Watermark Bible Church, Portsmouth, Virginia

Sometimes we point to an athlete or entertainer and say there’s no comparison to that person. The reality is that a comparison can be made. However, in the case of Jesus there truly is no one like him. We’ll see that as we continue our sub-series, Jesus, this Sunday.

In many cases the way something begins tells you a lot about it’s future. As we continue our sub-series, Jesus, this Sunday we will see how he began his ministry. The way it started demonstrated his kingdom would be one marked by everlasting joy. I hope you’ll join us the Sunday. You’ll surely be encouraged by the foundational roots of Jesus’ ministry.

This Sunday we have a big reveal instore as we share the new name for our church fellowship. We’re excited with what God is doing in the life and ministry of our church. We are prayerfully anticipating the great things He will do through our faithfulness. This Sunday we will also see another big reveal – the birth announcement of the eternally good king. While our new name is important, there is one name that stands above them all – the name of Jesus.

This week we come to the end of the Old Testament in our series Long Story Short. One of the dominant themes that we’ve seen time and time again is humanity’s brokenness. Even when there seems to be seasons of prosperity the cycle downward soon repeats. We’ll see all of that this week and the hope that the eternally good king is coming.

Have you ever wondered how could God be present in this? Or, where is God now? Most of us have experienced times where God seems absent. As we continue our series, Long Story Short, we come to a book where God’s name is in fact, absent. He’s not mentioned even once. The story continues not in Jerusalem but in Persia, a place the Jews should have left to return home. This week we’ll see that even when God seems absent, He is most gloriously present.

Have you ever waited a long time for something? Sometimes, that sense of anticipation can make whatever you are waiting for seem that much more special. As we continue our series, Long Story Short, after 70 years of exile the Jewish people are allowed to return home. However, their return might not have gone the way you and I would have anticipated. Join us this Sunday. I’m very excited to have Darrel Taylor guide us through the beginning of Israel’s return home.

Have you ever received a message that just didn’t make complete sense? Maybe you tried to figure it out and asked some questions, but if the answers don’t come generally, you forget it. As we continue our series, Long Story Short, we are in the time of the Babylonian exile. We are often drawn to Daniel and his life, but it’s his visions that in many ways push the grand narrative of Scripture forward. Those visions can be difficult to understand and often set aside.

Growing up, when you did something wrong, did you have one parent who you’d rather find out first? Did you have one parent who was more strict and another who was little more lenient? Maybe your kids would say something similar about you and your spouse. Most of us tend to lean towards either justice or mercy. The truth is we need both, but only God handles the tension of justice and mercy perfectly.

Have you ever played the comparison game? We’ve all been there with a sibling, a neighbor, a coworker – someone. Well, as we continue our series, Long Story Short, we see this divided kingdom actually looks a lot of like. Isaiah would even say that all of humanity compares pretty evenly, but he also points to a future king who is not like the rest of us.

Some things in life seem impossible. Maybe you have a situation in you’re life right now that seems impossible. You’re not sure who to call or who will call you back. As we continue our series in Long Story Short, we enter a period of history where God’s promises might seem impossible. Evil and idol worship are rampant. God’s people have largely turned their backs on him. But God does the impossible, you have to see how He did it