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

Romantic Pursuit

Chris Elliott - Executive Pastor
Logos Community Church, Harlingen
Sunday, October 13th 2019

Song of Solomon 6:4-7:9

Solomon and His Bride Delight in Each Other

He

4 You are beautiful as Tirzah, my love, lovely as Jerusalem, awesome as an army with banners. 5 Turn away your eyes from me, for they overwhelm me— Your hair is like a flock of goats leaping down the slopes of Gilead. 6 Your teeth are like a flock of ewes that have come up from the washing; all of them bear twins; not one among them has lost its young. 7 Your cheeks are like halves of a pomegranate behind your veil. 8 There are sixty queens and eighty concubines, and virgins without number. 9 My dove, my perfect one, is the only one, the only one of her mother, pure to her who bore her. The young women saw her and called her blessed; the queens and concubines also, and they praised her. 10 “Who is this who looks down like the dawn, beautiful as the moon, bright as the sun, awesome as an army with banners?”

She

11 I went down to the nut orchard to look at the blossoms of the valley, to see whether the vines had budded, whether the pomegranates were in bloom. 12 Before I was aware, my desire set me among the chariots of my kinsman, a prince.

Others

13 Return, return, O Shulammite, return, return, that we may look upon you.

He

Why should you look upon the Shulammite, as upon a dance before two armies?

1 How beautiful are your feet in sandals, O noble daughter! Your rounded thighs are like jewels, the work of a master hand. 2 Your navel is a rounded bowl that never lacks mixed wine. Your belly is a heap of wheat, encircled with lilies. 3 Your two breasts are like two fawns, twins of a gazelle.

4 Your neck is like an ivory tower. Your eyes are pools in Heshbon, by the gate of Bath-rabbim. Your nose is like a tower of Lebanon, which looks toward Damascus.

5 Your head crowns you like Carmel, and your flowing locks are like purple; a king is held captive in the tresses. 6 How beautiful and pleasant you are, O loved one, with all your delights! 7 Your stature is like a palm tree, and your breasts are like its clusters. 8 I say I will climb the palm tree and lay hold of its fruit. Oh may your breasts be like clusters of the vine, and the scent of your breath like apples, 9 and your mouth like the best wine.

She

It goes down smoothly for my beloved, gliding over lips and teeth.

Selfish Lovers

Nathanael Sommers - Missions Director
Sunday, October 6th 2019

Song of Solomon 5:2-6:3

The Bride Searches for Her Beloved

She

2 I slept, but my heart was awake. A sound! My beloved is knocking. “Open to me, my sister, my love, my dove, my perfect one, for my head is wet with dew, my locks with the drops of the night.” 3 I had put off my garment; how could I put it on? I had bathed my feet; how could I soil them? 4 My beloved put his hand to the latch, and my heart was thrilled within me. 5 I arose to open to my beloved, and my hands dripped with myrrh, my fingers with liquid myrrh, on the handles of the bolt. 6 I opened to my beloved, but my beloved had turned and gone. My soul failed me when he spoke. I sought him, but found him not; I called him, but he gave no answer. 7 The watchmen found me as they went about in the city; they beat me, they bruised me, they took away my veil, those watchmen of the walls. **8v I adjure you, O daughters of Jerusalem, if you find my beloved, that you tell him I am sick with love.

Others

9 What is your beloved more than another beloved, O most beautiful among women? What is your beloved more than another beloved, that you thus adjure us?

The Bride Praises Her Beloved

She

10 My beloved is radiant and ruddy, distinguished among ten thousand. 11 His head is the finest gold; his locks are wavy, black as a raven. 12 His eyes are like doves beside streams of water, bathed in milk, sitting beside a full pool. 13 His cheeks are like beds of spices, mounds of sweet-smelling herbs. His lips are lilies, dripping liquid myrrh. 14 His arms are rods of gold, set with jewels. His body is polished ivory, bedecked with sapphires. 15 His legs are alabaster columns, set on bases of gold. His appearance is like Lebanon, choice as the cedars. 16 His mouth is most sweet, and he is altogether desirable. This is my beloved and this is my friend, O daughters of Jerusalem.

Others

1 Where has your beloved gone, O most beautiful among women? Where has your beloved turned, that we may seek him with you?

Together in the Garden of Love

She

2 My beloved has gone down to his garden to the beds of spices, to graze in the gardens and to gather lilies. 3 I am my beloved's and my beloved is mine; he grazes among the lilies.

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 Apostles’ Creed is a statement of beliefs rooted in the apostles’ teachings that has been recited by Christians for centuries. It has helped to unify Christians and remains relevant even in our lives today.

Join us as we dive into this statement of faith that our church believes; learn why we believe it and how to apply these beliefs in a life of informed, active and practicing discipleship.

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 Forgiveness of Sins

Josh Guerrero - Church Planting Pastor
Refuge Community Church, Austin
Sunday, September 1st 2019

Ephesians 1:7-10

7 In him we have redemption through his blood, the forgiveness of our trespasses, according to the riches of his grace, 8 which he lavished upon us, in all wisdom and insight 9 making known to us the mystery of his will, according to his purpose, which he set forth in Christ 10 as a plan for the fullness of time, to unite all things in him, things in heaven and things on earth.

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 Will Judge the Living and the Dead

Al Johnson - Lead Pastor
The Well Community Church, San Antonio
Sunday, August 11th 2019

Matthew 25:31-46

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, then he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 Before him will be gathered all the nations, and he will separate people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 And he will place the sheep on his right, but the goats on the left. 34 Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father, inherit the kingdom prepared for you from the foundation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me food, I was thirsty and you gave me drink, I was a stranger and you welcomed me, 36 I was naked and you clothed me, I was sick and you visited me, I was in prison and you came to me.’ 37 Then the righteous will answer him, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you drink? 38 And when did we see you a stranger and welcome you, or naked and clothe you? 39 And when did we see you sick or in prison and visit you?’ 40 And the King will answer them, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did it to one of the least of these my brothers, you did it to me.’

41 “Then he will say to those on his left, ‘Depart from me, you cursed, into the eternal fire prepared for the devil and his angels. 42 For I was hungry and you gave me no food, I was thirsty and you gave me no drink, 43 I was a stranger and you did not welcome me, naked and you did not clothe me, sick and in prison and you did not visit me.’ 44 Then they also will answer, saying, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry or thirsty or a stranger or naked or sick or in prison, and did not minister to you?’ 45 Then he will answer them, saying, ‘Truly, I say to you, as you did not do it to one of the least of these, you did not do it to me.’ 46 And these will go away into eternal punishment, but the righteous into eternal life.”

SERMON NOTES

Christ Ascended

Nathanael Sommers - Missions Director
Sunday, August 4th 2019

Acts 2:32-39

32 This Jesus God raised up, and of that we all are witnesses. 33 Being therefore exalted at the right hand of God, and having received from the Father the promise of the Holy Spirit, he has poured out this that you yourselves are seeing and hearing. 34 For David did not ascend into the heavens, but he himself says,

“‘The Lord said to my Lord,
“Sit at my right hand,
35     until I make your enemies your footstool.”’

36 Let all the house of Israel therefore know for certain that God has made him both Lord and Christ, this Jesus whom you crucified.”

37 Now when they heard this they were cut to the heart, and said to Peter and the rest of the apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” 38 And Peter said to them, “Repent and be baptized every one of you in the name of Jesus Christ for the forgiveness of your sins, and you will receive the gift of the Holy Spirit. 39 For the promise is for you and for your children and for all who are far off, everyone whom the Lord our God calls to himself.”

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