Sermons by Jonathan Black (Page 4)
The Judgement of the Worldwide Flood (37 mins)
Jonathan Black preaches on the judgment of the flood in the days of Noah. After some introductory remarks about Genesis, he looks at the period, pronouncement, purpose and prophecy of the flood. The Bible is clear – man’s sin caused God to judge the world with a global flood with only 8 people saved in the ark. Lessons are drawn from how God dealt with Enoch, Methusaleh and Noah and his family (Message preached 28th Oct 2018)
You Must Be Born Again (48 mins)
After giving some general remarks about John’s gospel, Jonathan Black expounds the first 17 verses of John Chapter 3. This is the key New Testament passage from which we can learn about the nature and need of the new birth. Some questions answered in this message include: What does it mean to be “born of water and the Spirit”?; Is baptism anything to do with “regeneration”?; Is the “world” of John 3:16 “the world of the elect” or “the whole…
Christ the King (46 mins)
Jonathan Black preaches on the topic of Christ’s office as King – the requirement of a King (His times); the royal house of the King (His tribe); the record of the King (His titles); the rejection of the King (His trial) and the reign of the King (His throne). He explains why the Bible never describes Christ as the “king of the Church” and draws a distinction between the Father’s throne, on which Christ now sits in heaven, and David’s…
Outside the Camp (45 mins)
Jonathan Black preaches on the subject of “ecclesiastical separation” from Hebrews 13:9-16, highlighting the exhortation to Christians to come “outside the camp”. He applies these words about the ancient camp of Judaism to the need for believers and assemblies today be separate from the religious confusion and error of the ecumenical movement – notably the World Council of Churches and “Churches Together” (Message preached 31st May 2018)
The Dangers to Marriage (53 mins)
PREPARING FOR MARRIAGE – Jonathan Black preaches on the dangers to marriage under 4 headings: Celebration, Communication, Contamination and Consecration. In a very practical message he deals with essential topics such as language, love and leadership. Warnings are given about adultery, abuse, alcohol and addiction (to gambling, gaming and pornography). Finally couples are urged to put consecration to God first. Readings in Luke 1:5-6, John 2:1-2 and 1 Pet 3:1-7 (Message given Apr 19th 2018)
Applying the Bible (50 mins)
Jonathan Black preaches on how to live out the Bible in one’s life. The Word of God is our sole guide. It informs our circumstances, our service and our worship – which will only be scriptural if we submit to God’s Word. He expands on worship to discuss Contemportary Christian Music (CCM) which is unfitting for 4 reasons. It borrows worldly rhythms, it is ecumenical in its message, it is assocated with the charismatic movement, and it employs unscriptural lyrics.…
Jonathan Black’s Testimony of Salvation (18 mins)
Jonathan Black relates the story of his conversion to Christ at the age of 19. Raised in a Christian family, Jonathan said he was saved at 10 years of age. Despite an initial burst of enthusiasm, his life evidenced no long-term change and he ended up in his late teens a thoroughly worldly young man enjoying the pleasures of the world. However, God graciously worked in his life. He was truly saved one day while sitting in his car at…
The Christian and Temptation (49 mins)
Jonathan Black preaches on the topic of ‘temptation to sin’ under three headings: the order of temptation (from Gen 3:1-7); overcoming the temptation of Egypt (1 Cor 10:1-13) and Christ the great overcomer (from Luke 4:1-4). He outlines the strategy of Satan from Eden onwards, as well as the role of the world and the flesh in the solemn matter of temptation, finishing with some comments on a vital NT verse, Romans 13:14 (Message preached 1st Mar 2018)
Which Bible Translation Should I Use? (45 mins)
Jonathan Black speaks on the topic of English Bible translations and how to use and evaluate them with wisdom and care. He discusses numerous issues including faithfulness to the Greek and Hebrew scriptures, the use of italics, doctrinal soundness and accuracy of translation. He gives a number of examples of variation in translation – some good and some bad – and makes a number of suggestions to guide believers in this important area (Message preached 25th Feb 2018)
Christ our Great High Priest (49 mins)
Jonathan Black preaches on the topic of Christ as our Great High Priest under 6 headings: the office, the order, the oath, the offerer, the offering and the outcome. Basing his remarks on the epistle to the Hebrews, Jonathan explains that Christ is priest “after the pattern of Aaron” and after “the order of Melchizedek”. Christ’s death was a priestly offering, offered by our Great High Priest, once for all, in the completed value of which He entered once into…
Christ in Philippians (44 mins)
Jonathan Black preaches on “Christ in the epistle to the Philippians”. He takes Paul’s expression from Chapter 3 – “that I may know Christ” – as his theme, and expounds Paul’s outline of the person of Christ as He is presented in the epistle – as the purpose, pattern, power and prospect for the Christian’s life. This message reorients our focus in the right direction as to the right motive for the Christian’s life and service (Message preached 9th Nov…
Mary and Martha (44 mins)
Jonathan Black preaches on Mary and Martha, the sisters of Lazarus, who lived in Bethany near Jerusalem at the time of Christ. This is a practical and challenging message about the Christian home, hospitality, holiness, personal devotion, Bible Reading and worship. Jonathan encourages his audience to take time to “sit at Christ’s feet”, despite all the distractions of the present day (Message preached 5th Nov 2017)
Naomi, Ruth and Orpah (43 mins)
Jonathan Black preaches on Naomi, Ruth and Orpah. Naomi – a triumph of grace in restoration; Ruth – a trophy of grace in redemption; Orpah – a tragedy regarding grace, in rejection. After an interesting introduction about the remarkable inclusion of unexpected women in the genealogy of Christ in Matthew 1, Jonathan brings a practical and helpful line of teaching from the book of Ruth (Message preached 1st Oct 2017)
The Battle of the Ages (42 mins)
Jonathan Black preaches on the battle of the ages between “the woman’s seed” and “the devil’s seed”. He starts at Gen 3:15 (the Bible’s first prophecy) and works his way through to the book of Revelation, demonstrating that despite the unrelenting and frequent attempts of Satan to attack and destroy “the woman’s seed”, Christ’s eventual and total triumph is sure and certain (Message preached May 4th 2017)
Why the Family Matters (53 mins)
Jonathan Black preaches on the importance of the family. It matters to our Creator, to our Saviour, to the individual Christian and to the assembly. From Ephesians 5 Jonathan speaks of affection, authority and attitudes in the family. He gives sound and very practical advice about marriage and the raising of children, and makes some particularly helpful observations about how to preserve the home in our media and technology saturated world (Message preached 20th Aug 2015)