Sunday-AM-Sermons

Dr. Clifton Black – The Life of Christ – 9

020214AM2 from Mountain Grove Church on Vimeo.

There are certain things we all know in life. You don’t tug on Superman’s cape. You don’t spit into the wind. You don’t try to remove the mask of the Lone Ranger. And? I suggest we don’t always know as much as we think we do. And sometimes we miss the obvious.

Here in John 3, Jesus reveals something that is an essential truth of life. So much so, that to miss it is to miss everything.
If you don’t get this one right you will never go anywhere Spiritually in life.

The Lord Jesus had turned the water into wine at a wedding in Cana of Galilee. He had done many wonderful miracles in Capernaum, and the fame and reputation of this man had filled the land in just a few short weeks. He had journeyed to Jerusalem for the Passover season at the first of His ministry, and it was here that we have the occasion for the conversation between Nicodemus and Our Lord.

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Dr. Clifton Black – The Life of Christ – 8

011914AM2 from Mountain Grove Church on Vimeo.

You have seen the commercials showing someone with a mouth full of cookies, as the question was asked: “Got milk?” Well, the question in the story we have read today was: “Got wine?” And the answer was: “No!” The wine was gone. A miracle was needed to save the family, and the new couple, the ultimate embarrassment of not being able to provide enough for their friends. They would be forever remembered in this small village as the ones who failed to take care of the needs of their guests. The supply of wine was already running low when Jesus and his five new disciples showed up. They had been invited, but it was putting an added strain on the diminishing supply of wine.

The presence of Christ seemed to have caused a problem, but in reality, it was His presence that met a pressing need.

The greatest fact about our Worship Service today is not the fact that I am here and that you are here. But the greatest fact of the hour is that Jesus Christ Himself is here! But how do we know that He is here? Do you feel His presence? Maybe. Do you sense His presence? Maybe. Do you see any evidence of His presence? Maybe. We know that He is here because He promised to be here, as seen in Matthew 18:20, “For where two or three are gathered together in My name, I am there in the midst of them.”

Want to hear other exciting messages by Dr. Clifton Black? Listen to more here.

Dr. Clifton Black – The Life of Christ – 7

011914AM2 from Mountain Grove Church on Vimeo.

When Christ started His campaign of world conquest, it was needful for Him to select His staff officers. There were plenty of students with high foreheads, and intellectual faces, and refined tastes, in Rome and Jerusalem. Christ might have called into His places of leadership twelve bookworms, or twelve orators, or twelve artists. Instead, He took a group of twelve ordinary men who had never made a speech, never taken a lesson in dramatics, and had never been sick enough to look delicate.

One was a former Zealot – a radical, determined to overthrow Roman rule. Another has been a tax collector – virtually a traitor to the Jewish nation and in collusion with Rome. At least four, and possibly seven were fishermen and close friends and family from Capernaum. And yet, with all their faults and character flaws, these remarkably ordinary men carried on a ministry after Jesus’ ascension that has left an indelible impact on the world. Their ministry continues to influence us even today.

He chose these particular men, also, because they were used to hard knocks. The man who cannot stand assaults is not fit for the ministry. In other words, the ministry is no place for ecclesiastical doll-babies.

In our text, Jesus boards the boat with one of those bronzed fishermen – Simon by name. This fisherman has been sweeping his net all night long, and had taken nothing as a result. “Push out,” says Christ; “what is the use of hugging the shore in this boat?” The Sea of Galilee was twelve miles long and six miles wide, and therefore, Christ gives the command to Simon Peter, “Launch out into the deep.”

Want to hear other exciting messages by Dr. Clifton Black? Listen to more here.

Dr. Clifton Black – The Life of Christ – 6

011214AM2 from Mountain Grove Church on Vimeo.

Immediately after the exalted experience of hearing His Father’s approval voiced from heaven, Jesus went into the desert to confront His greatest enemy – at stake were the souls of men and the kingdom of God. The struggle involved two very real persons. One is the pure, sinless human nature of Jesus Christ, God incarnate. The other is Satan, the head and ruler of a dark kingdom of evil. And so, on the heels of spiritual ecstasy Jesus was plunged into a spiritual struggle against sin!

Temptation is not new to man. Ever since Adam, men and women, boys and girls have faced temptations to do evil. It is not a sin to be tempted, but it is a sin to yield to temptation. The songwriter accurately counseled: “Yield not to temptation, for yielding is sin.”

As a true man, Jesus had to experience temptation just as His human brothers and sisters. The Bible tells us in Hebrews 4:15 that “Christ was in all points tempted like as we are, yet without sin.” He experienced the same kinds of temptations that you and I do. Consequently, He knows our struggles against sin and He sympathizes with our conflict against evil. Because He endured the same testing, He is able to lead us compassionately through our temptations.

Want to hear other exciting messages by Dr. Clifton Black? Listen to more here.

Dr. Clifton Black – The Life of Christ – 5

The Christ Series 5: The Baptism Of Jesus from Mountain Grove Church on Vimeo.

In our last study we looked at as much of Jesus’ childhood that we have revealed to us in Scripture. We don’t really know much about the life of Jesus other than the fact that His official ministry began when He was about 30 years of age. Until then, He was a carpenter by trade, a student of the Word…spiritually preparing for the big tasks ahead.

Now a career change is in order. Jesus moves from the training of His stepfather to the business of His Heavenly Father. He’ll trade in His woodworking tools and become a rebuilder of human hearts, as He carves out a way of escape for hell bound mankind.

Visualize Jesus as He, knowing it is time to begin working full time for His Heavenly Father, stands in his stepfather’s woodworking shop for the final time. Can you see Him sweeping up the wood shavings on the floor for the last time? Can you see Him standing the broom by the doorway and looking back? Can you smell the cedar and sawdust?

What memories must have flooded his mind. Perhaps memories of Joseph wrapping his huge hands around the tiny hands of a small boy, anxious to learn how to use a saw, pound a hammer, plane a piece of wood. Or, memories of conversations with Joseph as they shared their sack lunches…laughter, and good times. Possibly the reminder of His dad saying, “Good job on that table top, Jesus.”

Want to hear other exciting messages by Dr. Clifton Black? Listen to more here.