Tarshish. So he paid the fare and went down into it, to go with them to Tarshish, away from the presence of the Lord.

4 But the Lord hurled a great wind upon the sea, and there was a mighty tempest on the sea, so that the ship threatened to break up. 5 Then the mariners were afraid, and each cried out to his god. And they hurled the cargo that was in the ship into the sea to lighten it for them. But Jonah had gone down into the inner part of the ship and had lain down and was fast asleep. 6 So the captain came and said to him, “What do you mean, you sleeper? Arise, call out to your god! Perhaps the god will give a thought to us, that we may not perish.”

Jonah Is Thrown into the Sea

7 And they said to one another, “Come, let us cast lots, that we may know on whose account this evil has come upon us.” So they cast lots, and the lot fell on Jonah. 8 Then they said to him, “Tell us on whose account this evil has come upon us. What is your occupation? And where do you come from? What is your country? And of what people are you?” 9 And he said to them, “I am a Hebrew, and I fear the Lord, the God of heaven, who made the sea and the dry land.” 10 Then the men were exceedingly afraid and said to him, “What is this that you have done!” For the men knew that he was fleeing from the presence of the Lord, because he had told them.

11 Then they said to him, “What shall we do to you, that the sea may quiet down for us?” For the sea grew more and more tempestuous. 12 He said to them, “Pick me up and hurl me into the sea; then the sea will quiet down for you, for I know it is because of me that this great tempest has come upon you.” 13 Nevertheless, the men rowed hard to get back to dry land, but they could not, for the sea grew more and more tempestuous against them. 14 Therefore they called out to the Lord, “O Lord, let us not perish for this man's life, and lay not on us innocent blood, for you, O Lord, have done as it pleased you.” 15 So they picked up Jonah and hurled him into the sea, and the sea ceased from its raging. 16 Then the men feared the Lord exceedingly, and they offered a sacrifice to the Lord and made vows.

SERMON NOTES

The Strength of Love

Marco De Leon - Preaching & Teaching Pastor
Sunday, October 27th 2019

Song of Solomon 8:5-11

5 Who is that coming up from the wilderness,

leaning on her beloved?

Under the apple tree I awakened you.

There your mother was in labor with you;

there she who bore you was in labor.

6 Set me as a seal upon your heart,

as a seal upon your arm,

for love is strong as death,

jealous is fierce as the grave.

Its flashes are flashes of fire,

the very flame of the Lord.

7 Many waters cannot quench love,

neither can floods drown it.

If a man offered for love

all the wealth of his house,

he would be utterly despised.

Final Advice

Others

8 We have a little sister,

and she has no breasts.

What shall we do for our sister

on the day when she is spoken for?

9 If she is a wall,

we will build on her a battlement of silver,

but if she is a door,

we will enclose her with boards of cedar.

She

10 I was a wall,

and my breasts were like towers;

then I was in his eyes

as one who finds peace.

11 Solomon had a vineyard at Baal-hamon;

he let out the vineyard to keepers;

each one was to bring for its fruit a thousand pieces of silver.

SERMON NOTES

Getting Away Together

Marco De Leon - Preaching & Teaching Pastor
Sunday, October 20th 2019

Song of Solomon 7:11-8:4

The Bride Gives Her Love

11 Come, my beloved,

let us go out into the fields

and lodge in the villages;

12 let us go out early to the vineyards

and see whether the vines have budded,

whether the grape blossoms have opened

and the pomegranates are in bloom.

There I will give you my love.

13 The mandrakes give forth fragrance,

and beside our doors are all choice fruits,

new as well as old,

which I have laid up for you, O my beloved.

Longing for Her Beloved

1 Oh that you were like a brother to me

who nursed at my mother's breasts!

If I found you outside, I would kiss you,

and none would despise me.

2 I would lead you and bring you

into the house of my mother—

she who used to teach me.

I would give you spiced wine to drink,

the juice of my pomegranate.

3 His left hand is under my head,

and his right hand embraces me!

4 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem,

that you not stir up or awaken love

until it pleases.

SERMON NOTES

Becoming One Flesh

Marco De Leon - Preaching & Teaching Pastor
Sunday, September 29th 2019

Song of Solomon 3:6-5:1

Solomon Arrives for the Wedding

6 What is that coming up from the wildernesslike columns of smoke,perfumed with myrrh and frankincense,with all the fragrant powders of a merchant? 7 Behold, it is the litter of Solomon!Around it are sixty mighty men,some of the mighty men of Israel, 8 all of them wearing swordsand expert in war,each with his sword at his thigh,against terror by night. 9 King Solomon made himself a carriagefrom the wood of Lebanon. 10 He made its posts of silver,its back of gold, its seat of purple;its interior was inlaid with loveby the daughters of Jerusalem. 11 Go out, O daughters of Zion,and look upon King Solomon,with the crown with which his mother crowned himon the day of his wedding,on the day of the gladness of his heart.

Solomon Admires His Bride's Beauty

He

1 Behold, you are beautiful, my love,behold, you are beautiful!Your eyes are dovesbehind your veil.Your hair is like a flock of goatsleaping down the slopes of Gilead. 2 Your teeth are like a flock of shorn ewesthat have come up from the washing,all of which bear twins,and not one among them has lost its young. 3 Your lips are like a scarlet thread,and your mouth is lovely.Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranatebehind your veil. 4 Your neck is like the tower of David,built in rows of stone;on it hang a thousand shields,all of them shields of warriors. 5 Your two breasts are like two fawns,twins of a gazelle,that graze among the lilies. 6 Until the day breathesand the shadows flee,I will go away to the mountain of myrrhand the hill of frankincense. 7 You are altogether beautiful, my love;there is no flaw in you. 8 Come with me from Lebanon, my bride;come with me from Lebanon.Depart from the peak of Amana,from the peak of Senir and Hermon,from the dens of lions,from the mountains of leopards.

9 You have captivated my heart, my sister, my bride;you have captivated my heart with one glance of your eyes,with one jewel of your necklace. 10 How beautiful is your love, my sister, my bride!How much better is your love than wine,and the fragrance of your oils than any spice! 11 Your lips drip nectar, my bride;honey and milk are under your tongue;the fragrance of your garments is like the fragrance of Lebanon. 12 A garden locked is my sister, my bride,a spring locked, a fountain sealed. 13 Your shoots are an orchard of pomegranateswith all choicest fruits,henna with nard, 14 nard and saffron, calamus and cinnamon,with all trees of frankincense,myrrh and aloes,with all choice spices—15 a garden fountain, a well of living water,and flowing streams from Lebanon.

**16v Awake, O north wind,and come, O south wind!Blow upon my garden,let its spices flow.

Together in the Garden of Love

She

Let my beloved come to his garden,and eat its choicest fruits.

He

1 I came to my garden, my sister, my bride,I gathered my myrrh with my spice,I ate my honeycomb with my honey,I drank my wine with my milk.

Others

Eat, friends, drink,and be drunk with love!

SERMON NOTES

Catch The Foxes

Marco De Leon - Preaching & Teaching Pastor
Sunday, September 22nd 2019

Song of Solomon 2:8-3:5

The Bride Adores Her Beloved

8 The voice of my beloved! Behold, he comes, leaping over the mountains, bounding over the hills. 9 My beloved is like a gazelle or a young stag. Behold, there he stands behind our wall, gazing through the windows, looking through the lattice. 10 My beloved speaks and says to me: “Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away, 11 for behold, the winter is past; the rain is over and gone. 12 The flowers appear on the earth, the time of singing has come, and the voice of the turtledove is heard in our land. 13 The fig tree ripens its figs, and the vines are in blossom; they give forth fragrance. Arise, my love, my beautiful one, and come away. 14 O my dove, in the clefts of the rock, in the crannies of the cliff, let me see your face, let me hear your voice, for your voice is sweet, and your face is lovely. 15 Catch the foxes for us, the little foxes that spoil the vineyards, for our vineyards are in blossom.”

16 My beloved is mine, and I am his; he grazes among the lilies. 17 Until the day breathes and the shadows flee, turn, my beloved, be like a gazelle or a young stag on cleft mountains.

The Bride's Dream

3 On my bed by night I sought him whom my soul loves; I sought him, but found him not. 2 I will rise now and go about the city, in the streets and in the squares; I will seek him whom my soul loves. I sought him, but found him not. 3 The watchmen found me as they went about in the city. “Have you seen him whom my soul loves?” 4 Scarcely had I passed them when I found him whom my soul loves. I held him, and would not let him go until I had brought him into my mother's house, and into the chamber of her who conceived me. 5 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or the does of the field, that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases.

SERMON NOTES

Anticipation

Marco De Leon - Preaching & Teaching Pastor
Sunday, September 15th 2019

Song of Solomon 1:1-2:7

1 The Song of Songs, which is Solomon's.

The Bride Confesses Her Love

She

2 Let him kiss me with the kisses of his mouth!For your love is better than wine; 3 your anointing oils are fragrant;your name is oil poured out; therefore virgins love you. 4 Draw me after you; let us run. The king has brought me into his chambers.

Others

We will exult and rejoice in you; we will extol your love more than wine; rightly do they love you.

She

5 I am very dark, but lovely, O daughters of Jerusalem,like the tents of Kedar, like the curtains of Solomon. 6 Do not gaze at me because I am dark, because the sun has looked upon me.My mother's sons were angry with me; they made me keeper of the vineyards, but my own vineyard I have not kept! 7 Tell me, you whom my soul loves, where you pasture your flock, where you make it lie down at noon;for why should I be like one who veils herself beside the flocks of your companions?

Solomon and His Bride Delight in Each Other

He

8 If you do not know, O most beautiful among women,follow in the tracks of the flock, and pasture your young goats beside the shepherds' tents.

9 I compare you, my love, to a mare among Pharaoh's chariots. 10 Your cheeks are lovely with ornaments, your neck with strings of jewels.

Others

11 We will make for you ornaments of gold, studded with silver.

She

12 While the king was on his couch, my nard gave forth its fragrance. 13 My beloved is to me a sachet of myrrh that lies between my breasts. 14 My beloved is to me a cluster of henna blossoms in the vineyards of Engedi.

He

15 Behold, you are beautiful, my love; behold, you are beautiful; your eyes are doves.

She

16 Behold, you are beautiful, my beloved, truly delightful.Our couch is green; 17 the beams of our house are cedar; our rafters are pine.

1 I am a rose of Sharon, a lily of the valleys.

He

2 As a lily among brambles, so is my love among the young women.

She

3 As an apple tree among the trees of the forest, so is my beloved among the young men.With great delight I sat in his shadow, and his fruit was sweet to my taste. 4 He brought me to the banqueting house, and his banner over me was love. 5 Sustain me with raisins; refresh me with apples, for I am sick with love. 6 His left hand is under my head, and his right hand embraces me! 7 I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, by the gazelles or the does of the field,that you not stir up or awaken love until it pleases.

SERMON NOTES

The Resurrection of the Body & Life Everlasting

Marco De Leon - Preaching & Teaching Pastor
Sunday, September 8th 2019

1 Corinthians 15:12-26

12 Now if Christ is proclaimed as raised from the dead, how can some of you say that there is no resurrection of the dead? 13 But if there is no resurrection of the dead, then not even Christ has been raised. 14 And if Christ has not been raised, then our preaching is in vain and your faith is in vain. 15 We are even found to be misrepresenting God, because we testified about God that he raised Christ, whom he did not raise if it is true that the dead are not raised. 16 For if the dead are not raised, not even Christ has been raised. 17 And if Christ has not been raised, your faith is futile and you are still in your sins. 18 Then those also who have fallen asleep in Christ have perished. 19 If in Christ we have hope in this life only, we are of all people most to be pitied.

20 But in fact Christ has been raised from the dead, the firstfruits of those who have fallen asleep. 21 For as by a man came death, by a man has come also the resurrection of the dead. 22 For as in Adam all die, so also in Christ shall all be made alive. 23 But each in his own order: Christ the firstfruits, then at his coming those who belong to Christ. 24 Then comes the end, when he delivers the kingdom to God the Father after destroying every rule and every authority and power. 25 For he must reign until he has put all his enemies under his feet. 26 The last enemy to be destroyed is death.

SERMON NOTES

The Holy Catholic Church & Communion of Saints

Marco De Leon - Preaching & Teaching Pastor
Sunday, August 25th 2019

Matthew 16:13-19

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?” 16 Simon Peter replied, “You are the Christ, the Son of the living God.” 17 And Jesus answered him, “Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah! For flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but my Father who is in heaven. 18 And I tell you, you are Peter, and on this rock I will build my church, and the gates of hell shall not prevail against it. 19 I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth shall be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth shall be loosed in heaven.”

SERMON NOTES

The Holy Spirit

Marco De Leon - Preaching & Teaching Pastor
Sunday, August 18th 2019

John 16:7-15

7 Nevertheless, I tell you the truth: it is to your advantage that I go away, for if I do not go away, the Helper will not come to you. But if I go, I will send him to you. 8 And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: 9 concerning sin, because they do not believe in me; 10 concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; 11 concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged.

12 “I still have many things to say to you, but you cannot bear them now. 13 When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you. 15 All that the Father has is mine; therefore I said that he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

SERMON NOTES

He Descended to the Dead

Marco De Leon - Preaching & Teaching Pastor
Sunday, July 28th 2019

John 19:28-30

28 After this, Jesus, knowing that all was now finished, said (to fulfill the Scripture), “I thirst.” 29 A jar full of sour wine stood there, so they put a sponge full of the sour wine on a hyssop branch and held it to his mouth. 30 When Jesus had received the sour wine, he said, “It is finished,” and he bowed his head and gave up his spirit.

SERMON NOTES

He He Was Crucified

Marco De Leon - Preaching & Teaching Pastor
Sunday, July 21st 2019

1 Peter 2:24-25

24 He himself bore our sins in his body on the tree, that we might die to sin and live to righteousness. By his wounds you have been healed. 25 For you were straying like sheep, but have now returned to the Shepherd and Overseer of your souls.

SERMON NOTES

Born of the Virgin Mary

Marco De Leon - Preaching & Teaching Pastor
Sunday, July 14th 2019

Luke 1:26-38

26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

SERMON NOTES

Jesus Christ, Our Lord

Marco De Leon - Preaching & Teaching Pastor
Sunday, July 7th 2019

Matthew 16:13-15

13 Now when Jesus came into the district of Caesarea Philippi, he asked his disciples, “Who do people say that the Son of Man is?” 14 And they said, “Some say John the Baptist, others say Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets.” 15 He said to them, “But who do you say that I am?”

SERMON NOTES

God, the Father Almighty

Marco De Leon - Preaching & Teaching Pastor
Sunday, June 30th 2019

1 Corinthians 8:4-6

4 Therefore, as to the eating of food offered to idols, we know that “an idol has no real existence,” and that “there is no God but one.” 5 For although there may be so-called gods in heaven or on earth—as indeed there are many “gods” and many “lords”— 6 yet for us there is one God, the Father, from whom are all things and for whom we exist, and one Lord, Jesus Christ, through whom are all things and through whom we exist.