Harmony Christian Church

Briefing Document: Themes and Insights from "The Spirit of the Honey Badger"

Executive Summary

The source material explores the concept of spiritual readiness through the lens of the Apostle Paul’s final exhortations in 2 Timothy. The central thesis posits that while individuals—particularly men—are naturally wired to prepare for physical threats (symbolized by the "honey badger" or "Rottweiler"), they are often woefully unprepared for spiritual challenges.

The document outlines three critical takeaways:

The Political Nature of the Gospel: In the first-century Roman context, the "Good News" (euangelion) was a subversive political statement identifying Jesus, not Caesar, as the true King.
The Believer as the "Rescue Plan": The mission of the church is not localized to the clergy but is the responsibility of individual believers who encounter people in crisis in their daily lives.
A Framework for Preparation: Spiritual readiness is achieved through identifying one's purpose, engaging in communal accountability ("circles, not rows"), and committing to a three-fold process of discipleship: dying to self, living by faith, and knowing the heart of Jesus.

The Context of Preparedness

Physical vs. Spiritual Readiness

The narrative begins with an analysis of human instincts regarding danger. Using the "honey badger" as a metaphor for unexpected threats, the source notes that people often engage in "guy code"—theoretical discussions on how to survive animal attacks or positioning themselves in restaurants to face the door.

This instinctual preparation for physical danger stands in stark contrast to spiritual passivity. The source cites a tragedy in Kansas where a school bus driver failed to intervene during a fatal Rottweiler attack on a student, using it as a cautionary tale: many individuals do not know how they will react when "the rubber hits the road" spiritually.

The Prison Cell Perspective

The mandate for spiritual readiness is framed by the Apostle Paul’s circumstances while writing 2 Timothy.

Status: Paul was a political dissident, not a common criminal.
Environment: Writing from a prison cell with minimal light, likely using charcoal and scraps.
Stakes: Paul was facing imminent execution (beheading), a "privilege" reserved for Roman citizens.

Despite these "monsters," Paul’s instruction to Timothy remained: "Preach the word; be prepared in season and out of season."

The Subversive Power of the Euangelion

The document provides a historical and linguistic analysis of the term "Good News" (Greek: euangelion).

Imperial Context: In 8 BC, an inscription regarding Caesar Augustus used euangelion to announce the birth of a "savior of the world" and a god.
Christian Subversion: When early Christians used the term to describe Jesus, they were making a direct political challenge to Roman authority.
The Meaning of "Christ": The title "Christ" literally means "King." By proclaiming the euangelion of Jesus the Christ, Paul was announcing a new King whose kingdom was based on the "rule and reign in the hearts of humans" rather than geography.

The Mandate for Readiness: "In and Out of Season"

Using the analogy of basketball in Kentucky—where the "season" is effectively year-round—the source argues that spiritual readiness must be constant.

The Methodology of the Body

Paul’s instructions for spiritual engagement include three specific actions:

Correct: Providing necessary adjustment to others.
Rebuke: Offering firm warnings when needed.
Encourage: Providing deep support and motivation.

These actions must be delivered with "great patience and careful instruction."

The "Hot Potato" Phenomenon

The source identifies a common failure in spiritual readiness termed "hot potato." In this scenario, God "passes the ball" (an opportunity to share faith or provide support) to a believer, but the believer immediately passes it away out of fear or lack of preparation instead of "shooting" (taking the opportunity).

The Individual as God’s "Rescue Plan"

A primary theme of the document is the decentralization of ministry. The source asserts that the individual believer—not the pastor—is God’s rescue plan for their specific sphere of influence.

The Limitations of the Clergy: Pastors are not present in secular workplaces (e.g., a Toyota factory floor), in private meetings, or in classrooms where people are experiencing crises like divorce or abuse.
The Great Commission: In Matthew 28:18-20, the "imperative" is to make disciples. This is achieved through three supporting actions: going, baptizing, and teaching.

Framework for Spiritual Preparation

To move from passivity to readiness, the source outlines three essential disciplines:

DisciplineDescriptionBiblical ReferenceFind Your PurposeRecognizing oneself as God’s "handiwork" created for specific "good works."Ephesians 2:10Find Your PeopleTransitioning from "rows" (passive church attendance) to "circles" (community groups) for accountability and correction.Hebrews 10Grow as a DiscipleEngaging in the three-fold process of spiritual maturity (see below).N/AThe Three Pillars of Discipleship

Die to Self: This involves "crucifying" sin. The source argues that people struggle with sin because they "like it" and treat it as a "little savior" for a temporary fix. Dying to self means admitting this attraction and choosing to end it.
Live by Faith: This is defined as a practical shift in internal dialogue. Instead of self-talk regarding worries, the believer adds "God" or "Jesus" to their thoughts, turning inner dialogue into a constant prayer life.
Learn the Heart of Jesus: Head knowledge of the Bible can lead to "Phariseeism." True discipleship requires knowing Jesus’ heart—specifically his sacrifice.

Conclusion: The Reality of the Sacrifice

The document concludes by emphasizing the visceral reality of the Crucifixion to illustrate why knowing the "heart of Jesus" is paramount. Jesus’ death is described as a transition from complete purity to becoming "all of the world's sin all at once," experiencing the weight of every human atrocity.

The ultimate goal of spiritual preparation is not to become a biblical scholar but to be "dumb enough to shoot"—to act on faith when the opportunity arises, regardless of formal training or perceived status. The source illustrates this with a personal anecdote of a 17-year-old on a BMX bike leading a friend to baptism, proving that the power of the "rescue plan" depends on God's authority, not the believer's expertise.

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FACEBOOK COPY: Who are we letting close enough to carry our armor? 💔🤝 This week, Kent dives into betrayal, trust, and building real heart-and-soul friendships.

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OPENING:

When I was in my early 30’s I had developed a friendship with a guy in our church. I shared deeply intimate things with this guy about my weaknesses, my pain, my dreams, my inadequacies. Do you guys have someone like that? Like someone I could sing the golden girls theme song with: A “Confidant” [start singing the golden girls theme]…

We hung out all the time, he influenced lots of stuff I did and I kept bringing him in closer and closer into my circle. Until eventually I invited him to be a part of the leadership of the church I was at.

You ever have something just 100% blind side you? This guy blind sided me. We were in one of our leadership meetings and he said, “I don’t think Kent should be leading…” my stomach dropped, I was like, “what in the world is going on” He proceeded to tell them all the things I had shared with him as insecurities that I had told him as a friend. It was gut wrenching. As a young man who felt in over his head, this guy was throwing me under the bus - I found out later he just wanted to gain control of the church for himself, thankfully the other leaders at the time saw through it and it didn’t happen.

But something it made me realize is

Who we let into our closest circle of friends matters more than we know.

The temptation, after a betrayal is to “never let anyone get close to me again…” Ever felt that?

Honestly, there are lots of people living that life…

They are completely alone on purpose

-a family member betrayed them and left them hurting

-a pastor who they looked up to failed and they decided they’d never let themselves be hurt like that again

-Friend after friend abandoned you so you decided a wall was better than a door…

You can make it through life like that, but you were created for deep meaningful relationships with others.

the first thing God ever said wasn’t good in the creation story was not spiders, it wasn’t the duck billed platypus, it wasn’t the smell of sulfur, listen to what it was.

Genesis 2:18

18 The Lord God said, “It is not good for the man to be alone.

You were created for community. It’s all through the scriptures, even to the point that when Jesus left the earth what He left you other people.

People are the only thing from this reality that will continue to the next.

So, especially for those of you who have convinced yourself you can’t have a good relationship or for those of you who have resigned to just never have a deep relationship,

What does it look like to have a circle of around us who we can count on?

I want to tell you a story to show you, then I want to give you 3 things to think about… ready?

Before King David in the bible there was a King named King Saul and his son, Jonathon. During Saul’s entire reign there was a constant battle with the Philistines. A constant war. They were being oppressed, think of the Russians to the Ukrainians. So much so that Saul and Jonathon were the only ones with true weapons because the Philistines had gotten rid of all the blacksmiths in Israel, it was a genius move. No blacksmiths, no weapons…

Jonathon leaves the encampment like a young man is prone to do with his armor bearer. I want you to listen to this story…

1 Samuel 14:1-10

1 One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.

2 Saul was staying on the outskirts of Gibeah under a pomegranate tree in Migron. With him were about six hundred men,3 among whom was Ahijah, who was wearing an ephod. He was a son of Ichabod’s brother Ahitub son of Phinehas, the son of Eli, the Lord’s priest in Shiloh. No one was aware that Jonathan had left.

4 On each side of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff; one was called Bozez and the other Seneh. 5 One cliff stood to the north toward Mikmash, the other to the south toward Geba.

6 Jonathan said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the outpost of those uncircumcised men. Perhaps the Lord will act in our behalf. Nothing can hinder the Lord from saving, whether by many or by few.”

7 “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”

8 Jonathan said, “Come on, then; we will cross over toward them and let them see us.9 If they say to us, ‘Wait there until we come to you,’ we will stay where we are and not go up to them.10 But if they say, ‘Come up to us,’ we will climb up, because that will be our sign that the Lord has given them into our hands.”

What would you do to have a friend that would say to you:

“Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”

I’d give a lot for that, wouldn’t you? Someone who is a heart and should kind of person…

[need to finish from here on out - need to adjust this on finding people who have these qualities:]

3 Key Questions to Finding a “Heart and Soul” Kind of Person:

1. Do they Lead with Loyalty?

Proverbs 3:3-4

Let love and faithfulness never leave you;

bind them around your neck,

write them on the tablet of your heart.

4 Then you will win favor and a good name

in the sight of God and man.

ILLUSTRATION:

When I was a youth pastor I would tell kids they needed to find a Christian to date and then I realized, “what does that mean? It meant finding someone who exhibited the fruit of a Christian.

Finding someone who is loyal takes looking at the fruit of their life. Letting someone into your close circle means watching is this person a person who binds their neck with faithfulness and write’s it on their heart, that they are loyal to the people in their sphere.

-If I had listened to the way my friend talked about past relationships I would have seen that he was not this kind of person. He almost always talked negatively about people from his past…

2. Do They Tender Trust?

Matthew 5:33-37

33 “Again, you have heard that it was said to the people long ago, ‘Do not break your oath, but fulfill to the Lord the vows you have made.’ 34 But I tell you, do not swear an oath at all: either by heaven, for it is God’s throne; 35 or by the earth, for it is his footstool; or by Jerusalem, for it is the city of the Great King. 36 And do not swear by your head, for you cannot make even one hair white or black. 37 All you need to say is simply ‘Yes’ or ‘No’; anything beyond this comes from the evil one.

As you watch these people are they the kind of people who shoot you straight and you never have to question their intentions or what they say their going to do? I was talking to a guy the other day who builds houses and I told him, “you don’t sell houses, you sell trust”

What jesus is saying isn’t just good for a Christian, it’s just good plain advice. If you are going to give someone your armor to carry with you and be willing to let them into the battles of your life, you have to know their yes means yes and no means no.

3. Do They Cultivate Commitment?

Colossians 4:12

Epaphras, who is one of you and a servant of Christ Jesus, sends greetings. He is always wrestling in prayer for you, that you may stand firm in all the will of God, mature and fully assured.

Philippians 2:19-21

19 I hope in the Lord Jesus to send Timothy to you soon, that I also may be cheered when I receive news about you. 20 I have no one else like him, who will show genuine concern for your welfare. 21 For everyone looks out for their own interests, not those of Jesus Christ.

These were two men in Paul’s lives who cultivated commitment - not just to Paul, but in their commitment to Jesus and to the body of Christ…

Listen, some of you are too afraid to give your heart to someone because you’ve been betrayed, some of you give your heart away too quickly to just anyone. But being wise about who you give your heart to can be so incredibly life giving…

CLOSING ILLUSTRATIONS:

I get being betrayed. So does Jesus. On the night he was betrayed it was with some of his closest friends and one of them literally turned him over as a criminal. Jesus knows what it is like to be betrayed, and still he brought people close. He still longs to bring you close. I’m amazed by Him because He knows we all have the capacity to betray Him and yet He lets us in… Some of you need to let Him in to your life and and start by getting close to Him, being Heart and Soul with Jesus and then find spiritual friends who will do the same with you…

1 Sam 13:16-14:52

16 Saul and his son Jonathan and the men with them were staying in Gibeah[a]in Benjamin, while the Philistines camped at Mikmash.17 Raiding parties went out from the Philistine camp in three detachments. One turned toward Ophrah in the vicinity of Shual,18 another toward Beth Horon, and the third toward the borderland overlooking the Valley of Zeboyim facing the wilderness.

19 Not a blacksmith could be found in the whole land of Israel, because the Philistines had said, “Otherwise the Hebrews will make swords or spears!”20 So all Israel went down to the Philistines to have their plow points, mattocks, axes and sickles[b]sharpened.21 The price was two-thirds of a shekel[c]for sharpening plow points and mattocks, and a third of a shekel[d]for sharpening forks and axes and for repointing goads.

22 So on the day of the battle not a soldier with Saul and Jonathan had a sword or spear in his hand; only Saul and his son Jonathan had them.

Jonathan Attacks the Philistines23 Now a detachment of Philistines had gone out to the pass at Mikmash.

1 One day Jonathan son of Saul said to his young armor-bearer, “Come, let’s go over to the Philistine outpost on the other side.” But he did not tell his father.

4 On each side of the pass that Jonathan intended to cross to reach the Philistine outpost was a cliff; one was called Bozez and the other Seneh.5 One cliff stood to the north toward Mikmash, the other to the south toward Geba.

7 “Do all that you have in mind,” his armor-bearer said. “Go ahead; I am with you heart and soul.”

11 So both of them showed themselves to the Philistine outpost. “Look!” said the Philistines. “The Hebrews are crawling out of the holes they were hiding in.”12 The men of the outpost shouted to Jonathan and his armor-bearer, “Come up to us and we’ll teach you a lesson.”

So Jonathan said to his armor-bearer, “Climb up after me; the Lord has given them into the hand of Israel.”

13 Jonathan climbed up, using his hands and feet, with his armor-bearer right behind him. The Philistines fell before Jonathan, and his armor-bearer followed and killed behind him.14 In that first attack Jonathan and his armor-bearer killed some twenty men in an area of about half an acre.

Israel Routs the Philistines15 Then panic struck the whole army—those in the camp and field, and those in the outposts and raiding parties—and the ground shook. It was a panic sent by God.[e]

16 Saul’s lookouts at Gibeah in Benjamin saw the army melting away in all directions.17 Then Saul said to the men who were with him, “Muster the forces and see who has left us.” When they did, it was Jonathan and his armor-bearer who were not there.

18 Saul said to Ahijah, “Bring the ark of God.” (At that time it was with the Israelites.)[f]19 While Saul was talking to the priest, the tumult in the Philistine camp increased more and more. So Saul said to the priest, “Withdraw your hand.”

20 Then Saul and all his men assembled and went to the battle. They found the Philistines in total confusion, striking each other with their swords.21 Those Hebrews who had previously been with the Philistines and had gone up with them to their camp went over to the Israelites who were with Saul and Jonathan.22 When all the Israelites who had hidden in the hill country of Ephraim heard that the Philistines were on the run, they joined the battle in hot pursuit.23 So on that day the Lord saved Israel, and the battle moved on beyond Beth Aven.

Jonathan Eats Honey24 Now the Israelites were in distress that day, because Saul had bound the people under an oath, saying, “Cursed be anyone who eats food before evening comes, before I have avenged myself on my enemies!” So none of the troops tasted food.

25 The entire army entered the woods, and there was honey on the ground.26 When they went into the woods, they saw the honey oozing out; yet no one put his hand to his mouth, because they feared the oath.27 But Jonathan had not heard that his father had bound the people with the oath, so he reached out the end of the staff that was in his hand and dipped it into the honeycomb. He raised his hand to his mouth, and his eyes brightened.[g]28 Then one of the soldiers told him, “Your father bound the army under a strict oath, saying, ‘Cursed be anyone who eats food today!’ That is why the men are faint.”

29 Jonathan said, “My father has made trouble for the country. See how my eyes brightened when I tasted a little of this honey.30 How much better it would have been if the men had eaten today some of the plunder they took from their enemies. Would not the slaughter of the Philistines have been even greater?”

31 That day, after the Israelites had struck down the Philistines from Mikmash to Aijalon, they were exhausted.32 They pounced on the plunder and, taking sheep, cattle and calves, they butchered them on the ground and ate them, together with the blood.33 Then someone said to Saul, “Look, the men are sinning against the Lord by eating meat that has blood in it.”

“You have broken faith,” he said. “Roll a large stone over here at once.”34 Then he said, “Go out among the men and tell them, ‘Each of you bring me your cattle and sheep, and slaughter them here and eat them. Do not sin against the Lord by eating meat with blood still in it.’”

So everyone brought his ox that night and slaughtered it there.35 Then Saul built an altar to the Lord; it was the first time he had done this.

36 Saul said, “Let us go down and pursue the Philistines by night and plunder them till dawn, and let us not leave one of them alive.”

“Do whatever seems best to you,” they replied.

But the priest said, “Let us inquire of God here.”

37 So Saul asked God, “Shall I go down and pursue the Philistines? Will you give them into Israel’s hand?” But God did not answer him that day.

38 Saul therefore said, “Come here, all you who are leaders of the army, and let us find out what sin has been committed today.39 As surely as the Lord who rescues Israel lives, even if the guilt lies with my son Jonathan, he must die.” But not one of them said a word.

40 Saul then said to all the Israelites, “You stand over there; I and Jonathan my son will stand over here.”

“Do what seems best to you,” they replied.

41 Then Saul prayed to the Lord, the God of Israel, “Why have you not answered your servant today? If the fault is in me or my son Jonathan, respond with Urim, but if the men of Israel are at fault,[h]respond with Thummim.” Jonathan and Saul were taken by lot, and the men were cleared.42 Saul said, “Cast the lot between me and Jonathan my son.” And Jonathan was taken.

43 Then Saul said to Jonathan, “Tell me what you have done.”

So Jonathan told him, “I tasted a little honey with the end of my staff. And now I must die!”

44 Saul said, “May God deal with me, be it ever so severely, if you do not die, Jonathan.”

45 But the men said to Saul, “Should Jonathan die—he who has brought about this great deliverance in Israel? Never! As surely as the Lord lives, not a hair of his head will fall to the ground, for he did this today with God’s help.” So the men rescued Jonathan, and he was not put to death.

46 Then Saul stopped pursuing the Philistines, and they withdrew to their own land.

47 After Saul had assumed rule over Israel, he fought against their enemies on every side: Moab, the Ammonites, Edom, the kings[i]of Zobah, and the Philistines. Wherever he turned, he inflicted punishment on them.[j]48 He fought valiantly and defeated the Amalekites, delivering Israel from the hands of those who had plundered them.

Saul’s Family49 Saul’s sons were Jonathan, Ishvi and Malki-Shua. The name of his older daughter was Merab, and that of the younger was Michal.50 His wife’s name was Ahinoam daughter of Ahimaaz. The name of the commander of Saul’s army was Abner son of Ner, and Ner was Saul’s uncle.51 Saul’s father Kish and Abner’s father Ner were sons of Abiel.

52 All the days of Saul there was bitter war with the Philistines, and whenever Saul saw a mighty or brave man, he took him into his service.

Johnathan and his armor bearer come up to a cliff with some Philistines on it and Jonathan wants to go attack. He tells his armor bearer what he wants to do and the armor bearer says, “I’m with you heart and soul”. I’ll tell you, our hope for you is that as you are looking around this place you are looking to find the people who will say they are with you heart and soul, but this also takes you being that kind of person for someone else. This guy is going to have to risk to be with Jonathan in this. You are probably not going to have to risk your life, but you are going to have to risk something. You’ll have to risk your time. You’ll have to risk vulnerability. You’ll have to risk your heart. You’ll have to risk letting people see who you really are and hope they respond like you need. Can I tell you something. Staying where you are will never take you to where you need to be. It’s time to stand with someone heart and soul!

STUDY:

-the Philistines are a thorn in Jonathan & Saul's side...

they have gotten rid of all the blacksmiths to the Iraelites can't have swords and spears...
they have to go down to the Philistines to get even their farming implements sharpened and worked on...
When the battle came, literally Saul and Jon are the only ones with swords and spears...
Jon and his armor-bearer go overto the pass at Mikmash without telling Saul
Jonathan is walking in faith, "come let's go over, nothing can hinder the Lord from saving"
the armor bearer says "Do all that you have in mind, I am with you heart and soul"
they go and show themsleves to the Philistines and said, "if they say "we'll come to you" we will not go up, but if they tell us to climb up, we will go and it's a sign God is giving them into our hands..."
Armor, Armor Bearer. Protective gear and one who carried the armor and weapons of a warrior.
Paul and Barnabas had been in Jerusalem to distrubute help to the church becasue Agabus had prophesied about the famine (46-47 AD). Paul and Barnabus

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Back in 1997 in Taipei they decided, as part of a celebration to do a massive game of tug of war. Let me ask you, how many of you were the kid that would let go of the rope when playing tug of war… Ha, just about every guy I know has done that. The people should have let go of the rope… That day they had 1,600 people join in the tug of rope. I can’t even imagine that many people and how long the rope had to have been. Here’s what I do know, that many people, tugging on one rope exerted 176,369 lbs of force on the rope… Here was the problem, no one thought to check how much force the rope 2” thick rope could actually handle, which was only 57,320 lbs. What happened was crazy. When all 1600 people began tugging all at once the rope severed and as it did, two men has their arms ripped from their bodies… It’s not clear if the rope snapped back and severed the arms or if they were literally ripped off their bodies. Can you imagine standing there looking down at the ground and being like, “someone lost an arm” and then realizing it was you…

Oh man, that’s crazy!

This morning we are going to begin to explore the tension that’s created when we follow God by looking at the life and story of Abraham from scripture.

I heard someone say once that

Tension is not something you can typically get rid of, rather it’s something you manage.

my hope is to help you learn to manage the tension

SCRIPTURE:

Genesis 12:1-3

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2 “I will make you into a great nation,

and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

and you will be a blessing.[a]

3 I will bless those who bless you,

and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth

will be blessed through you.”[b]

It would be easy for me to preach an inspirational sermon about hearing God, believing God, and following God. I could preach and get yall fired up and talking about how Abraham didn’t hesitate, he just followed God and how through Abe God will bless all peoples, some day Jesus will come through his lineage and you will sit in this room today because this guy thousands of years ago left everything.

And while that sermon would be good and true, it would miss something.

Did you notice what Abe was going to have to leave behind to follow the call of God?

His country, his people, and his family

If you’ve ever done something significant like moving away from a place you grew up in you know this wasn’t a quick easy thing for Abe.

I’m preaching for the silence right now, and we don’t know for sure. But you do know that his country is the land he grew up in, it’s knowing all the honey holes for fishing, and knowing the best places to hunt. It’s all the culture and customs he’s ever known.

His country represents everything he’s comfortable with.

and his people?

Abe is leaving his friends, he’s leaving his neighbors, he’s leaving his aunts and uncles and relatives. He’s leaving free babysitting and help with sick animals, he’s leaving all his community

Leaving his people is leaving his community and friends behind.

and then to leave his father’s household. There’s no phones, there’s no facetime. Abe is literally saying, “I may never see you again” to the people who are closest to him.

Leaving his father’s household is going into the world alone.

Look, it would be easy for me to make this seem easy, but following God is not easy, it’s full of tension. It would be easy to hide the fact that Abe will take things into his own hands because things didn’t happen the way he thought they should. It would be easy to hide the doubt his wife had or how she laughed at God or how God gave promises to her too to confirm what he called Abe to do.

Following God is not always easy and clear cut.

Jesus said it this way:

John 3:8

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

So, I was thinking. How do I help you make sense of this without overwhelming you.

On one side I want you to start listening to God and being brave enough to follow Him into the generosity of giving your life away like Abraham did

On the other side, I want to make sure it’s God you’re listening to…

2 Guardrails as you learn to follow God into the unknown:

1. Start with what’s clear. God has already called you to certain things, have you mastered those?

Love your neighbor, Love your enemy
forgive as He forgave you
be generous
etc.

ILLUSTRATION:

When our kids were little and wanted to learn to ride a bike, I learned pretty quickly they needed to learn to balance before they learned peddling. We’d take them to the top of the driveway and have them put their feet down and just let it coast down to the bottom and then go again till that was easy.

I’m not saying God won’t call you to big things when you are a new christian. But I am saying if you are not faithful in these, why would would he send you big things?

If you haven’t learned to look at life through the Kingdom lens of “everything I have is on loan to me, so I can give it away,” then why would He give you more?

Most of what God calls us to is small, it’s in the small that He learns if you are able to handle much. (Luke 12:48)

2. Following God should never be a battering ram to use against others

ILLUSTRATION: we’ve all met the person who claims God has told them to do something, the worst cases are the people who say God told them something that manipulates you into having to do something for them. “God told me you are supposed to come help us…” Maybe…. Maybe he did… But Abraham’s story wasn’t that clear cut

God revealed it to his wife too (Genesis 18:1-15)

God spoke it multiple times to Abraham (Genesis (Genesis 12, 15, 17)

God may be a God who is hard to nail down, but He is not a God of chaos.

It’s ok to take time to confirm what God is calling you to and to make sure you are listening to Him and not just following your emotions…

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

People today are still following God’s call like Abraham did. They are still leaving everything they know and giving everything they have to follow Him. My wife and I have done it several times (moving to Kentucky from Kansas was one of those for us). I want to introduce you to a young couple who is taking a massive step. Listen to their story

[PLAY VIDEO OF THE OTTS]

Genesis 12:1-3

The Lord had said to Abram, “Go from your country, your people and your father’s household to the land I will show you.

2 “I will make you into a great nation,

and I will bless you;

I will make your name great,

and you will be a blessing.[a]

3 I will bless those who bless you,

and whoever curses you I will curse;

and all peoples on earth

will be blessed through you.”[b]

John 3:8

The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.

Abraham is called out of a nation that he knew. A land, a people, all his friends. This may not seem like generosity, but let me tell you, generosity is the laying down of what you have to benefit another. Abraham is leaving everything he knows to bless the entire world. You and I are blessed because this man was faithful in what God called him to. Jesus will come through his line as a direct result of him being willing to follow God into this. God still calls people like this. My wife and I moved from KS to be here to minister at the call of God. Same with you, He’s still looking for the faithful and to call you to something greater. The question is whether we will respond with generosity, lay down our life and our rights for the blessing of others. The secret is that in the laying down, God ends up blessing us as well… We’ll see this in Abe.

Interview or video with the Otts

STUDY:

It's easy to see Abram as some super human who this was easy for, but trapped in those words are lots of heartache, lots of stress, lots of questioning, etc. "Go from your country, your people and your father's household to the land I will show you."
- Let's break it down. Leave the people and customs you have always known - your country. Leave the land, the way of life, the culture, leave it all...
- Leave your people - leave the friends you've grown up with, leave the ones you see at the well when you're watering your animals, leave it all.
- Leave your father's household. Leave your family, walk away from those you love - no phone calls, no facetime, no returning. Leave them and never see them again.
this was not easy. This was complete and utter trust - I wonder what Terrah said to Abe?
- "Son, this is not a smart move.."
- "Son, what are you going to do if you run out of food? or get attacked? What will you do?
The narrative that's easy to believe and that most of us believe is we are out there alone, but that's not true. We forget God. We forget that He is moving and will move.
Following God is not an easy peasy thing, it's not straight forward and efficient like we think of efficiency. following God is being willing to follow Him into the unknown.
The tension Abe felt in following God was extreme. It was not easy, it was a difficult thing.

Guardrails

there are already things God has called you to do that are not special
1. love your neighbor
2. forgive
3. be generous
4. etc.
Most things God calls us to are not massive - they are little things like, "hey, give that person some help" or "offer to watch their kids for free". Jesus very clearly said that whoever is faithful in the little things will be given more
This is not about baptizing your ideas and telling people it's from God. Abe very much heard from God and God reconfirmed it multiple times, even with his wife Sarai having it confirmed to her. This should never be a battering ram to another person..

What has God called you to be generous in that the tension of the unknown has kept you from being obedient?

What's the worst thing that would happen if you listened to Him?

Who do you need to invite into praying over this decision to make sure you are hearing from God (John says to test the spirits)

ORDER:

Starting generous tensions

-looking at the tension of following God while still in the skin

Abe and his call

-would be easy to preach an inspirational sermon about following God

-but thats not reality. What's hidden in these words are the nights spent deciding to follow God (the pain of separation from family, etc.)

-what's hidden in that sermon is Abe doubting and not always listening to God, but taking things into his own hands - his wife laughing

-what's hidden is that it was confirmed to his wife and when they finally saw the promise was YEARS later

there is tension when following God - because God doesn't make things clean and cut perfect, He makes it wild and makes it where you need to stay close to Him, it's why we call it "following"

So, practicals, what do you do if you feel God calling you to something big..

Guardrails

there are already things God has called you to do that are not special
1. love your neighbor
2. forgive
3. be generous
4. etc.
Most things God calls us to are not massive - they are little things like, "hey, give that person some help" or "offer to watch their kids for free". Jesus very clearly said that whoever is faithful in the little things will be given more
This is not about baptizing your ideas and telling people it's from God. Abe very much heard from God and God reconfirmed it multiple times, even with his wife Sarai having it confirmed to her. This should never be a battering ram to another person..

I want to introduce you to some friends who are following God in some big and scary ways...

-introduce the Otts talk about their story...

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Tune in as we hear a fresh perspective from Griff Ray from Crossroads Church!

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Tune in as we hear a fresh perspective from Ken Idleman from The Solomon Foundation!

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Tune in as we hear a fresh perspective from Mike McCormick from Calvary Christian Church!

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Tune in today as we hear a fresh perspective from Scott Taube of The Solomon Foundation!

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

The very first night we brought our oldest baby home from the hospital I was changing his diaper and I can remember exactly where I was because in the hospital when I changed his diaper I remember having this thought. “it doesn’t smell! Maybe if you’re the dad it doesn’t smell to you…” Lol, I wasn’t that sharp. What I didn’t know is that it didn’t smell because what I was changing was a substance called Meconium. I didn’t know that Meconium is not the same thing as what would normally meet my faculties as I changed a diaper. It was that day, in the basement of my grandmas house in a blue bedroom - i’m telling you, this is seared into my memory that as I changed that diaper I was like, “Nope, Nope, I can smell it…” Ha

It was unmistakable…. lol

Some of you are like, “Kent, you’re the worst talking about this in church,” ha!

Here’s what I learned that day…

What goes in affects what comes out…

Look, we’re in this series “thinking Biblically” and I want to introduce you to a topic that I think matters so much if you are going to make in this world, this isn’t even just a Christian thing, this is life thing…

Paul says the “what goes in affects what comes out” thing by using a metaphor from agriculture:

Galatians 6:7-8

7 Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked. A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

What Does Paul mean by “Do not be deceived: God cannot be mocked?”

ILLUSTRATION:

I was watching a reel the other day of this lady a “Karen”, does anyone else feel bad for actual Karen’s? Lol, this lady was up in these teens faces yelling at them about getting her food wrong - one of the other employees came up and spilled something on the lady to defuse the situation. As the lady walked out they all started laughing and high fiving each other.

When Paul says “don’t be deceived, God can’t be mocked” He’s saying,

God isn’t some Karen for you to get a clip of and put your nose up at… In other words, God isn’t a joke, and the things God calls people to is not a joke…

A man reaps what he sows. 8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

Paul is saying that whatever you put into your life (sow) will affect what comes out of it (reap).

What does it mean to “sow to please the flesh”?

The flesh is the Bible way to talk about the part of you that is comfortable doing life without God.

Paul describes it in Galatians 5:

Galatians 5:19-21

19 The acts of the flesh are obvious: sexual immorality, impurity and debauchery; 20 idolatry and witchcraft; hatred, discord, jealousy, fits of rage, selfish ambition, dissensions, factions 21 and envy; drunkenness, orgies, and the like. I warn you, as I did before, that those who live like this will not inherit the kingdom of God.

If you’re going to think Biblically - you’re going to have to start to understand some basic things about this faith..

Not every desire you have is a good desire.

ILLUSTRATION:

You know this, right? A simple illustration is the last thing I need is another Oreo, but when I’m stressed, do you know what my flesh desires? An oreo…

Peter says it this way…

1 Peter 2:11

11 Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.

Your sinful, flesh based desires are literally waging war against your own soul.

Why is that?

Your flesh is you trying to attempt life apart from God. You are trying to find counterfeit versions of the real thing.

When I go to the oreo instead of Jesus - I’m taking my need for God and His mercy to something that cannot really give me any relief.

We all do this…

-some of you run to booze

-sex

-rage against people

-etc.

The flesh is our attempt to do life without God and Paul is saying it will only reap destruction…

So, what’s the answer?

Is it to just try harder? Be a better person?

This is what almost everyone tries to do. I don’t know how many people I’ve had tell me they are “trying to be a good Christian” or they will come to Jesus once they get their life in order…

Christianity isn’t about trying harder…

You can’t "out-good" your bad…

The answer is not to try harder, but to do what Paul says at the end of that verse when it comes to sowing and reaping…

Galatians 6:8

8 Whoever sows to please their flesh, from the flesh will reap destruction; whoever sows to please the Spirit, from the Spirit will reap eternal life.

The way you overcome the flesh is to change the focus of your life.

Sow to please the Spirit…

ILLUSTRATION:

When I was a kid, I was a goof ball in school, you can probably guess that, right? I was in choir, I know, pretty impressive right? I was actually in the best choirs and never really had to try hard at it. As a matter of fact, I messed around a lot - you’ll never believe this, but I loved the focus on me and my antics… One day, my choir teacher, Mr Anderson called me up after class and he said, “Kent, I’m kicking you out of choir…” I was shocked, I can remember my head kind of spinning, I asked him what I could do, he said, “Kent, you’re a leader and all the guys follow you and when you mess around, they all mess around and I’m done with it…” I begged him to give me one more shot and the next day, I came in and Mr Anderson said, “let’s sing” and all my buddies looked at me to see me mess around and I looked at them and I said, “let’s sing” and they all sung… From that point on, my attention was on pointing everyone to what Mr. Anderson wanted rather than what Kent wanted…

Trying harder is not the answer, choosing who you are trying please is the answer…

Are you going to please yourself or God?

What I think you’ll find is that as long as you’re just trying to please yourself you are going to continue to hit walls and barriers in your life, you are going to feel alone and miss true joy, you are going to experience failure, rejection, shame, guilt and so much more because your aim is off.

What’s crazy is as you start to try to please God, ask anyone who knows Jesus well, you find you start to be pleased as well. Because it turns out what you needed all along was not little salvations from the sin and pain of life, but you needed God Himself walking with you… His freedom and joy cannot be robbed from you..

Galatians 6:7-8

1 Corinthians 6:12-20

12 “I have the right to do anything,” you say—but not everything is beneficial. “I have the right to do anything”—but I will not be mastered by anything. 13 You say, “Food for the stomach and the stomach for food, and God will destroy them both.” The body, however, is not meant for sexual immorality but for the Lord, and the Lord for the body. 14 By his power God raised the Lord from the dead, and he will raise us also. 15 Do you not know that your bodies are members of Christ himself? Shall I then take the members of Christ and unite them with a prostitute? Never! 16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”[b] 17 But whoever is united with the Lord is one with him in spirit.[c]

18 Flee from sexual immorality. All other sins a person commits are outside the body, but whoever sins sexually, sins against their own body. 19 Do you not know that your bodies are temples of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God? You are not your own; 20 you were bought at a price. Therefore honor God with your bodies.

You were bought at a price… Most of us think of ourselves and our body as our own. It’s a huge concept in American culture. But the reality is when you were bought by Christ, you were choosing to say “I trust you with even my body” You are trusting His way is the best way, that what He says is trustworthy even if you don’t understand it. Our world is all about decadence and doing what we feel like and we have this sense that the things we do are separate from who we are, that is an ancient lie called Antinomianism: Believing that moral laws and physical actions don't affect the spiritual realm, leading some to indulge in behavior considered sinful by other religious standards, under the belief that it had no bearing on their spiritual state.

STUDY:

Paul's Argument
- Paul's point is that as a Christian you have been united with Christ and His spirit
- So when you unite yourself with a Prostitute, you and become one flesh with her - unite your body with her
- that you are now uniting Christ to something unholy.
- Your body is the temple of the holy spirit, you were bought at a price, honor God with your bodies...
- This is no longer just about you - when you became a Christian, you took Jesus on in your life and are a representative for Him, you are what He houses Himself in.
Our world is getting more and more complicated when it comes to this because there is a disconnect from thinking about what we are doing and doing the thing - we are just sliding into things and not considering the implications or the potential risks of it to our soul - be the kind of person who thinks about the implications for your soul
- think death scrolling
- think using ai to create images and video
God doesn't say "no" to things or create things to operate a certain way to strip us of joy, He creates it that way becasue it's the best way for it to work

ILLUSTRATION:

I'd like to some how capture the idea that people behave in a way as though consequences don't exist. We act as though the law of sowing and reaping is not a reality and then are confused when we reap what we sowed - even blaming it on God...

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OPENING:

Just read the scripture

Acts 12:1-19

It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword.

I can’t even begin to imagine how traumatic this was for the believers.

-Stephen had been murdered, Paul had started persecuting the church. Now you have James, the brother of John put to death with a sword. this is the John that you read his letters in the scripture… That guy’s brother tragically murdered, and for what, their belief in the resurrection of the dead through Jesus.

3 When he [Herod] saw that this [killing James] met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread.

This is passover. It’s the same time of year that Herod had allowed the Romans to put Jesus to death. He’s now trying to garner popularity with the Jews by putting the leaders of Christianity to death. He’s already murdered James - now Peter…

Can I ask you a question?

What do you do if this is you?

What do you do when you see tragedy on a major level?

What do you do when you’ve done everything right and you still have a child who rebels and walks away from the Lord?

Or you lived a good God honoring life and just got diagnosed with early stages of dementia..

or there is some other major tragedy that seems impossible to overcome?

What do you do?

Today, I want to show you what the early church did when they were facing terrifying circumstances.

See, the story is going to get wild, Peter’s going to be in prison guarded by four squads of four soldiers each - this is major - they are afraid someone might try something.

Listen to vs 5 though

5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

Did you notice what the church did?

The church gathered and prayed.

They sought God on Peter’s behalf and I want you to listen to the results…

6 The night before Herod was to bring him to trial, Peter was sleeping between two soldiers, bound with two chains, and sentries stood guard at the entrance. 7 Suddenly an angel of the Lord appeared and a light shone in the cell. He struck Peter on the side and woke him up. “Quick, get up!” he said, and the chains fell off Peter’s wrists.

8 Then the angel said to him, “Put on your clothes and sandals.” And Peter did so. “Wrap your cloak around you and follow me,” the angel told him. 9 Peter followed him out of the prison, but he had no idea that what the angel was doing was really happening; he thought he was seeing a vision. 10 They passed the first and second guards and came to the iron gate leading to the city. It opened for them by itself, and they went through it. When they had walked the length of one street, suddenly the angel left him.

11 Then Peter came to himself and said, “Now I know without a doubt that the Lord has sent his angel and rescued me from Herod’s clutches and from everything the Jewish people were hoping would happen.”

Peter thinks he’s hallucinating or having a vision and doesn’t realize it’s really happening. This wasn’t what he was expecting. And who would? Who would expect that God was going to send angels to break the chains and walk him out of prison? But that’s what God did.

12 When this had dawned on him, he went to the house of Mary the mother of John, also called Mark, where many people had gathered and were praying. 13 Peter knocked at the outer entrance, and a servant named Rhoda came to answer the door. 14 When she recognized Peter’s voice, she was so overjoyed she ran back without opening it and exclaimed, “Peter is at the door!”

I love this. Rhoda like opens the door sees Peter and slams it in his face and runs back to tell everyone else kind of thing. He’s left standing there like… hmm de dum…

She goes to tell everyone else and they can’t believe it…

I love it, they were praying but were not ready for what God was going to do.

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

I need to be honest with you guys. The past couple of weeks have been some of the hardest I’ve had in ministry. Lots going on and lots to be thinking about very quickly as a church. We’ve faced some pretty big hurdles and are continuing to figure out how to overcome them. But I want to tell you, what has been the most encouraging part has been to see how the Body of Christ still comes together to pray. Our church a week and a half ago found out that PCA was going to be closing their doors. That’s a really big deal for everyone in this room whether you realize it or not. It’s a big deal because our about 20% of our churches budget comes from the rental income from the space the school was renting.

but what I’ve seen is people coming together to pray - you saw that video earlier. I’ve had so many people come together and tell me they are praying, their connect group is praying. I mean it’s been a pretty amazing time in the midst of some hard stuff to see the people of God come together and seek God..

Here’s what I want to tell you that has been on my mind through all of this.

We don’t have to wait for tragedy to seek God like this.

We can seek Him with all our heart, like our life depends on it, every day of the week…

The church is at her best during tragedy because the Church knows who holds the world in His hands and we trust Him…

This is not to say God is always going to fix everything. A few chapters earlier in the book of Acts Stephen is stoned to death and God doesn’t stop it. But where God is, is He is with Stephen. See, what I am certain of is that God does not leave us alone, there is nothing that can separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus.

I want to close by reading one more passage to you to encourage you and then I want to ask us to do something a little crazy. I want to ask you to gather with a few people around you and pray out loud. I will give you a few things to pray for as Anthony plays guitar quietly and for you to pray over these things as the church coming together.

Romans 8:35-39

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[j]

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons, neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

[prayer time - Anthony, play softly behind this as I give people things to pray for]

Pray for the employees at PCA and the families
Pray for the eldership at Harmony as we make decisions
Pray for the lost in our community
Pray for the churches of our community
Pray for the hurting in our church

Acts 12:1-19

It was about this time that King Herod arrested some who belonged to the church, intending to persecute them. 2 He had James, the brother of John, put to death with the sword. 3 When he saw that this met with approval among the Jews, he proceeded to seize Peter also. This happened during the Festival of Unleavened Bread. 4 After arresting him, he put him in prison, handing him over to be guarded by four squads of four soldiers each. Herod intended to bring him out for public trial after the Passover.

5 So Peter was kept in prison, but the church was earnestly praying to God for him.

15 “You’re out of your mind,” they told her. When she kept insisting that it was so, they said, “It must be his angel.”

16 But Peter kept on knocking, and when they opened the door and saw him, they were astonished. 17 Peter motioned with his hand for them to be quiet and described how the Lord had brought him out of prison. “Tell James and the other brothers and sisters about this,” he said, and then he left for another place.

18 In the morning, there was no small commotion among the soldiers as to what had become of Peter. 19 After Herod had a thorough search made for him and did not find him, he cross-examined the guards and ordered that they be executed.

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ILLUSTRATION:

You know what is one of the most terrifying questions as a dad? It’s when I go to the pharmacy to pick up medication for one of my kids and they say, “What’s their birthday” lol, I can tell you the day they were born on, but the year they were born? I still have to ask everytime. I get all nervous pulling up to the window.

Can we all admit that there is something really special about moms? Whether you have a mom, are a mom, or just know a mom, there is something special about them.

This morning, I just want to speak to the ladies in the crowd and encourage all of us when it comes to the responsibility God has put in our hands…

SCIPTURE:

In the Old Testament there is a story that I thought would be appropriate for today:

There was a man named Elkanhah who had two wives - I know, I have no idea how he did it.. He had two wives, Peninnah and Hannah.

Every year Elkanhah and his family would go up to Shiloh to worship God, this is before Israel had a temple and they would worship God in a tent called the Tabernacle. When Elkanah would go up to worship God he would sacrifice an animal and give a portion to Peninnah for her and his children with her but he would give his other wife Hannah a double portion because he loved her and she was unable to have kids…

Every year this would happen but a rivalry between the women happened. Can you imagine your husband having another wife - imagine the jealousy and the rivalry that would come up. You think comparison is bad with today’s social media, imagine living next door to that person… Listen to what happened to Hannah

1 Samuel 1:6-8

6 Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. 7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. 8 Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”

Can I just speak for a moment to those of you who on this mother’s day are feeling excluded? I want you to know that God sees you and you are not alone. I know for some Mother’s day is a reminder of loss. The loss of a mother, the loss of becoming a mother or never able to become a mother.

Hannah knew what that was like, she was a woman who couldn’t have children and had to share a husband with a woman who could and made her feel less than.. and her husband didn’t get it…

If that’s you today, can I remind you of

Psalm 34:18

The Lord is close to the brokenhearted

and saves those who are crushed in spirit.

God is close to those who are brokenhearted. Jesus said those who mourn are blessed because they will be comforted. If mother’s day is difficult for you, I’d encourage you to run to God and let Him draw you near.

Listen to Hannah’s desperate prayer to God…

1 Samuel 1:9-11

9 Once when they had finished eating and drinking in Shiloh, Hannah stood up. Now Eli the priest was sitting on his chair by the doorpost of the Lord’s house. 10 In her deep anguish Hannah prayed to the Lord, weeping bitterly. 11 And she made a vow, saying, “Lord Almighty, if you will only look on your servant’s misery and remember me, and not forget your servant but give her a son, then I will give him to the Lord for all the days of his life, and no razor will ever be used on his head.”

this is the prayer of the desperate… We’ve all prayed this prayer…

The priest Eli actually thinks she’s drunk because he doesn’t know what’s going on and she just keeps mouthing the prayer.

when Hannah goes home God answers her prayer and gives her a son that they name Samuel, and this is the part I want to hone in on and challenge us all with. listen:

1 Samuel 1:21-22

24 After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull,[e] an ephah[f]of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. 25 When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli, 26 and she said to him, “Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. 27 I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. 28 So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.

Here’s what strikes me about Hannah

The thing she wanted most was the very thing she gave back to God.

As parents, it’s tempting to believe our children are ours, but Hannah knew better.

Our children are gifts from God and it’s our job to give them back to Him.

For most of us this means leading them to know Him, to disciple them, to talk to them about Jesus as a normal part of life.

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

The reality is, Jenni is the one who knows things about our kids that no one else knows. She remembers all the sweet things they did when they were little and she has been watching over them all their life. But so have I. As your kids get older one of the hardest lessons to learn is they are not yours really. You are just a steward of them. The question I think God will ask us about one day is what we did with what He gave us. Did we teach them to love others like He does? did we teach them to love God? Or did we just make sure they were good at sports, or didn’t annoy us too much? This sermon isn’t meant to make you feel guilty, but to remind us of the how much God has entrusted to you - He believes you are capable of raising your children to know Him, it starts with giving them back to Him and realizing He knows everything about your child. Hannah dedicated her son to the Lord and He changed the world, He will be the one who anoints King David and out of King David will come Jesus - all because a mom faithfully committed her son to God’s service…

1 Samuel 1:1-28

There was a certain man from Ramathaim, a Zuphite[a] from the hill country of Ephraim, whose name was Elkanah son of Jeroham, the son of Elihu, the son of Tohu, the son of Zuph, an Ephraimite. 2 He had two wives; one was called Hannah and the other Peninnah. Peninnah had children, but Hannah had none.

3 Year after year this man went up from his town to worship and sacrifice to the Lord Almighty at Shiloh, where Hophni and Phinehas, the two sons of Eli, were priests of the Lord. 4 Whenever the day came for Elkanah to sacrifice, he would give portions of the meat to his wife Peninnah and to all her sons and daughters. 5 But to Hannah he gave a double portion because he loved her, and the Lord had closed her womb. 6 Because the Lord had closed Hannah’s womb, her rival kept provoking her in order to irritate her. 7 This went on year after year. Whenever Hannah went up to the house of the Lord, her rival provoked her till she wept and would not eat. 8 Her husband Elkanah would say to her, “Hannah, why are you weeping? Why don’t you eat? Why are you downhearted? Don’t I mean more to you than ten sons?”

12 As she kept on praying to the Lord, Eli observed her mouth. 13 Hannah was praying in her heart, and her lips were moving but her voice was not heard. Eli thought she was drunk 14 and said to her, “How long are you going to stay drunk? Put away your wine.”

15 “Not so, my lord,” Hannah replied, “I am a woman who is deeply troubled. I have not been drinking wine or beer; I was pouring out my soul to the Lord. 16 Do not take your servant for a wicked woman; I have been praying here out of my great anguish and grief.”

17 Eli answered, “Go in peace, and may the God of Israel grant you what you have asked of him.”

18 She said, “May your servant find favor in your eyes.” Then she went her way and ate something, and her face was no longer downcast.

19 Early the next morning they arose and worshiped before the Lord and then went back to their home at Ramah. Elkanah made love to his wife Hannah, and the Lord remembered her. 20 So in the course of time Hannah became pregnant and gave birth to a son. She named him Samuel,[b] saying, “Because I asked the Lord for him.”

Hannah Dedicates Samuel21 When her husband Elkanah went up with all his family to offer the annual sacrifice to the Lord and to fulfill his vow, 22 Hannah did not go. She said to her husband, “After the boy is weaned, I will take him and present him before the Lord, and he will live there always.”[c]

23 “Do what seems best to you,” her husband Elkanah told her. “Stay here until you have weaned him; only may the Lord make good his[d] word.” So the woman stayed at home and nursed her son until she had weaned him.

24 After he was weaned, she took the boy with her, young as he was, along with a three-year-old bull,[e] an ephah[f] of flour and a skin of wine, and brought him to the house of the Lord at Shiloh. 25 When the bull had been sacrificed, they brought the boy to Eli, 26 and she said to him, “Pardon me, my lord. As surely as you live, I am the woman who stood here beside you praying to the Lord. 27 I prayed for this child, and the Lord has granted me what I asked of him. 28 So now I give him to the Lord. For his whole life he will be given over to the Lord.” And he worshiped the Lord there.

Hannah prayed for children and God finally gave her Samuel. What's wild is she gives him back to God. The very thing she longed for, she gave to God. The reality is none of our children are ours, we all have the unreal expectation that we can control the outcomes of their lives, but that's not true. What we can control is giving them to God - committing them to Him through:

Prayer
Intention - raising your kids to know God as a friend
Personal commitment

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What if we lived like we actually believed Jesus is resurrection and life? How would it change us? Join us as we start our journey toward Easter!

EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ). Get the fill in the blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins.

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

One of my favorite magic duos is Penn and Teller, I love them because they all the time tell you what they are doing as they do it to you. They perform a magic trick while telling you what it is. They both create mystery and take the mystery away at the same time. I love it!

This morning we are starting a 5 week journey towards Easter morning.

We are going to follow Jesus into life and my honest hope for you over the next few weeks is for nothing more than for you

My hope for the next 5 weeks is for you to fall more in love with Jesus and to double down on your commitment to following Him through life…

So, now I’m going to Penn and Teller this bad boy, I want to let you behind the scenes to see what we’re doing with this sermon and then I want to perform my “magic trick” for you…

Let’s jump into it, but instead of jumping into the beginning of the story I want to take you where it ends, I want you to see what Jesus is doing before He does it so you can see where he’s taking us..

SCRIPTURE:

After the event we’re about to unpack, people go out and start telling others about it… I mean the word is spreading everywhere. Word of what Jesus’ big reveal was… I want you to see the result of what He did… listen…

John 11:45-53

46 But some of them went to the Pharisees and told them what Jesus had done. 47 Then the chief priests and the Pharisees called a meeting of the Sanhedrin.

“What are we accomplishing?” they asked. “Here is this man performing many signs. 48 If we let him go on like this, everyone will believe in him, and then the Romans will come and take away both our temple and our nation.”

49 Then one of them, named Caiaphas, who was high priest that year, spoke up, “You know nothing at all! 50 You do not realize that it is better for you that one man die for the people than that the whole nation perish.”

John tell us that Caiaphas is prophesying about the power of Jesus’ death without knowing it, but listen to what happens…

53 So from that day on they plotted to take his life.

I want you to hear this

Whatever you hear in the next few minutes, remember that this is the event that triggers the religious leaders to decide that Jesus must die.

Here’s the question

What in the world could have happened that would cause these leaders to come together to start plotting the death of Jesus?

What kind of heinous thing could He have done?

REWIND:

We have to rewind several days before.

Jesus is not near Jerusalem, He’s with his buddies and while He’s hanging with them he gets a message from a couple of sisters that he had a very special place in his heart for them. Here’s what their message said about their brother…

John 11:3

“Lord, the one you love is sick.”

Jesus tells his boys, “This sickness will not end in death…

There’s this crazy verse that tells us Jesus loved these two sisters and their brother.. and it says, “so, He stayed two more days…”

Now, I don’t mean to call what Jesus is doing here a trick - it’s not a trick, that’s just a metaphor to understand it, but there is a slight of hand Jesus is doing right now, He’s like, “don’t pay attention to what’s happening to this guy” and He stays where He’s at for a couple days…

If you just look at it as a story and don’t know where it ends, it’s confusing, but Jesus is trying to get somewhere. We know whatever is about to happen is going to end with them plotting to take His life…

Finally, Jesus leave to go to His friend's house.

I want you to picture the scene. The tone of his disciples has been quiet this whole trip. Right before they left he had told them his friend Lazarus had died. they have walked in almost complete silence as the dust filled the air from their footsteps. Jesus seems determined but also a little more intense than usual. As they come around the mount of olives to Bethany they see a woman running to Jesus, tears have stained her face - streaks cut through the dust of the road on her face. Her voice cracks as she says to Him…

I want you to listen to their exchange…

John 11:21-27

21 “Lord,” Martha said to Jesus, “if you had been here, my brother would not have died. 22 But I know that even now God will give you whatever you ask.”

23 Jesus said to her, “Your brother will rise again.”

24 Martha answered, “I know he will rise again in the resurrection at the last day.”

25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?”

27 “Yes, Lord,” she replied, “I believe that you are the Messiah, the Son of God, who is to come into the world.”

If ever you underlined something in your bible, these verses should be underlined/highlighted -

These are some of the most important words you will ever hear!

Jesus says to Martha about her brother who has died…

Think about the loved one you’ve lost - think about your own fear of death for yourself…

Jesus doesn’t say “he will rise again, he doesn’t say, he will have life”

Jesus says “I am resurrection.” “I am life”

I don’t know how to make you understand how outrageous this claim is… I don’t know how to make you understand out how mind blowing it is…

I think Martha would have kind of gag-breathed [shutter]

Jesus is saying if you place your whole trust in Him that even if you are touched by death you will not die…

This is the confidence of every Christian who follows Him…

I promise you, you will never hear words more powerful than that…

I know, some of you know the rest of the story, but I have to tell it to you because He’s going to prove it to us…

CLOSING: Mary, Martha’s sister will come out to Jesus and fall in front of him weeping. You can picture her beating Jesus’ chest as he pulls her to her feet she with a tight voice tells him if he had been there her brother wouldn’t have died…

One of my favorite moments happens at this point. Jesus looks around and as God of the universe, He experiences the pain of death as a human experiences it. And Jesus wept. Not because death had won, but because grief is overwhelming, even if you know the truth…

but this is the moment that Jesus has come for. He has them take him to Lazarus’ tomb. They tell him there is not use because it’s been 4 days. The jewish people had a tradition that the spirit hung around for 3 days and after that it left and there was no coming back from death. it is over by all accounts. Jesus tells them to move the stone from in front of the tomb. They don’t want to do it. I can’t imagine the anger at Jesus for Him asking this. The confusion. They tell Him that the body has started to stink by now - ever smelled a dead mouse, multiply that by 1000. They move the stone, probably a lots of protest of those around, this has got to be why Jesus needed 12 guys… :). The crowd quiets…. Jesus in a loud voice says this

“Lazarus, come out!” and he comes out…

Jesus is resurrection, He is life…

Don’t forget Penn and Teller though…

All the while you thought Jesus was just telling us He is how death is overcome

He is actually secretly triggering His own death.

He is both the conqueror of death and the one who will go through death…

this is why we are here, it’s the most important message in all the world… and we sit on it…

What if this Easter, we started to pray and seek and say Jesus, I want to make you famous, I’m going to advance your Kingdom and invite people to hear the story of Jesus…

I can promise you, I’m going to preach it with everything I’ve got.

What if you chose to invite people who need to hear the story of Jesus? People who needed to meet the one who is “resurrection” and who is “life”?

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Are we climbing the wall or just walking around it? How we handle conflict matters. Let’s talk about doing it biblically. Join us this Sunday!

EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give). Get the fill-in-the-blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins.

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

When I was an elementary kid, something I hated was in gym class they would set up this wall that we had to run, jump, and climb over… If you couldn’t get over the wall, you had to walk around and up onto the stage. I was this chubby kid who would run at that wall and jump as high as I could, which was like 3 inches. I’d hit the wall and kind of bounce off of it and have to just go around the wall…

What I found out as an adult is that “going around the wall” is what most people do…

Rather than facing issues head-on, they gossip, manipulate, or stew.

Let me give you an example

ILLUSTRATION:

Early on in ministry, I had a parent who was upset with me about something. “The wall” would have been to come and talk to me. Instead, she got together a whole bunch of other parents, and she had them all write down questions about my ministry. They passed the questions to her and she started asking me questions… Have you ever felt like you want to throw up? I was young and didn’t know what to do. She started asking questions under the guise of it being anonymous which were really her questions. I was nervous and felt completely blindsided - thank God there was a guy there who finally stood up and said, “Who is asking these questions” No one answered and he said, “We're done!” and all the parents walked out.

She went around the wall instead of facing the wall - I’m not saying whatever her issue with me was wrong, I’m saying the way she handled it was wrong.

WE:

You’ve all seen this in your workplace, ever worked with someone who was underperforming and instead of going over the wall and dealing with the issue, the person was promoted?

It’s a weird way of getting a person out of a position rather than dealing with the issue…

When you try to go around “the wall” the problem is, the wall doesn’t go away, it just moves…

The question is, “How do you handle conflict biblically?”

ILLUSTRATION:

You ever have a conversation with your kid and you’re like, “ok, it’s time for you to mature a little bit…” I don’t think of anyone in here as kids, but I will tell you, I’m preaching this because it’s time as Christians we mature and handle conflict the way Jesus would want us to because

Of all the dangers I’ve seen in “the church,” the division caused by conflict poorly handled is the most dangerous of all.

So, today I want to do the rest of the sermon more like a Ted Talk. I want to address 2 things…

Is it right for you to judge someone else’s actions?
How should I handle conflict biblically?

Is it right for you to judge someone else’s actions?

We’ve all heard it before, right? “The Bible says you aren’t supposed to judge people…” That’s not actually what it says, did you know that? Listen...

Matthew 7:1-3

“Do not judge, or you too will be judged. 2 For in the same way you judge others, you will be judged, and with the measure you use, it will be measured to you. 3 “Why do you look at the speck of sawdust in your brother’s eye and pay no attention to the plank in your own eye?

Jesus’ warning is not to not judge - what His warning is that however you judge someone else is the standard by which you will be judged yourself… This is more about not condemning people than holding people accountable…

There is a difference between judging a person and calling a person to accountability …

1 Corinthians 5:12-13

"12 What business is it of mine to judge those outside the church? Are you not to judge those inside? 13 God will judge those outside. “Expel the wicked person from among you.”"

Actually, as a Christian, you have a duty to look at the actions of your brothers and sisters and help make sure they are not dragging the name of Jesus through the mud…

I felt like I needed to point this out because sometimes people feel wrong about holding other Christians accountable, but this is part of what we are to do - the key is to do it with Love and Grace.

How should I handle conflict biblically?

Matthew 18:15-20

15 “If your brother or sister[a] sins,[b] go and point out their fault, just between the two of you. If they listen to you, you have won them over. 16 But if they will not listen, take one or two others along, so that ‘every matter may be established by the testimony of two or three witnesses.’[c] 17 If they still refuse to listen, tell it to the church; and if they refuse to listen even to the church, treat them as you would a pagan or a tax collector.

ILLUSTRATION:

as a Lead Pastor, I will have people come up and tell me something they are mad about with someone else at the church. My first question is always some version of this…

"Have you talked to them?”

Jesus very clearly lays out the process for dealing with conflict in the body of Christ

Go point out their fault between the two of you
If they don’t listen, bring one or two other people with you to talk
If they still don’t listen, bring them before the church leadership
If they still refuse, treat them like someone who doesn’t know Jesus

Do you know what typically happens in churches nowadays?

Gossip to your small group, other volunteers, or others about it and get a bunch of other people mad who previously were happy
Go straight to someone in authority and complain to them so they can deal with it
Make a passive-aggressive social media post
Leave the church and complain about them at your next church

This lack of maturity in handling conflict and sin in the church is devastating the body of Christ in our world…

Jesus’ call to handle this relationally and head-on is hard, but it’s healthy…

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

Some of the bravest people I know sit in this room around you and you don’t even know it. They are people who have had conversations with someone who loved them who called out their sin and they listened, and they stuck with Jesus and they fought for a relationship with Him and they didn’t give up and they have matured beyond what you can even imagine.

Look, I’m not advocating for you to go looking for people and go on a witch hunt, that would be the worst thing. What I’m advocating for is when you do see something wrong, that you go over the wall or you shut up. You do the hard thing and you walk with people through it. You walk alongside of them because you know what it’s like to have had a 2x4 in your own eye and now you can help them with the splinter they’ve got in their own eye.

One of the clearest examples I can think of was when a friend and mentor asked me a question when I was a new Christian and he said, “Kent, do you know what humility is?” I said, “No,” and he said, “Well, you don’t have any…” Oof, he could have just talked to others about how arrogant I was and complained to people, but instead, he had a hard conversation with me, and part of the reason I’m still in ministry is because He did.

I want you to be a disciple of Jesus - I want you to be growing in maturity in Him. So, I’m calling on you - stop handling this stuff immaturely and go to the person and talk to them. I’m not saying this because we have a problem with this in our church, I’m teaching it so we never do…

At Harmony, we are the kind of people who climb the wall, not go around it!

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Are we black cat fuses, ready to explode, or green fuses, slow to burn? What’s shaping our hearts? Let’s break rage together—tune in!

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Something you wouldn’t know about me is that I’m crazy when it comes to firecrackers - I’m the uncle who is over there lighting firecrackers and throwing them at your feet the whole time. I’m the guy that people are like, “Maybe we shouldn’t have invited Kent…” I was thinking about how when I was a kid, I learned my love of firecrackers. My brother and I would sit out in front of our house and light black cats and chuck them into the street. My mom had told us 100 times not to do this - she said you’re going to have one blowup in your hand. I had also not learned yet to just throw it straight out from the lighter, so I was throwing them like a baseball. One fourth of July I lit this black cat and pulled it up by my ear and it exploded in my hand and by my ear.

I couldn’t hear for hours and my hand hurt pretty bad…

I now prefer the firecrackers that have the little green fuses, because they are predictable. The black cat fuses are unpredictable - sometimes you light em and they just go normal, but sometimes you light em and they burn up almost immediately…

You are like, “Kent, why are you talking about fireworks in the middle of March?”

Here’s what I was thinking about…

Most people are either black cat fuses or green fuses when it comes to their anger.

You are either unpredictable and explode out of nowhere or you are even-keeled and tend to have a slow burn towards anger.

Today, I want to help you become the kind of person who becomes a “slow burn” kind of person - I want to “Break Rage”.slow burn” kind of person - I want to “Break Rage”.

Before we get to the scripture, I need to place a deposit in your mind - a concept that maybe you’ve never thought of before.

Have you ever heard the idea of

Spiritual Formation

The things inside are shaping your outside response

Everyone has a spiritual formation - some people are intentional with it and some of us are just going with the wind - but everyone has been shaped by something.

ILLUSTRATION:

When I was a kid, I used to go down to this creek and take a bb gun and shoot out the lights at this bowling alley, it was so stinking fun… guess what, I know this will be a shocker, but my spiritual formation was weak back then and now, that is no longer a fun activity for me. Its would actually be disturbing to me.

The change is that I’ve been shaped, or molded more into a Christ-like image.

Today as we talk about how to “Break Rage” I want you to know there is hope, but you have to be willing to be shaped and become a different person.

ILLUSTRATION:

Some of you don’t even know that you are the kind of person who rages. Here are a few ways to know.

-After you explode, do those close to you tiptoe around you? Do they try and minimize any stress?

-Do people react in fear when you become passionate but are not angry?

-Do you see your kids raging at each other, that was most likely learned (not always)

-Have you put your hands on someone or broken things in your house or workplace?

This isn’t a full list - but if you’ve ever had to apologize for the anger you took out on someone, you probably have some degree of Rage…

What do we do with it? How do you break rage?

As always, we are going to the scripture - I hope you are noticing a pattern to sermons - God’s word has the answers we need in it…

This is from James, the brother of Jesus - talk about feeling bad about your anger, this guy grew up with people being like, “Why can’t you be more like your brother” - because He’s God, that’s why! lol

I want to read this passage and then unpack it, James is such a practical book:

James 1:19-21

19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry, 20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires. 21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

Now, let’s unpack it…

James 1:19-21

19 My dear brothers and sisters, take note of this: Everyone should be quick to listen, slow to speak and slow to become angry,

Most of us are more concerned with being heard than listening - watch yourself, even when you are listening, are you preparing your response? Your story to tell? Your rebuttal to the counterpoint?

Quick to Listen:

Being quick to listen means more than just hearing, it’s taking time to actually think about the other person & their perspective

When rage engages, listening goes out the window. listening goes out the window.

-you don’t always know when you are entering a tense situation, but what if you let one of your spiritual practices be?

Spiritual practice: before entering rooms, think “I’m going to listen first” - without judgment, without mockery, without belittling, etc. judgment, without mockery, without belittling, etc.

Slow to Speak:

I one time heard a guy talking about how he heard Dallas Willard talking to a student in one of his classes. The student was arguing with Dallas and at the end, Dallas finished and didn’t rise up to win the argument. The other professor said, “what in the world, you could have stomped that kid, why didn’t you?” Dallas said, “I’m practicing the spiritual discipline of not having the last word”

What would it look like for you to add the spiritual practice of not having to have the last word?

What would it do for you to be ok being misunderstood sometimes, to not have to exert your “rightness” all the time, to not have to always be on top?

James says to us to be slow to speak. I’m terrible at this, the distance between my brain and my mouth is SO short. I’ve had to really learn to take this to Jesus and let Him recalibrate me.

Slow to become Angry:

This is where that short fuse comes in, how do we get a green fuse instead of a black cat fuse? James knows this is the one that’s gonna need more, so he takes us into how to do it… Listen:

20 because human anger does not produce the righteousness that God desires.

This kind of anger is ALL about you - it’s all about trying to make yourself feel secure, putting yourself back into control, getting your way, etc.

It’s can’t produce what God wants…

James’ cure - his spiritual practice to anger… Listen carefully:

21 Therefore, get rid of all moral filth and the evil that is so prevalent and humbly accept the word planted in you, which can save you.

James doesn’t say to try harder - “Just try to not be so angry”

His answer is to check your inputs…

Get rid of the junk in your life that isn’t pointing you to Jesus…

-What are you looking at during your day? How much talk radio are you listening to or CNN or Fox News? How much are you on social media? What kinds of things are you binge-watching?

Spiritual practice you truly want to change your output? Change your inputs…

Get rid of the moral filth and dig into God’s word - like hunger and thirst for it…filth and dig into God’s word - like hunger and thirst for it…

CLOSING:

Jesus told this quick story about this - He said people are like a storehouse, we bring out whatever is stored up inside of us. If you want to break rage, you have to change what your input is. You spiritual formation may be so deeply ingrained you need to go see a Christian counselor to get the help you need. But are never going to experience the change by just saying “I want to quit” you have to replace what’s in your heart. Some of you need to start today by coming up and repenting. I know it’s scary - how has the “not scary” way been working for you? If you want to be uncommon - do uncommon things…

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What if our anger isn't the problem, but how we use it is? Are we letting it lead us to sin, or using it to fight for others? Tune in this Sunday to find out!

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

I remember when I was in 6th grade our science teacher - Mr. Cronkite was trying to teach us to think outside of the box. He said, like, if you are ever surrounded by a bunch of guys who want to get into a fight, you need to look for the person with the biggest weakness and go after it. He then proceeded to tell us about a kid who got jumped after school and was surrounded by all these kids who were going to beat him up. He saw that one of the kids had braces and he took Cronkite's advice and he punched that kid in the mouth as hard as he possibly could! Blood exploded from the boy's mouth and all the other kids ran of terrified about what would happen to them…

Needless to say, Mr. Cronkite was all the boys' favorite teacher after that…

But he had a point, right,

Usually, the one who wins a fight is the one who fights the dirtiest…

Today we are starting this series,

FIGHT

learning to handle conflict (the healthy way)

I’m going to give you the boring stuff - Cronkite knew how to make it exciting, but my goal isn’t for you to learn to win fights, but how to go an entirely different route over the next few weeks…

Especially coming out of this series on relationships…

So, today we are going to look at when anger is a good thing, and when it’s not so much

Let me ask you a question,

How many of you struggle with anger?

Better yet, how many of you would those close to you say you can be an angry person?

ILLUSTRATION:

I asked my kids this and they were like, “no dad, you’re not.” But I know that’s not always true… The reality is, just like you, I have times where I’m angry and where I explode…

Today I want to look at when it’s ok to be angry and when it’s not.

CAVEAT:

Here’s my worry with this sermon is that not everyone who is angry actually knows they are angry. Some of you have just accepted it as part of who you are.

Here’s how to know if you have a problem with anger.

Ask yourself this question, “If I had a boss who talked to me the way I talk to __(your spouse, kids, employees, etc)_. Would I put up with it?”

If you’re really brave, ask your loved ones if they think you are an angry person, but be prepared and give them 100% immunity from any repercussions - because if you are an angry person, I promise you, they are going to be scared to share that with you…

The reason I’m preaching this sermon is because if you are someone who struggles with anger, you need to learn when it’s appropriate and when it’s not. In the coming weeks we are going to look at better ways to handle anger, but today, I want you to know not all anger is bad…

I think there are at least two types of anger, Righteous Anger & Danger Anger

Danger anger is when you react with anger that's inappropriate to the situation

-This is when your spouse burns the dinner and you rage at them.

-This is when your kid leaves a trail of toys, going from one play session to another and you blow up at them

-This is when you lock yourself of out of the house and get in the car beating on the steering wheel and cussing up a storm

-You shut down and go into violent silent weaponizing withdrawal

Danger anger comes when your well-being feels threatened BUT no real harm occurs.

Look at this list of things that are often times underlying emotions that are presenting themselves as anger:

guilt
insecurity
worn out
confusion
pain
overwhelmed
anxiety
embarrassment
rejection
trauma
threatened
grief
unfairness
loneliness
jealousy
hunger
helplessness
stressed
disappointment
sadness

Paul’s challenge to us is:

Ephesians 4:26-27

26 “In your anger do not sin”[d]: Do not let the sun go down while you are still angry, 27 and do not give the devil a foothold.

Anger is a means to control what feels out of control, when you power up you put yourself in a position to feel protected…

But so often it ends up being sinful. You say things that hurt, you do things that break down others.

Paul’s not saying to “don’t be angry,” what he’s saying is to not let your anger lead to sin - deal with it before it’s too late.

One of the things that challenges me is in the first chapter of Isaiah…

God tells Isaiah He’s done with all the religious things the people are bringing to Him, he sees them all as worthless, and here’s why:

Isaiah 1:15

15 When you spread out your hands in prayer, I hide my eyes from you; even when you offer many prayers, I am not listening. Your hands are full of blood!

He’s done with them because of the violence they perpetrated. Later He will say:

17 Learn to do right; seek justice. Defend the oppressed.[a] Take up the cause of the fatherless; plead the case of the widow.

What do you do? You need to start asking yourself

“What was that about?”

You need to start identifying what is actually driving your anger and deal with that - communicate it to those around you who are experiencing your outbursts. “I’m sorry, I’m just feeling so anxious right now” or “I’m sorry, I’m just feel like I’m no good at this and it ticks me off and I get so angry”…

What would it look like if you started to take your anger a different direction.

God has given you a passionate personality, and there is definitely a place for anger to make a difference!

Righteous anger is when real harm is done to you or others - it's an appropriate response to what's happening

What would it look like for you to take your anger and use it to help others?

To turn your passion to protecting those who have no one to protect them?

Jesus felt this kind of anger, listen to Mark

Mark 3:4-6

4 Then Jesus asked them, “Which is lawful on the Sabbath: to do good or to do evil, to save life or to kill?” But they remained silent.

5 He looked around at them in anger and, deeply distressed at their stubborn hearts, said to the man, “Stretch out your hand.” He stretched it out, and his hand was completely restored. 6 Then the Pharisees went out and began to plot with the Herodians how they might kill Jesus.

Jesus sees these religious guys who are willing to let this guy go unhealed in order to keep their laws and Jesus breaks the religious law to rescue this guy.

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

As disciples of Jesus, we need some people who will care so much for others that they will let themselves get riled up for injustice - and it’s fine to do that at a governmental level - I know so many of you get politically riled up, but what about the fatherless around us? What about those who are dying apart from Jesus right now? What about those who have no hope in this world? Do you get angry for those who are being taken advantage of? Do you get angry for the kids in foster care? What about the single mom working 3 jobs? What would it look like for you to turn your passionate personality into a response to help them?

[Anthony - After the invitation song, I'd like to end with you saying, we want to introduce you to a way that you could put your righteous anger to use, watch this video and then when you exit today stop and talk to someone from Transform Scott County by https://drive.google.com/file/d/1O3rjPTS9YPjoTBJyI826dtZ5y3cfee64]

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Are we creating an environment in our marriages where love and respect can thrive? Let’s dig into this together in part 2 of this message on growing in your relationship with your spouse.

EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give). Get the fill-in-the-blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins.

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

If you weren’t here for last week's sermon, you really will want to go and listen to it. If you remember we were talking about

How do you go from frustrated to liberated in your relationship with your spouse?

We looked at Paul’s words in Ephesians 5:33

Ephesians 5:33

33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

and then we started working backward and

We looked at what it meant for a man to love his wife

We talked about being unselfish, undivided, unstoppable

and I called you men to be fierce for your family.

Ladies, are you ready for your part of the sermon?

ILLUSTRATION:

Have you ever been nervous to do something? Like when you were a kid getting up on the high dive at a pool. If you were like me, once you got up there you were like, “uh, well, l guess this is happening” and there’s the kid behind you going, “Just jump…”

Well, I feel like I climbed up a high dive and it’s time to jump - ladies, I’m going to ask you to stick with me through this sermon, because I have a feeling at first you might want to just turn me off and be like, “Nope, this dudes a chauvinist” but I’m going to intentionally stretch it that way so where we actually land is the right place - you ok with that?

Ok, I’m gonna jump and hope you’ll stay with me…

LADIES:

When Paul says to respect your husband, this is the same word in Greek used to speak of “fearing” God.

I want to ask the questions you might be asking:

What does that mean? Is this just an example of men writing something to try and “put women in their place”?

Before we answer that, let me give that argument a little more fuel

Listen to this…

Ephesians 5:22-24

22 Wives, submit yourselves to your own husbands as you do to the Lord. 23 For the husband is the head of the wife as Christ is the head of the church, his body, of which he is the Savior. 24 Now as the church submits to Christ, so also wives should submit to their husbands in everything.

Maybe you are like, “I knew it, the bible’s just full of Chauvinist toxic masculinity” - submit to your husband? I’d rather stub my toe…

Oh man, see what I’m saying… Ladies you don’t have to say this makes you mad, but doesn’t it? Doesn’t it feel like some man is just trying to shut women up?

I’d say that was right if we just took these verses out of context, but that’s not at all what the context tells us… Listen to what Paul says in vs 21

vs. 21, "Submit to one another out of reverence for Christ."

Paul isn’t a chauvinist, he’s a submission-ist (husbands and wives are to submit to one another)

Husbands and wives both have a role to play in submitting to one another (it’s why we focused first on the men dying for their bride)

This is why last week I started with the men - I started by telling men they need to start giving to their wives the love they need - to be willing to die…

Wives, what Paul calls you to is to respect your husband, and he is saying respect comes through submitting.

My guess is, ladies, that understanding what it means to submit is not near as hard as actually submitting…

(ANTHONY - HAVE THESE POPULATE ONE AT A TIME)

Wives here is a series of questions to ask yourself to find out if you struggle with an unsubmissive heart:

Do you force your opinion on your husband?
When deadlocked about a decision does your husband have the last say or do you?
Does your husband's opinion about parenting decisions hold weight or are you dismissive of him?
Do you manipulate your spouse to get what you want?
Do you belittle your husband with your words and attack him with a barrage of emotions?

Sometimes it can be very difficult to honestly evaluate whether you are engaging in one of these activities, so let me tell you

The secret to knowing if you are struggling with an unsubmissive heart

-If your husband is shutting down (he’s relationally cold) in your relationship he is LIKELY giving you what he thinks you want, his submission

ILLUSTRATION:

I had a friend who I was talking with one day several years ago. He was expressing his frustration with not knowing what to do in his relationship. He said that he was just tired of being berated and belittled all the time by his wife. He said he had decided to put his head down and just do what he needed to do to make her happy because he couldn’t win the arguments. He loved her, but emotionally he could not keep pace with her and it was easier to just say nothing, clean the house, put in time with his kids than it was to constantly be in a battle.

“I just put my head down and do it” he kept saying...

I know so many women who wish that their husbands were more responsive

-that he would woo them again

-that he would care about their day

-that he would put down the remote

But those same women are producing an environment where their husband feels like he will either be at war constantly or just puts his head down

-and men follow the sin of Adam

-We duck out of our responsibility

The sin of Adam and that all of his sons have struggled with since is the sin of abdication of our God-given responsibility

Ladies, you have the power to induce your husbands to become Godly leaders or to reduce them to submissive doormats

It starts with your attitudes, your hearts, and your willingness to do what Jesus called us to “The first must become last"

MEN: You either make it easy for your wife to submit or very difficult for her

-A wife who knows her husband will be unselfish, undivided & unstoppable with his love will find it very easy to respect her husband and be submissive to him

-after all, she will never have to question whether he is making the best decision for her because he chooses her over himself every time

-she may not agree, and he may even be wrong ultimately, but his love will trump the doubt

Wives - you are to submit to your husbands, but husbands you are to love your wives like Christ loved the church

CLOSING:

For Jenni and I, most of the time this isn’t an issue, we work very hard to be on the same page. But there was a time when we were really on two different sides of an argument. Jenni had been working a job and felt very strongly that it would be wrong for her to quit. I felt like she was dying working the job and trying to be a wife, mother and pastor's wife. I said to her one night, “I am not going to play this card very often, but I am making the decision that you are going to quit that job”. She did not totally agree with me, but she graciously submitted to that decision. I’m telling you if she thought it was because I wanted her to stay home and wash my underwear, or for some other selfish reason, that would have been very difficult. She was able to submit, I think in part, because she knew my heart was for her…

I was submitting my will to fulfill her desires and she was submitting to my decision… But it all came out of my willingness to die for my bride, which all comes from understanding what I’ve been given in Jesus…

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Are we loving our wives like Christ loves the church—unselfish, undivided, unstoppable? What kind of man are we choosing to be? Tune in to be challenged and learn how to grow in your relationship with your spouse!

EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ). Get the fill in the blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins.

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

I asked Jenni to tell me what the most frustrating about being married to me and she said, “I just have to pick one thing??"

Ha, that’s the truth, right?

There are so many things that can get under our skin in marriage

-how you squeeze the toothpaste

-leaving dirty underwear on the floor

-constantly changing the channel

-how you talk about one another

-how you talk to one another

-the way you spend money

-etc.

Marriage can be frustrating, but it can also be exhilarating and liberating

The question is how do we go from frustration to liberation?

STUDY:

This morning we are going to open up to Ephesians. Paul is in the middle of giving Godly advice for how to have all kinds of relationships, but in this particular passage he has zoned in on marriages and how a Godly marriage is supposed to work

Ephesians 5:33

33 However, each one of you also must love his wife as he loves himself, and the wife must respect her husband.

There was a Christian relationship book written using just this one verse, the book is called “Love and Respect"

-the author takes Pauls basic statement and makes the argument that men and women both need something different

-Men need respect most and women need love most (this is not to say that women don’t need to be respected or men don’t need loved)

ILLUSTRATION:

When my kids were young, they used to pick out a gift for their friends that they just KNEW they would love! They’d watch with anticipation as the kid opened the gift at their birthday party and then toss the gift in the pile of other gifts and say thanks. I can remember once watching my kid go over and timidly say, “um, can I play with it?”

They were giving the gift they wanted, not necessarily the gift the other person would want

This happens in relationships all the time…

We give what WE want rather than what THEY need

I think most men tend to want to fix things and give distance.

Most women tend to want to give love, words, and closeness.

and we try and give what we want…

How many wives have been frustrated by a husband who wanted to fix their problem? How many men have been frustrated by a wife who just wanted them to talk more about what was going on…

We end up giving one another what we want and both parties leave feeling unfulfilled, unloved, and uncared for...

Paul’s answer:

Men - love your wives

Women - Respect your husbands

Simple, done, sermon over!

I wish it was that simple

-but men, what does it mean to love your wife?

-women, what does it mean to respect your husband?

How does that play out in the middle of a big fight?

-what does it look like to love your wife day in and day out?

-what does it look like to respect your husband after a long day of work?

This is where the rubber meets the road, this is where Paul's words are like fresh oxygen to a person who is running out of air

MEN, what does it look like to love your wife?

Ephesians 5:25-31

25 Husbands, love your wives, just as Christ loved the church and gave himself up for her 26 to make her holy, cleansing[a] her by the washing with water through the word, 27 and to present her to himself as a radiant church, without stain or wrinkle or any other blemish, but holy and blameless. 28 In this same way, husbands ought to love their wives as their own bodies. He who loves his wife loves himself. 29 After all, no one ever hated their own body, but they feed and care for their body, just as Christ does the church— 30 for we are members of his body. 31 “For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh.”[b] 32 This is a profound mystery—but I am talking about Christ and the church.

Paul gives us a very clear picture of what it means to love our wives, we love them like Christ loved the church

Christ’s love for the church was UNSELFISH, UNDIVIDED and UNSTOPPABLE

UNSELFISH because He chooses the needs of His brides above His own needs - even to the point of death
UNDIVIDED because He had eyes only for His bride - He was solely focused on winning her
UNSTOPPABLE because He would let nothing keep Him from His bride - not the perception of others or the fear ofrejection

Husbands, what kind of a man are you?

-unmarried men, what kind of a man are you? Are you worth marrying?

Men, does concern for your wives needs and her desires trump your own?

-Christ was unselfish.. Your wife should be able to trust that every decision you make has her best interest at heart

-Men, does your wife have to vie for your attention? Is the game more important? Do you talk about other women? Do you look at pornography?

-Christ was undivided in his love and attention for His bride

-you are killing her when you let other things take the place of her in your heart

-every time you talk about another woman or look at another woman you are telling her that your love for her is not totally secure

-Men, do you focus on being right instead of telling your wife that there is nothing she could do to lose your love?

-Christ was completely unstoppable in His love. The rebellion of the bride, the hurtfulness, etc. could not keep Him from loving her

ILLUSTRATION:

Even when my daughters were young, I could see this desire to be loved and chosen like this. When they are hurt or sad or even mad they do one thing consistently, they run to their room and hide. They are in there waiting for me to come find them and hold them in my arms and tell them that I love them.

Men, our ladies are much more sophisticated than that, and it may be an over simplification to say they just want you to hold them and tell you that you love them -but they do indeed need and want to know that you will have an unselfish, undivided, unstoppable love for them

-you must find a way to show them, even when they push you away and run from you.

Next week I’m going to talk about what it looks like for a wife to respect her husband, but this week. Men, I want you to start to consider the type of man you want to be…

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

I recently took my son on a trip for his 16th birthday, I asked him if he knew what it meant to be a man. He had a pretty good answer. But as we talked about it, I told him my definition. It’s being strong, but using your strength for others. There are plenty of strong men out there who are violently using their strength for their own ends. they ignore their wives, they abandon their children, they rage through their house, they drown their demons in a bottle or vaping it away.

Men, God created you to be fierce. One time, years ago I was put in a position where someone I loved was being attacked and I literally grabbed the person who was attacking them, threw them on the floor and started slamming their head into the floor and yelling at them. I didn’t know that was in me to fight for someone I loved like that. Some of you don’t know it’s in you because you’ve never been told as a man to be fierce, but to be fierce for God and for His Kingdom, for the ones He’s put in your path to lead. When I was growing up church leaders would say the husband is the leader of the family. I never knew what that meant. Now I believe it means it’s my job to get my family to heaven. To literally die for my bride if it’s what it takes. What about you? What kind of a man are you going to be?

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What if the key to a thriving marriage isn’t fixing our spouse—but becoming whole ourselves? Tune in Sunday as we unpack what holiness really means and how it might affect you in powerful ways!

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

There are things I wish people would have told me about relationships before getting married - it’s the kind of stuff you never see in a RomCom…

Like, no one ever told me that you are laying on your back playing with your baby - you know, doing the little airplane mode and that that baby had just eaten that you ARE going to get puked on. And maybe a little bit of it is going to go into your mouth… uck…

And not one tells you that when you call for your spouse that she’s going to grab the phone to take a picture instead of helping you… Lol…

No one warns you when you get pregnant with a kid that you are going to not sleep for the REST of your life!

There’s no way of knowing when you are dating if the guy you are dating is the kind of monster who squeezes the toothpaste from the middle of the tube or not…

Rom-coms don’t tell us the whole story when it comes to relationships.

-What do you do when the man you married is shut off and emotionless

-What do you do when she nags at you and never sees the good you’ve done

-what do you do when you wish there was someone else or you’d made a different decision

What do you do when your whole story finally comes into focus and all you see are holes?

First, let me say, there is hope for you…

Don’t give up, every good thing is hard…

But if we are going to go from holes to whole, we are going to have to learn some things no one told us about relationships.

There is this thing I want to bring up in a moment, but I need to debug it a bit because most of us have grown up with a picture of the word

Here’s the word, are you ready for it?

Holy

What’s the picture when you hear someone say holy?

-for some of you it’s a priest or someone who doesn’t ever do anything fun

-some of you it’s a woman in a floral print button-down shirt, with a jean skirt on and a bible in her hand

again, someone you perceive to not have any fun

Telling someone to “be Holy” is the linguistic equivalent of telling someone to eat their vegetables in our culture.

I need you to get a picture of that word in your mind so we can destroy it and rebuild it…

1 Peter 1:15-16

15 But just as he who called you is holy, so be holy in all you do;16 for it is written: “Be holy, because I am holy.”[a]

Holiness is looking more like God than the world around you…

I think the best way to put holiness is

Holiness is wholeness…

Holiness is when we walk and look so much like God that people see a reflection of Him in everything we do.

ILLUSTRATION:

What inevitably happens when someone hears a sermon is we think of someone who needs to hear it. It’s kind of natural - we see others' weaknesses so much easier than our own - because if we had to live in full view of our own incapabilities we’d be crushed most of the time…

Today, I’m going to ask you to do something to get beyond the Rom-Com way of thinking our world has handed down to us.

I’m going to ask you to stop thinking about your spouse and the holes they have and start thinking about what YOU need to be whole.

What would it look like for you to become holy?

Because here’s what Holy offers…

-Holy gives you a sense of your value that isn’t dependent on someone else telling you are worth something

-Holy offers forgiveness that doesn’t justify your faults but redeems them

-Holy dives into a deep lasting love that restores and conditions your heart to be gracious

-Holy gives peace when chaos reigns

I want to just for a few minutes take you into a passage and help you see something there that I hope will start to unlock how you can be holy like God is holy…

Paul, in the book of Galatians, is describing what it looks like when we live apart from the holiness of God and what it looks like when we live in the Holiness of God - what comes out of us…

Listen

Galatians 5:19-26

ILLUSTRATION:

I’ve been a Christian long enough to know when I’m walking in the “flesh” if you don’t understand what he means by that, he means you're going back to the way of life that lived like there was no God. For me, I can literally feel it in the way I think about people and talk to them - if I’m being super honest with you - I’m going to use a word that is not very church appropriate - I’m a butthole... I am all these things that Paul is talking about. My mind goes towards whatever will make me feel good without care for others unless they help me.. Honestly, it’s pretty dark for me…

but listen to what Paul says the person who is living in God’s Holiness has:

22 But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, 23 gentleness and self-control. Against such things there is no law. 24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit. 26 Let us not become conceited, provoking and envying each other.

How many of you would love a spouse that leads with love, joy, peace, forbearance, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness and self-control?

Let me ask a different question…

How many of you want to BE that spouse?

I mean really deep down in your bones, you’d do whatever you could to be that person?

A person who is living centered on love, joy, peace, etc. is a whole person - wholly holy.

So, how do you get those things? Do I just need to try harder? Be a better person? Is that the answer?

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

I think I’ve shared this story before but when I first came to know Jesus, I was trying really hard to stop cussing. I had a mouth worse than a sailor's. I was praying because I just kept failing trying to be good and thankfully Jesus spoke to me and I was tuned in to listen because He said to me “Stop focusing on your sin and focus on me, I’m the one who takes away sin”. I stopped caring about if I cussed or not, I just wanted to know Jesus more than I knew anything.

I want to have them put up the end of that scripture again:

24 Those who belong to Christ Jesus have crucified the flesh with its passions and desires. 25 Since we live by the Spirit, let us keep in step with the Spirit.

How do you get the fruit of the Spirit?

You die to your old life that led to trash

and you learn to step with the Spirit of God…

What would it look like for you to walk into your home after church today, and when things get tense because you remember the mess or the bills or he acts like he didn’t hear a word that was said in the sermon instead of responding, what if you just paused and said:

“God, where are you right now, cause I want to step with you.”

I’ll tell you where He is, He’s going to be in love, He’s going to be in joy, kindness, etc.

Step with the Spirit - Walk with Him, where He walks and you will end up walking right into Holiness…

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What do you do when you're not sure the person you are married to is actually your soulmate? Or even better, how do you choose? The answer might surprise you? Tune in to find out!

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

I remember asking one of my parents how I knew I'd be in love and they said, "You'll just know". That felt problematic because it took me 25 years to figure out that every time I drank milk I got sick cause I was lactose intolerant. If I couldn't diagnose that, how would I ever have any luck with falling in love?

I mean seriously!

Today we are going to delve into some waters and talk about “love” as we do, I want you to be aware, that I’m going to poke at some ideas like “you’ll just know” that might make you want to say, “Kent you’re a dummy,” but stick with me… Because…

When it comes to “Love,” our world is saturated with ideas that make for great Rom-Coms, but make for terrible relationship guidance.

Let me explain what I mean…

Tell me if any of these ideas about love/relationships sound familiar to you:

-You'll "just know"

-Finding the "one"

-Finding your "soulmate"

-Finding the "perfect" person for you

-That we can find our "happily ever after"

-We were "meant to be"

-it was "Love at first sight"

Can I ask you a question?

Why do Americans tend to believe these ideas to be true?

I can’t tell you how many times I’ve heard these pop up in marriage counseling either in a positive - He was my soul mate, or I just knew or in a negative way, I’m not sure we are really meant for each other

You may have your own answers to why we believe these things, maybe you were like me, your parents told you that - but where did they get those ideas?

But I will tell you one sure fireplace that has been peddling these ideas for decades has been Hollywood and now social media.

A lot of these ideas come from ancient religions, myths, folklore, fairy tales, and more - Hollywood capitalizes on them to make great stories and we ingest them as if they were our own ideologies…

Are these ideas really what love is? What does the scripture say about love?

Does it say there is a perfect person for you that “you’ll just know”?

Maybe you’re thinking

“Kent, I don’t know why it matters if I believe these ideas or not?”

It matters because your deeply held beliefs will dictate your behavior…

ILLUSTRATION:

What I mean is if you deep down have bit on these ideas there is a good chance that at some point when your marriage has gotten difficult, when the lust has worn off - because most of the time what we call love was actually lust - that you end up in my office going, “he looked good in the lighting of the club, but now that I’ve seen him in the daylight for years, I don’t want this joker anymore.

I cannot tell you how many people I’ve sat with who will say, “I just don’t love them anymore” and are ready to get a divorce or have already participated in an affair looking for the excitement Hollywood has painted for them.

Have you ever noticed that Hollywood very rarely makes a movie or show about relationships after the rom-com? They always end with the marriage or the relationship starting because all the things they’ve fed us about love don’t work to make a marriage work and they don’t know how to do it either.

Hebrews 13:4

4 Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral.

I want us to learn how to honor marriage today as we talk about what love should really look like…

The apostle Paul wrote these words to the church in Corinth to describe what it should look like for Christians to love - what our marching orders are when it comes to love. Now, he’s not describing romantic love, but there is no difference - this is what it looks like to love another human being…

As I read this passage, I want you to think about how well this reflects the ideology of the world's version of love…

As we read this description of love I want you to think about what sticks out to you compared to the way our world views love:

1 Corinthians 13:4-13

4 Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. 5 It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. 6 Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. 7 It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres.

ILLUSTRATION:

Jenni will be the first to tell you she’s not perfect, but I believe Jenni tries to live this list out. I can’t think of a time Jenni has dishonored me, I can’t think of a time she threw something in my face I’ve done before.

Do you see? Biblically, Love is not a feeling, it’s an action.

Love is a choice…

8 Love never fails. But where there are prophecies, they will cease; where there are tongues, they will be stilled; where there is knowledge, it will pass away.

Paul is making the argument that even the most spiritual of things you could think of will end, but love never does.

Love goes further, gives more, and endures longer. Love NEVER fails.

The caveat: Now listen this is not for those who are in an abusive relationship or for someone who has been abandoned by a spouse or whose spouse has had an affair.

This is for the couple who get in arguments
This is for the couple who struggles to remember why they got married in the first place
This is for the people who have been thinking there has to be someone better out there for you

“Kent, how do I love someone who has hurt me? How do I love someone who seems to no longer care about me?”

I never said Love, true biblical love was easy. The only thing I know to tell you is that the author of love, the one who loves Himself gets it. He still chose to love us even when we were at our worst…

Romans 5:8

8 But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us.

CLOSING:

God demonstrates His love…

It was while we all turned our backs on Him that He chose us.

Recently I was thinking of Barabbas, if you don’t know the story. It is the day of the crucifixion of Christ. He has been beaten to within an inch of His life, He has been brutalized all day. Pilate, the Roman governor brought Jesus out and put him up against Barabbas, this guy was a criminal, who was slated for execution. Pilate is certain the people will want to release Jesus over Barabbas, but when he asks the people, the chief priests stir up the crowd to cry for Jesus’ crucifixion. This is the moment where you expect all the bad to come to an end, people should have chosen Jesus to be freed, but instead, they crucified Him. A criminal is set free and God is crucified… And Barabbas becomes the first person in history to have the sacrifice of Jesus take His place. This is what love looks like. Jesus could have gotten out of there, He could have just walked off. But instead, He chose the worst so He could bring the best to us. Listen, when Paul is telling you what love is? He’s just telling you what God is like, “love is patient, it’s kind, it doesn’t envy (because it already has everything it could want), it doesn’t boast, or is proud… etc.”

Listen, you can’t have this kind of love in a real way without submitting your life completely to the one who is love - He’s where we find it. He’s where we start over and find new life. what would it look like for you to give your life to love - not the Hollywood - done at the end of the romcom kind of love, but the deeper, richer, goes further kind of love? Some of you need to accept Jesus today!

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Ever feel like your prayers are hitting a wall or like they go unanswered? What’s really going on? Let’s dive into why some prayers seem unanswered. How can we tune into God’s will?

EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give).

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

I was telling my son the other day that when I was in high school I had gone on this trip and was staying in a hotel room with one of my best friends - we were seniors, and this freshman kid we didn’t know very well. I came back from breakfast and went into the bathroom to use the bathroom and saw that the toilet was really clogged. I asked the two guys who did it and both of them denied it. My friend, who I trusted was like, “There was no way I did that… it’s disgusting” The freshman was like, “Well, it wasn’t me…” so, I did what any senior in a position like that would do, I believed my buddy and told the freshman he had to go down to the front desk and tell them what he’d done and get someone to come un clog the toilet… this poor kid was like, “really,” I was like, “if you do the crime, you have to do the time!” lol. He left and went downstairs. I turned to my buddy and I was like, “Man, I can’t believe that kid wouldn’t just admit he did it…” That’s when I realized I’d made a critical error, my buddy with an evil grin looked at me and said, “That’s because he didn’t!”

I was so mad at him, he had totally let me blame this kid - and shame this kid for something he didn’t do…

You ever experienced that - taken the fall for something you didn’t do?

WE:

Maybe at work, your boss made it out like her idea that failed was actually your idea and you just had to go along with it?

Anyone who has an older sibling has been blamed for something that kid did

-when I was like 8 I scratched a big “K” into the inside of my closet door - my younger sister later moved into that room - Katie, and guess who got blamed for it… lol

-Or maybe your kids blame you for everything that went wrong in their life as though they had no part in the direction their life took

We all know what it’s like to be blamed for something we didn’t do… but get this, so does God…

See, one of the most common reasons I hear for people walking away from God has to do with them believing God did something He didn’t do…

I don’t know how many people I’ve met who walked away from God because of unanswered prayers…

Sickness that wasn’t healed, loss that wasn’t avoided, pain & suffering that was not removed…

The underlying theology is: “A Good God would have done something about __________ for me… He’d have answered my prayers”

I know that’s not the only reason, but let’s assume it’s a major one

Why is it that some prayers seem to go unanswered?

Is it that just God isn’t good? or is something else going on?

3 of the top reasons prayers go unanswered

The reasons I’m about to share with you are not mutually exclusive

The first reason prayers go unanswered: You're experiencing spiritual warfare and you don’t know it…

My experience is the average person has not spent a lot of time thinking about how the spiritual realm works in Modern America…

ILLUSTRATION:

It’s kind of like when you were a kid and your parents would say “Just wait till your an adult, it’s so much harder than you know - you have it easy right now.” That kid can’t understand because they’ve never lived in the adult world.

Most Christians don’t take much time to live in the spiritual and think about it…. Let me show you something that took place in the book of Daniel, it gives us a sneak peak behind the curtain of the spiritual… Daniel was in a rough spot and had been praying to God and gotten no response… Listen to the response he ends up getting - this is an angel speaking to Daniel:

Dan 10:12-14

12 Then he continued, “Do not be afraid, Daniel. Since the first day that you set your mind to gain understanding and to humble yourself before your God, your words were heard, and I have come in response to them. 13 But the prince of the Persian kingdom resisted me twenty-one days. Then Michael, one of the chief princes, came to help me, because I was detained there with the king of Persia. 14 Now I have come to explain to you what will happen to your people in the future, for the vision concerns a time yet to come.”

The answer to Daniel's prayer was delayed 21 Days because the Angel in charge of delivering the message was in a battle with an evil spirit.

Sometimes what you are experiencing as God being silent or not answering is a direct result of God letting the battle for good and evil play out in the spiritual realm…

Sometimes the answer might be to pray for God to send more angelic forces to war for you.

-Jesus says the angels of children see the face of God - we used to pray for God to send his biggest baddest angels to protect our children…

Look, I know this is a more robust picture of the spiritual realm than most of you have probably been willing to step into, but it is very clearly what Paul is asking people to step into when he says:

Ephesians 6:11-13a

11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms. 13 Therefore put on the full armor of God

Not every unanswered prayer, or silent period you experience is because God isn’t working, rather it’s because you are in a war with a desperate foe…

The second reason prayers go unanswered: Your request isn't in the will of God

James 4:2-4

2 You desire but do not have, so you kill. You covet but you cannot get what you want, so you quarrel and fight. You do not have because you do not ask God. 3 When you ask, you do not receive, because you ask with wrong motives, that you may spend what you get on your pleasures. 4 You adulterous people,[a] don’t you know that friendship with the world means enmity against God? Therefore, anyone who chooses to be a friend of the world becomes an enemy of God.

Sometimes you don’t have to because you’re more worried about yourself than the Kingdom of God (you say to God “my will be done”)…

John actually says when we ask according to God’s will, your prayers are a “yes” or at least they are heard…

1 John 5:14-15

14 This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us. 15 And if we know that he hears us—whatever we ask—we know that we have what we asked of him.

This means you have to know and understand the will of God… “Well, how do I do that Kent?”

Romans 12:1-2

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

ILLUSTRATION:

The most powerful example of this is when Jesus is in the Garden of Gethsemane - He is about to be arrested and go to the cross to be crucified - do you know what he prays? “Father, if you are willing, take this cup from me, yet not my will be done, but yours”… Can I tell you a secret - the cup is not taken from Jesus - that blows me away that Jesus’ prayer is technically answered - but it’s answered with a “I’m sorry son…” as a matter of fact on the cross Jesus will quote psalm 22, “my God my God, why have you forsaken me…”

The third reason prayers go unanswered: You’re not in the will of God

Oof, that’s a tough one…

Some of you have treated God as though He is your magic spell book, there to use when you need Him and then put Him away on a shelf until you need Him again…

I’m just here to tell you, that’s not who God is…

He is the one who speaks things into being that did not exist, he’s the one who calls things that are not as though they are.

Jesus is not your get-out-of-jail-free card to be played whenever you desire…

He is fierce and a warrior, He has been given all authority in heaven and on earth and He has already done the only one thing that can truly restore mankind - he died to rescue you and me from death, from hell, from sin, and to give us new life - to walk with Him. He did all this to restore the broken relationship between God and man.

Jesus didn’t come to heal every sickness, or prevent every loss - He knew if He did that He’d have to end it all… If He’s going to stop wickedness, He needs to get rid of those who do wickedness - or He needs to infect them with a virus that will sweep through the system and write a whole new operating system into their hard drives… And that’s why He does - He comes to give new life - that’s His will - not to destroy but to restore.

And so some of you are outside God’s will and you’re prayers are going unanswered because what He is really wanting to do is to restore you… He wants you - died for you…

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What do we run to when our tanks are empty? Are we staying connected to Jesus, our true source of life? Let’s ask ourselves: how do I get full when I'm running on empty?

EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give). Get the fill in the blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins.

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Oh man, there nothing quite as exciting to me as taking your gas gauge on a car down below the red line. Anyone else with me? I get all excited and nervous when it happens. Jenni hates it. She won’t take her car past 1/4 tank left. For me it’s a game to take it down as low as I can without running out of gas…

Who are you more like? Me or Jenni? How many of you are daredevils and like running it low?

How many of you can’t stand to run it low at all?

I don’t know about you, but coming out of Christmas and the New Year, I feel like my personal tank is running low…

Think about all the things that take your time, all the things that you pour out into…

-Kid's classroom parties

-Getting kids to games and practices

-Year-end projects

-Inbox’s that are FULL to capacity

I saw someone's phone the other day and they had like 1,000 unread messages - that would drive me crazy

It feels like in today’s world our days are chocked so full that our emotional and spiritual tanks are on empty.

ILLUSTRATION:

Jenni and I have had conversations around this. The words we would use are it feels like we are running ragged. We are just going and going and going, constantly pouring out and never being filled.

I was praying on this a few weeks ago, I was literally just done. So tired. See if this sounds familiar. I had found myself binging tv, I was getting irritated easily, I was overeating to find joy, I was not sleeping, literally getting like 4 hrs a night. I was done.

I was praying and twice I had God speak to me about my emptiness.

Once I felt like He showed me a bright light and I immediately looked away. He was like, “This is what you are like with me”

The second one I had decided because of the first that I was going to stop putting an earbud in my ear at night to listen to a show to go to sleep and instead I would pray until I fell asleep. I was praying and getting pretty sleepy and I felt like Jesus was like:

“Kent, you’ve run out of wine…”

All of a sudden I was awake…

Some of you are like, “Kent, what does your grocery list have to do with a sermon?”

It’s funny because Jenni and I don’t even drink.

but here is immediately what came into my mind.

John 2:1-3

On the third day, a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

If you know the story, Jesus’ mom ask Him to fix the wine situation. Most scholars think they have run out of wine because they are likely a poorer family who can’t afford wine. In an honor culture like the Jewish people were, this level of embarrassment at running out of wine would be too much, it would be a serious shame.

You know the story don’t you? Jesus has them take 6 huge jars and fill them to the brim with water. He then sends the servant to the master of ceremonies with a cup full of water taken from the jars. When the master drinks it, he says it’s the best wine he’s ever tasted.

As I laid there that night I realized what Jesus was saying…

I am poor and running on empty and all I have to do is ask Him…

It’s the same thing Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4 after asking her for a drink…

John 4:10

Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”

Look,

Hearing the voice of God is not about you mapping out your life’s plan (although He might speak into that)

Hearing the voice of God is about you staying connected to the true source of life.

It’s about ACTUALLY asking Jesus to give you the living water, to fill your jars, and give you wine.

Let me ask you a question, what do you run to in order to fill your tank/jars?

-Maybe you were like, “Jesus would never tell me I’ve run out of wine” because I never run out - because liquor is what you run to

-maybe it’s feeling good about yourself, pleasing people and being needed

-maybe when you can just get some alone time

-maybe it’s fidgeting and never being settled

-or watching another game

Most of those things aren’t bad, but they are not living water, they can’t fill you completely…

Your deepest need as a human is connectedness to Jesus

can I say that again?

John 15:5-8

5 “I am the vine; you are the branches. If you remain in me and I in you, you will bear much fruit; apart from me you can do nothing. 6 If you do not remain in me, you are like a branch that is thrown away and withers; such branches are picked up, thrown into the fire and burned. 7 If you remain in me and my words remain in you, ask whatever you wish, and it will be done for you. 8 This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples.

Can I ask you some tough questions? Maybe you’ve been thinking about if you actually hear the voice of God and what that looks like for you.

the question should actually be, am I staying connected to the vine?

What does it look like for you to stay connected to Jesus?
What priority does Jesus have in your life - if I looked at your daily agenda, where does He fall?

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

Over the years I’ve planted several peach trees - at this point, I’m probably going to give up because I’m a HORRIBLE gardener. But, I can tell you something, with each one, I’ve WANTED the tree to produce fruit. It was my goal and aim, I bought books and studied. I tried pretty hard. I’m just terrible at gardening. Did you hear what Jesus said,

“This is to my Father’s glory, that you bear much fruit, showing yourselves to be my disciples”

Jesus wants you to bear fruit, He wants you to be His disciple. He’s working on it actively… The real question is do you REALLY want that?

Ya’ll know sports - how many of you would be ok with someone who never listened to the coach, never came to practice, never put any time into the team? How long does that person last?

See, hearing God’s voice is the result of you being in connection with Him… It’s about you being on the team, you showing up, you seeking Him, and saying connected to Him - remaining in Him…

If you remain in Him, He will fill you up with living water, He will give you more wine, He will give you life…

This morning, I want to give you some time to pray and I want to give you the prayer I said that day - we’re just going to leave it up on the screen and play some soft music for a few minutes.

[Anthony, play music softly with the screen up on the last slide for a few minutes]

“God, I’m at the end of my rope, I’m so tired and worn out. Jesus, I just need you….” (repeat that last part until you believe it)

If Jesus speaks to you write it down, close your eyes, listen to Him…

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Have we tuned our ears to hear God’s voice, or are we letting the noise drown Him out? What if He’s already speaking to us? Join us as we learn to listen to the good Shepherd.

EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give). Get the fill in the blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins.

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

So, I have a major problem. I’ve always played this joke on my kids that they will say something like, “Dad, we need to go soon” and I will pretend to mishear them and I’ll say, “did you say we need a goat platoon?” They are always like, “Dad, that’s not funny…” the problem is, now I’m starting to really not be able to hear them… Lol, I’m getting old!

This isn’t just an old person problem. The other day we were in our car on the way to school and one of my kids popped up from reading their book and said, “You need to do something about that hair.” I laughed and said, were you listening? I asked the question because we had just spent about 5 minutes talking about the hair and how I can look like a rooster at times! Lol, they hadn’t heard a thing because they weren’t listening…

We all have times we don’t listen so well, right?

But what happens when you don’t listen to God?

In this series, we are going to talk about “hearing from God”

But I don’t mean this in a generalized sense. I mean actually hearing the voice of God…

ILLUSTRATION:

Have you ever heard some one talk about “Hearing God” speak and thought, “that’s a bunch of hocus pocus”?

I think that a lot. I think LOTS of people misuse and abuse the notion of hearing from God. They use it to justify all kinds of junk…

So, before we go too far into this short series, I want to do a few things today:

First, I want to normalize hearing the voice of God. Hearing from God should be a normal part of the Christian experience and show you how even if you don’t think this is your experience, it might be.

Second, I want to give us some VITAL guardrails. I want to protect us from weaponizing a part of what should be a normal piece of the Christian experience.

1. Is hearing from God normal or signs of a mental condition? :)

Lol, come on, you know that’s what some of you are thinking “hearing voices in your head Kent?” That’s crazy…

But you do know this appears to be the normal experience of people in the scripture, don’t you?

[Put up as one slide so I can move through fairly fast]

Abraham (Call of Abram: Genesis 12:1-3, Covenant with God: Genesis 15:1-6, Pleading for Sodom: Genesis 18:22-33)
Moses (Burning Bush: Exodus 3:1-6, Mount Sinai: Exodus 19-20, Tent of Meeting: Exodus 33:11)
Jesus (Baptism: Matthew 3:17, Transfiguration: Luke 9:28-36, Prayer in Gethsemane: Matthew 26:36-44)
Paul (Road to Damascus: Acts 9:3-6, Thorn in the Flesh: 2 Corinthians 12:7-9, Prayer in Prison: Acts 16:25)
Not to mention
- Old Testament: Adam & Eve, Noah, Hagar, Jacob, Joseph, Samuel, Job, Gideon, Manor & his wife (parents of Samson), Solomon, all the prophets, Balaam (a false prophet)
- New Testament: Zechariah, Mary, Joseph, Shepherds, The apostles, Stephen, Ananias, Cornelius, John the Baptist

God seems to love to engage with His people…

Listen to how Jesus says this:

John 10:1-5, 14-16

“Very truly I tell you Pharisees, anyone who does not enter the sheep pen by the gate, but climbs in by some other way, is a thief and a robber. 2 The one who enters by the gate is the shepherd of the sheep. 3 The gatekeeper opens the gate for him, and the sheep listen to his voice. He calls his own sheep by name and leads them out. 4 When he has brought out all his own, he goes on ahead of them, and his sheep follow him because they know his voice. 5 But they will never follow a stranger; in fact, they will run away from him because they do not recognize a stranger’s voice.”

14 “I am the good shepherd; I know my sheep and my sheep know me— 15 just as the Father knows me and I know the Father—and I lay down my life for the sheep. 16 I have other sheep that are not of this sheep pen. I must bring them also. They too will listen to my voice, and there shall be one flock and one shepherd.

ILLUSTRATION:

There is a funny video on Youtube (youtube.com/watch?v=e45dVgWgV64) of this person trying to call this shepherds sheep over to them. They call with the same words he uses to call them. The sheep just ignore the person, but when the shepherd steps up and calls the sheep, all of the sudden their heads look up, they see him, and when they do, they come running to him.

Jesus says, “I am the good shepherd” and that his sheep follow Him because they KNOW His voice!

But Kent, I’ve never heard a voice, I don’t have visions or talk to really hot shrubbery, does that mean I’m not one of His sheep?

Can I take the pressure off of you? There is a group out there of Christians that make everyone else feel like they don’t hear from God - they say things like “The Lord told me I was supposed to buy this thing or do that thing” and they make it sound like God us up there as their personal administrative assistant telling them when to do everything…

[reveal the below one line at a time]

But I’ll bet, if you say you’ve never heard God’s voice that you have:

Have you ever read something in the scripture and been moved by a thought that came over you?
Have you ever been in a worship service and felt moved?
Have you ever heard a sermon and felt like you were supposed to do something?

That’s the voice of God

ILLUSTRATION:

for me, I always know it’s the voice of God when it’s something that Kent, in his Kentness wouldn’t naturally do or think. I’ve felt like I was supposed to call someone and encourage them, that’s not me. I one time was telling God I love Him and I felt like I heard Him say back, “I love you too” I just started weeping. I’ve felt like I was supposed to buy someone gas - that’s not me, I’m more inclined to drive right by that person. I have a buddy who said he was thanking God for all the blessings he has and he heard God say, “what are you going to do with it?”

For me, God’s voice is not loud, it’s not shouting at me, it’s just quietly leading me like a shepherd. “hey, don’t go over there…” or “hey, there’s some really good grass over here…”

Can I give you some Guardrails as we talk about this subject?

Because I’ve seen, particularly spiritual leaders, abuse people with this…

Guardrails to consider when learning to listen to God…

If God has already spoken in the scripture about your situation - you don’t need anything more (If you are waiting to hear God on whether to stay with your spouse or leave them for your mistress - God has already spoken on that…)
Be humble and test the spirits (Not every idea/thing that comes into your mind is from God or even you. Test what you are hearing against seasoned followers of Jesus and against the word of God)
God does not tend to operate in either-or situations (Giving God the options of “God it’s either this or it’s that” - if you’re truly inviting God to speak in your life, let Him speak what He wants to say, not your pre-populated answers)
NEVER use what you believe God spoke to you as a means to beat others into submission - if God spoke it to you, He is more than capable of speaking it to them as well…

ILLUSTRATION:

Early on in ministry, I told a church that I felt God had told me we were supposed to move our congregation to a different building. I don’t want to go into the specifics, but I felt like God convicted me, because in reality, I felt like we should make the move, but God had not directed me to do it.

I confused my ego with God’s direction and in the process, manipulated the sheep as though my words were from the shepherd.

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

Jesus is the good shepherd, and he laid down His life for you. My prayer as I was writing this sermon was not that people would learn a lot about listening to God, but that they would actually tune their ears to the God who is speaking to them. I have learned that as I age and my hearing actually gets worse, I have to lean in a little and actually listen to what people say. I have to really focus on it and when I do, I can understand them. What would it look like for you to tune your ears and your heart to God? One of the ways to do that is to lean into God, we are about to sing this song and I want to invite you to come up to the alter and lean into God. Pray and just tell Him, Jesus, if you want to speak, I’m listening. don’t put any pressure on it, if you don’t hear anything, that’s alright. But what if you do? What if when you say, “I love you” He says, “I love you too!” Back. He has already said this to you! Come and give your life to Jesus!

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Hey, good morning Harmony. I'm so glad that you guys are joining me. In light of having actual in-person church. I'm going to do a quick devotional online for us. I was thinking recently Jenny and I were getting ready for bed and she came to me and she said I just, I just have something to tell you.

And you know in your marriage when your wife says something like that you're like, what did I do? Did I leave the underwear on the floor again? And instead of it being that it was something really sweet. She said, you used to come to at night before we go to bed and you would give me a good night kiss and you don't do that anymore. And I thought about it and I was like, yeah, I haven't done that for a long time.

That was like a long time ago. And I said, baby, I'm so sorry, I haven't been doing that. And then it hit me. Do you know the reason I stopped giving my wife a good night's kiss? It was this stupid thing.

Does anybody have one of these? It was a CPAP like I turned into Darth Vader every night. And so every night we would go to sleep and I would just put on the mask, turn into Darth Vader and I'd Roll over and go to sleep. And I stopped giving my wife a good night kiss. It reminds me of our relationship with Jesus and something that Jesus told the church in the city of Ephesus a long time ago, thousands of years ago, in the Book of Revelation.

He's speaking to the Apostle John, and he says these words to the church in Ephesus. I want you to listen to this. He says this, but here's something I hold against you. You have turned away from the love you had at first. Jesus looked at this church in Ephesus, and he said, when you guys first fell in love with me, there was something about that love that was changing who you were.

It was making who you were. And he says you have turned away from the love you had at first. And then he says this. Think about how far you've fallen. Think about how far you've fallen.

Turn, Listen. Turn away from your sins. I don't know what your life looks like, but my guess is there was a time in your life when you were radically in love with Jesus. My hope is there was a time in your life, and maybe for you right now, that is that time. But my hope is that if.

If that time is not right now, if it was in the past, that you would do what Jesus encourages the Ephesians to do. Listen to what he says. Think about how far you've fallen. What was. What was your life like when you first came to know Jesus?

What was it like that got you so passionate and excited? What was it that had not burnt you out and kept you from just being turned on for who Jesus was? You were in love with him. And listen to what he says. Think about how far you've fallen.

Turn away from your sins. Then listen to this. Do the things you did at first. When my wife told me about the kisses, you know what I've been doing? I've been ripping my mask off when she gets into bed and I've been rolling over and going and giving her a kiss.

I've been like, let's smoochy, Ruchi baby. Do you know why? Because I'm going back to what I did at first. He doesn't say, I want you to notice this. He doesn't say, to go back to the love that you had at first.

That. That was a childish, immature love. What he says is to go back and do what you did at first. Go back and act the way you did at first. I'll tell you when my relationship with Jesus gets a little bit cold, when I feel a little Distant.

And again, it's never because Jesus has moved. It's always because I moved. You know what I do? I go back and I do the things that I did at first. One of those things that I've been working on lately is I used to at night, before I had cell phones before life was all crazy and you could keep your mind constantly engaged like you can in today's world.

I used to lay in bed and I would just pray. And so I've been making it a personal practice to go back to that activity and to set my phone down to turn off the lights and just pray even until I fall asleep. Some of you might feel guilty about praying until you fall asleep. That's a great thing. What else would you rather be doing until you went to sleep?

Pray and talk with God. Spend time with him. He's not going to be mad if you fall asleep. When Jenny and I were first dating, there were times when we'd be talking on a phone and you'd be talking and you'd be falling asleep as you're talking. You know why?

Because I loved her so much, I wanted to stay on the phone with her. Right? That's not a bad thing for you to fall asleep. What if you went back and did the things you did at first with Jesus? What would it look like in your relationship?

Look, I know. I don't know. I don't know what this week is going to hold. I don't know how. You may have lots of time.

You may be stuck at home and you may be get to experience with lots of things, Experiment with lots of things of going back to the way it was with Jesus early in the days when you first fell in love with him. And maybe you'll have to go right back to work and jump right back into the rigmarole of life. But whatever you do, I hope that you will take the time to slow down a little it and do the things that you did at first with him. Fall back in love with him. Roll over and pucker your lips and give Jesus a big old kiss.

Now that's a little gross. If you're a dude, like so maybe there's something else. Roll over. Give him a hug. Roll over.

Tell him you love him. Roll over and turn to prayer. But do something. Tell Jesus you love him and go back to what you did at first. It will make a difference in your life.

Stop sinning. Go back to what you did at first. Love you guys. And I hope that you have a really great rest of your week. I hope that there isn't crazy amounts of snow.

And I get to see you soon. But until then, Merry Christmas, Happy New Year, Happy Hanukkah, whatever it is. I love you guys. Bye.

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Why did God give us Christmas? Does it even matter in today's world? Let’s get real—what if we might be avoiding what God came to fix? Let’s wrestle with this together. ❤️

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

When I was working on this sermon I asked my wife Jenni if she could think of any funny stories where she said to me “Why?” (needs to be said with contempt/confusion). Her answer: “I’m sure there were plenty of times where that happened…” lol. I think she’s right. I can remember driving down a grassy hill when there was a road right next to it and her saying, “why?”. I can remember undergarments that ended up on the floor right next to a hamper and hearing a “why”? Lol. Let’s be honest, living with me, that’s probably the most often posed question…

I want to flip the question on yall though and on God little bit..

I want to ask the question of “why” Christmas?

Don’t be too quick to answer…

I know you probably have an answer, but I think people who are far from God don’t get it…

They get the lights, and the fun, and the gifts, what they don’t get is why the Christ of Christmas…

On first blush for the non-Follower of Jesus, Christianity feels like the answer to a question they are not asking or more likely, are avoiding…

CS Lewis said this about avoiding God

“…in our own time and place, [avoiding God] is extremely easy. Avoid silence, avoid solitude, avoid any train of thought that leads off the beaten track. Concentrate on money, sex, status, health and (above all) on your own grievances. Keep the radio on. Live in a crowd. Use plenty of sedation. If you must read books, select them very carefully. But you’d be safer to stick to the papers. You’ll find the advertisements helpful; especially those with a sexy or a snobbish appeal.”

-CS Lewis

What are we avoiding?

We are avoiding our deep disfunction, what the bible calls sin, and our profound need for something more, God.

And when we do look for God, we end up looking in the wrong places…

ILLUSTRATION:

In the 1960’s during the space race - the Russians who were atheists send Yuri Gagarin to space. When he came back he said, “I went to space, I looked and looked for God but never saw Him…”

ILLUSTRATION:

I get this way of thinking of God. When I was in college, I can remember really struggling. Our bible college had chapel services - in the evenings and I was so mad at God. I left the service and I went outside and I remember in my head just yelling, “God if you are real, I need to see you, I need to have you show up…”

Yuri went into space, and I went out to a parking lot…

CS Lewis’ response about avoiding God came from his response to Yuri’s statement, in that essay called “The Seeing Eye” he wrote, “looking for God is not like one person who lives on the first floor going to the second floor looking for the person who lives upstairs” It’s more like a character in a Shakespeare play looking for Shakespeare. Even though Shakespeare is to be found on every page and in every word, he is not found in the pages. I heard Tim Keller talk about this once and he said the only way Hamlet would know about Shakespeare would before Shakespeare to write Himself into the story… This is the reason for Christmas. God saw the condition of our story, the condition of the world we had made for ourselves after choosing to go our own way and he wrote himself into the story…

Listen to how John the apostle describes the need for Christmas…

John 3:16-21

16 For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life. 17 For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world, but to save the world through him. 18 Whoever believes in him is not condemned, but whoever does not believe stands condemned already because they have not believed in the name of God’s one and only Son. 19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

ILLUSTRATION:

John is saying “God wrote Himself into the story”…

did you hear why He did this? It wasn’t the reason most people seem to think - most people think God just wants to condemn the world.

Isn’t that how most people tend to perceive Christians and their message? That we are just in the business of condemning people?

That’s not why Jesus came.

Jesus came to give life eternal…

it is literally God taking on flesh, becoming like you and me -> so He can redeem you and me out from under the crushing weight of our deep disfunction…

Jesus came to give you life!

John 10:10 (The Message Version)

I came so they can have real and eternal life, more and better life than they ever dreamed of.

How do you get this life? This eternal, “better than every dreamed of” life?

Jesus says He gives it to whoever believes in Him…

ILLUSTRATION:

years ago I saw this comedian from Canada who was mocking Americans because we are SO good at taking opinions and treating them like they are deeply held beliefs. He asked people what they thought of the Canadians sending elderly people out on ice flows to die. Americans were up in arms about it. The video was really funny… His point was Americans will have opinions about anything they are asked about…

When John says that whoever believes in Jesus shall not perish but have eternal life. The belief he is talking about is not just a strongly held opinion.

This kind of belief is a deeply held confidence and trust.

Belief is better seen than it is stated…

This is why John says “it’s plain to see who these people are, they come into the light - because they aren’t afraid of being exposed by it - why aren’t they afraid? it’s because they know God didn’t come to put His thumb on them and make them pay. He came to say, “There’s an author in the story, and I want/long to rescue you out of the predicament you’ve gotten yourself into…”

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

You know that day in the parking lot looking up at the cold night yelling at God, I remember turning around and seeing all of the sudden someone walking in the parking lot - it was super odd, cause people didn’t really cut through this part of the campus. I’m praying this in my head that I just want to see God in person and this person in a hoody where I can’t see his face is walking right for me. I remember I started getting nervous, he kept walking closer and closer and was coming right for me. My heart was beating like crazy. He literally walked right up to me, looked at me for a split second and went “hey” and then walked right by me… lol. I’m sure God was dying laughing…

Here’s what I realized later. I wanted God to come into the world, but He had already answered that prayer. He did come into the world, He came and became completely, 100% human - God knows what it’s like to go through puberty. God knows what it’s like to have a crush on someone. He knows what it’s like to be hungry and constipated and a million other human conditions. God knows it because He came in Christmas. And the reason He came was for you. He sent me all the way to Kentucky to walk right up to your face and look you in the eyes and say “hey”. For you to hear that God loves YOU! He loves you, He gave Himself - His only Son for YOU! All you have to do is deeply choose to trust in Him - place your confidence in Him.

You are about to get and give a bunch of Christmas presents. What if TODAY you chose to accept the only true Christmas gift, the gift of the Christ…

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Why would anyone give up everything for Jesus? What are we holding onto that keeps us from fully trusting Him? Tune in this week to be challenged to go deeper in Jesus!

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

I recently watched a thing on Dietrich Bonhoeffer, do you know about him? He was a pastor and theologian during WWII from Germany. As Hitler was rising to power preachers were literally saying he was sent by Jesus to the church and to Germany. Bonhoeffer was actually able to escape to America but after getting here he said he had to go back to Germany because how could he help the church rebuild what she was supposed to be if he had abandoned her during that time frame? He went back and was a part of a failed assassination attempt on Hitler-Valkeryie. Bonhoeffer and thousands of others were arrested and put to death for their resistance to Hitler and for helping smuggle Jewish people out of Germany.

Here’s my question:

Why in the world would someone give something so costly as their life to the cause of Christ?

I think it’s a fantastic question at Christmas…

And it feels ridiculous, doesn't it?

Bonhoeffer's family didn’t even know he had been sentenced and hung until weeks later.

This guy died as what would seem a failure, as someone who died in anonymity.

Why give your life for what seems like nothing?

Isn’t this the question we are all really asking?

-I mean we ask it in little ways all the time.

I want to look at an answer hidden in the Christmas story.

We are going to have to go back hundreds of years before that first Christmas to find the story..

SCRIPTURE:

We have to go back SO far. It’s not cold, but instead, it’s hot - you need to picture Iraq because that’s where we are landing. It was almost 500 years before Jesus would come into the world. But the land at this time isn’t called Iraq, it’s called Babylon. The King, Nebuchadnezzar had been having terrible dreams at night. You might know this story. He tells all of his magicians and enchanters that they need to interpret the dream, but that he will not tell them the dream. An impossible task. He orders all the wise men to be put to death - this includes a guy named Daniel who pleads for a chance to interpret the dream. The story is serious and would be terrifying. Daniel is answered by God and interprets the dream. After he does this, Nebuchadnezzar does this…

Daniel 2:48

48 Then the king placed Daniel in a high position and lavished many gifts on him. He made him ruler over the entire province of Babylon and placed him in charge of all its wise men.

Daniel becomes the ruler of all the wise men of Babylon…

There will be a change over of rulers in Babylon and Daniel will be considering the words of Jeremiah that said the Israelites would only be in Babylon for 70 years. As they are getting closer to that time, Daniel starts to pray to God. Daniel is visited by an angel - Gabriel is the same angel that appears to Mary… I want you to hear the word that God gives to this guy who is the ruler of the wise men of Babylon:

Daniel 9:24-26

24 “Seventy ‘sevens’[c] are decreed for your people and your holy city to finish[d] transgression, to put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness, to seal up vision and prophecy and to anoint the Most Holy Place.[e]

25 “Know and understand this: From the time the word goes out to restore and rebuild Jerusalem until the Anointed One,[f] the ruler, comes, there will be seven ‘sevens,’ and sixty-two ‘sevens.’ It will be rebuilt with streets and a trench but in times of trouble. 26 After the sixty-two ‘sevens,’ the Anointed One will be put to death and will have nothing.[g]

People who are way smarter than me have done the math to figure out when the seventy-sevens would occur. Notice the things said about this person who would come:

This Messiah (the “Anointed One”) will:

Put an end to sin (Priestly function)
Atone for wickedness (Priestly function)
Bring everlasting righteousness (Priestly function)
Seal up vision and prophecy (Prophetic function)
Anoint the most Holy place (the temple) (Prophetic function)
Be a ruler (King)
Be put to death and have nothing

ILLUSTRATION:

I grew up watching Sesame Street, they used to have this segment where they would sing “One of these things is not like the others, one of these things does not belong..” They’d show red balloons with a blue balloon. I used to think I was a brilliant genius because I’d be like, “The blue one, the blue one doesn’t belong! … You can stop singing the song, I figured it out…”

Listen,

One of these things in Daniel's vision is not like the others. Did you notice it?

That the Messiah would be put to death and have nothing…

What in the world? How can that be?

Let me tie some things together now…

Does anyone know what direction Iraq is from Israel?

East

Do you know another word for wise men?

Magi

One last thing… Did you know about 1,000 years before Daniel there was a prophet (Baalaam) from the region of Babylon who made this prophecy?

Numbers 24:17

“I see him, but not now;

I behold him, but not near.

A star will come out of Jacob;

a scepter will rise out of Israel.

Let me tie this together… Listen….

SCRIPTURE:

Matthew 2:1-12

After Jesus was born in Bethlehem in Judea, during the time of King Herod, Magi from the east came to Jerusalem 2 and asked, “Where is the one who has been born king of the Jews? We saw his star when it rose and have come to worship him.”

3 When King Herod heard this he was disturbed, and all Jerusalem with him. 4 When he had called together all the people’s chief priests and teachers of the law, he asked them where the Messiah was to be born.5 “In Bethlehem in Judea,” they replied, “for this is what the prophet has written:

6 “‘But you, Bethlehem, in the land of Judah,

are by no means least among the rulers of Judah;

for out of you will come a ruler

who will shepherd my people Israel.’”

7 Then Herod called the Magi secretly and found out from them the exact time the star had appeared.8 He sent them to Bethlehem and said, “Go and search carefully for the child. As soon as you find him, report to me, so that I too may go and worship him.”

9 After they had heard the king, they went on their way, and the star they had seen when it rose went ahead of them until it stopped over the place where the child was.10 When they saw the star, they were overjoyed.11 On coming to the house, they saw the child with his mother Mary, and they bowed down and worshiped him. Then they opened their treasures and presented him with gifts of gold, frankincense and myrrh.12 And having been warned in a dream not to go back to Herod, they returned to their country by another route.

Get this: There is a strong chance the magi that come to Jesus are men who have grown up in a tradition where they have learned from those who learned from Daniel…

Did you see what these guys brought to Jesus?

Gold (the gift for a king), Frankincense (incense used by priests), and Myrrh (oil used to anoint the dead).

“Kent, that’s interesting, but how does this help answer the question: ‘Why in the world would someone give something so costly’”

Did you know some scholars have estimated the cost of these items at $4 million in today’s money?

These guys came and worshipped Jesus at great cost to themselves…

I think the reason Bonhoeffer was willing to give his life and why these men were willing to travel over great distances and at considerable cost to themselves was because of what Daniels vision said about this anointed one:

[The Messiah would] put an end to sin, to atone for wickedness, to bring in everlasting righteousness

The reason someone like Bonhoeffer or these wise men are willing to give so much is because they gain so much more - eternal life!

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

Jenni and I have been watching "The Summit" like survivor on the side of a mountain. They have people do challenges - one they had to descend a cliff on a rope, but at some point, they had to let go of the rope to connect to a zip line. One of the guys did not want to let go of the rope - the rope he knew was solid, the rope had gotten him down the Cliff, and the rope hadn't failed him, but the rope couldn't get him off the wall. He had to let go of the rope, abandon it to trust something different - the zip line, that could take him down to solid ground. Following Jesus is much like this. Jesus' gift is absolutely free and doesn't cost you something in the sense that you have to pay for it or earn it. He gave it freely, but if you don't give up on the old way of life, you will never truly enter into His life. As long as you hold onto the rope that got you here, and it probably worked for some things. It worked to get you to where you are. It worked to make you a shrewd business owner, it worked to make you a revered coach, it worked to make you even the good father that you are. But it can't take you all the way. It can't take you to eternal life, it can't take you into peace and joy, it can't take you into freedom from sin. At some point it leaves you hanging there - it can't tell you your purpose in life, or create real lasting meaning. What we give to Jesus is to offer those things to Him and to let go of the old life for the new life He offers. To get on His zip line and be whisked away into the life of God - which is SO much better than you can imagine. Knowing God, and having Him speak into your life is profound!

You know, right before his hanging, Bonhoeffer said these words:

“This is the end–for me the beginning of life.”

-Dietrich Bonhoeffer

What if today, you chose to give your life to Jesus, He came to give you the best gift ever, what if you gave your life back to Him…

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

What do you do to prepare for Christmas to come? Years ago we had a two-story house, our kids were young and they REALLY wanted Christmas lights on the house. Jenni gave me the whole, “It would just mean so much if you’d put them up”. So, I put the ladder on our back deck off the second story and started to climb up onto the roof. I got up there and looked about 25 ft from the roof to the ground and I did what any reasonable person would do. I sat there for about 20 minutes deliberating on if my life was worth putting lights up for the kids… Lol. I’m such a weenie, but I knew if I fell off that roof, it would be lights out for Kent. I finally came off the roof and said, “I’ve got a great idea!” Let’s put the lights in the yard. We strung the lights all over the ground and when it would snow, it was the coolest thing to see the light coming up through the snow…

WE:

Most people have traditions for getting ready for Christmas, don’t they?

-In our family, we do all of our Christmas decorating after Thanksgiving

-Some of you monsters out there do it after Halloween lol

What’s your tradition for getting ready for Christmas?

All along the way in the first Christma,s there was someone who was getting things ready…

Before Jesus was even born his mother Mary went to visit her cousin Elizabeth who was also pregnant and this happened:

Luke 1:41-44

41 When Elizabeth heard Mary’s greeting, the baby leaped in her womb, and Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit. 42 In a loud voice she exclaimed: “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the child you will bear! 43 But why am I so favored, that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 As soon as the sound of your greeting reached my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy.

Elizabeth’s baby, John (the Baptist), was moved in the womb when Jesus came into his presence.

This was what John the Baptist did, he got things ready for Jesus…

Mark 1:1-4

The beginning of the good news about Jesus the Messiah,[a]the Son of God,[b]2 as it is written in Isaiah the prophet:

“I will send my messenger ahead of you,

who will prepare your way”[c]—

3 “a voice of one calling in the wilderness,

‘Prepare the way for the Lord,

make straight paths for him.’”

4 And so John the Baptist appeared in the wilderness, preaching a baptism of repentance for the forgiveness of sins. 5 The whole Judean countryside and all the people of Jerusalem went out to him. Confessing their sins, they were baptized by him in the Jordan River. 6 John wore clothing made of camel’s hair, with a leather belt around his waist, and he ate locusts and wild honey. 7 And this was his message: “After me comes the one more powerful than I, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to stoop down and untie. 8 I baptize you with[e] water, but he will baptize you with[f] the Holy Spirit.”

John the Baptist was a wild guy. He seems to be fierce and fearless in his pursuit of God and His Kingdom.

One of my favorite passages in scripture comes from Johnny B…

Listen to what he says when his disciples come to him to tell him that Jesus is getting and gaining more disciples than John…

John 3:29-30

29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete. 30 He must become greater; I must become less.”

Somehow, John was content to play second fiddle. He was content to become less and let Jesus become more…

Here’s my question:

What was it about John that allowed him to take a back seat?

I think it’s because John knew the part he played in the story.

When John was asked who he was, this is what he said about himself

John 1:23

John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”

John knew that his role was to make way for Jesus - so He could bring salvation to everyone.

John was knocking down barriers and opening doors for the message to get out.

He was, all along, the one who was getting us ready for Christmas - God coming into the world to save us from our sins.

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

When Jenni and I got engaged we had this sweet guy in our church who had a photography studio. He invited us to the studio and took these pictures of us for our engagement and at our wedding gave us a huge portrait of ourselves. Now, I’m saying nothing, but we are not the kind of people to keep giant pictures of ourselves on our walls. So, we did what anyone would do. We started giving the picture away at Christmas parties as a white elephant gift. What’s super funny is for years that picture would show up at different parties as a white elephant gift as someone regifted it…

lol

I was thinking about all that John did to bring the message and hope of Jesus into our world. You know he ended up dying because of his message, don’t you? His head got severed from his body and grossly displayed as a party favor at a birthday party. Just sickening…

John paid a price for the message of Jesus to enter the world. He gave us the gift of making the way for Jesus.

What if each of us this Christmas decided to regift the message in our own lives?

In what ways could you knock down barriers and open doors for the message of Jesus to get out in your world, your family, and your workplace?

Here’s a list of just a few practical ways I thought you could do this:

Practical ways to regift the message of Jesus and prepare the way for others to know Him:

Practice “love of their neighbor” Literally: bake cookies for neighbors, add a note about celebrating the birth of Jesus and invite them to church this Christmas
Do a prayer challenge at work: Tell people you are taking a prayer challenge till Christmas. If they have something you could pray for, to text or leave you a note and you’ll pray for them.
Do a daily devotion with your kids: Read through the gospel of John with your kids over the next month and ask questions/talk about it together.
Start a bible study at work:
Send encouraging texts: For the next month send a daily encouraging scripture to friends, let them know they can opt-out any time.

John made a way for Jesus’ message and it changed the world, what if we regift Christmas this year!

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When anxiety grips us, what do we do? This Sunday, let’s talk about how God helps us face what feels overwhelming.

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

In Kansas when there is a tornado, they take over the tv stations? And there are only two responses to a tornado… 1. You freak out, grab all your kids, dogs, pictures, and toilet paper and run to your tornado shelter. 2. Or you grab your binoculars, open your garage door and stand out in the storm looking for a funnel cloud. That’s it. Those are your two options. Well, there’s a third option, you move to Canada, but none of us in here are that chicken hearted…

Which one would you be? tornado shelter or binoculars? There aren’t any canadians in here are there? Phew… Ok…

This week we are talking about anxiety. The scripture actually deals with anxiety a lot.

When it comes to anxiety, there are really two kinds of people.

There are people that are gripped by anxiety and people that are affected by anxiety.

And of course, there’s Canadians…

the reality is, all of us face anxiety at some point.

-When you see your child climbing 40 feet up in a tree and your heart skips a beat, that’s a reasonable anxiety

-When there are flashing lights behind you after you’ve been driving 90 mph, that’s reasonable anxiety

-when your boss says, “Later today, I need to speak to you in my office alone” that’s reasonable anxiety.

Anxiety is a natural, God given response to create a heightened state of alertness in dangerous or fearful situations.

The problem is for some of us our brains have a disproportionate response to the inputs we experience.

This can lead to excessive nervousness, fear, apprehension, and worry.

If you are the kind of person who is gripped with anxiety, you get this.

ILLUSTRATION:

You know what it’s like to walk into a room full of strangers and feel like the walls are closing in on you, dreading every interaction. You’re thinking, “you’re lucky I’m even here Kent!”

You know what it’s like to be immobilized by a deadline, feeling the weight of it hanging over you like 100lbs barbell.

You know what it’s like to run the events of the day over and over again, rethinking every situation to the nth degree.

When you are gripped by anxiety. It can feel desperate and hopeless.

Here’s the problem. Others of you are like the binoculars people with the tornado - you go through life pretty care free and don’t get it.

Some of you are not gripped by anxiety at all - you are only affected by it - it comes and then it goes.

People who are affected by anxiety are the people who are trying to manage the anxiety of their loved ones and coworkers - they need extra patience and struggle trying to understand why the other person can’t just get over it.

ILLUSTRATION:

I am a little of both of these people. As I studied this more, I have silly anxiety over little things - like asking questions that I think are dumb, or letting someone do something knowing they may not be as good at it as me. But I’ve also realized how often I’m the person saying, “Just get over it…” “You shouldn’t be worrying about this…”

What I’ve learned from researching anxiety is that very few of us are very good at dealing with it.

so, what do we do?

Here’s a few things I need to say before we jump into what the bible has to say about this.

And I’m speaking directly to those of you who struggle with anxiety and are gripped by it.

1. You are not alone. 40 million Americans struggle with this. And it is more and more prevalent in younger generations. My guess is, if you are 40 or under, you identify with this and if you are older, you may be going, “I don’t get it”?

There are a lot of reasons for the increase in anxiety. But I believe one of the biggest contributing factors is lack of boredom. People can’t even sit on the toilet without using a phone - DO NOT USE OTHER PEOPLES PHONES!

Younger Americans are CONSTANTLY evaluating their outer worlds and give little to no attention to their inner worlds.

Some of our anxiety comes from not dealing with the inner turmoil inside of us.

I also want you to know,

2. It’s ok to not be ok…

ILLUSTRATION:

after my dad died, I went to see a Christian Counselor (suggest cc’s). One of the things he said was, “Kent, who’s putting all this pressure on you. You need to stand up and say to your congregation that it’s ok not to be ok, because Christians rarely admit that it’s ok to not be perfect” That changed everything for me. God is not displeased with you just because you’re not perfect. Believe it or not, that’s EXACTLY why He died for you.

the last thing I want you to know is this

3. There is hope to recover from Anxiety…

Living with things like depression or anxiety it can feel like you are never going to get over it.

I want you to know, if you don’t give up, God won’t either.

it may take a lifetime, but God will NEVER give up on you - no matter how dark it may seem… reminds me of a passage of scripture:

2 Corinthians 4:16-17

16 Therefore we do not lose heart. Though outwardly we are wasting away, yet inwardly we are being renewed day by day. 17 For our light and momentary troubles are achieving for us an eternal glory that far outweighs them all. 18 So we fix our eyes not on what is seen, but on what is unseen, since what is seen is temporary, but what is unseen is eternal.

Before I speak into those of you who are gripped with anxiety, can I speak for a moment into those of us who are affected by it?

As someone who has been on this side of the fence, I need to tell you - we need to repent… I have not been a man who has always led with compassion in this area, and I am so deeply sorry for that.

if you are someone who is dealing with someone who is riddled by anxiety.

2 things to do to lead better with the anxious.

1. Let Love Lead

1 Corinthians 13:4-8

8 Love never fails.

Rarely has my response to anxiety been about loving the other person, it has almost always been a selfish oriented response. I would never react that way to a sprained ankle or broken leg, but an emotionally mental challenge I react poorly to.

2. Come up with a game plan

Work with the person to learn ways you can help in those moments. Maybe it’s just giving them space and you handling the thing that is producing the anxiety. But come up with a game plan and ask them to trust that in those moments, you are trying to lead with love.

Now for those of you who are gripped with anxiety. I want to offer you something a little different from a normal 3 point message.

There are SO many scriptures that are so good for helping with anxiety. I was thinking, how do I give that to you in a way that’s meaningful. So, I did something different.

I took a bunch of these passages and I wrote them into a letter from your Abba - your daddy, God the Father…

I want to close by reading this letter to you. I’m going to ask you to do something for me. I want to ask you to close your eyes, bow your head and listen to this letter from God to you…

Dear Beloved,

I know the crushing thoughts that pervade your heart. I hear the waves of anxious thinking that bombard your mind. I need you to know, I have looked you over, and I know your heart of hearts. I know all the good and all the dastardly, all the hidden things you want no one to know, and I need you to know, I’m here, not going anywhere. I’m here to lead you into a way that is everlasting - a way of hope, life, and peace (Psalm 139:23-24).

Let that word, “peace," hang in the air for a moment - it is yours. It’s what I offer. It is the peace that comes when you finally come to the end of yourself. When you finally realize your utter inability to control anything. It is a peace that comes when you recognize, in deep conversation with me, that I am utterly in control. You will know you are getting there when your mind shifts from fixating on everything you wish you were, to every good thing you’ve already been given. Listen to me dear one, I am not done with you. Your anxious mind wants to try and figure out a way through, it wants to bring control to what feels out of control. I’m inviting you to embrace your lack of control. I’m inviting you to the shelter I long to provide for you, my peace. It is a peace that will shock and amaze those around you; it surpasses and transcends what the world can understand. My peace is a guard for the deepest recesses of your heart and mind. Embrace it, even when it feels impossible to make sense (Philippians 4:6-7).

I am a caregiver by nature - a nurturer of the broken, the gentle hand that restores. You are bent - I won’t break you. Your spark smolders - I will not snuff you out. I will walk alongside, at the pace you can bear, because you are what I’m after (Matthew 12:20). You worry about so many things. I need you to know I see the constant whirlpool of shame, blame, guilt, and inadequacy. Do you still not know me? Do you not know I see what no one else sees? I look past the outside of the cup to what is within. I look past the frenetic. I look past your sense of inferiority. I look past all of what occupies your mind to the part of you that, like a child, looks for an Abba, a Daddy. I see your heart, and I like what I see (1 Samuel 16:7).

There are a few things I need you to know. The waters will rise, yet I am still with you. You may feel as though the raging river will sweep you away, but I will not allow it to take you. You may walk through red hot coals in this life - I will keep you from being burned. You will not be set afire. I am with you (Isaiah 43:3).

Don’t you know my name? I’m the “Warrior Hearted One.” I have a fierce love for those I love. I know fighting, and I am on your side. Let me take up your cause, you can relax in me. I am your salvation. Can I tell you a deep secret? One I wrote long ago? Lean in close, let me whisper my truth to your deepest longing. “I take great delight in you.” I see you, and I delight in YOU. I know, the enemy has filled your mind with lies and half-truths, but I know nothing of them because I did not create them. They are a horrible fiction that has hidden my truth. You are my treasure, my love. My child, I long to sing over you in joy! (Zephaniah 3:17)

I know it feels like there are so many things to fix, so many things to worry about, so many things that if you don’t engage them will fall off the face of this earth. This is not my truth. My truth is that I can take care of it. For fun I spend my days dressing the flowers, feeding the birds, capping the mountains with white, and stirring the oceans. How much more do you think you are worth to me? Stop, don’t answer that. I already have. You are worth everything, my very life - put on the line to bring you back into my presence (Matthew 6:25-34, John 3:16), and, get this, I did all that while you were at your absolute worst (Romans 5:8). So, what makes you think I can’t handle what you feel you are now?

Let me close with this. Hard days are in front of you - unimaginable pain, inscrutable distress. Don’t lose heart, my dear one. I am the overcomer. I’ve overcome the stronghold of sin. I’ve overcome your dead heart and shocked it back to life. I’ve overcome the greatest enemy of all: death (John 16:33, 1 Corinthians 15:55-57). So, when I say this, believe it. I have a special book, a journal of sorts. In it I record the names of those who are mine. It is my “family reunion” list, and dear one, you are on it. I will have special compassion on you because you are my special child whom I love dearly. Rest in that (Malachi 3:16-17).

With deep love,

Your Abba (Daddy)

[Need to have printed versions of the letter for people to grab on their way out]

I want to give this letter to you as a gift to you in order to give you a practical way to slow down when you are in the midst of an anxious moment. Maybe you are going into an environment that always seems to trigger your anxiety, take 5 minutes and read this letter before. Keep it in your car or your wallet or somewhere you can read it each day. If you feel anxiety coming on, go back to the letter and read it, let it grab your heart and allow God to bring healing and His peace.

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Can I tel you a quick story, and I’m gonna be a little vulnerable here and expose myself some, is that ok, yall will treat me with kindness? So, a little over year ago Jenni and I started this journey to build a rental cabin at the gorge - we are taking out a loan and hoping to use it to try and build up a retirement. As we were doing this we started working with this builder. When he found out I was a pastor he asked me if I wanted to try and help him sell cabins and he would give me a percentage of whatever I sold. I thought, “we’re doing this for our retirement, so why not” some of you may have seen some of my posts about it… Well, thank Jesus I had someone reach out to me, a fellow believer who had done business with this guy and had been taken advantage of him. I started doing research and found out this builder had been involved in a HUGE fraud case. I’ll never forget it because it was Jenni and I’s anniversary weekend and we had this trip planned. On that trip I started calling people I had in the pipeline to buy a cabin - 100’s of thousands of dollars worth of cabins. I told the guy I was not comfortable doing business with him and we backed out of the deal.

He began leveling threats at us… He was going to sue us if we did anything to ruin his business. I remember for weeks having this sick feeling in my stomach. How did I get here?

But now I felt like I had put everything in my world on the line. My integrity was wrapped up with this guys - that’s why it’s embarrassing to share with you.

My mind started spinning with all kinds of things, what happens if this guy sues me, I knew his business partner’s dad is one of the wealthiest people in KY. What happens if these people that I sold on these cabins build and this guy takes advantage of them… My mind was spinning for weeks - I felt like an idiot and literally any time I got a text from that guy my gut would wrench and I’d get sick…

I was experiencing a level of anxiety I’d never had before…

What do you do to get yourself out of that level of anxiety?

Where does that kind of anxiety even come from?

Have you felt that before?

-Maybe for you it was you following one bad business decision after another and having to finally tell your spouse that you lost your job

-or Your car broke down and then your furnace went out and you started putting stuff on a credit card and then you foolishly bought christmas on a credit card and now you stuck every time the bill comes in you stomach drops…

I did some thinking on where Anxiety comes from and I think these are at least a few of the reasons we experience anxiety:

Where does our anxiety come from: [put up one at a time]

Loss of controlILLUSTRATION: We’ve been teaching our son Peter to drive. He’s a super good kid and really responsible, but I have to admit, on some of those narrow back roads of KY, I’ve had more than my fair share of my back end tightening up as we go around corners or putting my foot through the floor on my imaginary brake.

The reality is for most of us who are used to controlling our worlds, when we lose control - our hands get off the steering wheel, we become anxious.

Past experienceILLUSTRATION: Unfortunately for me, one of the ways that experience affected me was it created in me this distrust of people… I had been scammed and I found myself looking at everyone through a lens of skepticism…

Some of you have had some SERIOUS pain in the past and experiences that have shaped the way you view reality now… Your view of the world was altered. It caused you to create little t truths - things that seemed true and little s strategies to deal with the way you experienced life and now when that comes up those truths and strategies take over…

Fear of a projected future (almost always excludes the potential for God) ILLUSTRATION: If i’m brutally honest with myself about my anxiety, the stories I’m telling myself about the future don’t include God. They don’t include, “what if God shows up?” In my projections I act as though I’m a practical atheist. “If this is all up to me, then what am I going to do…” But that’s not reality. You know the dark places this can take you to, don’t you? All the scratching and scrambling we do is tied up in this.

Can I change the question from “where does that kind of anxiety come from?” to a more ancient question the Psalmist asked?

Where does my help come from?

SCRIPTURE:

This is a Psalm (or song) that people would have sang as they were walking up the mountains to Jerusalem to go there for worship. Imagine, it’s a big holiday like Thanksgiving and you are on your way to the temple to worship. I find it SUPER interesting they are singing these words as reflection and worship of God on their way to this holiday…

Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

3 He will not let your foot slip— he who watches over you will not slumber;

4 indeed, he who watches over Israel will neither slumber nor sleep.

5 The Lord watches over you— the Lord is your shade at your right hand;

6 the sun will not harm you by day, nor the moon by night.

7 The Lord will keep you from all harm— he will watch over your life;

8 the Lord will watch over your coming and going both now and forevermore.

But what about your crops that are failing at home and you left them to come worship…

[Read the Scripture again]

But what about how your traveling right now with a spouse who wants out of this relationship, what are you going to do if it all crumbles?

[Read the Scripture again]

What if the skin graft they took last week is more than just a blemish and it’s cancer, how will I tell my family, what will my life look like, how much life do I even have left… How will my family make it without me?

[Read the Scripture again]

Look, I know you think what you need is one more list of things to do, you think you need a trick or some technique - if I just learn how to breathe or tap on myself. And I’m not doubting that stuff doesn’t work. But

What we really need is to learn what the ancients knew

When you seat yourself in God’s story instead of your own, the pressure valve opens - you can take on almost anything…

The apostle Paul said it this way…

Philippians 4:11b-13

I have learned to be content whatever the circumstances. 12 I know what it is to be in need, and I know what it is to have plenty. I have learned the secret of being content in any and every situation, whether well fed or hungry, whether living in plenty or in want. 13 I can do all this through him who gives me strength.

Paul had learned to seat himself in God’s story, and when God is the one at the wheel, you can make it through anything - even death…

I want to give you

Some practical suggestions of how to seat yourself in God’s story when anxiety rises up in you.

-Download/Use the One Minute Pause App https://wildatheart.org/apps/one-minute-pause/]

-Start your day with our Daily Prayer [https://www.harmonychurch.cc/daily-prayer/]

-Download the bible app and make a commitment to read the bible daily till at least Christmas [bible.com]

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

I can remember the day I was driving home from the Gorge after all of that had gone down. I felt like an idiot, I felt like I’d put my family in a terrible position and possibly our church. I was so embarrassed and honestly ashamed and was over run with anxiety. I was trying to place myself in God’s story, every time a thought came into my mind I was taking it to Jesus. I was reminding myself that in Jesus I could do anything. And then my phone rang. It was a close Christian friend that I have who is really wealthy. He knew about the situation and he said, “Kent, I’ve been praying and I felt like I should tell you, if this guy takes legal action against you, don’t worry. I’ve got you, and I’ve got more money than he has…” Lol. Can I tell you something, I never had to pull the trigger on that, but what it reminded me of was I don’t live in a Godless universe, I live very much in a world where God is alive and well and speaking to His people. If you struggle with anxiety, I’m inviting you to come up here and let some others pray over you. For you to seat your life in His story, some of you need to do that today!

[put this up on a screen for me to read and end with]

Psalm 121

I lift up my eyes to the mountains— where does my help come from?

2 My help comes from the Lord, the Maker of heaven and earth.

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What's your day-to-day life look like? Do you take the time to truly inspect your heart and invite God into your daily life? Join us as we explore Psalm 139 together!

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

You guys should be excited for me, last summer we were able to trade our minivan in and get me a truck without having to make payments - you know what it’s like being the pastor who shows up in a minivan :).

When we were looking at trucks, I had found one that was a great price, was in good condition and seemed like a great deal. So, I met the guy who had it at Steve’s shop to get it inspected by a mechanic to make sure I wasn’t getting into something bad.

Steve’s mechanic called me out to look under the vehicle. The frame was so rusted you could literally poke your finger through it. It was crazy… I was like, “um, so, I’m not going to buy your truck…”

The only thing that would have been cool about driving that truck would have been to see it split in half and it dip in the middle and seeing me driving around with it… lol

Over the last few years, I’ve seen lots of people's lives rust through.

I have a feeling it’s because most people are going through their day to day life without ever inspecting their inner life…

What about you?

How much time do you spend in a day, week, month or year inspecting your heart?

Listen, I don’t mean having emotions. I mean taking deep thoughtful time away from binging shows, flipping on a phone, playing games on a device. I don’t mean dealing with problems at work or dealing with issues in your relationship.

How do you deal deeply with the questions of your heart?

Do I matter

Does God care

What do I do

I think much of our anxiety comes from a deep disconnect with who we are and whose we were created to be.

ILLUSTRATION:

Think about it, you live in a world that is designed to keep you from noticing who you are and whose you are. You have billion dollar companies who are working night and day to capture your attention and sell it to advertisers. Do a quick check and look just on your phone - open your settings and look at your screen time. I can’t prove it, but I bet there is a direct correlation to the anxiety you feel and the amount of screen time you spend.

I want to take you to an ancient way of inspection that has almost been lost to us in our modern world that your ancestors would have just naturally done:

5 reminders to help you become the kind of person who inspects their inner life and answer the questions, Do I matter, Does God care, What do I do.

What we are about to read is a psalm from King David. Psalms are literally the prayers/songs from someone. They are not meant to teach you theology as much as teach you how to bring your heart to God. with that in mind, listen to David’s words..

1. Remind Yourself of your Place in the Story:

Psalm 139:1-24

You have searched me, Lord, and you know me. You know when I sit and when I rise; you perceive my thoughts from afar. You discern my going out and my lying down; you are familiar with all my ways. Before a word is on my tongue, you, Lord, know it completely. You hem me in behind and before, and you lay your hand upon me. Such knowledge is too wonderful for me, too lofty for me to attain.

I love that David says “such knowledge is too wonderful for me - to lofty… It is…

David is reminding himself that nothing is hidden from God. His place in the story is he’s a person and God is God.

What would happen to your mental health if you started reading this psalm each day and reminded yourself that nothing you do is hidden from God?

ILLUSTRATION:

I have a friend who tells his kids “when I ask you a question, you need to know, I already know the answer…” God is like this. He knows everything, He’s seen it all, every potential eventuality. You are not Him, you are just a person in the story.

I personally try and go out in the country occasionally and find a spot to get out of my car and look at the grandness of the universe and remind myself of my place in the story…

2. Remind yourself of God supremacy in the story:

Where can I go from your Spirit? Where can I flee from your presence? If I go up to the heavens, you are there; if I make my bed in the depths, you are there. If I rise on the wings of the dawn, if I settle on the far side of the sea, even there your hand will guide me, your right hand will hold me fast. If I say, “Surely the darkness will hide me and the light become night around me,” even the darkness will not be dark to you; the night will shine like the day, for darkness is as light to you.

God is all penetrating - nothing is hidden from Him or outside of His purview.

ILLUSTRATION:

we are bound by time and place, light and dark. We are bound by our physical limitations. God is not bound by any of that. He is Supreme. When was the last time you reminded yourself of the supremacy of God? Spent time praying to Him and just speaking the truth of who God is outlaid?

3. Remind yourself of Your Value to God:

For you created my inmost being; you knit me together in my mother’s womb. I praise you because I am fearfully and wonderfully made; your works are wonderful, I know that full well. My frame was not hidden from you when I was made in the secret place, when I was woven together in the depths of the earth. Your eyes saw my unformed body; all the days ordained for me were written in your book before one of them came to be. How precious to me are your thoughts, God! How vast is the sum of them! Were I to count them, they would outnumber the grains of sand—when I awake, I am still with you.

After all this, David is amazed to think that God thought it fit to create him…

Can I just speak to the hearts of some of you right now. Some of you don’t have a sense that you matter much. You matter more than you can ever imagine to God. You are fearfully and wonderfully made - God thought of you and decided upon you. He desires you and longs to help you unravel the things that have told you are less than and to help you see who you are.

Look at the odds of you existing [Anthony, you can put these 3 on one slide - I’ll boogie through it quickly]

Chance of Your Parents Meeting: Their geography, social networks, timing, and life circumstances. Any of these things are different, your parents might never have met.
The Odds of Conception: The chance of a particular sperm fertilizing the egg that created you is 1 in 100 million. [There are around 100 million sperm vying to fertilize a single egg.]
Generational Odds: The chance of your parents, grandparents, great-grandparents, etc., all meeting and reproducing as they did exponentially increases the odds..

A 2011 study from Dr. Ali Binazir tried to put a number to this improbability. After considering all the factors, he estimated the odds of any one person existing as roughly 1 in 10^2,685,000—a number so large it defies true comprehension.

The odds of you existing are: 1 in 10^2,685,000

I don’t even know how to say that number…

and it’s not just that you exist, but that you matter to God - He thought of you…

4. Remind God of the battles you are fighting:

If only you, God, would slay the wicked! Away from me, you who are bloodthirsty! They speak of you with evil intent; your adversaries misuse your name. Do I not hate those who hate you, Lord, and abhor those who are in rebellion against you? I have nothing but hatred for them; I count them my enemies.

I don’t knwo that many of us would pray like David is here - but what he is doing is bringing his battles before God after settling his heart in the setting of who God is…

What battles are you fighting right now?

How are you bringing them before God? Are you being honest with Him about your feelings or are you telling Him what you really want

(He might not do what you want - He will act out of love, but He will understand your heart)

5. Remind yourself of your need for God:

Search me, God, and know my heart; test me and know my anxious thoughts. See if there is any offensive way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.

David has poured himself out to God, he’s reminded him of his place in the story and the supremacy of God, he’s brought his battles to him and now he finishes by swinging back and reminding himself he still needs Jesus.

Search me and know my heart - test me and know my anxious thoughts..

David is inviting God into the story of his real life…

What about you?

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

Something I’ve noticed in myself is that I’ve become a person who is reactive instead of a person who reacts. I think it’s because I had gotten to the point where my heart was hidden away and I was just existing. I had gotten to where I didn’t want to do things if I didn’t have to. I had to make some intentional moves to remind myself of the things that matter.

Today, what are you going to do? Are you going to keep going down the road your going down? How about you? Are you reactive or a person who is able to react - the way you would like to. This week, if I could give you one challenge it would be to read Psalm 139 every day and to take your heart to Jesus in prayer through it.

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How would life change if we actually believed God loved us deeply and had our backs? Let's dive in and find out! Join Kent this Sunday at Harmony.

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

How many times a day does worry or anxiety pop up in your mind?

I don’t want to lose you by getting you to jump into anxious thoughts, but think about it for a second…

Here’s a few things I find myself anxious or worried about

-I’m not sure how we’re going to pay that bill

-How are we going to get everyone to where they need to go

-When am I going to have time to finish that project with everything I’ve got to do

-I’m afraid I’m not going to be home on time because of this meeting

-Oh no, my phone is ringing, what do I do? ;)

-I feel like I’m losing my kid

-I wonder if a person is secretly judging me

-I’m worried we won’t have enough for retirement

-I don’t know what to do with my kids

-I can’t figure out what I did wrong with my spouse

I mean, let’s be honest, we could go on and on, couldn’t we?

Worry and anxiety are at epidemic levels in our country.

Look at this chart: [put chart on screen]

If you are older, you don’t get it and if you’re younger, you don’t know how someone couldn’t get it…

This calls for compassion and some reconsidering of our how we order our world…

I think it calls for going back to the one who created you and listening to see if His words could have some meaning in your life…

I want to read some of Jesus’ words and look at them in the context of how we all live our everyday life and then ask the question

What if we took Him seriously - what would life look like for you?

Mt 6:25-34

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?

Does anybody else feel like at this point you are wanting to say to Jesus “don’t worry about life and eat or drink? That’s all I do Jesus is worry”

I feel like some of us make worry out like it’s a sport - we’re so good at it that if there was an olympics in worry, we’d have been in Paris this last summer…

I want you to notice something about what Jesus is doing here. Jesus is trying to elevate your vision - move your eyes upwards.

“Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes?”

ILLUSTRATION:

Years ago, I had a really good friend who I was talking with. After a few minutes of talking with him he stopped me and said, “Hey, what’s going on with you, you haven’t shared one real thing about your life with me, you’re just keeping everything at a surface level.”

Jesus is trying to get you past a surface level of life. He wants you to find joy and freedom, to be able to really embrace life - but you know as well as I do that when you are caught up constantly worrying about the next bill, worrying about your time, your food, your whatever that you are not living life, you are staying on the surface…

Life is more…

and your anxious, controlling, and predicting the future is keeping you from the now.

26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[a]?

I want to ask you two questions that Jesus asks you here - really ask them.

Are you more valuable than birds to God?

It seems like a silly question at first - probably your instant answer is “yes”. But can I ask it another way?

Do you really believe you are valuable to God?

My experience has been most people can believe that others are valuable to God, but not themselves.

I personally struggle with that. Intellectually I know God loves me, but at a gut level, I wonder how He could…

Part of your anxiety, and mine, comes from an inability to rightly believe how much God really loves you.

What would change if you really believed God was good and that He loved you madly?

some of you need to stop listening to this sermon and spend the rest of the service thinking about that question.

Jesus asks - Can you add a single hour to your life through worry?

No, we can theoretically add to our lifespan in modern times, but guess what, when you die, you are dead, there is no adding to that time. Your lifespan is not theoretical, at some point it will be defined. Your worry does not change that end - it’s an illusion.

28 “And why do you worry about clothes? See how the flowers of the field grow. They do not labor or spin. 29 Yet I tell you that not even Solomon in all his splendor was dressed like one of these. 30 If that is how God clothes the grass of the field, which is here today and tomorrow is thrown into the fire, will he not much more clothe you—you of little faith?

The NIV always translates this as “you of little faith” or “why do you have so little faith”, but I’ve heard Greek scholars say it would be better translated as

Little Faiths (the Greek word is oligó(little)pistos(faith))

Can I give you a little encouragement…

Jesus is talking about this because He expects we’ll struggle with it.

He gives the prescription because we all have the ailment.

His disciples who saw, walked, ate, ministered with Him - Jesus gives them the nickname “Little Faiths.”

You are not alone in this…

31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

Jesus very clearly tells us to not worry, but how can we do that?

His answer is simple

Seek first His Kingdom and His righteousness and all these things will be given to you as well.

When worry pops up, when anxiety fills your brain - lift your eyes up, ask yourself, how can I seek His Kingdom and Righteousness today?

Honestly, it won’t be long till that turns into, “Jesus, how can I seek your kingdom and righteousness today - here and now…

God is saying, “when you care for the things I care about, I will take care of you.”

Actually as I really meditated on this something hit me that had never hit me before.

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

Recently Jenni and I had a huge financial burden strike us that we hadn’t expected. I was really freaking out if I’m honest - I grew up poor and feel an incredible responsibility to care for my family and honestly always try and keep us from being in that position. I didn’t know what to do. I prayed and just kept going towards Jesus and serving Him. Here’s what’s crazy. I got an envelope given to me - honestly, I didn’t even open the envelope for a few days. But when I did, I found out it had exactly the amount we needed to pay the bills. It was crazy. But can I tell you what’s even crazier? That has been my experience over and over again. That God takes care of our needs. He is faithful. One of the things that struck me is when you are seeking first God’s Kingdom and His Righteousness - you tend to be around people who are doing that as well - we call this the church. And all of the sudden we are taking care of one another. I don’t think Jesus is saying this will be magical. What He is saying is that when you are submitting your will to His Will, He will take care of you, part of how He does that is by using people who’s will is submitted to Him as well.

Can I tell you a secret? This isn’t a get rich scheme. You can’t do this to get God to pay your bills. He knows your heart and what you really seek.

What it is, is insurance that if you give up letting money and security be your God and let God be your God, that He will take care of you.

A great example of this is I heard recently how one of our connect groups stepped up to help a family in the group and supported one another - people giving money to care for the needs of others…

See,

When you give yourself wholly to Jesus you find a holy Jesus who holds you in His hands.

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How do we fight the spiritual battles we face? Are we really prepared? Join us this Sunday as Kent brings the Word on spiritual warfare and fighting for what matters most. Let’s gear up together and stand firm!

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

So, I was working on a sermon about what we will look like after we die, and maybe someday I’ll do that, but to be honest, I decided at the last minute to preach a very different sermon. I think it will likely be shorter, but I think it’s a vital sermon to preach.

I want to enter it by telling you a story…

Years ago, when I was in college, I mean, like YEARS ago… I had a couple of friends I had known for a long time, I thought for sure they were going to get married, they were madly in love and had been as long as I can remember. Out of the blue, one of my friends took this wide swing from her usual way of life. She started hanging with this other group of guys and was partying with them. Her whole demeanor changed. One night, I was with my friend and he said, “I feel like I need to go rescue her”. We knew she was with these other guys in a hotel and they were partying. I looked at him and said, “let's go”. We went to the hotel, we walked in to the room, grabbed her, and literally walked out. These guys - who we knew got in our face and were yelling at us. I remember asking one of the guys what happened to him, he used to love Jesus. I kept telling myself, “if they punch you, don’t punch them back”. For some reason, the guys left us and went back to the hotel room. This memory is so vivid, we were sitting on the parking lot talking, my buddy, his girlfriend who was also a close friend and myself. He kept trying to convince her that she had gone of the deepens. We both were trying to reason with her. And I just felt in that moment that what we were coming against was not of this world.

I told them I was going to pray and I began to pray against satan and against evil spirits. I prayed against demons and prayed that God would take the curtain off her eyes and help her see straight. I can remember my neck tingling as I prayed and I’ll never forget what happened next. When I said amen, she lifted her head and was crying and she said she felt like a curtain had fallen from her eyes and she didn’t know why she had been doing what she was doing, but she was done…

It was the wildest experience of my life…

Look, if I could just be honest with you as your pastor.

Our church has been under what I would call a serious spiritual attack.

Our staff has had major physical issues and financial issues. We’ve watched as our church has had marriages being ravaged, we’ve had people struggling in ways they have never struggled before.

And I believe it is all part of a Satanic attack on our church.

Listen, I need to say this plainly to you.

There is an enemy and He comes to steal kill and destroy (John 10:10)

And the enemy is not your spouse, coworker, the person at church that made you mad, or any other person.

The enemy is Satan and He is making war on those of love God (Revelation 12:17)

I want to read to you what Paul says in Ephesians 6:

Ephesians 6:10-18

10 Finally, be strong in the Lord and in his mighty power. 11 Put on the full armor of God, so that you can take your stand against the devil’s schemes. 12 For our struggle is not against flesh and blood, but against the rulers, against the authorities, against the powers of this dark world and against the spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly realms.

We were trying to reason with my friend, but no amount of reason was going to overcome the delusion she was under because our battle wasn’t against flesh and blood, it was against authorities and evil powers in this dark world.

I’ve never had to convince people who come out of the drug scene or other darker forms of sin that evil exists - they’ve seen it.

I had a friend who grew up in a family of real live witches - wicken - how she grew up she experienced true evil - some of her stories about what she watched and observed would turn your stomach..

Look, I’m not saying you don’t have issues in your family

I’m not saying you don’t have trauma that needs to be dealt with

What I am saying is that there is a spiritual component to what you are dealing with that can only be overcome through battling the darkness with the weapons of righteousness.

Listen to what Paul says:

13 Therefore put on the full armor of God, so that when the day of evil comes, you may be able to stand your ground, and after you have done everything, to stand. 14 Stand firm then, with the belt of truth buckled around your waist, with the breastplate of righteousness in place, 15 and with your feet fitted with the readiness that comes from the gospel of peace. 16 In addition to all this, take up the shield of faith, with which you can extinguish all the flaming arrows of the evil one. 17 Take the helmet of salvation and the sword of the Spirit, which is the word of God.

18 And pray in the Spirit on all occasions with all kinds of prayers and requests. With this in mind, be alert and always keep on praying for all the Lord’s people.

Paul tells the Ephesians to put on their armor and take up the sword of the Spirit which is the word of God

Your weapon of righteousness is the authority of the Spirit and His word

Here are just a few of the weapons found in the word:

-Deep true forgiveness of others (Eph. 4:32, Mt 6:14-15)

-Praying with authority to cast out spirits (Mk 3:15, Mk 9:14-29)

-Wholehearted Repentance (Acts 2:38)

-Fasting (Acts 13:1-3)

-Truth (See Jesus and the temptation in the desert Mt 4)

You still have to deal with reality.

Personally, I look for if there are any other reasons for an issue first.

Did we make a bad decision, are there mental or physical reasons or the issue, but if not. I fight and fight hard spiritually.

This is part of being a fully activated disciple is to learn to fight the spiritual battle.

Your kids need you to fight this battle

Your spouse needs you to fight this battle

You need you to fight this battle

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

The first fight I ever had was with a kid who was half my size but who had grown up in an abusive family. I didn’t know anything about giving someone a whooping and it’s all he knew. He just beat the snot out of me while I pushed him around - honestly, he probably needed the win…

But when I was in college I took a kickboxing class and learned a little about fighting. I can remember this friend who asked me if I wanted to fight and he and I went at it - it was friendly boxing, but we really went at it.

Here’s what I learned -

The person who is trained and ready for a fight has the ability to stand in a way the untrained and unready cannot…

Church, I’m calling you to fight

I need you to fight

I feel like right now there are a handful fighting

Satan doesn’t fight fair and it’s time we stand in the authority we’ve been given.

I’m going to commit to fasting for your marriages this week and relationships

-if you have a need for someone to fight for you, come down here and have one of our prayer warriors fight for you…

I hope you’ll join me in fasting too

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Are we living like the reality of eternity matters? It’s time to get real about our future and what happens when we die. Tune in Sunday and hear Kent unpack what the bible says about where we go after we die and what that might look like!

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Did any of you grow up going to haunted houses? I went almost every year growing up. There was something about standing in line to get the tar scared out of you. To come face to with some of your nightmares is incredibly scary.

Today, we are going to talk about the afterlife

Specifically,

What happens to us when we die? Where do we go? What do we know about the afterlife?

The biggest thing I want you to know is that if you are in Christ, nothing we talk about today, should scare you:

1 John 4:4

You, dear children, are from God and have overcome them, because the one who is in you is greater than the one who is in the world.

At the end of the day, even if what we walk through today, some of it may feel like a horror house, for those of you who are in Christ - you are safe - because he who is in you is greater than the one in the world.

So, I want to give you ..

Some ground rules

1. I will point out where the Bible is clear and specific

2. I will point out when the bible is not clear and leaves room for interpretation

3. I will tell you when something is my opinion

So, let’s jump into it:

What happens to a Christian when they die?

-do you become a naked baby that’s interested in archery?

-are you singing on a cloud with a harp?

-do you become an angel?

Most Christians believe their eternal/final resting place will be in heaven (a spiritual reality) - but this is not what the scriptures say:

Revelation 21:1 & 3

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea.

3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God.

Our final resting place will be a physical reality - similar to our current reality.

It will not be this dry boring place - when you read the descriptions of eternity - the things that we consider precious on earth are used as paving stones…

So, when is this new heaven and earth established?

there will be a great war - armageddon

-all the peoples of the earth will gather to war against God

-and the battle is just over…

After it, Rev says this…

Revelation 20:11-15

12 And I saw the dead, great and small, standing before the throne, and books were opened. Another book was opened, which is the book of life. The dead were judged according to what they had done as recorded in the books. 13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

ILLUSTRATION:

Normally when you see someone being convicted of a crime - they pay for what they did, but in Rev 20

-the offended is God Himself and when He opens the book of life, all He sees is your name with Jesus’ blood covering it

-you are forgiven…

Those with no relationship with Christ will be cast into the lake of fire

Isaiah 66:24

24 “And they will go out and look on the dead bodies of those who rebelled against me; the worms that eat them will not die, the fire that burns them will not be quenched, and they will be loathsome to all mankind.”

What about those who have already died? What happens between now and the judgment?

Where do we go?

What is that existence like?

For Christians, we go to the spiritual reality that most of us think about when we think about heaven.

Philippians 1:21-24

21 For to me, to live is Christ and to die is gain.

23 But I am hard-pressed from both directions, having the desire to depart and be with Christ, for that is very much better; 24 yet to remain on in the flesh is more necessary for your sake.

Paul understood that

If he were to die, he would “be with Christ”

While Jesus was on the cross, the thieve asked him to remember him, and Jesus said,

Luke 23:43

43 And He said to him, “Truly I say to you, today you shall be with Me in Paradise.”

Paul in

2 Corinthians 5:1-2 & 6-8

For we know that if the earthly tent we live in is destroyed, we have a building from God, an eternal house in heaven, not built by human hands. 2 Meanwhile we groan, longing to be clothed instead with our heavenly dwelling,

6 Therefore we are always confident and know that as long as we are at home in the body we are away from the Lord. 7 For we live by faith, not by sight. 8 We are confident, I say, and would prefer to be away from the body and at home with the Lord.

So, in death, the follower of Jesus is not simply unconscious awaiting the judgment. They are translated into a spiritual reality with Christ.

So, just

A couple of quick questions:

1. Do the dead know or care about what is going on here and now?

2. Do dead people watch what goes on here?

Revelation 6:9-10

9 When he opened the fifth seal, I saw under the altar the souls of those who had been slain because of the word of God and the testimony they had maintained. 10 They called out in a loud voice, “How long, Sovereign Lord, holy and true, until you judge the inhabitants of the earth and avenge our blood?”

The martyrs under the altar clearly care about ending the suffering on earth, but it is not clear if they are actively observing it

Hebrews 12:1

Therefore, since we are surrounded by such a great cloud of witnesses, let us throw off everything that hinders and the sin that so easily entangles. And let us run with perseverance the race marked out for us

Lots of people have connected this passage to saying dead Christians are watching us as a cloud of witnesses

-but the cloud of witnesses is clearly describing the faithful in Chapter 11 - they those who have run the race before us and cheer us on

It is not clear if the cloud of witnesses is meant to be taken as them literally watching your every moment.

We do know that Jesus was watching Stephen as he was killed for his belief in Jesus.

Acts 7:55-56

55 But Stephen, full of the Holy Spirit, looked up to heaven and saw the glory of God, and Jesus standing at the right hand of God. 56 “Look,” he said, “I see heaven open and the Son of Man standing at the right hand of God.”

Luke 15 Jesus tells two parables that say all heaven rejoices when a sinner repents

So, do dead Christians pay attention to us? Maybe? We don’t really know.

My opinion - as long as it doesn’t become an obsession, it’s not a “wrong” thing to think someone might be looking down on you.

2. Will we become angels when we die?

This is a misapplication of Matt. 22:29-32 where Jesus says we become LIKE angels in regards to marriage

Note: this passage also shows how God is the God of the living, not the dead - He speaks of ancient Jewish superstars as though they are alive

So, what happens to those who do not know Christ before the judgment?

I’m going to give you a few possibilities:

1. They go to Hades (Sheol in Old Testament)

The parable in Luke 16 with a rich man and a leprous beggar - Lazarus who both die - the rich man dies and he goes to hades… the leper goes to Abraham’s bosom.

-it is possible that those who die who are wicked - those who die apart from the forgiveness of Jesus go to hades, essentially hell.

2. Their souls roam around in a spiritual wasteland that is dry and arid, searching for bodies to inhabit - this = “Hades”

It just got freaky, right?

Let me give you a quick argument for this one

And let me be clear

What I am saying is that the demons the New Testament speaks of are the disembodied souls of wicked people - what we would call a ghost.

“But I thought demons were fallen angels?”

There is no biblical evidence for this - the bible speaks of demons and fallen angels separately, but never equates the two.

The Bible refers to demons as wicked impure or unclean spirits that possessed people and caused either mental or physical ailments and were under the authority of Satan (Beelzebub)

Alexander Campbell - the founder of our movement of Christian churches wrote a great article on why we should think of demons as the disembodied souls of the wicked, I’m going to give you the quick version

During the time of Jesus, the popular belief of the Greek/Roman world, the Jewish world, and the first couple centuries of Christian writers was that Demons were the disembodied souls of people - what we would call ghosts

-actually, the Romans and Greeks thought of demons as good things - spirits that gave them special wisdom

-it is only in the New Testament that we learn they are unclean spirits - meaning not of God

When Jesus interacts with and confronts demons - He never corrects the thinking to say, “You’ve heard demons were dead people, but they are angels”. Instead, He operates within the assumption.

With this concept in mind, listen to this passage where Jesus talks about unclean spirits:

Matthew 12:43

43 “When an impure spirit comes out of a person, it goes through arid places seeking rest and does not find it.

If impure spirits are those of people who are not with Christ, it would mean that those who die without Christ are roaming around in a spiritual desert, their only respite is to possess a human body and gain control over it - they seek out to be in the form that they have known their entire life…

this is a terrifying proposition in my mind.

Jesus understood how terrifying this whole prospect was

Matthew 10:28

Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

I've had lots of scary moments in my life. Recently I made a super dumb choice while driving. It was only by the grace of God I didn't kill both myself and my wife. I pulled out with a car coming from the left and one from the right I didn't see. I ended up fish tailing and missing death by inches. You ever had one of those moments where you preempt your wife and you're like, "I know that was dumb..." Normally I'm pretty cool in those moments, but in that one, I knew we were inches from death. My heart was beating a million miles an hour thinking about the consequences of my actions...

Some of you are closer to death than you know and you are acting like the consequences of your actions don't matter. I promise you. One day you will stand in front of the creator of the universe and you will be asked one question. What did you do with Jesus. If you chose to follow Him to let Him be your redeemer your name will be in the lambs book of life and you will walk with God. If not, you will have a wasteland of hell before you. Please, Please choose Jesus!

It is time for you to turn on your old life and run away from it, leave it all behind…

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What if God gave you exactly what you wanted for eternity? Would it be heaven or hell? Think about it while Kent digs deep into what the Bible says about hell.

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

I’m convinced hell is either going to be having to listen to kids fight over shotgun in a car or eternally helping kids with their common core math problems. Lol.

Ha! What do you guys think about hell?

I used to go to lunch with this guy who described himself as the guy who would be driving the bus to hell…

I always thought, “either you don’t know what hell really is or you don’t believe it, because if you knew and believed, you’d have the hell scared out of you…”

What about you?

Do you know what the bible says about hell?

Do you believe what it says about hell?

Today’s sermon is going to be a bit different. Today I want to ask and answer questions that I think you might have and attempt to give you a foundational way to think about the idea of hell…

First, what is hell?

Most of us have a picture of hell that’s like those old cartoons with a red guy and a pitchfork who is torturing people for all of eternity…

Our image of hell comes more from Dante’s inferno than from the bible…

Actually the word hell is a word we’ve used to translate several other words in the New Testament…

One of the main ones that Jesus used was Gehenna

Gehenna - was a trash dump outside Jerusalem where ancient kings had sacrificed their children. The trash was burned with sulphur and bodies of criminals were dumped there.

Jesus uses this picture to describe the place where those who are outside of a relationship with God will end up.

The book of revelation says it this way:

Revelation 20:10, 13-15

10 And the devil, who deceived them, was thrown into the lake of burning sulfur, where the beast and the false prophet had been thrown. They will be tormented day and night for ever and ever.

13 The sea gave up the dead that were in it, and death and Hades gave up the dead that were in them, and each person was judged according to what they had done. 14 Then death and Hades were thrown into the lake of fire. The lake of fire is the second death. 15 Anyone whose name was not found written in the book of life was thrown into the lake of fire.

Hades is used in the place of the Hebrew idea of Sheol (the underworld)…

Hell is a place of eternal torment.

but why?

are people being poked with sticks for eternity? I don’t think so, here’s what I think it is…

Colossians 1:15-17

15 The Son is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn over all creation. 16 For in him all things were created: things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or powers or rulers or authorities; all things have been created through him and for him. 17 He is before all things, and in him all things hold together.

The lake of fire, or hell is a place where those who have not chosen Jesus are given what they want, an existence apart from God (and ultimately Christ)

in Jesus, all things are held together. They are tormented because there is no longer a glue to reality - all things eternally separating.

This is what Paul says in

2 Thessalonians 1:9

9 They will be punished with everlasting destruction and shut out from the presence of the Lord and from the glory of his might

ILLUSTRATION:

CS Lewis paints an incredible picture of this in his book The Great Divorce where he imagines people in hell getting a chance to go to heaven and choose it. They ultimately choose hell because in hell they get whatever they want, even though it’s not real - it costs them nothing and is worth nothing, it’s only an illusion, if they want a house, they get a house, but it can do nothing to stop the rain from coming through. And because of this, they are constantly moving further and further away from everyone else going deeper and deeper into their own selfish desires…

Listen, God doesn’t send people to hell, He just gives them what they want…

This is why Jesus will say things like, “If your eye causes you to stumble, it’s better to rip out your eye than to go to hell with both eyes. YOU are choosing which life you want to live…

But Kent, that still doesn’t feel fair or right, what if I’ve lived a good life, just because I didn’t choose Jesus?

I’d probably ask you what is a good life? Do you just mean you are better than other people who are more terrible than you?

I would probably ask you, “you have done some things you are not proud of, correct?”

You’ve probably lied, or cheated, or had adulterous thoughts…

Our problem is base our goodness on being better than someone else, but the standard is God…

And the problem is what I have done hurts others…

EXAMPLE:

When I was a kid, I was pretty overweight. I would come home at night and go into my room and cry into my pillow because people would say horrible things to me, making fun of me. Even as an adult I’ve had people call me a whale and other terrible things…

Here’s my question.

What should God do with those people who have made fun of me?

If he just forgives them do they just get away with it?

What about Justice for me? What about Justice for you?

What about child abusers? Where do you draw the line on it’s ok for God to sweep this little infraction under the carpet but not this one?

Listen,

God’s love for all people demands Him to have a line of Justice for all wrongs committed.

It would be unloving to the person who had sin perpetrated upon them to just simply forgive the perpetrators with no penalty for the sin…

But listen to what Romans says

Romans 3:25-26

25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement,[i] through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

God doesn’t send people “good people” to hell because there is no one who is actually good.

Instead, He gives all of us a way out of our sin, to receive Jesus’ blood in the place of our own.

Did you see it? God left our sins unpunished…

This is what is shocking about God if you ask me, it’s not that at some point He has a punishment, but it’s that He is willing to for so long leave sin unpunished….

His mercy and His grace are so much beyond ours…

CLOSING:

At the end of all time, after all have died and Jesus has returned, the scripture tells us that God will bring out a book of life - it in it will be everyone’s name who choose to follow Jesus for life. God will begin judging mankind on what we have done, but if your name is in the book, you will get to cut the line… It won’t be because of how good you were, but because you were willing to lay down your life and admit how bad you were and accept His free sacrifice and gift for you.

Can I just tell you something? Today, I believe there are people in this room who are going to hell, God will give you what you’ve been wanting. You still have time to choose Him. To choose the way the truth and the life. To have your name written in the lambs book of life through faith. All it takes is repenting of your sin and turning to a life with Jesus… The with God life!

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Ever thought about why death feels so unnatural and final? Does God actually take our loved ones from us? How does your view of death shape how you live your life? Let's wrestle with these big questions together. Join us as Kent helps us dive into the hope Jesus offers.

EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give). Get the fill in the blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins.

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Did you know originally gasoline was just a byproduct of creating Kerosene? I wonder what the conversation was when the sales team came up with how to turn a profit on it…

“We’ve cracked gas-o-lean conundrum! Picture this, Met-tal tanks…”

“Metal tanks?”

“Metal tanks!”

“Hmm, that should work as long as you don’t put it near open flame or electrical”

“Oh no, it’ll be surrounded with electrical equipment and flames, but the flames will be VERY small…”

“Hmm… Ok… we can probably make that work, just make sure any human is at least 50 yards away…”

“We plan on strapping them on top of the tank…”

“ok, ok… hmm, well, as long as the environment is stable…”

“Yeah, the plan is to put wheels under it and hurl it at speeds of at the most, AT THE MOST 90 mph… but the roads will be super smooth, so…”

“yeah, that sounds a little dangerous… I guess if I’m on the road by myself with the tank of highly explosive fuel, It will probably be fine as long as there’s some safety equipment around it…”

“for sure, it’ll be safe, we’re putting bags in it.”

“bags? how will they stop the potential for explosion”

“oh they won’t, they’re to protect your face from being ripped off in case you crash into someone else” “someone else, are you going to have other people around you?”

“well, not around you, they’ll be hurtling towards you at no more than 90 mph with their own metal tanks…”

[quiet resignation to the inevitable]

“Just do whatever you want…”

Have you ever thought about how crazy humans are? You know they say a teaspoon of water will drown you… We’re like, “hmm, maybe I’ll fill a pool with that stuff and play in it then…”

Humans have an incredible capacity to ignore the potential for death in the world around us…

I think this is because if we had to confront the potential for our own lives to be ended at every moment, it would completely cripple us. There are people who are plagued with this kind of anxiety and they can’t leave their house…

Today, I want to short-circuit your ability to ignore death and instead put it under a microscope.

I want to give you some theological perspectives on death.

“Death feels almost unnatural”

ILLUSTRATION:

I don’t know if you have ever felt this way, but I remember one of the first times I was really confronted with a close personal death. It was my grandpa Wagner. I was really close with him and when he died I didn’t really have a way to cope with it. I was an adult in ministry, I knew all the right answers that he was with God - he had been a Godly man who loved Jesus. But apart from everything I “knew” I kept having this thought

“This doesn’t feel natural…”

That seems funny doesn't it, but if you have lost a loved one, you know what I’m talking about, it doesn’t feel like it was meant to be this way…

So, I did what I always do - I took my questions to Jesus and to the scripture. (which by the way, should be your response too)

I started studying death in the scripture and that’s when I came upon something that I knew but had never really connected with deeply…

Listen to this…

Genesis 3:2-3

Now the serpent was more crafty than any of the wild animals the Lord God had made. He said to the woman, “Did God really say, ‘You must not eat from any tree in the garden’?”

2 The woman said to the serpent, “We may eat fruit from the trees in the garden, 3 but God did say, ‘You must not eat fruit from the tree that is in the middle of the garden, and you must not touch it, or you will die.’”

Now here’s the deal, Adam and Eve don’t immediately die - that’s what this sounds like at first blush - if they eat the fruit they will die.

What does happen though is mankind enters into a cursed state

Genesis 3:19

By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food

until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken;

for dust you are and to dust you will return.”

God’s original intention for mankind does not include death. Death is a consequence of mankind unhitching from God.

But there are echoes in our hearts of the good intentions of God.

Solomon identifies this desire in us by saying

Ecclesiastes 3:11

He has also set eternity in the human heart…

Death doesn’t feel natural because you were created to live forever and something inside you still knows this… It feels wrong because it is wrong!

This is why Jesus matters so much.

2. “Death feels so final”

Illustration:

It really does doesn’t it? Death feels like a grand end. The world keeps moving when someone dies too, which just amplifies the finality. I can remember walking through Walmart after my dad had died feeling like my feet had been swept out from under me and no one else seemed even to care. I stepped into a dressing room so I could let my tears out…

Death feels like an end.

the scripture says it this way…

Hebrews 9:27

27 Just as people are destined to die once, and after that to face judgment

Death is an end… It is the in-between time(birth-death) when God uses the God sized hole in your heart to try and draw you to Himself.

Because, look at what the author of Hebrews says about Jesus coming into the world:

Hebrews 9:28

28 so Christ was sacrificed once to take away the sins of many; and he will appear a second time, not to bear sin, but to bring salvation to those who are waiting for him.

or listen to

Hebrews 2:14-15

14 Since the children have flesh and blood, he too shared in their humanity so that by his death he might break the power of him who holds the power of death—that is, the devil— 15 and free those who all their lives were held in slavery by their fear of death.

Jesus came to rescue us from the curse of sin and break the power the devil (the serpent) held over us, death.

Jesus came to set you free!

This is why it was VITAL for Jesus to raise from the dead - because his death broke the power and his life showed us we no longer had to be afraid.

Death is not final for the followers of Jesus!

3. “Why would God take my loved one?”

ILLUSTRATION:

Some of the worst things people say are to those who have lost someone to death. We say things like “God must have needed them more than we did” or “God must have needed an angel” or “it must have been the Lords timing.”

The assumption is God kills people whenever He wants and that this is all part of God’s grand plan.

Maybe…?

This idea is based on bad theology… It is based on a handful of poetic passages (Job 14:5, Psalm 139:16) that are not trying to teach us authoritatively how to think about God.

-What the scripture does teach is

-death is part of our fallen world.

-The world is full of wicked and sinful people.

-God has given people free will and we all make our own decisions (this is why Christians are taught to say “your will not mine”)

Scripture teaches death is a sting of sin, not a sting from God.

God came to rescue you from the effects of death…

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

There has been a lot of damage done to peoples faith because of this bad theology. I think some of the worst is it’s caused people to look at God as the villain in their story instead of the victor. Can I just share what I think God’s response is to death and the suffering we all endure when it occurs? The best way to show it is to tell you a story:

Jesus had a really good friend who died. His name was Lazarus and Jesus wasn’t there when he died. Lazarus’ sisters take Jesus to task for this, “you could have healed him”. This is when Jesus says the famous words, “I am the resurrection and the life”. There is a peculiar little verse in this passage, the smallest verse in the whole bible. Jesus knows he’s going to resurrect Lazarus. He knows He is going to make it all right, but He sees everyone else weeping and the scripture says “he was deeply moved” look what the scripture tells us about Jesus:

John 11:35

35 Jesus wept.

Jesus knew He was going to restore Lazarus and still he wept with them.

God isn’t taking your loved ones from you, He’s weeping with you that death still is at work… but not for long

Jesus came to set us free, he said blessed are those who mourn for they will be comforted. You don’t have to be tied to and by the fear of it. You don’t have to ignore it anymore, you can overcome it… Turn to Jesus today, come forward and accept him. Let’s talk about salvation.

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Are we really investing in the next generation or just hoping they’ll turn out OK? Let’s talk about what it means to fan the flame in their lives. Join Kent this Sunday!

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

I have a bad habit of trying to start a camp fire with as little kindling as possible. I’m the guy that is down there blowing on the tiniest spark possible trying to get it to take - I’ll baby a fire for hours trying to get it to ignite. A few years back I was at an event where I was trying to get the fire going - the wood had been a little wet and I had tried my normal of lighting a little cardboard, working it to try and build it up and ignite a full log. I was sitting there getting super frustrated that nothing was igniting and really starting when this older guy came over and said, “what ya doing?” I was mad and told him I was trying to get a fire going. He asked me if he could help. I let him, but internally was fuming. I didn’t need any help. He started teaching me about fire, and to be honest, I didn’t want to hear anything he was saying. He started talking about how I was never going to get the log lit doing what I was doing. I was like, “Oh yeah, what do you know” in my mind…. :). He started talking about how you have to build a bed of coals first and take it slow and start small to build up to the bigger fire.

You ever tried to help a teenager with something they are sure they know how to do already? Lol, that was me with this guy. I was rolling my eyes inside my head as he talked. I’d built so many fires… As he was talking he was breaking off little pieces of wood and trying to get sticks to catch, and slowly adding more little pieces of kindling and getting those to catch and in about 15 minutes he had a full fledged fire going and I was on fire on the inside. Because I realized something about myself.

I’m wired for instant gratification… aren’t you?

-If I have a thought, I instantly look up the answer

-If I want to eat, I get food

-If I want to buy something, I buy it

If I want a fire now, I just want it to work…

The problem is, some things still take time and diligence.

I wanted a return with no investment..

I wanted growth with no sacrifice…

We’ve been talking now for a month about “For the Next Generation”…

We’ve been looking at what it takes for us to set up the next generation for success…

But can I tell you a secret,

Investing in a generation takes, well, investment…

I want to show you an example of this in a passage that most of us would probably not spend much time on… Listen to it…

This comes at the end of Paul’s life. He is in prison and facing death. As far as we know, this was Paul’s last letter and he died sometime after this. It is an intimate letter written to Timothy who had traveled with Paul and who Paul left in charge of the church. This is what Paul says to Timothy…

Paul is remembering Timothy - he tells him he’s in his prayers night and day and that he remember’s Timothy’s tears - we don’t know why there were tears, but Paul and Timmy had the kind of relationship that was intimate and important - it was weighty…

Listen to what he says about him…

2 Tim 1:5-7

5 I am reminded of your sincere faith, which first lived in your grandmother Lois and in your mother Eunice and, I am persuaded, now lives in you also.

ILLUSTRATION:

When my dad passed away, we only had 2 of our 4 kids, one of the saddest things to me is that my kids will never really know my dad. They know him through videos and stories, but that’s it. But that’s not really true, they know my dad because they know me. I have his sense of humor and his laugh, I actually see lots of my dad even in my kids who didn’t know him. Why is that?

It’s because what was in him is now in me…

Paul says of Timothy that his sincere faith lived first in his grandmother Lois and mother Eunice…

Timothy’s faith was not just a product of his own intellect or desire to follow God, he was a product of people making weighty investments in his life.

You might not know this, but Timothy didn’t have all the cards stacked in his favor.

Timothy’s father was not a believer (as far as we can tell) what we are told about him in Acts 16 is that he is a Greek or gentile. We do know that Timothy wasn’t circumcised even though his mom was a Jewish woman. In Judaism lineage follows the mother - that means by all rights - for Timothy’s mother Eunice - she would have considered Timothy as Jewish. And yet she did not perform the ceremony that would initiate the covenant upon him - it is Paul who does this. Paul also calls Timothy his son in several places. We can only make conjecture about this, but I think there its a reasonable conclusion to say that Timothy’s father was at the very least not supportive of the faith he had and the faith of his mother.

Timothy needed these three relationships to become the young man of God he was - he needed his grandma, his mother, and Paul (an outside influence).

I keep asking myself, who will be the 3 in the lives of each of the kids in our church?

-who will be the ones encouraging them when they are struggling

-who will be the ones who have invested in weighty relationships?

-who will be the ones who have cared and listened and encouraged?

Who was it for you? Who was the person or persons that you look back on and can see how they made a difference in your faith?

The reason Paul can say the next thing to Timothy is because he’s earned the right through investing in him… listen:

6 For this reason I remind you to fan into flame the gift of God, which is in you through the laying on of my hands. 7 For the Spirit God gave us does not make us timid, but gives us power, love and self-discipline.

Paul can call Timothy to blow on the fire of his faith and giftedness because he had been a part of it…

What would it look like for us to invest in the next generation so that we could one day call them to blow on the coal and set the world ablaze for Jesus?

How do we do that?

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

Years ago when I was a youth pastor I was struggling because our youth group would grow and then it would inevitably shrink back down to a certain size no matter what I did. I couldn’t figure it out. I took some of my interns and started having them do an informal survey across lots of churches of different sizes. They called these churches and asked them about the size of their church and the size of their youth group. What I found was in general a church’s youth group - teenagers was about 15% of the size of the congregation. The bigger the church the smaller the percentage… that’s when it hit me… If I wanted to reach more teenagers, I had to reach more adults. I needed to change families, not just kids….

Here’s my secret. I never left youth ministry. My goal is to make you all youth ministers. For you to start to see the value of investing in the next generation.

How do we do it?

We give them our time
We treat them like they matter
We ask hard questions and call them to more (fan the flame)

Who are you investing in?

-it’s ok if it’s your kids or leading a small group or whatever

There is a coal underneath all this wood of our church - it’s time we start to blow on it and set the world ablaze…

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Have I ever told you guys the story of asking Jenni out? I was the youth pastor at our church and I was preaching some and leading worship at our young adults service. Jenni was a teacher and went to church at that service. I had tried everything. I started a singles bible study she came to, I invited her and a bunch of friends over to hang out, but the thing I could never figure out was how to ask her out. Think about how weird it would be for your pastor to ask you out… lol. I didn’t know what to do, so finally I just decided, I’m just gonna do it. So, I put together the best sermon I ever preached, people were laughing, and crying, and I had them all in the palm of my hand. Afterward, I walked quickly around the back of the room and to the side where Jenni was sitting. As everyone started to leave I walked down her row, and she said “That was a really good sermon” I said, “Thanks… wanna go out sometime?” Lol, she literally started walking backward away from me. I was like, “Or maybe I could get your phone number or something…” Finally, her friend forced her to give her number to me…

Lol, normally I say, “and the rest is history”

can I tell you a secret?

If I had never asked, Jenni never would have said “yes"…

I know this isn’t a revolutionary idea, but it’s an important one…

If you don’t ask, people can’t say “Yes” because you’ve already said “No” for them.

I want to read something Paul said about the question he was asking people all the time…

1 Corinthians 9:19-23

19 Though I am free and belong to no one, I have made myself a slave to everyone, to win as many as possible. 20 To the Jews I became like a Jew, to win the Jews. To those under the law I became like one under the law (though I myself am not under the law), so as to win those under the law. 21 To those not having the law I became like one not having the law (though I am not free from God’s law but am under Christ’s law), so as to win those not having the law. 22 To the weak I became weak, to win the weak. I have become all things to all people so that by all possible means I might save some. 23 I do all this for the sake of the gospel, that I may share in its blessings.

Paul became all things, to all people so that every person he met had the opportunity to say “Yes” to Jesus…

I don’t know about you, but that challenges me…

I feel the same fear about talking with people about Jesus that I felt about asking Jenni out…

I’m worried about how I’ll be perceived

I’m worried they might ask me something I won’t know the answer to

I’m worried I might lose a relationship with the person…

What about you? Do you find it easy to talk to people about Jesus or are there barriers?

What is it that was different about Paul than us? What was it that made him so adamant about telling people?

I think to answer that, we have to go back and look at Paul’s story. Can I read you a little piece from Acts 8?

Acts 8:3

3 But Saul began to destroy the church. Going from house to house, he dragged off both men and women and put them in prison.

Saul’s name will later be changed to Paul when He becomes a Christian. This is the same guy…

ILLUSTRATION:

Paul was the guy who would walk into this room and grab women and children, husbands, and the elderly, and drag them out. Can you picture him dragging a woman by her hair out of her home, her husband in cuffs yelling for Saul to get his hands off of her, their children screaming and curled up in a ball weeping…

for those of you who know this story, Saul will be on the road to Damascus to persecute more Christians. Jesus will appear to him and blind him. He will send Saul into the city and tell a man named Ananias to go and pray over Saul.

Acts 9:15-16

15 But the Lord said to Ananias, “Go! This man is my chosen instrument to proclaim my name to the Gentiles and their kings and to the people of Israel. 16 I will show him how much he must suffer for my name.”

Saul is changed forever…

He goes from persecuting to populating the church

What made Paul so adamant about telling people about the love of God in Jesus?

Paul had experienced the unmatched, unfathomable, unmerited grace of God

as a matter of fact, this is what Paul said when he was writing to his protege Timothy about God’s grace to him…

1 Timothy 1:15-16

15 Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance: Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners—of whom I am the worst. 16 But for that very reason I was shown mercy so that in me, the worst of sinners, Christ Jesus might display his immense patience as an example for those who would believe in him and receive eternal life.

You know what’s interesting to me about this passage where Paul is saying, Jesus came into the world to save sinner, of whom I am the worst.

I’ve heard lots of people talk about Paul with this, but I don’t know that I’ve ever heard a sermon on what Paul says right before that…

“Here is a trustworthy saying that deserves full acceptance:”

Paul is not just saying this about himself, he’s saying it as a statement that is true of us all and should be our calling card as Christ's Followers... "Deserves full acceptance."

What if the reason we are really afraid to tell people, is because we don’t know the full extent of what we were saved from?

We don’t recognize that our sin is just as devastating to us as Saul’s sin was.

I get it, you may not be murdering people or dragging them out of their houses, but it doesn’t mean you don’t have the capability. It doesn’t mean that your sin is just as evil in the eyes of God…

Romans 3:23-24

23 for all have sinned and fallen short of the glory of God, 24 and all are justified freely by his grace through the redemption that came by Christ Jesus.

All of our sins separated us from God equally.

It is by the gift of God that we are invited back into a relationship with God.

What drove Paul to tell people and offer them the opportunity to say “Yes” to Jesus was that Paul understood exactly what He had been given…

People want to know about truth, people freedom from the consequences of sin - they are dying for it because our world only offers surface-level answers…

So, how do you know when to have these conversations - what I do is I look for the Not’s

Look for the “Not’s” - for the times when people say,

“I 'm not doing well”

“I’m not from around here”

“I’m not going to church”

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

Jenni will tell you when she really said “yes” to me was not when I asked her at church. As a matter of fact, she did her best to ignore me. What got her was when she was in a town 4 hours away prom dress shopping for her little sister. Her older sister said, took Jenni’s phone and called me to ask a question. She then said, “You wanna go prom dress shopping with us?” and I said, “Sure” and drove 4 hours to be with her. Jenni said that was the moment she knew I was the guy, who drives 4 hours to go prom dress shopping with someone for their little sister. What she didn’t know is I already wanted her to be my girl… Listen, when you invite someone into a relationship with Jesus, it’s scary and feels a little odd, but at least for me, when I found out that God Himself had come to die for me to forgive me my sins and give me a new life with Him where I was forgiven, for me, it was when I knew… You are not inviting people to a myth or a story, you are inviting them to know the God that is already in love with them and came for them…

This morning, some of you need to come and know Jesus and others of you need to decide you are going to give people in your world the opportunity to say “yes”

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How do we help our kids fall in love with Jesus and live as fully activated disciples? 🤔 Let's dive into it together this Sunday!

🌟 What's one step we can take to make Jesus the defining factor in our families? Tune in to find out!

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Parenting is the craziest, toughest thing I’ve ever done, amen!

I’m honestly not sure how Peter, our oldest survived. I think 3 separate times when I was feeding him as a baby, I would throw him up on my shoulder to burp him, not realizing I was up against a wall, and would smack his head - one time it was on the corner of a post and he literally had a sunken in line on his head with swelling all around it. One time, he would not stay in his bed and I was done with it. I was like, “Buddy, you’re gonna stay in your bed tonight” I laid by his bed all night long with my hand on his back and forced him to stay in bed. The next day, Jenni took him to the doctor and we found out he had a raging ear infection. Oh my gosh, I felt like such a terrible dad. I just didn’t know…

I’d say most parenting could be summed up by looking back and saying, “I just didn’t know…”

I didn’t know making jokes about someone your kid is interested in would shut them down from talking to you about that stuff

I didn’t know I’d have to spend every waking moment being judge and jury - I one time created a spreadsheet that I could put my kid's problems into, fill in a bunch of data and it would tell me what they got to do…

The challenge in parenting is every day is a challenge…

… and most of them are challenges you’ve never faced before.

ILLUSTRATION:

I remember one of my biggest worries when we had kids was how I would help them fall in love with Jesus. I had known so many people who grew up in the church and grew up as Christians who just had no fire in their bones about Jesus. My worry was that I would fall in love with Jesus from the life I came out of and have kids who were just lukewarm at best in their faith. What do you do with that?

How do you help your kids fall in love with Jesus in a way that moves them to follow Him and be fully activated Disciples of Jesus?

There is a two-ingredient recipe to parenting in a way that produces kids who love and live for Jesus:

-Two parts, your child being sensitive to what God is doing and allowing/inviting Him into their life (you can influence this, but you have no control)

-One part, is parents leading their child to know Jesus in a way that works. (You have control over this and it will influence the other)

What is the way that works?

Deuteronomy 6:4-9

4 Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 5 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength.

Moses starts out with a declaration of who God is and reminds these people to love God with every part of their being…

-he’s giving us a model, watch…

6 These commandments that I give you today are to be on your hearts. 7 Impress them on your children. Talk about them when you sit at home and when you walk along the road, when you lie down and when you get up. 8 Tie them as symbols on your hands and bind them on your foreheads. 9 Write them on the doorframes of your houses and on your gates.

ILLUSTRATION:

Moses is telling them what to do, right… The Israelites took this really serious. When I was in Israel, every door when you walk through it has this little container on the doorpost - inside the container is a scroll with scripture on it. Orthodox jews and in Jesus’ day would wear jewelry on their foreheads and wrists called phylacteries that had scrolls of scripture in them..

Moses isn’t giving fashion advice when he says to tie the commands on their bodies and write them on their property. Moses is actually telling them…

To turn every activity into an object lesson about God and His goodness.

This is the way that works!

Following Jesus is not just a Sunday thing, it’s a Monday thing, Funday thing, Sad-day thing, Saturday thing and everything in between it’s every day who you are, not what you are.

How do you get to the point where you can parent in a way that turns your kids hearts to Jesus - really adopting this way that works?

2 Quick tips to adjust your parenting to the way that works - turning every activity into an object lesson about God:

It starts with your relationship with God - getting it red hot.

“If you want them to bleed, you have to hemorrhage”

Practical Practices to put time into:

- Read & “Preach” the scripture

ILLUSTRATION:

When I first came to Jesus and started reading the scripture I did something that I didn’t know was more helpful than anything else. I would preach the passage I was reading.

Pray like you believe in God

If you’re like me, you’re prayers can just become little things you toss up in the air, pray like you believe God cares and wants to be in relationship with you

Seek Him throughout the day (play hide and seek)

I have to be careful here, God is not hiding from us - but Jesus said the Spirit of God is unpredictable, He’s like a wind that blows where He wants to

Be a sail that catches God’s wind instead of banner that gets ripped up when the wind blows…

2. Heal your relationships

“Your kid's security is based on the strength of your relationship with your spouse, not your friendship with your child. If they go to sleep at night worried you will get a divorce, they will not hear anything you say about Jesus - and rightly so…”

ILLUSTRATION:

If you are a jerk to your wife, guess what, your kids aren’t going to believe you about Jesus. If you ignore your kids and family every night and are just on a device, your kids aren’t going to believe you about Jesus. If you you only ever complain about your husband your kids aren’t going to believe you about Jesus. Your kids security is based on the stability and strength of your relationship..

Practical Practices to put time into:

Break down delusions and lies (what's the narrative you've chosen to believe)

ILLUSTRATION:

I’ve seen more than ever women leaving their families because there is a narrative in our world that women are the only ones doing any work and that there is a “good life” out there that you are currently not experiencing. I’m not advocating staying in an abusive relationship.

Can I tell you what, the good life is not something you slip into, it’s something you work your butt off for and sometimes you’re the only one working for it.

Men, love your wife in a way that she believes she’s in the “good life” - pursue your wife in a way that is not self-serving - not so you can have sex with her, but so she knows she’s the most important thing to you.

-stop abandoning her to hang with your buddies

-Stop speaking to her like she’s second-rate

-Stop being lazy in your relationship - if you don’t know what to do, get the love dare book, or get around guys who do know

Women, speak the value you want to see in your husband over him

thank him for the work he does - our world only says men are crap - we are expected to be Homer Simpson, call out the good you see in him every time you see it.
hold his hand, look him in the eyes
stop believing the lie that there is something better out there, and instead make better…
Stop hiding the truth - tell one another how you feel even if it’s scary and then “Love, ask for forgiveness, forgive, serve” Rinse and repeat
Go on dates with your spouse

“But Kent, what if nothing changes? What am I supposed to do then?”

You have no control over someone else, what you have control over is yourself - your job is to be committed to your family - your kids will see your heart for God and your family. Your spouse will see it - if they don’t give back to you, you have to learn from Jesus - He gave it all and was abused and killed for it and He prayed, Father forgive them, they know not what they're doing. Jesus’ answer was in God and His relationship there, not in the sufficiency of his horizontal relationships…

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

See, I could tell you all the ways to talk about God and talk about how we do this as a family, which is helpful for sure, and maybe someday I’ll give those examples. But what I was thinking about was when you’ve experienced something yourself, you don’t have to think about how to share it with someone else. For instance, I doubt you ever had to coax Neil Armstrong to tell you what it was like to walk on the moon - because it was a defining factor for his life, your relationship with Jesus is the same.

This morning, Is your family, is your marriage, are your kids worth you becoming a person who is defined by Jesus? Take that step and come up here, confess it and move towards Jesus.

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What will your mark on the Kingdom be? Let's explore together the legacy we’re building. Catch Kent’s sermon this Sunday and be inspired!

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

My uncle Lou died in his forties. I can remember, I was a freshman in high school and I can kind of remember that it wasn’t going well. My parents had gone to the hospital that was about 4 hours away to be with him. I remember them coming home after he passed and the darkness as my dad dealt with the pain of losing his brother. We were sitting there and my dad was talking about the last few days of my uncle's life. He started chuckling and said, you know your uncle Lou wasn’t doing very well and your uncle Roger was in the room with him.. He said, Lou motioned for Roger to come over and hold his hand…. He mumbled something softly and Roger leaned down to hear him. Lou looked at him and whispered, “Pull my finger…” lol, that tells you everything you need to know about Wagners… Ha…

We all have a legacy we leave for those who follow us.

Every one of us is promised just a few things

We are born, We live, We die…

It’s all the in-between stuff that sets one person apart from another.

You have a legacy you are setting up to leave. Some of you are being intentional about it and some of you are not…

What kind of spiritual legacy do you want to leave? What are the kind of faith stories you want to be told about you after you are gone?

I want to take you into the story of someone who understood legacy, I want to then look at your own life and I want to challenge you to take a stand…

SCRIPTURE:

King David from the Old Testament is an old man at this point. He has been planning on building a temple for God as his crowning achievement. But God speaks to him and tells him because he is a man of war and bloodshed he is not going to be the one to build the temple, it will be his son.

I don’t know if you’ve ever had a dream of yours taken from you, but for David, this had to crush him. He had plans on what the building should look like, he had purchased the land for it. I’ve stood there in this magnificent spot in Israel. David stood there and knew everything he had put together for it was going to become someone else’s.

Listen to what He does…

1 Chronicles 29:1-3 (NIV)

Then King David said to the whole assembly: “My son Solomon, the one whom God has chosen, is young and inexperienced. The task is great, because this palatial structure is not for man but for the Lord God.

David knows what he is asking Solomon to do, is going to take a lot from him. It’s funny, the Hebrew word for inexperienced is “soft”. David knows Solomon hasn’t faced the challenges that he has faced. He doesn’t have what he’s going to need to face the world that’s in front of him.

Isn’t that true for every generation?

ILLUSTRATION:

I remember as a kid my dad telling me he was worried for us about what we were going to have to face as adults and now with my own kids, I feel the same way.

David saw the challenges Solomon would have to face and was determined to set him up for success.

That’s what this whole series is about. It came out of these verses. I thought, “What an incredible thing that David took what He had and set his son up to be successful in this endeavor… What would it look like for us to set up our kids and the generations to come to undertake the mission of God in this world and to be resourced to do so?

We have dreams for the next generation as a church, as a matter of fact, it’s one of the places we put the most resources.

We want to expand and build out parts of our building that have never been developed to open up additional space for kid's ministry

We invest in staffing for our kid's ministry and see a need in the future to continue to expand those roles.

We want to reach more families and individuals and have them connect with the good news of Jesus in a way that leads them to become fully activated disciples for Jesus!

It’s honestly a palatial dream. What are your dreams?

Listen to what David does to set Solomon up for success….

2 With all my resources I have provided for the temple of my God—gold for the gold work, silver for the silver, bronze for the bronze, iron for the iron and wood for the wood, as well as onyx for the settings, turquoise,[a] stones of various colors, and all kinds of fine stone and marble—all of these in large quantities. 3 Besides, in my devotion to the temple of my God I now give my personal treasures of gold and silver for the temple of my God, over and above everything I have provided for this holy temple:

David personally gave:

100 tons of gold

250 tons of refined silver

In today’s economy, a rough estimate of the amounts we are talking about is $6.11 billion in gold and $177.6 million in silver…

There was something about David that got him to say, I’m all in… “With all my resources”

Look, this is not a sermon to try and get you to “give more” to the church, although that’s not a bad thing.

My real goal for this sermon is to get you to pull your eyes up to look at something bigger than what you currently look at…

I want you to think larger when it comes to your future than just your future…

I want you to seek first the Kingdom of God even in your future planning…

I really hope you will be asking a question like this:

What will my mark on the Kingdom be? What will my Kingdom legacy be?

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

There is a family in West Texas that none of you have even heard of, but who has had a direct impact on you and what God is doing in your life here in Kentucky and the impact started in the late 1900’s. This family owned a home-building company that became super successful. They started making lots of money and began to become very wealthy. But they also loved Jesus a lot. They were faced with the same question most of us are faced with, “What will I do with what I’ve been given?” They knew if they left all their wealth to their kids it would set their kids up for success and they’d be wealthy, probably for generations, but they also knew their kids didn’t love Jesus and their money would just go to satisfying their worldly desires.

They made a really tough call, they decided that they wanted their wealth to be used for the Kingdom of God.

So they did something unusual. They started a foundation to ask how can we invest in Kingdom endeavors. They gave significantly to their church. But one thing they decided to do was help young men and women who had a heart for ministry to be able to go to college without owing a penny when they graduated. One of the young pastors they ended up giving a full ride to was a young guy named Kent. I have always understood the sacrifice and gift that was given to me. Honestly, at times it was what kept me in ministry, that these people gave their resources - gave it all for the kingdom.

Their legacy will be SO much more than they were rich and got to be snowbirds when they were old…

That’s the American dream, right? get to the point where you turn back into a teenager with money and an old body?

What if the dream instead was to take as many people with me to heaven as possible?

What would it look like for you? How would you give? would you be paying for kids to go to camp and on trips? Would you be sponsoring kids to go to bible college? Would you be asking Shawn for a list of kids to be praying for? This isn’t just something for those with money - it’s about perspective. It’s about aiming your heart.

What would it look like for you to aim your heart like David did today, at setting up the next generation and leaving a mark on their hearts?

Today, I want you to come up and write down what it is you want to see for the Kingdom of God on a piece of paper and leave it at the cross!

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What are we doing with what we've been given for the Kingdom? Let’s take some time to reflect on that together. Tune in this Sunday to explore this deeper with Kent.

EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give). Get the fill in the blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins.

Interview with Staff

What jobs have you held outside of ministry if any?
What is the thing you hope for the people who serve in your ministry?
What is one helpful thing you wish people knew about what goes on behind the scenes in ministry?
Why do you do this? What in the world are you thinking - you could make more money in the business world, you could get insurance paid for you, you could be building up retirement. So, why do ministry?
What was it that put the "why" in you?

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Give it up for our team! Thank you guys for all you do for our church!

You know, Ministry is a weird job.

I’ve had calls at 2 in the morning from a kid whose mom just got thrown through a window and he needed me to talk him down from killing his stepdad. I’ve woken up to a call to come over to someone's house and counsel them in the most dire of situations.

I have sat by the bed of the dying and cared for them and met with countless couples who are considering throwing in the towel on their marriage. On top of that we have daily concern for the spiritual life of those God has stewarded us with, even when they don’t always personally care or think about it themselves.

My job specifically I have to be able to lead with the business acumen of a CEO, be available for one-on-one counseling, be able to study like a scholar or professor, be able to get up and speak like a motivational speaker, be a manager and lead meetings, be humble, have a character that matters, be spiritually full to give to others who are spiritually hungry, be able to read a spreadsheet and talk to people who have never seen a spreadsheet. As a pastor, there are very few people you can actually be yourself with - most people feel like they can bear that burden, but the moment they find out their pastor struggles, they walk away. It’s extremely lonely.

Why do we do it? Why would anyone choose ministry?

ILLUSTRATION:

Literally a few years back, before coming to Harmony, my brother called me and told me he was bummed because his Christmas bonus was going to be less that year. When he told me what the bonus would be, it hit me that his bonus was more than my entire salary for the year.

Oof, that’s tough… So, why would we do this? Why choose it?

I chose this because I want to take as many people as I possibly can with me.

I want to see as many people as I can, find Jesus, and become His disciples.

Reminds me of the parable of the talents, you know the parable right?

A landowner gives a few of his servants bags of gold, one gets 5, one gets 3, and one gets one bag of gold. When the master comes back he finds out the guys that got 5 & 3 bags had invested it and doubled their money, but the other guy took his one bag and buried it. The master berates him for just burying his gold instead of putting it to work for him.

Look, at the end of your life when you stand before Jesus, he’s not going to ask you what cars you owned, or how big your house was. He’s not going to ask how many subscribers you had to your YouTube channel or TickTock or how many days of vacation you didn’t use. He’s going to ask you one question,

“What did you do with what you had for the Kingdom”

You don’t need to do what I do or Amber does. What you need to do is look at what you’ve been given and use it for the Kingdom.

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

My favorite musician of all time was Rich Mullins - he was a Christian artist in the 90s who died tragically. Rich had a passion for Native Americans and decided at some point to step away from his music career to be a missionary in New Mexico to the Navajo Indians. Rich tried it but was really struggling, it wasn’t going like he thought it would. He called his uncle and was talking to him and his uncle said, “Rich, you’re not a very good missionary, but you are really good at making money. Why aren’t you making money and giving it to those who are good at being missionaries” The reason I like Rich Mullins is not because he was a great musician, although he has some rich lyrics. The reason I like him is because he decided he would be only be paid the average working man's salary and gave the rest of his money away. Rich realized his job was to take as many with him as he could - not to hoard it all.

What are you good at you could use for the Kingdom? Are you good with kids? We need people in our kids ministry and student ministry. Are you someone people want to be around? Invite them to church with you. Are you good at making money? Redirect that to the Kingdom.

You know, one of the biggest problems I think in Christianity is we professionalized it.

Ephesians 4:11-13

11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Look, Jesus didn’t give me or our staff to do the ministry by ourselves

He gave us -> to equip you -> to do the works of service

Today, I want to call you to something practical - we have this board out in the lobby that shows the holes in ministry that need to be filled. We want you to pray and then go and fill those spots, to find your why, and to give it all for the Kingdom.

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Can I tell you a story?

For thousands of years Christianity existed in fairly small churches for the most part. Primarily due to the fact that to travel much of a distance you had to harness up a horse. There were a few larger churches in cities, but for the most part they were pretty small

This was the case until relatively recently in history…

As the church began to grow new models of how to do church began to take center stage.

One of the primary models that was front and center the last 20-30 years was something called “Attractional Church”

This model used words like

“Seeker Sensitive”

The basic premise was this:

Your church needs to be attractive to people in order to keep them in the seats.

Not bad, right, basically, make church cool and people will come.

And it worked, until it became not cool to be a Christian.

There are things that we believe that are no longer cool in our culture.

Here’s what model produced: we created a whole generation of Christians that were focused on what they liked rather than on what Jesus liked…

And not their fault, it is what the church trained us to be…

But that’s not what Jesus was after

Jesus was after disciples

Listen to how Jesus described following Him

Luke 9:57-62

57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

ILLUSTRATION:

When I was in college, I wondered what it was like to be homeless - I know, I’m weird. So, I went out for a walk and decided I would sleep outside that night in the city. I never realized how freaky it was to sleep completely exposed with no protection, no one around you. When you sleep you are completely vulnerable. I ended up finding a bank and laying down in the light by their atm, but after about an hour I ended up going home…

We don’t know what happened with this man who said he’d follow Jesus where ever he’d go, but what we do know

Jesus told him He was homeless - signaling, if you follow me you have to be willing to give up all your comforts

Is this the Christianity you were sold?

I have friends who have moved to other countries to follow Jesus, one of them literally lives in what we would consider poverty to share the gospel with people.

Others put their lives on the line for Jesus.

What level of uncomfortable are you willing to put up with to follow Jesus?

ILLUSTRATION:

I was challenged a couple months ago when I was leading a bible study with several men in Pakistan over zoom who had traveled from their homes to spend a weekend studying the scripture, only to go home to be persecuted. There was no fancy speaker, or big worship band, the only thing that drew them was Jesus.

What level of uncomfortable would it take to keep you from Jesus?

59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”

But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

Can I ask you a question?

How does Jesus’ answer to this man strike you?

does it strike you as harsh?

Most of the time when I hear a preacher address this, they soften Jesus words - and maybe rightly so.

-but I think Jesus was intensely harsh - or hard.

There’s a whole book on the hard sayings of Jesus

It’s why either Jesus is God or He’s a lunatic, because no one should be allowed to speak like this.

How would you respond to Jesus?

What gives Him the right to say things like this?

Do you give Him the right to say things like this in your life?

ILLUSTRATION:

I can remember when my kids were young I heard about some Christians who were brought out of their houses and parents were forced to watch as their children were executed in front of them. I remember struggling with God over this, if I was ever forced to do that, would I give up my faith? Then I realized, my kids are not mine, they are God’s and I am just stewarding them…

This passage reminds me of a time when lots of people left Jesus, He turned to His disciples and asked them if they were going to leave to? this is what Simon Peter said:

John 6:68-69

“Lord, to whom shall we go? You have the words of eternal life. 69 We have come to believe and to know that you are the Holy One of God.”

Who else would you go to?

The reason Christians, for thousands of years, have followed Jesus, even when it cost them everything, is because they were willing to give up what they had here and now for what is to come…

61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”

62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

ILLUSTRATION:

I didn’t understand this till one of my friends in Western Kansas told me that when he was a kid, he and his other farm kid friends would all talk about whose dad could cut the straightest row. My friends and I talked about whose dad was strongest, but for a farmer, straight rows matter.

Jesus is using farming language - he’s saying if you put your hand to the plow to work for God, you can’t be the kind of person who is always looking to go back to where you came from…

See, Jesus’ call to discipleship was an all in kind of discipleship.

BEHIND THE CURTAIN:

Can I tell you a secret, did you know our church has 5 full time staff and 3 part time staff, we manage the entire organization of 500 people a week coming into this place and ministering to close to a thousand people all together.

Do you know what we spend most of our time talking about?

-How we can avoid competing with sports - because we know people will choose sports over church

-How to try and make it as easy as possible to volunteer because we know if it’s too hard we will end up with nothing

-We struggle with how to find enough group leaders who are ready to lead others because we have lots of people wanting to be in groups, but very few people who are willing to lead a group

-We spend inordinate amounts of time trying to decide if we are going to spend money here or there because our giving barely covers the expenses of running our church.

These are the realities we deal with - you don’t see it because we are good at making it look like everything is taken care of…

I have dreams for our church - I would love to see us do missions trips and serve the poor in our community, but frankly we are so overwhelmed just trying to keep what we currently do afloat, to plug the holes.

We have settled for being spiritual consumers rather than discipled contributors.

Jesus’ dream was not a room full of people being pampered but a Kingdom of missionaries proclaiming the message of the King.

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

Several times in my life I’ve been confronted with a message where I could either shrink back or move forward. We’ve all been there, right, the coach that says “either you start showing up for practice or your off the team…” There are clarifying moments in life for us that help us to see things more clearly. We want to be a church who is all in for Jesus. We want you to become a fully activated disciple for Jesus.

I’m standing up here asking if you are in with us…

When I first started at Harmony I found out that the church had been in such a dire situation that we had stopped giving to Missions. I told our elders that we were going to give to missions 10% of everything that was given to the church and that I’d rather cut my salary than to cut missionaries. I will never forget getting up in front of the church and saying, “will you stand with us in this” - meaning will you stand in solidarity. But there was this older gentlemen who had a cane who when I said that shakily stood up. and with that, one by one others stood until everyone was standing.

I want to ask you today, will you stand with us? let me be clear, I’m asking you to choose to be contributors in what God is doing at Harmony, not just spiritual consumers…

We need you!

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Oh man, it’s SO good to be back up here preaching to you guys. It’s one of my favorite things to do with you guys. Didn’t our guest preachers do a great job!

Can you guys believe Summer is almost over? Ugh, I’ve been trying to keep my heart from accepting that fact.

Have you ever gone on a trip in the summer where you have all these hopes for the trip - “I’ve needed this trip SO bad!” and then you get there and EVERY single thing seems to go wrong?

Years ago, Jenni and I went to NYC, it was over her birthday and I had one hope for the trip, to get Jenni a cannoli in NYC. So, I found the best cannoli in the city, I researched it and planned this whole sneak attack. We went to pizza with some friends, when Jenni went to the restroom to wash her hands my friends slipped out and I started taking Jen on this little adventure. We walked through the streets of NYC making our way to Little Italy, Jenni kept being like, “what is this” all the anticipation was building. I had checked online and the cannoli shop was open till 10pm and it was 9pm as we started towards the shop. We could see a couple guys standing outside looking like they were shutting down the shop, so I told Jen we had to run over there.

I could tell these guys were going to locking up for the night early, so I said, “hey aren’t you guys open till 10?” they said, “yeah, but tonight we’ve got a party to get to.” You know the moment in a Hallmark movie where they guy does some big gesture to show the girl how much he loves her? I knew this was my moment, I said, “look, it’s my wife’s birthday and we’ve come all the way from Kansas for the best Cannoli in NYC, can we just slip in and buy one cannoli before you lock up for the night…” The guy looked at me in my flannel and jeans, he paused for a moment and then said, “nah, we gotta get outa here…” Lol, I was crushed!

We all know what it’s like to have a hope crushed don’t we?

-hope that girl or guy was going to be the one and say yes and they said no

-hope to get offered the job only to not get a call back

-hope to get on the last flight home only to have all the seats full

Our leadership at the church as been talking about one question over the past few months

“What do we hope for those who come to Harmony”

-I don’t mean for all 500 of you, I mean you

What do I hope God will do in YOUR life through YOUR time at this church.

We are working hard in the background to try and ensure that we are designing what we do in order to answer that question…

I don’t want you to get to the end of your life or the end of your time here and feel like it was all for nothing -

I want things for you!

I believe God wants things FOR you!

So,

How do we keep you from feeling like the door is shut in your face? How do we help you find those the things God wants for you and start to learn to walk into them?

That’s the question we’re going to try and answer through this sermon series.

Jesus told us very clearly what His hope for you was… Listen

Matthew 28:18-20

18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me. 19 Therefore go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the Father and of the Son and of the Holy Spirit, 20 and teaching them to obey everything I have commanded you. And surely I am with you always, to the very end of the age.”

if you went to bible college, when your professor talked about this passage, what they would tell you is the imperative in the verses is to “make disciples”.

What Jesus wants for you, what I want for you, is for you to become a fully activated disciple of His.

ILLUSTRATION:

Over the summer our family got to hang out with my youth pastor and his wife. She started telling my kids stories about me when I was a teen. She said, I always tell everyone that when we would go on vacation that when we got home, Kent would be waiting outside for us… Lol, I guess I was border line stalker.. Ha, but it’s because I had found a different way of doing life and I wanted to know everything about it. That’s what being a disciple is all about.

Listen to what Jesus said about becoming a disciple:

Luke 9:23-26

23 Then he said to them all: “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross daily and follow me. 24 For whoever wants to save their life will lose it, but whoever loses their life for me will save it. 25 What good is it for someone to gain the whole world, and yet lose or forfeit their very self? 26 Whoever is ashamed of me and my words, the Son of Man will be ashamed of them when he comes in his glory and in the glory of the Father and of the holy angels.

I know, I know, you’ve heard this passage before, but have you ever stopped to ask yourself,

Why would I have to deny myself and take up my cross daily to be a disciple?

It’s the same reason I was at my youth ministers house and sat in his office every day.

Because to learn completely a new way of life, you have to let go - completely - of your old way of life.

Do you know how Jesus said, “I tell you the truth, unless you change and become like little children, you will never enter the kingdom of heaven.”

Jesus wasn’t trying to be cute by saying you have to become like a child.

Jesus was trying to illustrate the quality of the kind of faith it takes to follow Him - an unyielding, complete trust that His way is better

If I had to speculates, some of you are holding back from being disciples either because you didn’t know it meant learning a completely new way of life or because you knew and weren’t willing to step into it.

The thing is, when you deny yourself - you say no to your old way of trying to get things done - power, manipulation, and money

and you take up your cross daily - you say yes to the things God calls you to - even the hard things

You find life… What seemed like loss - giving up your old way of doing life, ends up being not giving up, but getting

So, I’ve been thinking, how would I define what a disciple is/does for you?

Discipleship is a life spent pursuing life with God

-it is hearing His voice and following it

-it is finding your value/self-worth in God rather than what people think of you and what you can accomplish

-it is seeking to exalt Him and His Kingdom over protecting yourself and your kingdom (ego and economy)

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

Some of you know that Jenni and I are building a cabin at the gorge to rent, we are doing that as a bit of a retirement play because churches as non-profits don’t offer retirement and typically don’t pay as much as the business world. Due to all that I’ve gotten in all these facebook groups for people running airbnb’s and buying real-estate. One of the things that has hit me is how much all these people are like sharks when there is blood in the water if there is a deal to be had on real-estate. Literally within hours thousands of people will be commenting on and trying to get a piece of the pie. It reminds me of something Jesus said, He said imagine if you were walking in a field and found out there was a treasure - millions in gold - buried in that field. Wouldn’t you go back and sell everything you had to purchase the field? Wouldn’t you go after it like a shark in the water with blood? Then Jesus said, this is what the person who finds the Kingdom is like. They sell everything - completely let go of their old way of life to get the new way of life of the Kingdom. For some of you in this room, the most dangerous part of your life is you settled for simply being saved and missed that you were saved to follow the savior.

What would it look like for you to orient around learning to hear and discern God’s voice? To learn to unwind all the ways you’ve found value in this world and to entwine with Him or to seek His kingdom above yours and those of this world?

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Guest Speaker Jake Stokesbary

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Join us today as Dean Rase gives us a word about Gods Grace!

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

I remember watching the very first back to the future in 1985 at my buddy Malachi’s house for a sleep over. At the end of the movie we were all hopped up like little kids get when they watch the coolest movie ever. We were all hoping around and I remember what we all were saying, that now as an adult watching it was the most obvious statement in the world, we were all like, “they are totally going to make another one of those…” we all just knew that Marty was going to be back…

Through this series the Story of God, I’ve hinted around at the most monumental moment in history, I’ve described it occasionally.

The most monumental moment in history was when God chose to die to rescue us out of the story.

ILLUSTRATION:

You don’t get how big this is because you’ve grown up an culture that accepts this idea, but I have talked with people who grew up differently and what they tell me is “I just can’t believe that God would die”

What seems impossible to some feels like the only, and most elegant, solution to the Story of God - the only rescue was going to be if God Himself restored us.

He would come in human form, become a servant, take on our nature, and He would do it perfectly.

He would then offer Himself as the sacrifice and go through death to redeem us out from under the law of good and evil - to break the authority of the evil one.

By us putting our allegiance with Him and His sacrifice, we find salvation from our sins and enter into the new “God” life.

Probably most of you know the rest of the story.

Jesus dies to redeem us from the story

and then He will rise from the dead 3 days later to prove He has complete and utter victory over death

This is the crux of the entire story of God!

Then, Jesus leaves, He ascends to Heaven.

He’s gone…

Do you know what all the early Christians were saying after this?

“He’s totally going to come back!”

They were like me and my pre-pubesant friends sitting there watching the end of back to the future and were like, “oh no he didn’t!!! The next ones gonna be even better!”

There’s a lot in the New Testament about this, but I wanted to give you three things to think about:

Jesus said no one will know the time or day: We’re not be on the planning committee, but the welcoming party committee.

Jesus was such a killer preacher - sometimes you don’t hear it because you’re so familiar with His stories…

Matthew 24:42-44

42 “Therefore keep watch, because you do not know on what day your Lord will come. 43 But understand this: If the owner of the house had known at what time of night the thief was coming, he would have kept watch and would not have let his house be broken into. 44 So you also must be ready, because the Son of Man will come at an hour when you do not expect him.

ILLUSTRATION:

When I was in college I house sat for some friends, right before they left they were like, “oh, by the way, 2 times our house has been broken into at night while we were sleeping and someone came into our room and stole stuff…” lol, nothing to make you feel comfortable about staying alone as a young 20 something…

Jesus said when He comes back, He will sneak up on you like cat burglar breaking into a house…

Some people spend all their time trying to predict exactly what it will look like.

You’r job isn’t to be on the planning committee for Jesus’ return, it’s to be on the welcoming party..

You’re job is to be ready…

I pray pray pretty regularly, “Jesus, I hope it’s today!”

Here’s the question for you, are you ready?

Are you prepared for His arrival? If He came today would you want the life He’s going to offer, or are you still holding onto things that don’t matter?

Jesus isn’t late, He’s patient - He’s giving people time to come to repentance… Tell someone about Him!

The early Christians thought Jesus would return during their time period, even then when He hadn’t come back right away there were people asking the question, “what’s taking so long?

Peter addressed this in 2 Peter 3 when he said this:

2 Peter 3:8-9

8 But do not forget this one thing, dear friends: With the Lord a day is like a thousand years, and a thousand years are like a day. 9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

ILLUSTRATION:

My kids have a different understanding of time than I do. Jenni or I will say something like, “we’ll go to the store to look at toys today…” If we say that too early in the day, do you know what question we will be dealing with all day long? “When are we going to go? Why aren’t we going yet? What’s taking you so long?” What our kids don’t think about is we’ve got to get the lawn mowed, then we’ve got to clean up around the house and maybe run some errands…

There’s a difference between slow, and purposeful

God is purposeful… He is patiently enduring this world and all the pain and suffering it throws at humanity because He wants to save as many as possible…

ILLUSTRATION:

Imagine if there had been a rescue boat for the titanic, can you picture a captain of that boat trying to pull people out of the freezing water. He’s watching as some of those he’s pulled out are shivering and their fingers getting frostbite, but he keeps going back for one more to rescue them. He can’t leave till his boat is full..

This is a little bit what it’s like with God, He is wanting to rescue as many as will come…

This is why it matters that we share with others and we grab a life preserver and throw it into the water to rescue more people - it’s God’s heart to save the world…

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

John in his vision of Jesus in Revelation 5 sees this scroll that no one in heaven can open, John literally weeps due to this and then he told not to worry, the lion of Judah has triumphed… This is David’s tribe - this is a reference to the messiah… But what’s crazy is what John hears about is a lion, but what he sees is a lamb… It looks as thought it’s been slain, but it’s alive. This lamb will take the scroll and start to open the 7 seals on it, then 7 trumpets will blast - literally, the rest of revelation is the lamb opening the scroll. We never see a scroll unrolled though, we only get a description of what it looks like, listen…

Revelation 21:1-8

Then I saw “a new heaven and a new earth,”[a] for the first heaven and the first earth had passed away, and there was no longer any sea. 2 I saw the Holy City, the new Jerusalem, coming down out of heaven from God, prepared as a bride beautifully dressed for her husband. 3 And I heard a loud voice from the throne saying, “Look! God’s dwelling place is now among the people, and he will dwell with them. They will be his people, and God himself will be with them and be their God. 4 ‘He will wipe every tear from their eyes. There will be no more death’[b] or mourning or crying or pain, for the old order of things has passed away.”

5 He who was seated on the throne said, “I am making everything new!” Then he said, “Write this down, for these words are trustworthy and true.”

6 He said to me: “It is done. I am the Alpha and the Omega, the Beginning and the End. To the thirsty I will give water without cost from the spring of the water of life. 7 Those who are victorious will inherit all this, and I will be their God and they will be my children. 8 But the cowardly, the unbelieving, the vile, the murderers, the sexually immoral, those who practice magic arts, the idolaters and all liars—they will be consigned to the fiery lake of burning sulfur. This is the second death.”

Don’t give up, don’t give up. Jesus is coming, one day He will restore all things, until that time, your job is to hold on…

And to those of you who have never taken hold, now is the time!

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Let me ask you to do a little math… Everyone divide 1 by 3. What’s the answer? .3 repeating, right? Now, what’s .3 repeating times 3? It’s not 1! It’s .9 repeating. Somewhere we lose .1 repeating… [mind blown]. Math doesn’t work! this is why bridges fall down eventually! Lol…

Have you ever discovered that something you believed your whole life was wrong?

like Math… ;)

I know you’ve felt this before

-I’ve had friends who found out the people they thought were their birth parents had adopted them

-I’ve seen families torn apart finding out that the person who was supposed to be faithful had a secret life

It’s almost never good when you discover that what you’ve believed was wrong…

Today, I want to take you into a struggle I had with this, and then walk you through my study in the story of God to find a way out of it..

To start, we have to go back into the story of God back to a prophet Isaiah. When we covered Isaiah, I mostly told you about how his prophecy impacted me and brought me back to God…

Isaiah was prophesying right before the fall of the Southern Kingdom into the hands of the Babylonians…

One of the key themes in Isaiah is what scholars have called the “Servant Songs” (Song 1 - 42:1-4; Song 2 - 49:1-6; Song 3 - 50:4-9; and Song 4 - 52:13-53:12.)

Christians say the Suffering servant in Isaiah is Jesus…

If you’ve been a Christian for a long time, you’ve probably heard a sermon on some of these verses about Jesus…

Except, the Suffering Servant isn’t a person, it’s the nation of Israel…

ILLUSTRATION:

Heard Rabbi’s say this and thought they couldn’t be right, I’ve read these passages over and over again, listened to pastors preach on it and never heard one of them once say that it’s not referring to Jesus but Israel.

The problem is, their right - Isaiah clearly identifies the suffering servant as Israel.

I’m not going to read these all, but I will show you quickly on the screen that this is the case…

[Anthony, can you get these references all on one screen]

Isaiah 41:8-9 (NIV):"But you, Israel, my servant, Jacob, whom I have chosen…I said, ‘You are my servant’; I have chosen you and have not rejected you."
Isaiah 44:1-2 (NIV):"But now listen, Jacob, my servant, Israel, whom I have chosen…”
Isaiah 44:21 (NIV):"Remember these things, Jacob, for you, Israel, are my servant. I have made you, you are my servant…”
Isaiah 45:4 (NIV):"For the sake of Jacob my servant, of Israel my chosen…”
Isaiah 48:20 (NIV):“…’The Lord has redeemed his servant Jacob.’"
Isaiah 49:3 (NIV):"He said to me, 'You are my servant, Israel, in whom I will display my splendor.'"

Here’s the problem… The prophecies about the suffering servant are some of the clearest prophecies of what Jesus would do & He fulfills them…

If the prophecies are talking about Israel (Jacob) and not Jesus then what do we do?

Look, let me set this straight - even if these prophecies were not directly about Jesus, it would be ok, wouldn’t be the end of faith in Him, but would be difficult…

Let me read something to you that on first blush will seem innocuous:

John 15:1-4

“I am the true vine, and my Father is the gardener. 2 He cuts off every branch in me that bears no fruit, while every branch that does bear fruit he prunes[a] so that it will be even more fruitful.

Jesus says, “I am the true vine"

That’s a weird thing to say, why does He say it that way? He could have just said “I am the vine” and not have to qualify His metaphor…

To answer, we have to go back to the OT and to Isaiah…

Isaiah 5:7

7 The vineyard of the Lord Almighty

is the nation of Israel,

and the people of Judah

are the vines he delighted in.

And he looked for justice, but saw bloodshed;

for righteousness, but heard cries of distress.

Jeremiah 2:21 [God speaking of Israel]

I had planted you like a choice vine

of sound and reliable stock.

How then did you turn against me

into a corrupt, wild vine?

In the Old Testament Israel was called “the vine” and now Jesus is saying, “I am the True Vine…”

Jesus is saying He is replacing Israel as the vine…

But what about Israel is He replacing?

We’ve been in the story of God for a long time now, and have covered a lot of ground… Do you remember the promise that God made to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob?

"through your offspring all nations on earth will be blessed"

Israel was meant to be a blessing that would bring relationship with God back to all nations… and they failed…

-Instead in the Story of God, we see them bringing division, war, pain, selfishness, and idolatry (with little moments of blessing)

It’s not their fault, not sure any group of people could do it, I actually think that was God’s point, to show us “this” had to be the way…

Jesus is the new Israel - He comes to redo their story and become the blessing…

Let me show you…

Jesus will start His ministry by being baptized… he even says…

Matthew 3:15

15 Jesus replied, “Let it be so now; it is proper for us to do this tho fulfill all righteousness.” Then John consented.

John’s baptism was a baptism for forgiveness of sin and repentance (Mark 1:4). Jesus is being baptized not for sin and repentance, but because Israel began in a baptism of the red sea…

Jesus gets baptized, immediately goes into the desert and is tempted by the devil for 40 days (1 day for each year the Israelites were in the desert).

I believe the righteousness He’s fulfilling is redoing Israel’s story… He is redeeming their failure to follow God

As a matter of fact, Jesus does a TON of things Israel does or that happen in Israel’s History…

[Anthony, I will not read all this - will you put a caption for people to take a picture and schedule to post it on FB on Sunday at 1pm as well - I’ll reference a few things, but that’s it]

Jesus does this over and over again:

Baptism > Red Sea Crossing
Temptation in Desert - Grumbling and abandoning the worship of Yahweh
Water to wine > Moses will bring water from a rock
Jesus multiplies loaves > Moses gives manna in the desert
Jesus is the vine > Israel is the vine
Jesus walked on water > Elisha made an axe head float
Jesus fed multitudes (both Jews - 5k, and Gentiles - 4k) > Elisha fed 100 (2 Kings 4:42-44)
Jesus raises woman’s son to life, Jairus' daughter, & Lazarus > Elisha raises Shunammite woman’s son
Jesus came to serve not be served > Rehoboam - "you'll be my slaves"
12 Disciples > 12 Tribes
Jesus heals lepers > Elisha healed Naaman of leprosy
Jesus is in a turbulent sea following God's mission asleep in a boat, stands up and rebukes the storm > Jonah in a boat running from God's mission, asleep in the boat, asks to be tossed into the sea
Jesus blood and body take becomes the new passover, quotes Moses "this is the blood of the covenant", Jesus will rescue us from the authority we gave over to the enemy "the god of this world" > Passover is given to the Jews as rescue from slavery
Jesus goes up on a mountain, his face and clothes become brilliantly white, like light > Moses goes up to meet with God and get the 10 commandments and his face glows
Jesus rides into Jerusalem on a Donkey > Solomon rode a donkey to be coronated King

What does all this mean? It means that when we read Isaiah, we are reading a prophecy written hundreds of years before Jesus came into the world that describes Jesus perfectly…

Jesus came to become the blessing to the whole world…

A blessing to you…

CLOSING:

Isaiah 53

I want to close by reading Isaiah 53 to you…

Who has believed our message and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

2 He grew up before him like a tender shoot, and like a root out of dry ground. He had no beauty or majesty to attract us to him, nothing in his appearance that we should desire him.

3 He was despised and rejected by mankind, a man of suffering, and familiar with pain. Like one from whom people hide their faces he was despised, and we held him in low esteem.

4 Surely he took up our pain and bore our suffering, yet we considered him punished by God, stricken by him, and afflicted.

5 But he was pierced for our transgressions, he was crushed for our iniquities; the punishment that brought us peace was on him, and by his wounds we are healed.

6 We all, like sheep, have gone astray, each of us has turned to our own way; and the Lord has laid on him the iniquity of us all.

7 He was oppressed and afflicted, yet he did not open his mouth; he was led like a lamb to the slaughter, and as a sheep before its shearers is silent, so he did not open his mouth.

8 By oppression[a] and judgment he was taken away. Yet who of his generation protested? For he was cut off from the land of the living; for the transgression of my people he was punished.[b]

9 He was assigned a grave with the wicked, and with the rich in his death, though he had done no violence, nor was any deceit in his mouth.

10 Yet it was the Lord’s will to crush him and cause him to suffer, and though the Lord makes[c] his life an offering for sin, he will see his offspring and prolong his days, and the will of the Lord will prosper in his hand.

11 After he has suffered, he will see the light of life[d] and be satisfied[e]; by his knowledge[f] my righteous servant will justify many, and he will bear their iniquities.

12 Therefore I will give him a portion among the great,[g] and he will divide the spoils with the strong,[h] because he poured out his life unto death, and was numbered with the transgressors. For he bore the sin of many, and made intercession for the transgressors.

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

I remember the day I became a father for the first time.

Jenni had been in labor for quite a while. The monitor on Peter kept showing his heart rate drop to almost nothing, they would roll Jenni over on her side to get it to come back up. What we didn’t know was that the umbilical cord had been around his neck. We would find out soon. As he came out, his body was blue and limp. I will never forget the doctor pulling him out and holding his little body. It was that moment I became a father, because in that moment I felt a wave of fierce pulse through my body I had never felt. It took everything in me to hold me back from grabbing that doctor, shaking him, and forcing him to fix this. That’s all that kept running through my head, “fix this, fix this…”

From the earliest moments in the story of God there has been a voice whispering, “Fix This, Fix This…”

We’ve heard the echos of this throughout the story, whether it’s Adam and Eve eating the fruit and God sacrificing an animal to cloth them or it’s God calling to Abram to be a blessing to all Mankind or God reaching back out to humanity through Moses and the Jewish people.

Over and over again God has been rumbling towards humanity and over and over again humanities heart beat drops as we turn away from God.

And God has been whispering “Fix This, Fix This…”

Listen, I know for some of you the idea of a good Father is a messed up idea

But surely you knew someone who had a Father that you wished was your Father.

The kind of person who was fun, loving, kind, fiercely strong, but unyieldingly gracious.

Good Fathers will do anything to rescue their children…

Can I read to you the Father’s rescue story for us?

[shut off all lights in the room except a very soft spot light on Kent in center of stage - almost no light]

John 1:1-18 (NIV)

In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome[a] it.

John looks at the story of humanity and he takes us back to where it all started

“In the beginning…”

This is how the book of Genesis starts “In the beginning the earth was void and formless and the spirit of God hovered over the waters…”

John says at the beginning, the creative force of God was His word and that word was God and was with God.

The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it…

ILLUSTRATION:

I love going to tour caves. Jenni and I went and did the underground kayaking at the gorge a while back. Have you done that? They are floating us around in this giant cavern with HUGE fish, next time I’m bringing one of those pocket fishing poles ;). But all of the sudden they turn off the lights and you are just floating in pure pitch black - the kind that’s thick. You could put your hand in front of your face and not see a thing.

Darkness is pretty powerful, it’s scary, it’s disorienting

But no amount of darkness can overcome even the smallest bit of light…

The light shines in the darkness and the darkness has not overcome it.

“But Kent, what does this have to do with the story of God? What does this have to do with a Father rescuing?”

It’s everything!

John starts takes us back to Genesis because that is where the story began and went off the rails. It’s where sin entered the world. It’s where darkness took over.

Listen

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world.

10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

ILLUSTRATION:

I know some of you don’t know the bible super well and that’s ok. But what John is telling us is the story of Christmas. He’s telling us of the time when God Himself came into the world… “The word became flesh”… Remember the word is the creative force of God - it is God.

And God became Flesh and made his dwelling among us.

The word in the Greek for “made his dwelling” is literally, “pitched a tent” among us…

God saw the predicament we were in due to sin entering the world.

We had abandoned a relationship with God and were paying the penalty for it - death, the sting of sin.

And He came to rescue….

He came to fix it..

I know lots of you weren’t here when we talked about Adam and Eve, but Adam and Eve weren’t just eating a fruit because they were hungry. The lie they were eating was that they could be like God, that the didn’t need Him anymore, they could be in control of their own destiny. The problem was, when they took that gamble, they lost everything. They abandoned their relationship with God and death entered the world.

Did you hear what John said about this word that became flesh, flesh like you and me? He said that when God came into the world, that light came into the darkness…

[all lights come on]

Even though those who should have known him didn’t receive Him, to those who do, to those who believe in his name, he gave the right to become children of God..

Jesus came to rescue you from the story of mankind and allow you to enter into the story of God.

He came to “fix this…”

CLOSING:

That day with Peter, the doctor holding his little lifeless blue body. I was screaming inside, holding myself back from beating the doctor up and shaking him till he fixed it. The doctor took a rag and rubbed Peter’s body hard. All of the sudden the most beautiful sound in the world happened. This little baby’s body responded and he gasped for breath and let out a blood curdling cry. Some of you are dead in your sins this morning. You have been chasing the story of mankind over the story of God your whole life. “I’m in charge” “I can fix this on my own” “I don’t need anyone” But what you don’t know is it doesn’t have to be clawing, scratching, and fighting. You have a father that came to rescue you. This morning, I’m here to rub you and rough your soul up to try and get you to take a breath and live! God came down to rescue you. He answered your prayer of “God, if you’re real, why don’t you come down here and show us?” The problem is, you just don’t live during the time when He did it… God pitched a tent in the world and He did it for you. So he could bring you back into a relationship with God. The way you do this is by believing in His name - that means becoming intimately involved with Him, loving Him, accepting His leadership in your life.

Jesus - Jesus enters the world to redeem and restore all of this story of God and to start writing a new story in your life, one that will change all of eternity. He is the perfect representation of God and He came to bring all of mankind out of the delusion of sin and death

Hebrews 1:3

3 The Son is the radiance of God’s glory and the exact representation of his being, sustaining all things by his powerful word. After he had provided purification for sins, he sat down at the right hand of the Majesty in heaven.

John 1:1-18

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the one and only Son, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.

15 (John testified concerning him. He cried out, saying, “This is the one I spoke about when I said, ‘He who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’”) 16 Out of his fullness we have all received grace in place of grace already given. 17 For the law was given through Moses; grace and truth came through Jesus Christ. 18 No one has ever seen God, but the one and only Son, who is himself God and[b] is in closest relationship with the Father, has made him known.

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The Cost of Being a Disciple

Luke 14:25-33 (NIV)

25 Large crowds were traveling with Jesus, and turning to them he said: 26 “If anyone comes to me and does not hate father and mother, wife and children, brothers and sisters—yes, even their own life—such a person cannot be my disciple. 27 And whoever does not carry their cross and follow me cannot be my disciple.

28 “Suppose one of you wants to build a tower. Won’t you first sit down and estimate the cost to see if you have enough money to complete it? 29 For if you lay the foundation and are not able to finish it, everyone who sees it will ridicule you, 30 saying, ‘This person began to build and wasn’t able to finish.’

31 “Or suppose a king is about to go to war against another king. Won’t he first sit down and consider whether he is able with ten thousand men to oppose the one coming against him with twenty thousand? 32 If he is not able, he will send a delegation while the other is still a long way off and will ask for terms of peace. 33 In the same way, those of you who do not give up everything you have cannot be my disciples.

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What kind of person do we want to be in this tumultuous world? Join us as Kent dives into Daniel's resilience and courage. Tune in for a challenging sermon. EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give). Get the fill in the blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins.

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Have you ever heard the saying, “you’re gonna have to hang in there like a hair in a biscuit…” Lol, I had a buddy say that the other day and it cracked me up. What he meant was sometimes in life you have to hang on hard to make it through.

We’ve all ben there right? When life feels like it’s thrown a wrench at you and you weren’t able to dodge…

WE:

-The moment when the divorce settled in and the night felt darker than it’s ever felt sitting alone in your living room

-The way it takes everything you’ve got to make it through a day to look normal to everyone else since returning from deployment

-Or that time when every day it was literally “which bill do we not pay right now…”

We’ve all had those moments where you are holding on by the skin of your teeth..

US:

I believe we are in a moment in history where for Christians, you following Jesus is not going to be easy…

ILLUSTRATION:

I was invited recently by a missionary to Pakistan to give a devotion to some people who had converted from Islam to Christianity there. I wasn’t able to do it, but before I knew that, I asked him what he wanted me to say to them - if anything. Here’s what he told me. He said, “Can you encourage them, many of them have lost family, jobs, etc. to follow Christ. It has cost them everything.” Then he said something that has been challenging me ever since, “But also encourage them to be bold in their faith and to not be afraid, the world they live in it’s dangerous to be a Christian and they need to know not to be afraid…”

Reminded me of something Jesus said,

Matthew 10:28

28 Do not be afraid of those who kill the body but cannot kill the soul. Rather, be afraid of the One who can destroy both soul and body in hell.

Today in the Story of God we are at a place where those who are left have to hold one with everything they’ve got - like a hair in a biscuit…

I think for us as Christians there is a lot to learn from the guy we are going to look at today…

SCRIPTURE:

The Kingdom of Israel has been split, the Northern tribes have been swept off into Assyria and one will ever hear from those people again… Now the Southern Kingdom is being attacked by the Babylonians - They will take the entire nation into exile in Babylon. Much of the rest of the bible - the prophets Jeremiah, Lamentations, Isaiah, and minor prophets - Malachi, etc. either take place during this time frame or right after.

This moment in history will change the Jewish people forever. They will move from being a religious group centered around worship at their temple to a group that is dedicated to the Torah (the Old Testament).

Rabbis and Synagogues will become a thing. Judaism as we know it finds its root in the Babylonian exile.

The people finally are met with the dilemma, do we obey the covenant with God, or disappear from history?

They seek to obey the covenant

But even this will become corrupt with rule-following to abandon the God of the covenant…

This moment in history - terrible moment…

Imagine it. One night you are sleeping in your beds, you’ve been comforting your children all night long telling them it will be alright, the city walls of Jerusalem are strong. They finally went to sleep but you have stayed up all night listening to the fighting men whispering in the streets as the Babylonian fires grow outside the walls. The next day attack occurs. and by the end of the next day you and your children are being forcibly removed from your house, marching without water, men with ropes around their necks and arms tied to horses. your voice gone from screaming and your tears all cried out. You do everything you can to protect your children as they watch horrors executed around them.

It’s too easy to read about these things and events and not realize these are real people who are ripped out of their homes and sent to live in lands where they do not speak the language and where they are in captivity long enough for an entire generation to disappear.

That brings us to the collision with this moment in history, one of the people who was captured and taken as a prisoner was Daniel… You may have heard of “Daniel and the Lion's Den” it’s that Daniel and that took place while he was a captive.

When Daniel is captured he is a young aristocrat - likely in the house of Judah.

The Babylonians had an effective means of assimilating people. They take the young up-and-coming leaders and indoctrinate them into the society and culture, letting them eat from the King's table and teaching them the ways of the Babylonians.

Daniel is one of these young men. But Daniel is different - he’s gonna hang on like a hair in a biscuit, listen to Daniel

Daniel 1:8

8 But Daniel resolved not to defile himself with the royal food and wine, and he asked the chief official for permission not to defile himself this way.

Daniel was someone who understood there was more going on in his world than just being successful in the situation he was in…

As a matter of fact, this is who Daniel is over and over again

The reason you know about him being thrown into a lion's den is because he is unwilling to stop praying to God, no matter the consequences.

Daniel was living for a different Kingdom than the one he lived in.

As a matter of fact, Daniel also over and over again spoke bravely about this Kingdom… Listen to some interpretations of dreams he gives to Kings:

To Nebechudnezzer who has had a dream about massive statue that represented different kingdoms… Daniel says…

Daniel 2:44-45

44 “In the time of those kings, the God of heaven will set up a kingdom that will never be destroyed, nor will it be left to another people. It will crush all those kingdoms and bring them to an end, but it will itself endure forever. 45 This is the meaning of the vision of the rock cut out of a mountain, but not by human hands—a rock that broke the iron, the bronze, the clay, the silver and the gold to pieces.

Or in a vision Daniel had that disturbed him greatly, he saw 4 beasts that represented different kingdoms of the earth and at the end of his vision he saw this:

Daniel 7:13-14

13 “In my vision at night I looked, and there before me was one like a son of man,[a] coming with the clouds of heaven. He approached the Ancient of Days and was led into his presence. 14 He was given authority, glory and sovereign power; all nations and peoples of every language worshiped him. His dominion is an everlasting dominion that will not pass away, and his kingdom is one that will never be destroyed.

Daniel isn’t waiting for a Jewish Kingdom, he’s waiting for God’s Kingdom to come!

The reason Daniel could stand firm in a corrupt generation is because He feared God more than anything people could do to Him.

I believe we are in a time when being a Christian will take engaging God with grit.

Holding on to love with strength.

ILLUSTRATION:

I remember being in High school when it hit me. I have to choose who gets my greater allegiance, the Kingdom of God or the Kingdom of America? They are not the same thing, no matter what you’ve been told. For me, my political persuasion is always held against Jesus and His Kingdom. The word of God is my standard.

If you don’t know it yet, Jesus came to fulfill Daniel's prophecies.

Jesus came to bring a Kingdom that would be subversive and would change the world from the inside out.

Through you and me…

Luke 17:20b-21

20b “The coming of the kingdom of God is not something that can be observed, 21 nor will people say, ‘Here it is,’ or ‘There it is,’ because the kingdom of God is in your midst.”

CLOSING:

My poor wife has a curse on her life. Literally, has the worse luck. Every restaurant we are ever in, she gets the fork with food on it or hair in her food. She can tell you what it means to hang on like a hair in a biscuit. That sucker aint coming out. What about you? Have you decided the kind of person you want to be? Do you want to be a Daniel who hangs on to Jesus no matter what this world throws at you, choosing your allegiance to the Kingdom God has put in you. Or, do you still want to be the kind of person who eats the food this world puts in front of you, who gives in over and over again to the little concessions that will ultimately assimilate you into a life that’s far from the heart of God? Make the choice today what kind of person you want to be!

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📣 Tune in to Kent's sermon this Sunday! We dive into the twists of ancient Israel's story and the domino effect of selfish choices. Can't miss this! 🎙️✨ Listen in to ponder, "When faced with power, do we serve or seek self-gratification?" 🤔 EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ). Get the fill in the blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins.

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

My wife loves watching survivor… One of the classics of survivor is “Previously on Survivor”…

PREVIOUSLY on THE STORY OF GOD:

I want to remind you of the highlights so far because we took a hiatus to talk about some books and not the stories…

God created all things, people walked out of the story of God to create their own story - God pursued them, calling to Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob. Joseph will come into the story and rescue all of Egypt as well as his own family from famine. The Hebrew people will settle in Egypt and eventually become an enslaved people. God will again reach out and raise up Moses to lead the people out of slavery. They will come into the desert and as quickly as God reduces they too will walk out of God’s story to create their own - they will create a golden calf while Moses is away listening to God and say, “this golden calf is the god that brought you out of Egypt”… The people will wander around for 40yrs, God will raise up Joshua and judges like Gideon and Deborah. Eventually He will raise up Samuel and the people will reject God as King and choose their own, Saul, David, and Solomon…

This is where we enter into the story…

ILLUSTRATION:

When I was a kid one of my favorite things to do was to set up a domino chain. My buddies and I would set up a chain of dominos all over tables for a week or more at indoor recess. We’d work on it all till the day we’d get a chance to knock it down. That chain reaction of a domino to make the last one fall of the table is sooo cool to watch. This week is the beginning a domino that will fall that will cause a chain reaction in the life of Israel. We will watch it unfold… till it all ends with one domino falling - the last in the series that will be the most spectacular of all…

It all started with the death of Solomon. During his life, he had spent time repairing the walls of Jerusalem that his father David had built. During that time he saw a young man named Jeroboam who was a hard and diligent worker. Solomon saw something in him and put him in charge of the labor force for the tribes of Joseph, Manasseh, and Ephraim.

At this same time, Solomon had turned his heart away from God after other gods… God raised up a prophet named Ahijah to go to Jeroboam, this young man, and tell him that God was going to take most of the Kingdom away from Solomon’s son and give it to Jeroboam. Ahijah took off his coat and ripped it into 12 pieces and gave Jerry 10 of them and told him he would rule over 10 of the tribes of Israel. If he would remain faithful to Yahweh, God would establish his kingdom like He had promised to do with David.

What do you do if you are a young man and you have something like that told to you? I’ll tell you what you do, you run for your life…

That’s exactly what Jerry does. He runs to Egypt to hide from Solomon… He leaves everything behind….

Solomon will die… His son Rehoboam we will call him Reh… He will go up to Schechum (this is about halfway up Israel - if your arm is Israel it’s your elbow pit). All the people of Israel will come to hear from him and anoint him as King. They send Jeroboam who they have called back from Egypt to go speak to Rehoboam. Listen to what they say to him…

1 Kings 12:3-4

3 So they sent for Jeroboam, and he and the whole assembly of Israel went to Rehoboam and said to him: 4 “Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”

Reh will ask for 3 days to consider the proposition.

He will bring in all the elders of the land who will say this to him…

7 They replied, “If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants.”

This is a good answer, right? Except it’s not what Reh wanted. So he gets all his buddies together and asks them… These are all the people you’d see on a reality TV show now adays floating on their yachts partying and having no clue about reality… They come to Reh and say, “You tell these people that if they thought your dad was hard, they haven’t seen anything yet…” Your dad’s waist was as thin as your pinky. If he whipped you with whips, you’d whip them with scorpions…”

In this moment, Rehoboam knocks over a domino and starts a reaction he can’t stop..

A civil war breaks out at this moment and the North and South are separated

The Northern tribes - 10 of them - go with Jeroboam and anoint him as their King

Jerry will set up two places for people to worship - at the North in Dan and at the southern tip of his kingdom in Bethel he will set up two golden calves and he will tell the people, “These are the gods who brought you out of Egypt”. I’ve stood in Dan at this replica of the temple…. Jerry won’t follow Yahweh, he will create a false religion to manipulate and control the people - he knew if they went down to Jerusalem they might turn back to Reh, so he turned them away from the one true God to false gods so he could control them…

The Southern two tribes, Benjamin and Judah anoint Rehoboam as their King

These events will lead to the eventual downfall of Israel & Judah and the nation of Israel becoming subject and invaded by other nations

Eventually, they will lose their Kingdom altogether and become a people who are subjugated by the Romans

You can watch it all unfold from this one moment… a moment where one man chose self-gratitude over servanthood

Can I get Devotional with you?

It’s easy to look at Reh and Jerry and think, these guys are idiots… They are selfish, manipulative, and arrogant… But if the story of God teaches you anything… These guys are doing what humans have always done..

We choose to gratify ourselves over submitting to the way of God

These guys are you and me…

They are the parent who rules over their kid with an iron fist

They are the manager who steps on every employee to climb the ladder of success

they are the manipulator who uses religion and emotions to clone people…

These guys expose in us our own tendency to turn from the way of God to get what we want when we want it at whatever it costs us

Do you remember the things that were asked of Reh and do you remember what the elders said to him?

“Your father put a heavy yoke on us, but now lighten the harsh labor and the heavy yoke he put on us, and we will serve you.”

and

“If today you will be a servant to these people and serve them and give them a favorable answer, they will always be your servants.”

When Jesus came into the world, He came as a King, He brought a Kingdom and invited you into it. I want you to hear His words as He invites you

Matthew 11:28-30

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

Matthew 20:28

28 just as the Son of Man did not come to be served, but to serve, and to give his life as a ransom for many.”

Jesus came as the King we’ve all needed all along

His way is SO different from the way of the world

Jesus invites you into the story, He offers you a new life, and invites you to learn from Him

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

I was talking to my daughter the other night about how different the way of Jesus is… I told her, everyone in this world is scraping and fighting to get “theirs”. They all fight and kill, manipulate, and scratch out their way in the world. But Jesus calls us to something different, He calls us to lay down our lives for others, He calls us to die to ourselves and to love others. I said, It comes down to belief. If I believe in Jesus and that I have everything I need because of Him, then I can lay down my life without being resentful of others. I know if I have Him, I have enough. My unbelief is betrayed when I start to fight, scrape, and scratch my way out of this thing…

What about you? Do you find yourself scratching and scraping or are you trusting and turning to Him? His yoke is easy, his burden is light. Learn from Him…

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What are you doing to protect, pursue, and grow in commitment in your relationships like God intends? Tune in to Kent's sermon on the Song of Songs for insights. 🎶💖 EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ). Get the fill in the blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins.

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

As a kid, I remember walking in the kitchen quite often and seeing my mom and dad kissing. I also remember wanting to puke when I saw it. Lol.

My parents were really good at expressing their love for each other. they also were a great example of sticking with one another.

As I’ve aged, I’ve learned a good percentage of people haven’t had the best examples of what love should look like in a relationship.

and the pool for what a marriage based on Christ should look like is even smaller…

Today, in the story of God, we are talking about the “Song of Songs”, sometimes referred to as “the Song of Solomon” - it’s the equivalent of an ancient Jewish Romance Novel…

Some people have tried to spiritualize this book and make it an allegory for our relationship with Jesus…

-It might be, but I have a hard time with how sexual it is and applying that to my relationship with Jesus… Just saying

The Song of Songs is a reminder that God desires your relationship with your spouse to be protected, passionate, romantic, and committed…

Some people think Christians are prudes - that we don’t like sex…

Actually, that couldn’t be further from the truth - sex is celebrated in the scripture. But it’s celebrated when it’s in the right context…

ILLUSTRATION:

Sex is a little like fire. Fire is an amazing thing when it’s in the right context. Have a fire in a fireplace or fire ring and you can warm yourself with it, you can enjoy it. Have a fire on your couch in your living room and it’s a disaster waiting to happen.

Sex, in the context of a committed married relationship, is meant to be enjoyed.

Christian ethics on sex are not about limiting your joy, but maximizing it!

Learning Protection, Passion, Romance, and Commitment in Relationships from the Song of Songs…

(if you are single or past this point in your life, or too young, listen, take notes, share with others…)

Protecting your relationship by guarding your heart…

ILLUSTRATION:

Let me tell you a secret that’s not much of a secret. I love eating Oreos… I love them! No joke! But I don’t need any more Oreos in my life. Let me ask you a question. Where does my keeping Oreos out of my mouth start? does it start when I open the package of Oreos? is it when I see the Oreos in my pantry? Is it when I unpackage the Oreos from the grocery bags? Does it start when I stand in front of them in the grocery store?

Protect your relationship by not arousing or awakening love

Song of Songs 2:7 (3:5, 8:4)

7 Daughters of Jerusalem, I charge you

by the gazelles and by the does of the field:

Do not arouse or awaken love

until it so desires.

The speaker is saying “Don’t allow yourself to go there…”

It reminds me of what James says…

James 1:14-15

14 but each person is tempted when they are dragged away by their own evil desire and enticed. 15 Then, after desire has conceived, it gives birth to sin; and sin, when it is full-grown, gives birth to death.

ILLUSTRATION:

Let’s be honest, you have grown up in a world that does not honor protecting your eyes, your heart, and your relationship. Most of you were likely exposed to pornography at a young age, and many of you might allow your mind to stray into seriously dangerous waters fantasizing about people who are not your spouse.

You are opening a can of worms that is SO difficult to put back.

When I was a kid, I actually thought I might be gay because our world pushes lust so hard. I wasn’t attracted to girls at all (or anyone for that matter). it wasn’t till I was in college and dating a girl and we kissed for the first time. I “awoken love”, honestly, if I could go back I would have never even had that kiss…

Can I ask you a question? Are you protecting yourself - your eyes, the situations you put yourself in, etc?

Job 31:1

“I made a covenant with my eyes

not to look lustfully at a young woman.

Are you protecting your kids?

Have you ever considered what is being awoken in your child when they are becoming physical with someone who is not their spouse?

2. Inviting Passion into your relationship and pursue each other with romance

Song of Songs 4:1-7

How beautiful you are, my darling!

Oh, how beautiful!

Your eyes behind your veil are doves.

Your hair is like a flock of goats

descending from the hills of Gilead.

2 Your teeth are like a flock of sheep just shorn,

coming up from the washing.

Each has its twin;

not one of them is alone.

Lol, “you’ve got all your teeth…” Ha!

3 Your lips are like a scarlet ribbon;

your mouth is lovely.

Your temples behind your veil

are like the halves of a pomegranate.

4 Your neck is like the tower of David,

built with courses of stone[a];

on it hang a thousand shields,

all of them shields of warriors.

5 Your breasts are like two fawns,

like twin fawns of a gazelle

that browse among the lilies.

6 Until the day breaks

and the shadows flee,

I will go to the mountain of myrrh

and to the hill of incense.

7 You are altogether beautiful, my darling;

there is no flaw in you.

Listen, if you read the Song of Songs, you’ll find this beautiful poetry that is full of some pretty saucy stuff - like “your teeth are like flocks of sheep”… Lol, but seriously. this stuff is more like R-rated or even Mature. It’s a reminder that God created you and your spouse to enjoy one another

God is about maximizing your relationship, not diminishing it.

Pursue one another with romance

Husbands, can I ask you a question? When was the last time you did something romantic for your wife? When was the last time you left her a note telling her what she means to you? When was the last time you brushed your teeth or took a shower before trying to kiss her? When was the last time you did the dishes and cleaned up the house without being asked? When was the last time you planned a special date for just the two of you? When was the last time you stopped and looked into her eyes for more than a second and just told her how much you loved her smile?

Wives, when was the last time you told him how much all he does for you mean to you? When was the last time you leaned your head on his arm? When was the last time you sent him a text telling him you were thinking about him?

Passion and romance are tied to one another - they are a result of pursuit.

3. Commitment: “You’re the only one for me”

ILLUSTRATION:

When I marry people, one of the things I tell them is I don’t perform weddings for people who are going to get divorced. It shocks them. But should it? Did you really mean it when you said, “Till death do us part?”

Listen to the interplay of this couple in the song of Songs…

Song of Song 6:8-9 (the husband speaking)

8 Sixty queens there may be,

and eighty concubines,

and virgins beyond number;

9 but my dove, my perfect one, is unique,

the only daughter of her mother,

the favorite of the one who bore her.

The young women saw her and called her blessed;

the queens and concubines praised her.

Song of Songs 7:10 (the wife speaking)

I belong to my beloved,

and his desire is for me.

These two only had eyes for each other…

ILLUSTRATION:

I was talking to someone I care pretty deeply about who was single and they said, “I can’t find anyone good, everyone’s a cheater…” I stopped them and said, “Maybe you’re looking in the wrong place…” I told them, I never worry about if Jenni is going to cheat because she’s not the kind of person who would cheat…

Are you the kind of person who would cheat?

Become the kind of person who only has eyes for your spouse or future spouse.

This isn’t about diminishing, this is about maximizing!

Living in a relationship that is full of trust, love, and deep care is the most powerful thing I’ve ever experienced.

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

When my dad passed away, afterward we all went back to my mom's and started cleaning up and trying to help her out. One of the things we found was a letter my dad had written to my mom telling her how much he loved her. He did that kind of thing a lot.

I know some of you might not know this super well yet, but God loves you so much. It’s probably been framed for you in a negative way, that God wants to keep you from things. But that’s not the case. God is a lover who is pursuing you with as much love as a lover pursues their loved one. He has written you beautiful sweet notes and longs for you to come to Him for salvation and into a relationship with Him. Why not learn from the author of Love?

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🙏 Have you ever felt like your prayers were too "vanilla"? 🍦 Wondered why bad things happen to good people? 🤔 Let's explore Psalms, Proverbs, Ecclesiastes, and Job together. 📖 It's time to align our hearts and find answers in God's Word. Don't miss out! 🎧 📲 EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give). Get the fill in the blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins.

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

I remember coming home from college. My parents kept getting into these massive fights. It was really messing with me, I thought, “Man, I leave for college and my family falls apart.” It wasn’t till I started paying more attention to what was going on. Here’s how just about every fight would start. My dad would ask my mom about something, “Did you pay these bills?” My mom would say, “What?” My dad would say, “I said did these bills get paid?” My mom would say, “Did I see the Bills Play?” “NO, DID YOU PAY THE BILLS OR NOT!” to which my mom would yell back, “I ALREADY PAID THE BILLS, IF YOU DON’T WANT ME PAYING THEM, THEN YOU CAN DO IT YOURSELF!” It hit me, it wasn’t that my parents were mad, it was that my mom couldn’t hear my dad and when he finally got loud enough for her to hear, they both ramped up into a fight. My mom got hearing aids and it fixed a ton of their issues…

I want today to attempt to give you hearing aids for a few books in the bible that you may or may not be listening to right now that could seriously impact your life!

This sermon is going to be a little different today…. Here’s how it will work…

I will give you information about the book(s)

Then I will give you a way it’s personally impacted my life…

The Psalms

150 poetic songs and prayers traditionally attributed to King David and other authors.
It covers a wide range of emotions and themes, including praise, thanksgiving, lament, confession, and wisdom.
Divided into five main sections, each concluding with a doxology or a hymn of praise.
Many psalms are written in response to specific situations or events, such as battles, illness, persecution, or times of national crisis.
Key themes: the sovereignty of God, importance of worship, nature of righteousness, need for repentance, and the hope of salvation.
Genre: praise, lament (sadness), royal psalms, thanksgiving, imprecatory (asking for God’s judgment), and wisdom.

The Psalms taught me to pray with honesty…

ILLUSTRATION:

If I’m really honest, my prayers used to be pretty vanilla… “God, help me with this, God thank you for that. I was afraid to really open up and reveal my heart. I was afraid to say, “God, what the heck!” Until the psalms. I used to not get them. I honestly at one point in bible college tried to make an argument that we should take them out of the bible :). But it is the psalms that give words to the feelings we have

The Psalmists are raw. the Psalmists do not hide even the worst of their emotions.

In general, the Psalms are where human emotions are brought before God. The rest of the Bible is God being brought before us…

It is a psalm that Jesus cries out on the cross…

Psalm 22:1

1 My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?

Why are you so far from saving me,

so far from my cries of anguish?

It is the Psalms that teach us that even in our dark moments God is close to us…

Psalm 23:1

The Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing.

These two Psalms are positioned right back to back and are almost a cry and an answer…

I find myself quoting this passage over and over again, the Lord is my shepherd, I lack nothing… I lack nothing…

The Psalms can give you words to bring your heart to God.

Proverbs & Ecclesiastes

Proverbs:

wise sayings and teachings of King Solomon and others
offers practical advice for living a righteous and prudent life, covering topics such as wisdom, integrity, diligence, humility, honesty, and the fear of the Lord.
wisdom vs folly
literary forms: short adages, longer discourses, numerical sayings, and symbolic descriptions.
designed to instruct readers in the art of living wisely and righteously, offering timeless insights into human nature and the ways of God.

Ecclesiastes:

written by King Solomon
explores the meaning and purpose of life from a philosophical perspective.
It reflects on the fleeting nature of human existence, the vanity of worldly pursuits, and the inevitability of death.
grapples with themes such as the pursuit of pleasure, the quest for knowledge, the pursuit of wealth and success, and the futility of human endeavors apart from God.
challenges conventional wisdom and traditional notions of happiness and fulfillment, offering a sobering critique of human ambition and achievement.

ILLUSTRATION:

Have you ever had your vehicle start pulling to the left or right, and you get out of alignment? I had to take my care to Steve the other day at Goodyear to get my vehicle aligned.

As life happens it’s easy for our hearts to come out of alignment…

The books of Proverbs and Ecclesiastes are helpful to recalibrate the human heart… to remind us of what is important…

Listen to just a few random Proverbs…

Proverbs 3:5-8

Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;

6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.[a]

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.

8 This will bring health to your body and nourishment to your bones.

What would your life look like if you just simply meditated on these words every day for a week? If all day every day you were like, “Trust in the Lord with all your heart, lean not on your own understanding…

Would you have the same arguments? Would you chase after the same things you are chasing after now? The proverbs can realign your heart…

Or what about…

Solomon, after trying all the world has to offer - wealth, women, prestige, and more - finds it all meaningless and concludes…

Ecclesiastes 12:13-14

Now all has been heard;

here is the conclusion of the matter:

Fear God and keep his commandments,

for this is the duty of all mankind.

14 For God will bring every deed into judgment,

including every hidden thing,

whether it is good or evil.

What if you didn’t experience the emptiness of the things you currently are chasing after and chose to just chase the only one who can fill you?

The Book of Job

the oldest book in the bible
deals with the question of the suffering of righteous (good) people
never officially answers the question of “why we suffer”

I wanted to end with Job because this is the biggest question of faith most people have in our current world… How could bad things happen to good people…?

If you don’t know the story, let me tell it to you quickly. Job is a good man, so good that God even calls him that. In the story Job looses everything. His children, his wealth, his business. His skin even develops a disease and he sits in an ash pile with broken shards of pottery scrapping his skin. His wife tells him to curse God and die. His friends come and tell him he must have done something wrong to deserve this punishment. Job continually claims he has done nothing wrong is frankly asks God for an answer, why in the world am I going through this? "Do you not understand justice God?”

This is a question most of us have… God, why are bad things happening to me even though I’m trying to do what’s right…

This is not a question the bible tries to hide from, instead, it’s a question that is on almost every page of the bible…

God’s answer to Job comes in ch. 38-41

God will tell Job the complexities of being God and managing the world and that not everything revolves around Job.

God will never give Job a true answer. What He will give Job is Himself.

God will confront Job and show him just how big God really is…

I am reminded of something Jesus said in

John 16:33

33 “I have told you these things, so that in me you may have peace. In this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.”

God’s promise to those of you who are suffering is that suffering will come in this world, but that Jesus has overcome the world. You can have hope in Him that it will not always be like this!

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FACEBOOK COPY: 🚲 Life's like riding a bike - sometimes we're cruising along going good, but if you turn the handlebars too quickly, you crash. Today we examine what turns our hearts from Jesus? Tune in and dial in your heart to todays message! 🙌 EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ). Get the fill in the blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins.

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Was anyone into BMX bikes back in the day? I had a sweet ride! It was a Haro bike with mag wheels and pegs on the front and the back. It was literally rad…

This is what it looked like [show bike on screen]

can you picture little chubby Kent with a sweet mullet riding that thing?

One time I was riding that bike and my little sister was standing on the front pegs holding onto the handlebars and facing me. We were cruising down the road when all of the sudden she made the decision to turn the handlebars to a 90 degree angle. You know what happens when you are going straight and someone turns the handlebars of a bike? That’s right, you stop going forward… lol

We both bit it hard, flew off the bike and landed hard on the asphault.

I think about that story a lot when I think about what I see in peoples lives.

I’ve seen over and over again people who seem to be moving forward with Jesus until their not…

What is up with that?

have you ever wondered?

Maybe that’s been you?

-Maybe you grew up going to church and went off to college and started partying and Jesus just became a background image of your life

-maybe you lost someone close to you and as you raised your fist to heaven you decided you were done and as quickly as you were moving forward, you were stopped

-or maybe, just maybe, the worries of this life grabbed ahold of you and you ran off…

You are not alone. I’d say more people understand what that feels like than not…

As a matter of fact as we jump into the story of God I want you to get a picture of the son of David - Solomon and understand who he is and I want you to see his moment where he flips over the handle bars. Then I want to look at what we do to prevent this…

Solomon

Solomon’s story starts in a pretty dark place. He is the child of a woman that his father the King - David seduced and plotted the murder of her husband. David will stay home when kings and their men go to war, he will watch as one of his trusted warriors wife goes to take her ceremonial bath - mikveh (you did this naked). I’ve stood where they think David’s palace was and where Bathsheba would have been taking this bath. David, is watching from up above like a wolf salivating over his prey. It is a dark and terrible story… Out of this David will repent, he will eventually marry Bathsheba and eventually Solomon will be born.

Through a series of painful events Solomon will become the son that David anoints as King…

as David is nearing death he gave this challenge to Solomon, I want you to listen to it…

1 Kings 2:2-3

2 “I am about to go the way of all the earth,” he said. “So be strong, act like a man, 3 and observe what the Lord your God requires: Walk in obedience to him, and keep his decrees and commands, his laws and regulations, as written in the Law of Moses. Do this so that you may prosper in all you do and wherever you go

David is reminding Solomon of the covenant - live for God, He will bless you. Don’t life for Him and you are cursed already…

Solomon will start out well. One of the early things he will do is go to Gibson and present 1,000 burnt offerings to God. This is 1,000 different sacrifices - -animals burnt. We’re talking a major operation to slaughter so many animas. You are talking hundreds of people putting down the animals, removing the hide and then butchering the meat, incredible amounts of money spent. It would have been crazy - it’s like the worlds largest BBQ. We don’t know how long it took, but what we do know is that at some point Solomon has a dream and God appears to him and asks him what God could give Solomon. He doesn’t ask for gold or riches or long life

Solomon asks for wisdom and God grants it to him, and because he did not ask for riches and long life, God gives him those things as well.

Solomon will bring peace to Israel

Solomon will build the first temple of God

Solomon will bring treasure and renown to Israel like never before

Solomon is moving forward in a seemingly good path, right?

Until he isn’t…

For all the good Solomon will do, he will have a downfall - something that “turns the handlebar 90°”…

Solomon had 700 wives and 300 concubines

I don’t know how the guy did it, I can barely keep my one wife happy :). Lol, what a crazy man…

There was actually commands by God for the Kings of Israel not to do this.. but He did.

1 Kings 11:4-5

4 As Solomon grew old, his wives turned his heart after other gods, and his heart was not fully devoted to the LORD his God, as the heart of David his father had been.

5 He followed Ashtoreth the goddess of the Sidonians, and Molech [1] the detestable god of the Ammonites.

Ashtoreth - the goddess of love (sexual) and war

Molech - a god of fertility was characterized by the sacrifice of babies

It thought that Molech statue was made of metal, with hands outstretched. They would light a fire under the hands and offer their firstborn baby to burn alive in the hands to try and prosper and have healthy children…

Somehow Solomon turned from this man who was blessed by God to a man who had turned his heart away from God.

The author of 1 Kings tells us exactly what happened…

Exactly what turned Solomon’s handler bars away from God.

Can I show you?

The Main Clause: "For it came to pass, when Solomon was old"

The Subordinate Clause: "that his wives turned away his heart after other gods"

The Direct Object (Subject Complement): "his heart"

What are the handlebars that turned? It was Solomon’s heart.

For him, it was his wives that turned his heart…

What is it that has turned your heart?

The heart is the center of the matter.

Jesus said the heart is what directs our life (Mark 7:20-22) - it is the handle bar

You can claim to be lots of things. You can go to church and do all the “right things” but the question is

What is your heart devoted to?

Solomon’s heart wasn’t fully devoted to the Lord and he lost because of it. You’ll see how deep it will go. Everything he is building will fall a part in a matter of generations because he abandons God.

The answer is not to fake like you are devoted to Jesus if you are not. I thought about saying, “if you’re doing X, you’ll know if you’re devoted or not…” But you know what. You’ll know if you’re devoted or not… You know don’t you?

So, what do you do if you’re not fully devoted to Jesus?

this is a prayer Solomon’s dad prayed…

Psalm 86:11

Teach me your way, Lord,

that I may rely on your faithfulness;

give me an undivided heart,

that I may fear your name.

What if you just started with that? What if you wrote down that prayer and every day for a week you just prayed it when you got in your car, when you sat down at your desk, when you clocked in on the line?

Teach me your way, Lord, that I may rely on your faithfulness, give me an undivided heart, that I may fear your name

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

I learned something from that day with my sister turning the handlebars. From then on whenever I’ve put a kid in a position to affect the steering of something, riding a 4 wheeler, driving a car. I have a talk with them about turning the wheel too fast when going straight and fast… I guard myself…

It’s sad to me that Solomon wrote these words and didn’t live by them…

Proverbs 4:23

23 Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

I wonder if you will have the courage to do what he couldn’t. To guard your heart and stay devoted to Jesus in a world that is trying to pull you off of that…

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The central question of Christianity is why does someone dying 2,000 years ago and rising from the dead matter to you? If the answer to that question is "it doesn't" then it's all meaningless, but what if it's real? What if God came to do something bigger than you can imagine?. Join us Sunday to dive in! EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ). Get the fill-in-the-blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins.

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Did you guys know there is a proper way to fold a towel?

Look all the women are like, “Of course there is” All the men are like, “You fold towels?”

It’s really true. The other day I was folding towels when I was done I came back in and my beautiful wife was refolding the towels, I was like, “What are you doing?” She, with a kind look on her face said, “I appreciate you trying…”

Lol…

I wasn’t mad though - it just means I don’t have to fold towels anymore… :)

Some of you are like, “No, it means you need to learn to fold towels correctly…”

One of the worst feelings in the world is to put your energy into something that ends up being worthless…

The other day I was having a conversation with someone who said he didn’t believe Jesus died and rose from the dead. What he said was he couldn’t understand how someone dying 2,000 years ago and rising from the dead would do anything for anyone.

It’s a good question, right? How does someone dying 2,000 years ago and then raising from the dead do anything for you?

What if you put all this energy into Christianity and it all ended up being worthless?

The even better question is, what if it’s real?

I wanted to share with you a historical account from the Story of God - if you don’t know we’ve been in a series on this looking at how God’s interaction in the world has worked. I want to show you a story today that I think will help make sense of why Jesus’ death on the cross makes a difference for us… and then hopefully help you see that it’s worth investigating…

DAVID:

Probably one of the most famous people from the bible is King David. David did not start off as King. He was a shepherd boy, he’d spend his days in a field, all by himself watching over flocks and caring for these animals. He would lay on rocks some days and other days watch as a wolf or bear prowled on his sheep and would have to fight them off. He was a musician and a warrior - actually, he was one of the fiercest men in the scripture. He did a lot of good things and did some hideously bad things…

One time when he was older, while all the kings normally went off to war - meaning he was home in his Kingdom with most of the women - He took for himself one of his key men's wives and hatched a murderous plot to kill her husband - one of his friends…

David did plenty wrong - but what he got right was he had a heart for what God’s heart beat for.

Even when he messed up, David would turn back to God…

one of the most famous stories of David was from when he was a young man before he had blood on his hands and before he’d seen enough life to know better…

You have probably heard this story before.

David was delivering food to his brothers who were fighting in the then King's army, Saul…

Israel had drawn up battle lines with their foes, the Philistines.

You HAVE to get your mind out of the little kid books you've seen about these stories. These fierce battles warn men. There is dust in the air, the stench of sweat and campfires.

One minute these guys are prodding one another on, the next they are talking about back home. Picture any movie you’ve seen with military men waiting… They are waiting because neither army wants to go out and attack. The Philistines keep sending out their champion, a giant of a man - Goliath - 9 ft tall… (the bible was not meant to be a science book - the point of the biblical author is not to give you an exact height, their point is to tell you this guy was massive.)

He would come out and offer to the armies of Israel - Let the battle of one take the place for the two

1 Samuel 17:8b-9

Choose a man and have him come down to me. 9 If he is able to fight and kill me, we will become your subjects; but if I overcome him and kill him, you will become our subjects and serve us.”

You know the story, don’t you?

David, delivering some bologna sandwiches (that’s not really what it was, but it’s how I like to picture it) hears these taunts and he says, “Why is no one going out to fight this man? God is with us!

David will do what seems ridiculous…

One man will go out to battle this giant - he will put his life on the line for all people of Israel.

David will gather 5 smooth stones, he has a little sling - it’s a shepherd's weapon. Goliath sees him and can’t understand why they would send a boy out to be killed by him. David will swing the sling and with deft accuracy his first stone will leave the sling - you can almost picture it in slow motion

ILLUSTRATION:

Did y’all see Vince Dawson from Great Crossing sink that show over Lexington Catholic for the buzzer beater? That kid has ice in his veins!

David’s moment was like that. Everything had to be just right. Slow motion, that stone left the sling and it could go nowhere else but into Goliath's head. The stone turned into a bullet at that moment…

Goliath fell and the part we never tell kids is that David ran over, grabbed Goliath's sword, and hacked his head off, the crowds are all watching in disbelief as David holds up Goliath’s head.

He had won the battle for the people that day!

What a beast!

Look, I get it, you may have not been here for all the sermons on the story of God…

But it’s a story you’ve been living…

Humans, throughout all our history, have looked at God and said, “We can do this on our own…”

The problem is, when we rejected God, we had to pay the price for it…

Scripture says the price is death, an eternal death

Romans 6:23 "For the wages of sin is death”

I was just telling a friend,

Hell is just God giving us what we wanted - an existence that is completely devoid of the good that God puts in the world…

Death is the giant in our world - it’s what brings the deepest fear in the human heart.

It’s the giant standing out there defying us…

Remember at the beginning I said my friend's question was how someone dying and rising from the dead would do anything for me today?

David’s story isn’t just David’s story. God was showing us all those years ago what our story would look like.

In order for Jesus to defeat death, He had to go through death.

How would you know someone conquered death itself unless that person came back from the dead?

that is really as weird as it sounds…

It is why early Christians gave their life for this message. Actually, that’s why I personally believe it. The early Christians were the ones who would actually claim to see Jesus alive after seeing Him dead. Those Christians, when asked to renounce their claim. They chose to die rather than renounce it. They believed so firmly Jesus had risen from the dead and that His promise was to do the same for those who placed their trust in His leadership that they allowed their own lives to be taken from them.

THAT is significant!

Again, I ask you the question. What if it’s real? What if those people died because they had really seen Jesus alive after seeing Him dead?

What would change about your life if you knew every sin you’d committed could be forgiven and you could find eternal life in Jesus? Because he defeated the giant of death with a stone too - it was a stone that sealed his grave and he rolled it away and came out alive and changed the world!

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

I remember when I first met my now wife. I thought, who is this beautiful woman and how do I get to know her more? I started trying to get around her, I’d invite her over to a party I was having. I’d try and be around when she was around. I did everything I could to be near her. Look, I get you might not be convinced. But What if it’s real? Wouldn’t you want to be around Jesus and get to know Him? Could I ask you a question today? What if you took the next 5 weeks and you just decided you were going to give God a try? You were going to see if you seek Him if He doesn’t show up… What if it’s real? It changes everything! Get around Him and I believe 100% you’ll fall in love!

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🎙️🔊 Tune in to Kent's sermon today to learn about Samuel and Saul and the cataclysmic collision that led to Christ. Let's dive in together and discover more! 🙏✨ EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ). Get the fill-in-the-blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins.

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

When I was a kid my brother had been doing something to make me mad. I was sitting at the top of the driveway with my skateboard, and my brother had been making fun of me or something. As I sat there I can remember as clear as day when I let go of my skateboard, my brother was riding his bike down the sidewalk and I can remember watching it in slow motion as it went down and all of a sudden it hit me that my timing was perfect and he was going to hit the skateboard. When his front tire hit the skateboard his bike flipped and he went flying.

We’ve all been there when two worlds collided

-You’re wife meets your ex wife

-When the department leads of two divisions - sales and production explode because one wants to keep selling and the other wants to slow down

-Your kids over shotgun in the car… lol

Some collisions can be cataclysmic and have repercussions that last for generations.

ILLUSTRATION:

Did you know that how the Atomic bomb that Oppenheimer and his team developed and used during WWII, at a very basic level, is by having atomic reactions where nuclei splits, which creates a violent release of energy? Neutrons are released which bombard other nuclei and cause a chain reaction of unfathomable damage and destruction.

Today we are going to zoom in on a collision that will unfold in slow motion over the next few weeks and have massive consequences.

Today we are going to look at two people. I want to tell you both of their stories leading up to the collision.

Samuel & Saul - the start of the undoing.

Samuel:

Samuel is the last of the judges. He operates almost as a priest and a prophet. He was born to a woman who was unable to have children. She prayed and asked God to give her a child and if he would she would give the child to the Lord’s service. So, when she had Samuel, she brought him to Shiloh and gave him to the old Priest Eli to be raised. Samuel is probably one of my favorite characters in scripture. He hears God’s voice as a young man and he tries hard to follow God - he’s not perfect, but he is a man who brokered the collision we’re talking about.

Saul:

Here’s how the scripture describes Saul

1 Samuel 9:2

Kish had a son named Saul, as handsome a young man as could be found anywhere in Israel, and he was a head taller than anyone else.

ILLUSTRATION:

I’ve got a brother-in-law who is 6’ 8”. Jenni’s sister is 6’ 1”. When we are around them we look like their mini me’s. But one of the things I’ve noticed being around him, Joe, who is naturally a strong leader gets pegged as a leader before he opens his mouth. I think a huge part of it is his height. That people see him and expect him to be a leader due to his height. You may not believe it, but did you know there is a thing called the “height premium” where sociologists have discovered that tall people on average are paid more than short people? It’s time for us short people to unite! Heightest beware ;)

Saul is going to be chosen as the King of Israel, primarily because he looked like he should be a king…

As a matter of fact, when it’s announced he is king, they can’t find him because he’s hiding among the luggage…

Saul is of the tribe of Benjamin

At the end of the book of Judges, one of the things we learn about the tribe of Benjamin is that they were almost completely wiped out. It’s this story of things going out of control - the Israelites have a civil war, they fight against Ben, and when they do they go through the countryside destroying their villages. By the last chapter, we learn they’ve killed off all of Ben’s women. I’m not going to go into it, but there is going to be stealing of women, etc. One of the things you get though is that the tribe of Judah - David’s tribe (foreshadowing - is the judge) of Saul’s tribe (benjamin)

Saul will be chosen as King of Israel by Samuel…

Saul will not follow God’s commands and so…

Saul will be removed as King and replaced by another

But it is in this moment, before Saul becomes King, that I think is important for us to see…

1 Samuel 8:1-9

When Samuel grew old, he appointed his sons as Israel’s leaders.

Samuel is trying to move to create a succession plan…

3 But his sons did not follow his ways. They turned aside after dishonest gain and accepted bribes and perverted justice.

We don’t know why his boys were like this. There are several factors - the guy Samuel was raised by had the same kind of kids. Maybe Sam didn’t know how to love them well or maybe they just were turds - kids have their own personalities and make their own decisions. whatever the case, they were not the kind of men you wanted leading…

4 So all the elders of Israel gathered together and came to Samuel at Ramah. 5 They said to him, “You are old, and your sons do not follow your ways; now appoint a king to lead[b] us, such as all the other nations have.”

6 But when they said, “Give us a king to lead us,” this displeased Samuel; so he prayed to the Lord.

Samuel believes they are rejecting him and the decisions he has made. We get this little look into his ego…

Who hasn’t done this made the issue about yourself instead of the bigger thing that’s going on. I want you to

Listen to what God’s reply to Samuel…

7 And the Lord told him: “Listen to all that the people are saying to you; it is not you they have rejected, but they have rejected me as their king. 8 As they have done from the day I brought them up out of Egypt until this day, forsaking me and serving other gods, so they are doing to you.

This is the collision that will bring cataclysmic repercussions.

Have you noticed the pattern yet?

God extends the hand of relationship to humanity.

Humanity rejects it in exchange for their own devices.

-It’s Adam & Eve eating from the tree

-It’s the golden calf instead of the covenant (the god we can control over the God who is in control)

Now it’s no longer the rule of God in our lives. Instead, we choose to rule ourselves

Over and over again the story of God is Him reaching out to humanity and humanity rejecting Him.

And this moment here will start a chain reaction that we will watch in slow motion.

There will be moments of beauty and utter destruction. This is the moment it can all be pinned to.

The moment the people rejected God as King…

Again, the people have rejected God and His effort to have a relationship with them and they will slowly return to exile again. In the same way Adam and Eve rejected God and the people ended up slaves in Egypt.

Each of them living out the story, the human story, our story…

this is why Jesus came into the world don’t you know..

Listen to what He said about what He was doing - the good news He was bringing…

Mark 1:14-15

14 After John was put in prison, Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

A Kingdom is the place the King rules…

Did you hear Jesus’ good news?

The King has returned!

The good news is God has come back to be friends with you

he came in the form of a person, He was unlike any king that has ever lived. He promoted the good of His people over His own good. All the way to the point of dying for you, to forgive your sins- which kept you in slavery. He came to give you life, and hope, and to start your life over new with Him apart from the need for you to be in charge

When there is a King in the room, there is authority…

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

When I let that skateboard go, you thought I was using it as an illustration of the collision that happened when Israel abandoned God as King. While it’s important - it doesn’t really matter to you and me. See, my hope and prayer is that this morning this sermon was a skateboard aimed right at your life. My hope is you will hit it and flip over, but instead of falling into the pain you’re used to you will fall into the loving arms of a God who died for you. That you will choose Him more than anything else in this world…

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📖 What are we doing to pass on the knowledge of God to our kids? 🙏 Join Kent to explore this crucial question through the book of Judges! EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ). Get the fill in the blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins.

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

So, I need to confess something. I am a problem in our family. Not just a problem, I am THE problem. Here’s how it works. It will be 9 or 9:30 at night, our kids will have school the next day, and everyone is getting ready for bed, showers, brushing their teeth, etc. One of our kids will come into our room to say goodnight and a half hour later we are wrestling around and joking or watching a show or whatever. I am the agent of chaos in our family! Lol, it’s what I do!

Our kids know it too, they know if they can get me to think something is funny or fun that it’s over, I’m gonna forget about the reality of the day that is looming on the other side of night and I’m going to go headlong into crazy.

When I was a kid, I hated order, I hated structure - I’m naturally a rule breaker, but as I’ve aged, I like to think I’ve gotten a little wiser and one of the things I’ve learned is

Where chaos rules, consequences multiply

We all know actions have consequences right?

If I stay up late on a school night, I’m going to have a longer harder day the next day…

You can only ignore the consequences of chaos for so long before they become unbearable.

WE:

-This may be a hoarder house where you can’t move around and can never invite anyone over to your house

-it may be the person who lives with the spouse that you can’t trust - anything they say is ever honest

-it may be the teacher who has no ability to manage their class

I don’t care what the context is, if you ignore the consequences the chaos will eventually overtake your world.

I want to jump into a world that was FULL of chaos today.

The book of Judges in the scripture follows on the heels of Joshua and his generation passing away.

Listen, I tell you a few stories from the book of Judges you need to not think of the Jewish people as you might see them, an organized nation and religious group.

These were more like an odd mix of the old west and native American Indian Tribes that were loosely connected to each other.

There is a violence and a way of doing things that does not fit with our modern sensitivities…

God’s promise had been “If you obey me, I’ll be with you. If you don’t, I’ll remove my blessing…”

Over and over again this will be God’s promise to humanity and over and over again WE will walk back on the contract.

The Israelites stop following Yahweh God and begin to experience life outside of His blessing… They experience violent oppressors, famine, and wickedness…

Here’s what’s crazy to me about this though

God never gives up on them…

He just keeps coming after them - no matter how many times they run from Him.

During this period, the way God comes after them is to raise up Judges. There are a lot of them but I want to highlight 3 of them

Deborah

Debbie was a prophetess in Israel, she had a tree that she would sit under and people in the nation would come to her to have their cases decided. She was wise and courageous. She led in a time when Israel was under great oppression by a cruel leader named Sisera.

I don’t want to simplify it too much, but at times it feels like God is like, “Ok, enough, the people need help.” What Scripture says is that in essence

God would raise up these judges in response to the people finally going “We can’t bear these consequences anymore…”

When God called Deborah he told her to anoint a military leader named Barak to go and war against Sisera from Mount Tabor - a mountain right across from Nazareth - Jesus would have played looking out over at this little mountain on the middle of the plains. Barak says he won’t go unless Debbie goes with him. I imagine Debbie looking at him and looking him over for a minute in silence and finally saying, “Ok, I will go, but because you wouldn’t listen, the victory will be given to a woman…” You read the story and it’s pretty exciting. Sisera gets routed by the Israelite forces. He ends up abandoning his chariot and running on foot - he seeks refuge with a family that had a treaty with his kingdom at one point. The wife Joel puts Sisera at ease, she gives him some milk to drink and says she’ll watch the doorway while he sleeps. This is where the story gets dark. She will come in while he’s sleeping and take a tent peg and hammer, her heart beating a million miles an hour. The deep long slow breath of this man breathing as he lays on his side. She positions the peg above his temple and with one strong full swing of the hammer - maybe too strong, the peg plunges through his skull and into the ground, pegging him to the earth in that moment the final blow is struck and she saves Israel!

Gideon:

Gideon’s story is the same - the people - even after God saves them with Debbie are ok for a while and then the abandon God again - so much so that when Gideon gets called we find out his father has been worshipping false gods - Baal & Ashera. Gideon’s story is worth a read this week. He goes from a man who is hiding out trying to provide food for his family to a man who will lead a crazy courageous victory. He will turn to God and walking with Him.

Gideon will listen to God when he’s told to reduce his military force from 30,000 to 300.

Gideon’s soldiers will go up with horns, and clay pots full of torches - it’s almost a ridiculous story - I really think it’s just God showing that His blessing is better than the strongest of armies

Gideon’s family will lead and rule for a time and the people will go downhill even more.

Samson:

Until finally a judge will come on the scene named Samson. Samson is under a Nazarite vow - this is a religious commitment to not cut your hair or drink alcohol. Samson grew up in a world dominated by the Philistines. For 40 years they had been oppressing the people of Israel…

God will raise up Samson to rescue Israel

But Samson is a man with desire for the ladies - he’s as close as you get to a super hero in the bible. A flawed one. He has incredible supernatural strength as long as his hair isn’t cut. When the Philistines manipulate him to get this information, the cut his hair and take him prisoner. They seize him and gouge out his eyes - they would bring him out as entertainment - mocking him and the God of Israel. Samson prays one last prayer for God to give him one last blast of strength and while the Philistines are on the roof of their temple - all their leaders. He will have the strength to push on the pillars and collapse them killing himself and most on the roof.

I want you to listen to how the Book of Judges ends…

Judges 21:25 (ESV)

In those days there was no king in Israel. Everyone did what was right in his own eyes.

We are living in this same world right now

Everyone is doing what is right in their own eyes… A world where chaos is more the norm than not

So, how did the Israelites get here?

I want to show you where the author said this all came from. The author of Judges tells us… clear back at the beginning, the author tells us this…

Judges 2:10-12

After that whole generation had been gathered to their ancestors, another generation grew up who knew neither the Lord nor what he had done for Israel.

A generation grew up who didn’t know the Lord nor what he had done…

I want you to hear the result of this generational loss of knowledge and relationship with the Lord…

11 Then the Israelites did evil in the eyes of the Lord and served the Baals. 12 They forsook the Lord, the God of their ancestors, who had brought them out of Egypt. They followed and worshiped various gods of the peoples around them. They aroused the Lord’s anger

I don’t know why the Israelites didn’t pass on the knowledge of God and a relationship with God

I don’t know if they thought they’d have more time, I don’t know if they just didn’t consider it, I don’t know if other things seemed more pressing.

What I do know, is that they didn’t pass it on and their children paid for it.

Parents, Grandparents, aunts, uncles, teachers, Christians, what are we doing to pass on the knowledge of God to our kids? I’ll be honest, I’m worried sometimes that we are all so focused on finding what we like and what we want that we are missing the opportunity to drop into the next generation that they know God and know of His stories.

This starts with two things - you have to know God yourself to pass Him on. So it’s time to get serious if you haven’t.

It also means telling the stories of God to your children - the stories in your own life of how you’ve seen Him move.

CLOSING:

When I was growing up my dad told me all the funny stories he had about getting drunk and pulling pranks, all the funny stuff he did. I never really heard stories about God. What I grew up thinking I wanted to be was the funny drunk guy. Thank God He still never gives up on people and God rescued me! Now the stories I want to tell are His stories. I want my kids to want Him and want to know Him. It’s the prayer of my life..

This morning - I want to offer the altar as a place for you to come forward and pray and pray over your children. To invite the God of the universe to lead you out of chaos and into hope!

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How do we remain human in an artificial world? Join us as Kent delves into this crucial question. Listen in and let's sanctify this moment together. EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ). Get the fill in the fill-in-the-blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins.

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

We live in a crazy world. I remember growing up talking to my great-grandma Streeter in the 1980s. She had traveled to Kansas when she was a kid in a covered wagon… Isn’t that crazy? I remember thinking about how we had colored TVs, cars, phones, and planes and she had experienced all those changes in her life.

She had experienced monumental change…

You may not recognize it right now, but you are one of those people too…

We are standing on the precipice of one of the most monumental changes in history.

The internet (I remember hearing the first time someone said, “www. - it stands for world wide web…”). Smartphones came out in 2007 and gave the internet a way to live with us all the time and now we stand on the verge of AI to potentially take all that to the next level.

People who stand at the intersection of monumental times tend to do at least one of three things. They either…

Try to hold onto the past and seek to turn back to what they came from.
They embrace the future unquestioningly and become passive receivers of both the opportunities and consequences of the times.
They find ways to sanctify the future, remembering the past and moving forward to the future God desires.

Our world is changing at a monumental pace.

We are privy at all times to all information

We live in incredible fear and anxiety because we bear the entire weight of humanity in our minds - you know about a war the instant it breaks out and see the devastation in your ticktock feed

We are INUNDATED with information - did you know one of our biggest challenges at the church is communicating with you - because you are so over-communicated within your world that you can’t hear what we are saying - that’s not a comment on you or me, it’s our world…

And it’s all about to go into overdrive.

ILLUSTRATION:

When I was a kid I remember going to my grandma’s house, she had this basket of fruit on her table and I grabbed an apple and took a bite. As I did, my teeth sunk in and I realized it was styrofoam. The fruit wasn’t real.

You and I are about to have that same experience in ways you can’t even imagine.

Already you can’t tell if the pictures you are looking at are created by AI or are actual people. Video is already there and will soon be everywhere - you won’t know if who you are looking at is really the person or not. You can’t tell if I wrote this sermon or if AI did.

And here’s what I think is going to happen.

I think there is a potential that we are going to go from a world that is fairly cynical to a world that is unbearably brutal in its inability to trust anything that cannot be experienced firsthand.

It will have dramatic effects on the way people perceive truth, faith, God, the scripture, and Jesus Himself.

I feel the global church trying to turn back to where we came from.

I see the people in the world who have no faith, unquestioningly, passively receiving it

My question is, how do we become the people who sanctify it?

don’t hear me saying what I’m not - I’m not saying we remove truth or the past isn’t vitally important….

I’m asking a different question altogether.

How do we be human now in an artificial world?

My answer is always to go back to scripture and the story of God - there is so much to learn there…

SCRIPTURE

We are not the first to stand on the precipice of monumental changes.

Joshua is one of the most interesting people in scripture. Joshua knew what it was like to be a slave in Egypt. He had watched his dad come home with stripes on his back. He had heard his mom weeping as his brother was stripped from their home and sent to another master's household. I don’t know if he experienced these things exactly, but I guarantee you, he had stories like that. He would have remembered the night his father put the blood on the doorpost. He could have described the cries of the Egyptians as they mourned their firstborns. He walked on the dry land at the Red Sea parting. He had been one of the 12 Moses had called to cross the Jordan River and spy out the land. He had been one of the only two who were willing to follow God into the promised land and he knew what it was to experience 40 years of wandering in a desert because the people were unwilling to step in faith. And now, Moses has passed on. It’s Joshua - he’s the leader, he’s the man of faith. He will be the one who watches as the Israelites march around the walls of Jericho and watch them fall - you can visit the archaeological site today to see those walls on the ground. He will call out sin in the camp and he will lead the conquest into the land.

Joshua had gone from slave, to wanderer, to conqueror. The shift he lived through was monumental.

It is the eve of the beginning of the conquest that I’m interested in.

Joshua enters the promised land: the people cross the Jordan in a miraculous fashion - the water splits and they walk across - in the same way they left Egypt, they now enter the promised land.

Joshua 5:4-8

4 Now this is why he did so: All those who came out of Egypt—all the men of military age—died in the wilderness on the way after leaving Egypt. 5 All the people that came out had been circumcised, but all the people born in the wilderness during the journey from Egypt had not. 6 The Israelites had moved about in the wilderness forty years until all the men who were of military age when they left Egypt had died, since they had not obeyed the Lord. For the Lord had sworn to them that they would not see the land he had solemnly promised their ancestors to give us, a land flowing with milk and honey. 7 So he raised up their sons in their place, and these were the ones Joshua circumcised. They were still uncircumcised because they had not been circumcised on the way. 8 And after the whole nation had been circumcised, they remained where they were in camp until they were healed.

What in the world?

They are about to go into battle, they are about to enter a new world, full of terrifying and terrific things

and Joshua has them perform a pretty major surgery on every single fighting man…

-this was a literal tactic used by Jacob's sons to destroy a people group - get them to circumcise their men and attack them

Why did Joshua do this?

Because on the precipice of the unknown, Joshua knew to call his people back to a relationship with the God of the universe.

This was the sign of faith that God had given their father Abraham hundreds of years before.

He is calling them to turn back to God, to consecrate (make themselves pure) for God.

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

You guys, what is on the line for our world is not information, or videos or pictures. It’s not knowing if the recipe you found online was created by a person or a computer. What is on the line is the hearts and minds of our children. It’s the marriage of your coworkers, it’s the freedom from addiction for your spouse.

I am reminded of a particularly chilling passage in the book of Revelation where the apostle John is describes this scene he sees.

Revelation 18:1-5

After this I saw another angel coming down from heaven. He had great authority, and the earth was illuminated by his splendor. 2 With a mighty voice he shouted:

“‘Fallen! Fallen is Babylon the Great!’[a] She has become a dwelling for demons and a haunt for every impure spirit, a haunt for every unclean bird, a haunt for every unclean and detestable animal.

3 For all the nations have drunk the maddening wine of her adulteries. The kings of the earth committed adultery with her, and the merchants of the earth grew rich from her excessive luxuries.”

Warning to Escape Babylon’s Judgment

4 Then I heard another voice from heaven say:

“‘Come out of her, my people,’[b] so that you will not share in her sins, so that you will not receive any of her plagues;

5 for her sins are piled up to heaven, and God has remembered her crimes.

Church, this morning, I’m not calling you to be circumcised in the flesh. I’m calling you to be circumcised in your hearts. I’m calling you to sanctify this moment. I’m calling out with the voice from heaven. “Come out of her my people…”

Stop drinking in her indulgence and sin. I’m calling you to come forward and lay it all at the altar today - I hope you see people in the aisles on their knees. I hope we have to sing the song again because so many people keep coming forward. I hope there is a move of God in this room, in this building, in this town where we say,

We will be the ones who sanctify this moment. It starts with me, and it starts with my heart…

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This morning, I want to take you into the story of someone who is larger than life - so large that nearly 3,500 years later we are still talking about his story…

The Story of Moses

Moses’ life is so big, I can’t really do it justice… Instead, what I want to do is take you into three movements.

I want to take you through the story of Moses, a specific incident from his life, and a challenge for us all.

MOVEMENT 1: The Man Moses

He was born into a time of incredible tumult. The Israelites had been in slavery to the Egyptians for hundreds of years. Moses is born to an incredibly brave woman who fights against all the odds to save her child. Through a miraculous set of events, Moses is adopted into the family of Pharaoh - King of Egypt. Moses is raised in a world of contradictions. A slave who is a prince. As he ages he will be moved for his people and in a moment of rage he kills an Egyptian who is beating a Hebrew Slave. Moses will run away and for 40 years will be an exile. When he returns it is because of an encounter with God in a burning bush. God will call him to lead his people out of Egyptian slavery to come into the wilderness to worship God. It is an epic story, it’s so massive I can’t do it justice. But

During this time, God will send 10 plagues on the Egyptians trying to get them to release their iron grip on the Hebrew people.

The last of the 10 plagues was the death of the firstborn son.

The Lord sent an angel through Egypt and anyone whose house was not marked on the door frames with the blood of a lamb, their firstborn son died.

This is called the Passover, because God passed over the Hebrews in this moment and finally released them from their slavery.

For the next 40 years, Moses will wander in the desert with the Israelites, leading them and shepherding them.

Through all of this, Moses faces the challenges of leadership and following God…

MOVEMENT 2: The Specific Incident

The Israelites have been in the desert for some time now. God has been leading them with a cloud by day and a pillar of fire by night. He is providing them with food, and water, He is giving them everything they need.

Immediately people begin to complain.

God begins to intervene and he gives what we know today as the 10 Commandments - it is a covenant of relationship.

It starts like this…

Exodus 20:1-6

And God spoke all these words:

2 “I am the Lord your God, who brought you out of Egypt, out of the land of slavery.

3 “You shall have no other gods before[a] me.

4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.

The covenant is: abide by the law of God, He will bless them. Don’t, and He will curse and leave them to their own devices.

Moses goes up on the mountain to hear from God (because the people begged him to) - God will codify the covenant onto two stones. He will be up on the mountain for 40 days. But I want to read to you what happens during that time…

Exodus 32:1-20

When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods[a] who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.”

I’ve been in leadership long enough to see this. We all have short memories when it comes to leadership and tension. If it’s not dealt with quickly, people get antsy. Moses has been gone and people can’t handle it… Aaron, his brother should have calmed them, he should have managed it, but he doesn’t and it’s about to go off the rails…

2 Aaron answered them, “Take off the gold earrings that your wives, your sons and your daughters are wearing, and bring them to me.” 3 So all the people took off their earrings and brought them to Aaron. 4 He took what they handed him and made it into an idol cast in the shape of a calf, fashioning it with a tool. Then they said, “These are your gods,[b] Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt.”

Did you hear what happened?

What’s the first thing they did? They created an idol of gold - now I’m not sure that was Aaron’s intent, but it’s how the people viewed it. “These are the gods who brought you out of Egypt.”

I hope you come each week because this will come up again later in our study of the story of God

This story goes poorly from here on out…

Aaron will build an altar for the people to worship in front of the calf.
God will share with Moses what has happened and offer to wipe everyone out and start over with Moses.
Moses pleads with God not to kill them
As Moses comes down from the mountain he realizes what the people have done
He breaks the stones God has written the covenant on
He calls for anyone who is still true to Yahweh to join him
The tribe of Levi joins him and they kill 3,000 people that day with their sword
Moses grinds up the golden calf, puts it in water, and makes the people drink it

This last thing is interesting because it’s similar to the prescription of what a potentially adulterous wife is to do

MOVEMENT 3: A Challenge for Us

and Paul says this to us…

1 Corinthians 10:7-13

7 Do not be idolaters, as some of them were; as it is written: “The people sat down to eat and drink and got up to indulge in revelry.”

Paul is harkening back to this moment with Moses and the covenant of God…

“But Kent, I’m a modern person - Idolatry isn’t even on my radar…”

Your God is whatever you run to…

What is the thing you run to? Is it God?

Paul will continue by saying…

8 We should not commit sexual immorality, as some of them did—and in one day twenty-three thousand of them died. 9 We should not test Christ,[b] as some of them did—and were killed by snakes. 10 And do not grumble, as some of them did—and were killed by the destroying angel.

11 These things happened to them as examples and were written down as warnings for us, on whom the culmination of the ages has come. 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall!

Paul is saying, stop thinking you are so superior… Stop thinking you’ve got it all together.

Listen to how he’s going to wrap this up…

13 No temptation[c] has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted[d] beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted,[e] he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it.

CLOSING:

Paul is saying “Your story is their story…”

Can I just confess to you guys? I get it. I struggle just as much as any of you with these same things. I run to other things than Jesus. As a matter of fact, I get overwhelmed, I make poor decisions, and I run after things I shouldn’t. The key to all of this is that our covenant is not

Our covenant is not “If you love me, I’ll love you.”

Our covenant, the New Covenant, is “I love you. Love as I’ve loved.”

Years ago I visited an alcoholic’s annoynomous group as part of a class assignment. When I was there humbly listening to these people share their stories I realized they were the most honest of our society. They actually were facing the brutality of their story and recognizing their need for more. I’m calling you today back to our covenant. You don’t have a God who is waiting to smite you. You have a God who is waiting to receive you. Be brutally honest and accept his way out of your temptation. Come out of it and into the light!

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Ever felt like you're constantly hitting walls? We've all been there. Join us as Kent unpacks the story of Joseph and finding resilience in adversity. It's EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ). Get the fill in the blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins.

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

One of the hardest things for me to figure is people who just constantly hit wall after wall. Have you known people like this? I feel like growing up, my family was like this. My parents started a marketing company when I was really young and a guy stole the money they had set aside for taxes and their business went under. My dad got a job and I got hurt, we went to the ER and found out his new company had been siphoning the insurance money instead of paying it and that company went under. It was one thing after another.

Every time we’d get up, we’d get knocked back down…

Does anyone know what that feels like?

Today, we are going to look at the story of Joseph and how he got knocked down and back up again and again and came away with a different perspective…

STORY:

Joseph is the great-grandson of Abraham. His dad Jacob has 12 sons who will become the 12 tribes of Israel. Jacob’s wife Rachel - who he loved most only had two sons for him and at the birth of the second one, she died. Her two sons were Joseph & Benjamin. Brothers already have lots of tension in their relationships. But you can imagine a couple of them being from the mom that your dad loved the most. This story is full of Jealousy and Envy. Honestly, as you read the book of Genesis, it feels like the same story unfolding over and over again in different ways. Jealousy, rage, anger, and deception, all getting the best of these people.

Joseph is different though. He seems to not do much wrong.

One of his biggest faults when he’s young is he seems to not have much humility…

Joseph will have a dream where there are 11 sheaves of grain - kind of big bundles of wheat or barley or something. All the bundles come and bow down to Joseph's bundle…

Well, the interpretation is clear. Joseph has 11 brothers and now this kid thinks we’re going to be bowing down to him… Oh man, can you feel the anger rising in his brothers?

Then the kid does it again. He can’t keep his mouth shut. He comes in and tells the family that he had a dream that the sun, the moon, and the stars all were bowing down to him. Lol, he just can’t stop..

His dad, Jacob - I picture him rolling his eyes and being like “Come on son!”

He rebukes Joseph - but the damage is done.

The rage, the jealousy, the envy and anger has all been planted in the hearts of his brothers…

One day, Jacob sends out Joseph to check on his brothers - he’s sending him multiple days away. Joseph reaches the spot his brothers should be at and they are gone. He finds someone who tells him they’ve moved on to another grazing area. As Joseph is approaching his brother see him and plot their evil plan. They knew it was Joseph approaching because of the colorful coat he was wearing, just another insult that their dad had given him this special coat that none of them had. Their plan was to kill him, but Rueben convinces them not to do it - to just throw Joseph in a well/pit.

ILLUSTRATION:

Years ago I was at the Grand Canyon and I decided to climb up from the side of the path that goes down into the canyon. I got up and realized you couldn’t go back down. I was stuck, I either kept trying to go up and maybe died, or tried to go back down which looked like even more death. These guys have gone up this cliff and now they don’t know what to do…

They talk again about killing him, but Judah stops them from that and convinces them to sell him to some slave traders who were going to Egypt.

They sell Joseph, they tell their dad he was killed by a wild animal

And a series of ups and downs ensue for Joseph…

Joseph became a household slave of a high soldier in Pharaoh's military force. He will become Potiphar’s right-hand man and eventually work his way up to running the household…

Finally, things start to look up for Joseph and then it all falls apart again…

He will be running the household when Potiphar’s wife starts to take notice of Joseph. I read some Jewish traditions that said Joseph was a pretty boy who used to curl his hair and eyelashes. Lol. He’s evidently good looking and Potiphar’s wife tries to seduce him. He resists and ends up running away. It’s interesting - I think Moses who is writing this, wants you to see the difference between Joseph and his brothers. He’s wanting to highlight how good Joseph is. Because right before this story you have this weird break where we jump from the story of Joseph to his brother Judah who ends up sleeping with a woman he thinks is a prostitute, but she’s really his daughter-in-law who was a widow - she gets pregnant from him (and ends up being Jesus’ ancestor). But the only way to make sense of knowing that story is that right after Judah’s indiscretions you have Joseph doing the right thing, he just runs away…

Joseph ends up getting thrown in prison and through a series of events, he ends up getting close to people who are close to Pharaoh.

Eventually, he will end up in Pharaoh's household.

-He will interpret a dream and predict a massive famine

-Pharaoh will put him in charge of collecting grain to make it through the famine

-Joseph’s brothers will come to Egypt for grain

The story that unfolds is so good. They will ask for help, he will help them, but realizes they don’t recognize him. But he wants to see his youngest brother and his father. So, he works it so they have to bring them to him. Finally, at the end of the whole story… his father dies. His whole life has been a series of ups and downs.

Sold as a slave, unjustly put in prison, having to endure his brothers for his father's sake…

If anyone deserves justice, if anyone deserves to seek revenge - it’s Joseph…

I want you to listen though to what he does instead…

Genesis 50:15-21

15 When Joseph’s brothers saw that their father was dead, they said, “What if Joseph holds a grudge against us and pays us back for all the wrongs we did to him?” 16 So they sent word to Joseph, saying, “Your father left these instructions before he died: 17 ‘This is what you are to say to Joseph: I ask you to forgive your brothers the sins and the wrongs they committed in treating you so badly.’ Now please forgive the sins of the servants of the God of your father.” When their message came to him, Joseph wept.

18 His brothers then came and threw themselves down before him. “We are your slaves,” they said.

19 But Joseph said to them, “Don’t be afraid. Am I in the place of God? 20 You intended to harm me, but God intended it for good to accomplish what is now being done, the saving of many lives. 21 So then, don’t be afraid. I will provide for you and your children.” And he reassured them and spoke kindly to them.

What you intended for evil, God meant for good…

Joseph had gone through the worst with these guys - he had NO reason to forgive them.

So, why would he? Why not seek revenge?

ILLUSTRATION:

Isn’t this what you want to do to those who have hurt you? Forgiving? Isn’t he just letting them get away with it if he doesn’t hold them responsible? How can one person go through so much bad and still give what is good?

Part of learning to follow Jesus is learning to take a longer view in life.

Joseph has literally been in the pit of despair, over and over again in life but he’s able to see how God has been able to use it all…

God uses it all…

Let me just speak to some of you whose life is not what you had hoped. Every time you start to get up you get knocked back down. God will use it all. He sees you, you are not alone. You don’t have to run from Him. Jesus never promised it would be easy, as a matter of fact, he said in this world you’d have trouble, but that He overcame the world. Take the longview in life - look to Jesus. Invite Him to show you what He’s doing and lean into Him!

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Join us as Kent dives into the story of Jacob's wrestling match with God. Ever felt like life was spiraling out of control? You're not alone. Tune in and ask yourself: How do we find blessing in the midst of our struggles? EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give). Get the fill-in-the-blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins.

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

A few weeks ago at our worship night the team started singing the song Oceans. As I stood there worshiping and singing that song I was taken back to a moment in New York City. Jenni and I had been gifted the chance to to go to this conference in NYC @ the New York City Music Hall. Shortly before we went to that we had stepped away from our church plant that we had started. We were not doing real good emotionally and the leadership we were working with, instead of trying to figure out how to help us, they had told us to step down from the ministry if we wanted the church to continue to get support. So, we walked away from it. It was heart wrenching. While we were at this conference the band introduced this new song “Oceans…” As I sat there with the lights off, my heart went back to that moment standing in the balcony beside my wife. We were at a conference that should have been pumping us up but I knew we had two weeks of pay when we got back and then nothing and honestly I was freaking out.

I can remember singing those lyrics and trying to will myself to believe it…:

You call me out upon the waters, The great unknown where feet may fail, And there I find You in the mystery, In oceans deep my faith will stand, And I will call upon Your Name, And keep my eyes above the waves, When oceans rise My soul will rest in Your embrace, For I am Yours and You are mine

This was not the first time or the last time I’ve been in that dark night of the soul…

There is a place where everything feels out of control and like you are losing more than you are gaining.

My guess is more of you in this room than we would like to think are in that place.

But I can promise you this

If you’re not there now, you will be at some point.

WE:

We all know what it’s like to have your life start to spiral out of control

-Projects piling up left and right and you feeling out of control

-To have a spouse come up and tell you “I just don’t love you any more” and your are spiraling

-To find out your child has a health diagnosis that has no real fix…

Every one of us has a story that is written with the ebb and flow of pain and joy, fear and faith.

BIBLE:

Today, I want to take you into a story of wrestling to give you some encouragement when your life feels like it’s at risk…

In the story of God we are going to jump into the life of Jacob - Isaacs son, Abrahams grandson.

This would be one of those stories you will want to go read. It’s full of deception, has a really nice and weird love story in it, and it has redemption.

If I was going to define Jacob by one trait, it was would be deceiver. Jacob is a twin, his older brother Esau comes out of the womb first, but Jacob is holding onto his heel as he comes out. As they grow up, Jacob will be a mama’s boy who stays home among the tents and Esau will be their dad’s favorite - he’s a hunter, out in the field finding game - a mans man. There are several stories from their life that tell you about them. One of them Esau comes in from a long hunt, famished and ends up selling the position as the oldest son to Jacob for a bowl of soup. Eventually as their father was aging Isaac wants to bless Esau - he sends him out to hunt and to prepare a meal. Rebeka - the boys mom, will help Jacob fool Isaac who’s eyes are failing him that Jacob is Esau and he will steal his blessing.

Esau is enraged and wants to kill Jacob - so Jacob escapes and goes to the house of his uncle Laban where he will fall in love with his cousin Rachel - I know… She is beautiful and in a smooth move, Jacob will choose to work for 7 years to buy her hand in marriage. But again, the deception goes deep in this family. The night of their marriage, Jacob goes into the tent where he will “consummate” the marriage with Rachel, but in the dark - pre-electricity days of life - Laban sends in his other daughter - Leah. Jacob sleeps with her and in the morning realizes he’s been duped - much like how he duped his own father when stealing Esau’s blessing, now Leah has stolen Rachel’s husband. Jacob will make a deal to work for 7 more years to gain Rachels hand and they are married as well. He will have 11 boys between these two women and their maidservants - it’s a whole thing with these ladies - full of jealousy and pain.

Finally Jacob decides to leave Laban’s household when the heat is getting too hot…

Can you feel it?

Jacob’s life starts to get out of control and he runs…

Every time, he reaps what he’s sown and he bolts - first with Esau, now with Laban.

Anyone feeling this?

Jacob is now on his way back to his homeland. He realizes he’s going to have to face Esau, his brother.

Jacob sends ahead some of his party to test the water with Esau and they come back and tell him Esau is on his way with 400 fighting men…

And Jacob is terrified.

Jacob will separate his household into two different parties, he will send ahead of him groups of people with gifts for Esau.

He starts to bed down and then decides to send his wives and kids across the river to the other side ahead of him.

Finally, Jacob has put everything and everyone between him and his brother.

He has schemed with every last little bit he has how he can get out of this…

Listen, isn’t this exactly what we all do?

We scheme and plan, we try to control and manipulate - whatever the situation is…

This is where Jacob is. He’s alone…

I want to read you one of the strangest verses in the bible to me…

Genesis 32:24

24 So Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him till daybreak.

That little comma right there says so much to me…

“Jacob was left alone”

“and a man wrestled with him till daybreak”

What happened in the space of that comma? Was Jacob laying down to sleep and awoken by a noise? Does he roll over with someone putting their hand on his mouth? Are fists being thrown? I have so many questions…

Jacob wrestles the man - fighting for his life.

Jacob thought he was safe behind his scheme, but there was one he forgot who can get behind any barrier.

We will find the one he is wrestling with is God - I believe it to be Jesus…

Jacob will wrestle and he will fight until finally the man tweaks Jacobs hip. Jacob won’t let go till he get’s a blessing…

-I think he is saying, “I’ll let you go, but I need to know you won’t come after me anymore…”

This is what he is told…

Genesis 32:28

28 Then the man said, “Your name will no longer be Jacob, but Israel,[f] because you have struggled with God and with humans and have overcome.”

Jacobs name is changed…

can I get a little devotional with you?

It seems it’s in the wrestling not the resting that leads to the blessing

I know some of you are going through some serious tests right now, some serious challenges. Don’t give up, don’t stop wrestling. You’re greatest blessing may be on the other side of what you’re battling. You may walk with a limp afterwards, but you’ll also walk with God. Jacob walked with a limp that would forever remind him of this moment, and to this day the people who came from his line still bear the his name - Israel, the ones who wrestled with God and man and overcame.

I want to do something a little different today. If you are in a wrestling match with God. I want to invite you today to come forward for prayer. For us to pray over you during this next song.

I know for us what I didn’t know back in that moment in NYC was that God Himself was watching over us and as we wrestled with Him trying to control the outcome he was working a better income into our souls that would change us and eventually lead us here. Keep wrestling. Keep wrestling. Keep wrestling!

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🤔 What if our significance lies in what God does through us, not to us? Join Kent in exploring Isaac's "insignificant" life and discover the thread leading to Jesus. Tune in for insights that might change your perspective! 🎙️✨ It's EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give). Get the fill in the blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins.

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Years ago I was eating dinner with a really good friend from high school. He had started this marketing company and had some of the biggest brands in the world as his clients. Names like Red Bull and Etnies skateboard shoes. He was jet setting to New York and Australia and all these cool places. He’s such a good guy, he wasn’t bragging about any of this, we were just talking. And then he asked me what we were up to. I remember feeling like I wished I could just pull my head into my shell like a turtle and hide. We were a few years into planting a church in Wichita Kansas at the time and honestly, it was a struggle. We only had about 90 people coming and I was embarrassed because I knew about all these church plants that had 1,000 people. Jenni and I were struggling on every front. I remember talking through that and feeling like a poser as I tried to convince him and me that what I was doing was good and significant.

I was posturing to impress him and it left me feeling depressed.

Do you ever do that? Posture to impress people?

What I mean is over-inflate who you are because you feel like you’re “less than”

WE:

I’m sure this appears for each of us in different ways

-Some mom starts talking about the birthday party she is throwing for her kid that includes ponies, clowns, inflatables & sky diving and you’re insecurity flairs up - “We just do a cake and some friends…”

-That kid on the team that’s the best makes a little snide comment about your abilities and you spent the rest of your career trying to prove them wrong

-You’re dad was NEVER impressed with anything you did and now you are secretly trying to be the best at everything hoping he will one day tell you how proud he is.

All of us have an insecurity somewhere about not being significant enough.

I want to take you to an insignificant account of a person from history whose life is insignificantly significant and look at what we can learn from a person's life like that.

THE BIBLE:

Isaac is called “the child of promise”. His mom and dad, Abe & Sarah are told in their old age they will have a bouncing baby boy - if you missed it, go back and listen to last week. They will get pregnant, Isaac is born into a world that is very different from the world you are in. It’s shepherding, it’s sunup to sun down. It’s sacrifice and dirt and sweat fear and laughter. Isaac will grow up to be a young man who marries Rebecca. She is his relative (second cousin on Abrahams side). There is this beautiful narrative about Abes servant going to search for a wife for Isaac. The servant asks Rebecca for a drink and she offers to water his camels as well. His servant invites her to come and marry Isaac and she does…

It’s beautiful. These two fall in love, have a couple of boys - twins - we’ll get into that next week. Not everything is smooth for them. At one point they have migrated to the land of the Philistines under the territory of King Abimelech and Isaac lies (like his father did) about who Rebecca is - he tells them she’s his sister. When Abimelech finds out he’s furious - “you could have caused us great sin…”

He will eventually live to a ripe old age and seems to be so senile he can’t tell the difference between his own sons. He is manipulated by his wife and his family ends up seeming less than ideal…

Can I tell you a secret about Isaac?

Isaac doesn’t do anything spectacular in his life… this child of promise seems to have turned out to be a dud…

What’s the deal with that?

I want you to think about this, God makes Abraham move out of his country, follow him for near 100 years, multiple times makes promises to him about Isaac, has him take him up on a mountain to sacrifice him and takes his place.

All of this build-up for what feels like a letdown

What we get with Isaac, is a liar who eventually is so senile he can’t tell the difference between his own sons.

It feels like instead of “child of promise,” Issac should be called “Issac the insignificant…”

What is going on with the story of God?

It seems full of these highs and lows that are hard to understand…

I want to read you a passage that God speaks to Isaac the Insignificant

This passage comes right before Isaac will lie about Rebecca’s and try to protect himself

Genesis 26:2-6 [ANTHONY - please underline vs 4]

2 The Lord appeared to Isaac and said, “Do not go down to Egypt; live in the land where I tell you to live. 3 Stay in this land for a while, and I will be with you and will bless you. For to you and your descendants I will give all these lands and will confirm the oath I swore to your father Abraham. 4 I will make your descendants as numerous as the stars in the sky and will give them all these lands, and through your offspring[a] all nations on earth will be blessed,[b] 5 because Abraham obeyed me and did everything I required of him, keeping my commands, my decrees and my instructions.” 6 So Isaac stayed in Gerar.

It’s crazy to me that after God says this, that he will bless Isaac that Isaac still lies to protect himself - He stays where God tells him to, but doesn’t fully trust Him… Because he still feels like he has to posture himself. I feel this in my bones…

Here’s what I want you to notice about Isaac.

What God was doing was going to be through him, not to him.

What I mean is God’s promise is not that Isaac will have a blessing, but that his descendants will bless all nations…

ILLUSTRATION:

A while back when we had that big snowstorm, I made a joke with Trent Castleman about him going out to break the water for his farm animals and make sure they were fed. I asked him if he tied a rope from the barn to his house so he wouldn’t get lost in the snow like Pa on Little House on the Prairie did. I call Trent Pa now and you can too… lol

But it got me thinking,

There are all these threads in the story of God that all lead you home to one place…

All these threads lead you back to Jesus.

The reason Isaac is significant is not because of Isaac, but because Isaac is the ancestor of Jesus.

Two thousand years before Jesus, God was planning the redemption of the world so two thousand years later your life could be changed today!

That’s the significance of Isaac!

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

Listen, you may feel like what you are doing isn’t very significant. Like in this world you don’t matter very much. I get it. I feel that a lot. Can I tell you something? Sometimes what God wants to do is something through you, not to you. Sometimes what He needs from us is to be faithful in the small things because out of those small things 200 years from now, the one little change you made in this world. The one conversation, the one hope you brought into someones life, the child that you raised or the great great great grandchild of yours who knew Jesus because of changes you made in your family today will fulfill the significance of what God is doing in the world.

The secret is, God doesn’t need us to be significant, what He needs is for us to sell out to Him - even if we are insignificant.

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

So, I don’t know if everyone is like this, but my brain doesn’t work for some things. Pretty much anything that starts with a G that isn’t bible related. When I was in High School I failed geometry one semester and got a D the second semester. In bible college, I got a D in Grammar & Geography… Serious… And it’s not like I didn’t work hard, I worked crazy hard and still I got an F… In Grammar, I would literally watch Conjunction Junction… It was like the information would go in my brain and would not stick. It’s probably some sort of learning disability…

Sometimes things just don’t make sense, right?

WE:

Some of you had a relationship that you thought would last for your whole life and in one turn, your spouse went a different direction and you were left holding a bag that you don’t know what to do with…

You’re left saying, “it just doesn’t make sense…”

-I’ve been passed over for jobs that it didn’t make sense, “I crushed that interview”

-You worked your tail off, showed up early, stayed late, and still they laid you off…

We all know what it’s like to have things that just don’t make sense.

Today, we are going to look at a moment in the life of Abraham that doesn’t make any sense, then we’ll look at how God made sense of it.

We’ll see how God is always tying threads from the history of the Old Testament into the life of Jesus and making sense of things.

SCRIPTURE:

So, part of this series is helping you get a sense of who biblical characters - people are. It has roughly been a few hundred years since the flood. Noah is still alive. There is an ancient document Jasher (in chapter 9) that actually says that Abraham, who we are about to talk about, lived with Noah and his son Shem for 39 years learning the ways of Yahweh God. Abraham sticks out in this post flood world. Everyone has immediately gone back to their own way - they are humans after all. Abraham is called by God - you should study Genesis 11-25 this week. Abe is called to leave his country, his family, and everything he knows and he does it. He follows God. 3 times God will promise to Abraham to bless him, to make his name famous, to give him land and to bless the whole world through him. Abraham. Abe will have all kinds of crazy things happen, two times he will almost lose his wife to foreign kings, he will build up an empire and risk it all to rescue his nephew. Abraham will be involved in crazy things like his wife telling him to sleep with her servant to have a child because God had promised him a child and Sarah could never get pregnant.

God will eventually promise Abe that He will have a child, even when he is old and Sarah is old - Sarah was 91 and Abe was 100… Can you even imagine…

There is all kinds of drama that happens during this time - it is worth a biopic movie. Sarah kicks her servant and son out, God intervenes. There is drama upon drama

Abraham isn’t perfect either, we catch him lying and being deceitful, we catch him being manipulated by his wife.

But what Abraham is most known for is his faith.

The faith part is what brings us to our story that you just can’t understand.

Genesis 22:1-2

Some time later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.”

What??? This doesn’t make sense and if you know the story, Abraham just takes God at his word. He doesn’t try and find an alternative explanation… “Maybe he meant to take him up there TO sacrifice - not TO sacrifice (him).

Abe doesn’t question, he just does. This has been who he has always been. He has been reckless in his abandon when it comes to following Yahweh - maybe it’s because he had heard the stories from Noah… He knew to take Yahweh at His word…

Abraham loads wood up on the back of Isaac, his one and only son. He takes him up to the mountain. They have gone up the mountain all by themselves. Can you picture it? Abe looking over at this son that he’s waited a hundred years for. The promise he’d put all his hope in and finally got. Now

He’s being called to give up the promise and follow the promise maker.

Listen to the tension in this moment…

Genesis 22:6-8

6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?”

“Yes, my son?” Abraham replied.

“The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?”

8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together.

I can imagine Abe looking over and thinking about the child - thinking about that time after he was born that he cried all night, or the moments when he would get up early in the morning to watch him just breath and amazed… now he’s about to take that breath away

It just doesn’t make sense, right?

Why would God require something of someone? Doesn’t this feel wicked instead of right?

What is going on here?

They reach the spot and Abe builds up the wood. He places his son Isaac on the wood. Abe has bound up his son. Oh my goodness, my heart can’t take it. There had to be some, “dad, what are you doing?” “just trust me son..” Abe places his son on the wood… what do you think Isaac is saying now, “dad, I promise, I’ll be better…” I picture Abe just weeping while this next part happens, listen to it…

10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son.

I have to just read that one verse because it needs a pause a breath… Because Abraham has committed. His hand is raised to end his son's life…

What in the world is going on here? I just don’t understand it… Am I wrong here? Does this mess with anyone else?

Genesis finishes with this:

11 But the angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!”

“Here I am,” he replied.

12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.”

13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram[a] caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son.

At the last second, God rescues Isaac and stays Abe's hand. he provides a lamb for the sacrifice which takes Isaac's place…

You can finally breathe…

But again I ask

What is going on? I just don’t understand “why”?

I told you at the beginning of this sermon - the bible has a thousand threads that link between the Old Testament and the New Testament…

There is a thread tied directly between this passage and the one I’m about to read.

John 3:16

For God so loved the world that he gave his one and only Son, that whoever believes in him shall not perish but have eternal life.

Abraham's whole life was not about Abraham, it was about Jesus and God making good on His promise that He makes over and over again to Abraham.

The promise looks like this - here is how God said it to him right after this episode with Isaac:

Genesis 22:18

and through your offspring[b] all nations on earth will be blessed,[c] because you have obeyed me.”

One day, Jesus will come into the world - he will be a direct descendant of Abraham. And Jesus, who is actually the one and only son of God will give Himself as a sacrifice for the sins of the world. There will not be a ram that takes his place, instead, He will take the place of us and our death. He will place Himself on the alter, God himself will do it for all of us. He does it so we can find life through Christ.

That’s how it makes sense. God is foreshadowing what He himself will do.

I think God wants you to not understand the sacrifice of Isaac so you will understand how monumental His own sacrifice for YOU was…

Do you get it?

He did exactly the thing that felt so wrong to you, and He did it for you and for me.

It is what we call “Grace” - an undeserved goodness given freely…

Today is the day for some of you. Today is the day to give your life to Jesus. To pray and invite Him to be the lord of your life. To die to your old life and embrace His new life…

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Here's a question to chew on: Ever felt like you've baked something into your life that can't be undone? Join us as Kent dives into an unlikely story (of Noah's Ark) where the ingredients are set, and we'll explore together how God offers a fresh start. Don't miss it! 🌈📖 #TuneIn #FreshStart IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ). Get the fill in the blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins.

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

My wife is seriously one of the best bakers in the world. I had to put a moratorium on cookies in our house because when she bakes them it’s almost impossible to resist them. I literally think she might be trying to kill me… :)

Baking is interesting, it’s really chemistry. If I mix all the right ingredients and put them at the right temperature, I get a particular result. and here’s the thing, once it’s cooked - it’s nearly impossible to untangle the mingling of the ingredients… Maybe you can separate things a little bit before they are baked - quickly remove a yoke from a white cake if you accidentally put it in. But there is a point of no return for sure when you are baking where once the ingredients are mixed in, they can’t be separated out.

This is true of not just baking, but life as well.

There are things that once done, can’t be undone…

There are bells that can’t be un-rung

You know this to be true right?

WE:

New husbands learn this real quick the first time their wife asks them if a dress makes them look fat

Or what about that time you were asked on a job interview about the funniest thing you ever did and you actually answered honestly…

Or what about that time you called your husband lazy and worthless…

Ah, see, there are funny things we can’t unring and there are serious things…

Today, we are going to look at a story about a people who had rung a bell that could not be unrung, had baked into their story ingredients that couldn’t be removed…

I want to read you a series of passages from the book of Genesis, then we’re going to talk about some of the difficulties of the story and then we are going to look at how it ties into the overall story of God…

SCRIPTURE:

Genesis 6:3

3 Then the Lord said, “My Spirit will not contend with[a] humans forever, for they are mortal[b]; their days will be a hundred and twenty years.”

Genesis says this happens because the sons of God were coming down and having relations with the daughters of man…

-scholars think this is referring to angels coming and intermingling with humans and creating a breed of humanity that was giant.

We also don’t know if the 120 refers to how human's life span will be shortened or the number of years God is giving them until the destruction comes. OR both.

This is what God says in light of all this…

Genesis 6:5-8

5 The Lord saw how great the wickedness of the human race had become on the earth, and that every inclination of the thoughts of the human heart was only evil all the time.

I’ve heard people talk about the story of Noah and call what we are about to read about a “Genocide”. That God just wiped a group of people off the face of the earth who had done nothing wrong.

That’s not the picture the scripture paints.

This is a group of people who have grown to value wickedness and evil.

The cake has been baked - there is no untangling the sinfulness and wickedness of these people. It’s pervasive and is “who” they are

6 The Lord regretted that he had made human beings on the earth, and his heart was deeply troubled. 7 So the Lord said, “I will wipe from the face of the earth the human race I have created—and with them the animals, the birds and the creatures that move along the ground—for I regret that I have made them.” 8 But Noah found favor in the eyes of the Lord.

Genesis 6:13-14

13 So God said to Noah, “I am going to put an end to all people, for the earth is filled with violence because of them. I am surely going to destroy both them and the earth. 14 So make yourself an ark of cypress[c] wood; make rooms in it and coat it with pitch inside and out.

Genesis 6:17-21

17 I am going to bring floodwaters on the earth to destroy all life under the heavens, every creature that has the breath of life in it. Everything on earth will perish. 18 But I will establish my covenant with you, and you will enter the ark—you and your sons and your wife and your sons’ wives with you. 19 You are to bring into the ark two of all living creatures, male and female, to keep them alive with you. 20 Two of every kind of bird, of every kind of animal and of every kind of creature that moves along the ground will come to you to be kept alive. 21 You are to take every kind of food that is to be eaten and store it away as food for you and for them.”

God essentially preserves mankind, animals, and plant life through this ark.

Within 6 Chapters in Genesis, we have gone from God saying, “It is very good” to Him saying, “Nothing is good…”

I want you to see this is a complete corruption of the good God had created - the rebellion of man was like a cancer, out of control and bringing violence & wickedness to the earth.

It’s not just that the cake has been baked, but that it’s been baked with poison in it.

God looks out and he sees one righteous man.

The Jewish oral tradition about this called Midrash says that God told Noah on his 600th birthday that the flood would come and that Noah preached to the people for 120 years trying to get them to repent, to turn. On his birthday the rains didn’t come but on that day his grandpa Methuselah did die - the oldest man to ever live. He lived with Adam for 249 years - being taught by him all the way to Noah. The Jewish tradition says that in Genesis 7:4 after God has told Noah to go into the boat, that the 7 days God references Noah waiting for are the days of mourning for Methuselah. The Jewish tradition is that these 7 days were given as one final chance for the people to repent, and yet they didn’t. Noah is standing outside the ark when it starts to rain and God has to force him to go in. Because he wants to give people as much time as possible to repent.

I don’t know how much of that story is actual truth - it is a tradition handed down from rabbi to student for generations. What I do know is that the flood story creates complications for us as modern readers.

Here’s what I know about God, He’s a good God, who is patient and wants to give people time to repent.

From the beginning, wickedness ruled in the hearts of mankind.

from Adam & Eve’s rebellion to the very first murder perpetrated between their sons.

God had every right to end it in the Garden with Adam and Eve.

So why didn’t He?

And why does He now save Noah and his family

Because God had a plan for redemption…

One day, He would come to earth and He would redeem the system out from under the corruption.

He would face the evil in this world and be tempted by it all and He would give His own life as an ark for all of us to enter into to escape the destruction of death.

CLOSING:

Do you understand?

God had baked into the system - a fix that was coming - it would come through Noah’s line and He Himself would stand outside the ark while the rain started coming down saying, “repent and come in…”

Don’t believe me? Listen to what Peter says about this…

1 Peter 3:18

18 For Christ also suffered once for sins, the righteous for the unrighteous, to bring you to God. He was put to death in the body but made alive in the Spirit. 19 After being made alive, he went and made proclamation to the imprisoned spirits— 20 to those who were disobedient long ago when God waited patiently in the days of Noah while the ark was being built.

The ancient theology of the church is that Jesus went to hell and preached to those who died in the flood - that He preached redemption even for them…

It wasn’t genocide, it was waiting for Jesus to arrive…

And listen to how Peter finishes this section up…

In it only a few people, eight in all, were saved through water, 21 and this water symbolizes baptism that now saves you also—not the removal of dirt from the body but the pledge of a clear conscience toward God. It saves you by the resurrection of Jesus Christ, 22 who has gone into heaven and is at God’s right hand—with angels, authorities and powers in submission to him.

Peter says baptism is how you enter the ark of Jesus. It is how you become the next Noah.

What are you waiting for? Don’t you know your cake has been baked? Your bell has been rung? God offers you a way out, He has baked into the cake a way for you to find freedom, hope and be made new. To be forgiven of your sins. To start over!

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What crucial choice defines our allegiance? Listen in as we unpack Genesis 3, discovering our pivotal role in the Story of God. Join us to understand our narrative better. It's about choosing allegiance in a world with unseen forces. Tune in for insights on your story's plot! IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ). Get the fill in the blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins.

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Do you have things about you that drive you nuts? I have a LAUNDRY list of those things for myself. But one of my pet peeves with myself is that I will start watching a movie. But my brain is wired, thanks to Facebook, to pull out my phone and start scrolling. Here’s why this drives me nuts! I start scrolling and then the instant I do, the major plot point of the movie happens. Someone kills the main character's dog, or their wife dies, or a terrorist makes a threat. Doesn’t matter the movie, doesn’t matter how hard I try. I almost ALWAYS miss the plot point…

Here’s the problem

If you don’t know the plot, you will miss out on the purpose…

This is never more true than in the Story of God…

There are major plot points along the way in the story that if you miss them, or misunderstand them it will affect everything else.

Today, we are going to be talking about one of the Two major plot points of the Story of God.

It’s vital we understand why this plot point is so important and to understand what is really going on with it…

If you have your Bible, we are going to open up to Genesis 3:

Remember, the story of Genesis is not so much about trying to tell you how God created things, but to express meaning. Moses who is writing this account for us didn’t even have the word science available to him. He did know about order and about the wisdom and beauty found in creation.

God created the world around us and all that exists in it.

God created mankind as the steward (managers) of that creation.

God created and it was all good.

In Genesis 3 we have this strange encounter between Adam & Eve - the name Adam actually means “humanity” and Eve means “source of life.” There is a serpent that comes to Adam and Eve and begins to have this deceptive encounter with them. I know it’s strange, and I want to give you permission if you are someone who struggles to believe this story. That’s ok, don’t stop listening because of that, I’ve said it before and I’ll say it again. As you listen to this story, you are going to hear the echos of humanity's story and you are going to see the plot start to unfold in a way that helps you understand your own story better.

I personally have landed in a place where I believe this story. There are crazy, unexplainable things in this world. I don’t know that it was a talking snake, I think it was an angel of darkness that we call Satan.

This talking serpent asks Eve if God really told them to not eat from any of the trees in the Garden…

ILLUSTRATION:

Years ago I read a great book on negotiating called “Never Split the Difference”, written by an FBI negotiator. One of the things he talked about was how he always tried to get someone to a “no” as soon as possible. He said, most salespeople try to get a “yes” out of someone, but a “no” makes someone psychologically feel superior and in control of the situation.

The serpent is 100% using this technique on Eve.

He lies to her and uses deception to ask his question.

Eve gives him a “no”, “God only said we couldn’t each off the tee in the middle of the garden.

The Tree of the Knowledge of Good and Evil

Again, this sounds like another fairy tale moment in the story, but can I just for a minute give this tree some context?

Does anyone remember what God would step back and look at His creation and say after each day was completed?

“And the Lord saw that it was Good”

God is the one who has the knowledge of what is Good and what is Evil. God is the one who defines these actions.

Before the fall, Adam and Eve had no need for this knowledge because they knew God.

this is vitally important to the plot

Eating or not eating from this tree is about allegiance.

The choice is allegiance to a relationship with the creator or allegiance to self and becoming the master of your own destiny.

This is the point in the story where you don’t want to be scrolling through Facebook and miss the point.

The problem is humanity is created to worship - it’s in our DNA and worship of self is ultimately allegiance to the evil one.

When humanity stepped out of allegiance to God, we gave authority to Satan to rule mankind through sin and the fear of death.

This was and has always been the New Testament view of what happened to humanity and why the work of Jesus on the Cross is so vital

Listen to Paul describe his on calling by God. He’s talking about his conversion to Christianity and what Jesus said to Him on the Damascus road and how Jesus called him to go to non-Jewish people.

Acts 26:17b-18

I am sending you to them 18 to open their eyes and turn them from darkness to light, and from the power of Satan to God, so that they may receive forgiveness of sins and a place among those who are sanctified by faith in me.

Spiritually speaking, no one lives in a vacuum. In the absence of a personal relationship with God, people worship self or worship things, and both are manifestations of Satanic veneration.

So, what happens in the story, you know this don’t you?

Eve eats the fruit. She bites on it. Just like you do…

It’s still the temptation every one of us faces…

If you can just control this person, you can have peace

If you can just make another dollar - no matter what it takes, you’ll finally be happy

If you want to be free never let anyone else ever have their hooks in you

We are all promised the worm that we can control our destiny only to be caught on the hook of sin and death.

When Adam and Eve eat the fruit, they break relationship with God and give their allegiance to the evil one. They trust him over Yahweh.

God comes to them, walking in the Garden, He comes gently. He knows immediately what has happened, and yet He interacts with them. Asking them questions.

Death is what is promised for this action and death is delivered.

Wicked, evil has entered the world

it will touch Adam and Eve’s own family, one of their boys will kill their other son.

Actually,

I believe God brings death into the world not as a punishment but as a mercy.

“Kent, death is horrible, how could you say that?”

In a world where wicked hearts reign. Allowing pure evil to exist eternally would be a greater cruelty. Imagine if Hitler would have been able to live forever. He was in power for 11 years. What could he have done with a 100?

God brings death as a fail-safe to the system until He can redeem us out from under this curse.

And that brings me to the second plot point.

Did you notice that Adam and Eve didn’t die immediately? But do you know something did? The very first sacrifice is performed by God. In the story, Adam and Eve have covered themselves with leaves and God makes them an animal skin covering. He sacrifices an animals life for their life.

This is a foreshadowing of God’s greatest sacrifice of all time. When He Himself would come and sacrifice His own body as a covering for your sin and my sin.

For Him to redeem us out from under the bondage we have been placed in through our allegiance with evil and self over trusting God.

CLOSING:

Occasionally when I am watching one of those movies with my wife I will pause it and say, “Ok, so what just happened?” She with incredible grace will stop and explain it to me. Every time… I don’t know how or why she puts up with me, but she does… :). I hope you now get the significance of this moment and how it feels like so much more than a fairy tale, but real life that you and I are living in the midst of right now. You are caught in this battle for the allegiance of your heart. Here’s the good news. God is so Good, He is willing to stop everything right now and to sit with you and bring you into the story, to bring you up to speed. All it takes is for you to denounce your disloyal heart of sin and to accept His sacrifice for you. To enter into trusting Him through Jesus and His sacrifice on the cross, raising from the dead to prove He has authority even over death itself. The thing the enemy has used to keep you trapped no longer has sway over you. Turn to Jesus today!

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How do you understand God and His interaction with our world? How has your view of God and his involvement in our lives influenced your faith journey? Join us to explore the depth of God's workings and discover a fresh perspective that might transform how we perceive and interact with Him. Let's dive into this eye-opening journey together! IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ). Get the fill in the blank bulletins my.harmonychurch.cc/bulletins.

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

I have one gift in life. Just one, maybe two actually, my wife says I’m dashingly good looking. But other than that, I have this gift where I can hyper focus on something I want to learn until I become good at it. The moment I’m good at it. I’m done with it… Lol. I wanted to become good at training dogs. I literally studied dog psychology and learned all kinds of interesting things. I worked with our Black Lab Quincy and trained her, she’s literally the perfect dog. And then… I was done… Lol. We got another little dog named Rosie, she’s a terror - she’s not that bad, but I didn’t work with her. Why? Cause I figured it out…

I’ve done this with cycling on a bike. Making knives. I even got this close to doing comedy at a comedy club…

it was actually a huge fear I had when I came to Jesus that I would “figure it out” and end up walking away…

If I’ve learned anything, it’s that God is infinitely big and I will never reach the end of learning Him…

But there is good news about me being like this… It means I’ve asked lots of questions and have figured somethings out…

Last week we talked about how God specifically wants to partner with Humans in this world.

This week we are going to talk about how God works in general…

A couple of ground rules:

I do NOT know everything - I’m doing my best to honor God and how He works, but go and study and double-check me
I’m going to give you a framework for how to think about God - this CAN NOT and will not be a complete framework, keep studying
This is going to push your paradigm of how you think of God, keep studying and learning about Him

ILLUSTRATION:

Most people do not give much thought to God or how He works and it causes HUGE problems. They’ve heard words that start with “Omni” omniscient, omnipotent, omnipresent. They see God as this all-powerful being who can do anything any time and they end up with some HUGE problems. Like, “if God is all powerful, why didn’t He stop the pain I went through?” The answers are grim, right? Either God doesn’t care or doesn’t know - it’s no wonder so many people have run from God.

So many see God almost like a Genie in a bottle - when you rub the lamp through prayer He comes - and as long as you’ve still got enough wishes - you can get what you want.

That may not be exactly how you perceive Him, but it’s probably somewhere in that vein - there are probably parts of that idea that pervade your thinking…

But that is not how God operates, and is NOT who He is. You must address this thinking to find movement in your relationship with God.

Let’s look at how God works, the predicament of the world, and God’s solution.

How God works:

I want to reach a peculiar passage:

Zechariah 2:1-5

Then I looked up, and there before me was a man with a measuring line in his hand. 2 I asked, “Where are you going?”

He answered me, “To measure Jerusalem, to find out how wide and how long it is.”

3 While the angel who was speaking to me was leaving, another angel came to meet him 4 and said to him: “Run, tell that young man, ‘Jerusalem will be a city without walls because of the great number of people and animals in it. 5 And I myself will be a wall of fire around it,’ declares the Lord, ‘and I will be its glory within.’

Why does God need anyone to measure Jerusalem for Him? Why does appear like God added to His order (run and tell him)? Doesn’t God already know the measurements of Jerusalem? Did He not think it all through beforehand?

What is going on here?

This is just one place we could ask this question. Have you ever wondered, why does God need Moses to go to Pharaoh, couldn’t He have just told him to let the people go? Shoot, couldn’t he have just set the people free, or not let them become slaves in the first place? Or what about when the first non-Jewish people became Christians, why did God have to involve Peter and angels in it? God can clearly speak to people - so why does He need to involve people?

What is going on?

this is where understanding how God works will aid you hugely…

I want to share

How God Works:

God seems to prefer working in community (He almost always chooses to involve humans or spiritual beings in the work He undertakes)

Because God created a physical & spiritual world, He necessarily limits Himself in order to work in unison with that created world - He typically interacts within the laws He placed to govern those worlds.

-God does not need to wait for things - but He does

-God does not need messengers - but He uses them

-God does not need to listen - and yet He enjoys the prayers of His people

There is a way things work with God - a physics to the Kingdom of God and the Spiritual Realm

The predicament of the world:

Next week we are going to dial into this story even more. But one of the most telling passages I can show you to illustrate this is the temptation of Jesus

Matthew

Matthew 4:8-10

8 Again, the devil took Him up on an exceedingly high mountain, and showed Him all the kingdoms of the world and their glory. 9 And he said to Him, “All these things I will give You if You will fall down and worship me.”

10 Then Jesus said to him, “Away with you, Satan! For it is written, ‘You shall worship the Lord your God, and Him only you shall serve.’ ”

What is going on here? I want you to notice something. Jesus doesn’t say, “The kingdoms of the world are not yours to offer…” He says, “You shall only worship God.”

Jesus seems to think the enemy is offering something He really has the ability to deliver on.

Not only is there a way God works, but there is also an enemy in this world who has real authority in the world.

Here’s what you need to know about the enemy:

-The enemy is not the equal opposite of God

-Jesus calls Satan the God of this world- He has authority because mankind has given it to Him

-By giving Him allegiance, humanity disrupted our

relationship with God and all creation - sin entered the world

-Humanity became subject to law & death

God’s solution:

Romans 3:25-26

25 God presented Christ as a sacrifice of atonement, through the shedding of his blood—to be received by faith. He did this to demonstrate his righteousness, because in his forbearance he had left the sins committed beforehand unpunished— 26 he did it to demonstrate his righteousness at the present time, so as to be just and the one who justifies those who have faith in Jesus.

Paul is saying that through Jesus’ blood, we are made whole.

ILLUSTRATION:

If you ever seen someone in a movie kill a dog you better know this, that person is going to die a merciless death, and when they do - every person in the theater is going to be excited about it.

Why? Why do we all want people to get what’s coming to them?

The Bible calls this “Justice”

It’s the idea that if I’ve done something wrong - that me getting away with that is actually unloving to the person I did the wrong thing to…

Paul says that through Jesus dying on the cross, He both justified us and was able to still be “Just”

He’s saying, that Jesus, in Himself satisfied the debt we owed - a death for our sinfulness. But He was also able to free us from under the law and death code of the enemy.

Jesus’ death destroyed the hold of the law and death.

Paul says it this way:

1 Corinthians 15:56

The sting of death is sin, and the power of sin is the law.

Jesus destroyed death, and when He did, He destroyed the power of sin - which came from the law (knowing good and evil).

-He freed us from the grip of the enemy - whose power over us was our own arrogance to try and live life apart from God.

Jesus’ resurrection from the dead was the nail in the coffin for the enemy and the start of a new life for Humanity

Because God's spiritual physics ride on authority.

When we accept Christ- place our Faith in Him, we transfer our authority - the allegiance of our heart from Satan to God

-It's why we still continue at times to struggle, because allegiance can shift

-we gain access to the Holy Spirit - God takes up residence in us to provide freedom for us and to lead and walk with us.

-we now are learning how to live a new life that is no longer tainted by the corruption of the evil one, but is the way of the King

What does this mean for us?

-God will sometimes take His time or not work in ways that you would imagine he would if you think he’s just a great Genie in the sky

-It means God is waring in the spiritual realm for your soul and there is a battle going on around us that is more than just the physical

-It means salvation is free and not earned, but you still have a VITAL role to play in the Kingdom of God (God works in community)

-It means, you ARE not done knowing God

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

The other day, I was sitting at a stop sign and a school bus pulled up next to me. I couldn’t see past the bus, it was on my left side. I had seen right before it pulled up that the road was clear. So, I pulled out a little more to try and look and almost just went for it. Right at that moment, another school bus came barreling down the road right in front of me. I had just stopped short. I realized in that moment, I could have been a goner. Why? Because I couldn’t see past the bus that was next to me… Some of you have been sideswiped in this life and the big reason for it is you have had this huge block in the way you see God. You’re mad at Him cause of something that happened to you or didn’t happen. You gave up on Him because whatever you thought was supposed to happen didn’t happen. I get it. I’m not blaming you. But I am asking you to realize now, that sometimes the problem was, there was something in your way of seeing reality for what it really was. If I expect someone to be something they are not, that’s on me, not them.

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ILLUSTRATION:

I used to love going on trips as a kid. Do you remember those days? We just got back from driving to Kansas to visit our family. I remember as a kid getting so excited for a trip, I wouldn’t be able to sleep getting all geared up for it. We are about to jump into a several-month trip to look at those who have gone before us in the faith and to connect with the story of God through the ages.

And I have to tell you,

I’m excited about what we’re going to learn along the way!

A Great Cloud Sermon Series

This series has some companion study material you can grab to take it even deeper - we have two books - an adult study book and a kids study book. Each week you can take the study deeper on the characters that we are going to be talking about and do personal study on their life and learn their stories….

My goal with this series is simple, I want you, by the end of this series, to have a grasp on the story of God and His work in the world.

I’m going to ask something of you for this series:

Will you make a commitment to be here for as many Sundays as possible?

ILLUSTRATION:

My son is on the basketball team, and you know, just like you we’ve had different teams and activities through the year. I’ve never seen anyone who wants to be a player on the team take a lackadaisical approach to it.

We are a church that wants to help people become serious disciples of Jesus.

But it takes more than just commitment on the church's side, it also takes your commitment.

Are you willing to start this year off with a commitment to get rid of the casual approach to faith?

This week and next we are going to lay some foundational ideas for the way we think about God and our interaction with Him.

ILLUSTRATION:

For pretty much all of my adult life, I thought the word was “you all” and it wasn’t till I moved to Kentucky that I learned it was “yall” Ha, you can teach an old dog new tricks. We all know what it’s like to think you know something and then find out you didn’t really know it all. Some of you are like, “I married that…” lol, we’re not getting into that. I’m talking about finding out your car has some cool features you didn’t know before or learning there’s a secret entrance at work that no one else uses. We all have experienced that.

Today and next week we are going to talk about some things about God that may feel a little like that, but

My hope is, that what we are going to talk about will actually help make sense of some disequilibrium you might feel in your relationship with God.

THE PROBLEM:

Let me show you where this disequilibrium starts with for me, it’s an underlying doubt, here’s one way it shows up for me, but it has a bunch of different forms. As a pastor, I remember years ago finding out that this single mom in our church didn’t have any beds for her kids. She had been faithfully coming and didn’t tell anyone about her need, but somehow I found out, that’s what happens with Pastors. So, I reached out to a lady who I knew that was extremely generous. She and I talked and she bought this mother beds and had them delivered to the mother’s doorstep. I’ll never forget reading that mom’s facebook page about how good God is and how He provides for her….

And I have to tell you, I had a slight cringe inside me…

See, I think I’m more wired as a skeptic than a saint. Because what went through my head was:

What you saw as God was just a series of coincidences…

What do you do with that? What do you do if you are a Doctor and people pray for someone's healing and YOU heal them and people declare it was God? What do you do?

Here’s the challenge, that doubt comes from a fundamental misunderstanding of the way God works and has set up his partnership with mankind.

This idea is VITAL for us to grasp as we move forward in this series: There is a way things work with God.

We really have to go back to the beginning to understand.

Genesis 1:28

28 God blessed them and said to them, “Be fruitful and increase in number; fill the earth and subdue it. Rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky and over every living creature that moves on the ground.”

According to the book of Genesis, God created the world in 6 days - we’re not going to look at the “how” of creation, but at the meaning God gave to the created order - specifically that of humans.

did you see it?

God told man to do a few things

-Increase in numbers (be fruitful and increase)

-Subdue the earth

-Rule over fish, birds, and every living creature

When God created, He created man as His partner in managing the physical environment - plants, land, and animals.

Jesus conveys this same sense in multiples of his parables:

Jesus regularly told parables about people who were left in charge of things and either did well or did poorly with those things.

Why do you think He used these illustrations?

It’s because the primary way God interacts with people in the world is through…

…People

This is why the prayer of Matthew 6:10 is so powerful

“Thy will be done, one earth as it is in heaven.”

The Christian's primary purpose in humanity is to bring the will of God into existence in the world around us.

This is why Christians are described as “Reigning” with Christ after Jesus returns.

We will bring the Good Will of God into the World

It’s not that we are a part of some big Hallmark movie where the prince comes and we all become his princess. It’s that our purpose will be fully restored as the managers of creation, bringing God’s goodwill into the world around us.

ILLUSTRATION:

When I found out about my friend who had no bed, and I contacted my other friend who had money and I helped put them together, that was me bringing the Goodwill of God into the world around me.

It is VITAL for you to understand that while God CAN work mysteriously without us understanding or seeing what is going on, His most frequent play is to work THROUGH you…

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION;

When I was a kid, I didn’t know I needed glasses till about 1st or 2nd grade. All I knew is my mom would tell me if I kept sitting close to the tv I’d ruin my eyes, turned out my eyes were ruined and I needed to sit close to the TV, it wasn’t till i got glasses that I saw the world as it was. I remember seeing the leaves for the first time and realizing how beautiful everything was. Can I just tell you today, if you are not a Christian, you may have had the idea that God was a big Oger in the sky who doesn’t want your good, you may have asked why He didn’t so something about your predicament. I would say most of the time it’s because God is a very disciplined mover - He has put humans in charge and we have wrecked this thing, we’ve allowed Ego and evil to enter into the equation, more on that in the weeks to come. But for now, know this, God was not ok with that. So, He did what was unthinkable. He became one of us to come and interact with us and buy us back out of this defunct system and to infect the system with His love and grace, so someday there would be a guy named Kent, preaching this to you, not because it’s good for me, but because it’s good for you. Here’s what I can promise you, if you will put on the glasses of the Kingdom, it will change the way you see everything… Everything! God is calling you, come to Him!

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What would it look like to slow down? We're diving into an unlikely story that holds a powerful lesson. Tune in to explore the true essence of Christmas and discover how God's presence demands our stillness. Join us for a fresh perspective. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

One of my favorite moments around Christmas time is the night before Christmas. Everything is still, kids are in bed, you’re awaiting the next day and all the hustle and bustle and excitement. It’s the best isn’t it. I love slowing down and sitting in the glow of the Christmas lights in the dark of the room. I’ve been trying to identify why I love it. I think it’s because it’s the antithesis of our world. EVERYTHING about this time of year is Go go go. It’s all year end, it’s all travel plans, last minute shopping, games, concerts, parties, packing, wrapping and a MILLION other things.

What would it look like to slow down?

I know, you don’t even think that’s possible, do you?

“Kent, how would I even do that?”

I want to take you to a super unlikely story that won’t feel Christmasy at all, then I want to show you something that came out of it

and then I want to point you to the Christmas story…

THE BIBLE

The year is 701BC, there is a King named Sennacherib from the land of Assyria. The seat of his Kingdom is a little town called Nineveh. You may recognize that name, it’s the city Jonah was sent to prophesy to. This is why he didn’t want to go. I believe Jonah is a huge part of the reason that Assyria came and attacked Israel - the Assyrians will literally swoop down and carry off the northern part of the Kingdom, up in the Galilee area. They take off those Jewish people and they are never heard from again. Now, in 701, Sennacherib is coming after the Southern parts of the nation. He has attacked and captured 46 different walled fortressed cities of Judah, King Hezekiah’s cities. Sennacherib writes on the Taylor prism of Sennacherib that he had Hezekiah caged like a bird. He was going to destroy Hezekiah - he’s surrounded him with an army that has yet to be beat. Hezekiah sends out his emissaries to meet with Sennacherib’s supreme commander and the commander, speaking Hebrew the commander begins to mock Hezekiah and Israel, I mean they have been cutting through the nation like a hot knife in butter. He tells the Israelites that he will give them 2,000 horse if that would help, if they think they could even find men to ride them. Hezekiah’s officials ask him to stop speaking in Hebrew so the people won’t hear and the commander goes to the next level and starts speaking to the people on the wall, “abandon Hezekiah and his God, come to us, we will give you life, we will protect you, we will give you what you need.”

this looks like the end. The are beat. Thankfully, Hezekiah had been preparing for this moment and had built a tunnel for water to the city or they would have been in even bigger trouble, but it’s only a matter of time..

What you don’t know is that Hezekiah isn’t like most of the Kings of Judah. Most of them were not faithful to God, most of them were not really people of character. But Hezekiah is different. Hez. really cares, he has destroyed the idols, gotten rid of them, he had called the people to repentance. He has driven people back to God.

Maybe you feel this.

Hezekiah has been doing everything right and it feels like everything is going *wrong. Death is at his door.***

Hezekiah literally goes to the temple and prays, he sends some officials to Isaiah the prophet, yeah, the one who wrote the book of Isaiah. He asks Isaiah to pray and what to do/what will happen.

Isaiah prays and tells Hezekiah this, listen…:

2 Kings 19:32-36

32 “Therefore this is what the Lord says concerning the king of Assyria:

“‘He will not enter this city or shoot an arrow here. He will not come before it with shield or build a siege ramp against it.

33 By the way that he came he will return; he will not enter this city, declares the Lord.

34 I will defend this city and save it, for my sake and for the sake of David my servant.’”

35 That night the angel of the Lord went out and put to death a hundred and eighty-five thousand in the Assyrian camp. When the people got up the next morning—there were all the dead bodies! 36 So Sennacherib king of Assyria broke camp and withdrew. He returned to Nineveh and stayed there.

Overnight, everything that was a disaster *disappeared.*

Super Christmasy, right?

I told you, this was not going to be your normal Christmas sermon…

“Kent, what does this have to do with slowing down? I don’t get it?”

Let me read a passage for you that many scholars think was written as a response to this event

Psalm 46:8-11

8 Come and see what the Lord has done,

the desolations he has brought on the earth.

9 He makes wars cease

to the ends of the earth.

He breaks the bow and shatters the spear;

he burns the shields[d]with fire.

10 He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.”

11 The Lord Almighty is with us;

the God of Jacob is our fortress.

The author of the Psalm looks out at this incredible moment where God rescues them and the author says this, did you catch it?

He says, “Be still, and know that I am God;

I will be exalted among the nations,

I will be exalted in the earth.”

Honestly

I’ve always preached this as, “You need to slow down *and stop doing so much and realize who God is”*

…and that’s true. It’s saying “Be still and know that I am God.”

But the part I’ve always missed is the REASON you are still be

The reason is NOT because you are so busy and you need *something from God*

The reason is because you are in the presence of the most spectacular being in the universe and His presence necessitates stillness *- full attention.*

In one fell swoop, God knocked out every potential danger Hezekiah faced and it didn’t even seem to take any effort really.

Because He’s God…

Now, let’s turn to Christmas.

Do you know what Christmas is really about?

Not the Christmas of trees and fat guys and wrapping paper. I mean the first Christmas? The Christmas when God came into the world?

Here’s the human predicament.

Every one of us was trapped *by sin and dysfunction.*

Every one of us has had something promise us life that could never make good *on that promise.*

-the bottle, a relationship, success, money, power, prestige, etc.

Every one of us needed *rescue.*

This is the story of Christmas - it is the story of *Rescue*

It is the story of God, coming into the world to rescue us all from our own sin and destructiveness, to buy us back out from the authority that we had given over to the enemy.

Jesus set us free. He gave us new life. Through His death on the cross, He *defeated death.*

At the end of Matthew Jesus says these words

Matthew 28:18

“18 Then Jesus came to them and said, “All authority in heaven and on earth has been given to me.”

Jesus freed us, and He has all authority. This Christmas, you need to slow down and realize you stand in His presence, that Jesus has already rescued you. Some of you need to turn to Jesus, to give your life to Him, others of you need to recommit to Him and step back, be still and know that He is God. Because God came to rescue you…

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A question to consider: "Do we trust enough to truly rest and let go of control to God?" Tune in for a message on finding peace in the chaos. #ChillSeries #SabbathRest IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Oh man, the machine that is Christmas is in FULL force! Isn’t it? Trees up, lights out, shopping, treats, parties, year end budget, year end spending, getting your last sales in, I mean it just goes on and on.

I don’t know if you’re like me, but if you are, Christmas is a mixture of wonderful and frantic craziness all at once.

We regularly during this time of year will have people invite us to do things and we have to say no because there are Christmas concerts, last games to get out and more. It’s just chaos all the time.

Do you feel me on this? Am I alone?

That’s why I wanted, for the next 3 weeks, to be the one voice in your life that is saying “It’s ok to Slow down”

It’s why we’re doing this series,

Chill- Slowing down when the world wants to go fast.

Everything at this time of year is telling you that you HAVE to be something and be somewhere and I want to pull you out of that paradigm and remind you, it’s not reality - it’s a fake machine.

Your kids will be alright if they don’t get the perfect Christmas

Your friends will be ok if you miss a Christmas party

Your family would prefer to have you over a perfect home

It’s ok to chill…

So, today, I want to preach on an idea we don’t talk about too much in Christianity…

Sabbath-ing

What is the Sabbath?

The idea comes from the story of creation…

listen:

Gen 2:1-3

Thus the heavens and the earth were completed in all their vast array.

2 By the seventh day God had finished the work he had been doing; so on the seventh day he rested from all his work. 3 Then God blessed the seventh day and made it holy, because on it he rested from all the work of creating that he had done.

Eventually, God will institute for Israel the 4th of the Ten Commandments for His people to keep a Sabbath day

Exodus 20:8-11

8 “Remember the Sabbath day by keeping it holy. 9 Six days you shall labor and do all your work, 10 but the seventh day is a sabbath to the Lord your God. On it you shall not do any work, neither you, nor your son or daughter, nor your male or female servant, nor your animals, nor any foreigner residing in your towns. 11 For in six days the Lord made the heavens and the earth, the sea, and all that is in them, but he rested on the seventh day. Therefore the Lord blessed the Sabbath day and made it holy.

the original #livingfortheweekend, lol

ILLUSTRATION:

I’m not sure lots of us can understand how much of a gift this was to these people. If you remember the story of the Exodus, these were a people who were slaves. They had NEVER known a day without work. They had NEVER known rest. God is calling out to them to follow His example and to rest, to remove themselves from any labor.

Ok, Kent, I get it, the Jewish people got a day on the weekends - Saturday. But what does that have to do with me?

There is something deeper going on under the idea of the Sabbath that facts won’t tell you

Sabbath is about belief, not rest…

Your ability to Sabbath will betray how truly you believe that in Christ you have found the Good Life.

Listen, in Hebrews, the author is making this argument from Israel’s past and how all the people were brought out of slavery into the desert, they were promised the land but they wouldn’t enter it, they wouldn’t trust God and walk into the land He had promised them. And what happened was they did not receive the promise that had been given to them.

He makes this entire argument that because of that, there still remains a rest that is promised and his argument is that in Jesus that rest is fulfilled:

Hebrews 4:2-3a

2 For we also have had the good news proclaimed to us, just as they did; but the message they heard was of no value to them, because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed. 3 Now we who have believed enter that rest

Why did they not receive it? Because they did not share the faith of those who obeyed - they didn’t trust.

STORY:

When God brought the Israelites out of Egypt, He had Caleb & Joshua and 10 other men go into the land to spy out. When they came back they were like, “there’s no way we can go there, we’ll be destroyed,” Only Caleb and Joshua believed and said “we should go forward…”

The problem was this, the people were believing what they could see and feel over what God had made clear to them.

You get it, don’t you?

It’s easy to trust what I can put my hands on, it’s difficult to trust an invisible God.

Listen to what the Author says to us, He’s going to say, there is still a rest available to those of us who will trust.

Hebrews 4:9-11

9 There remains, then, a Sabbath-rest for the people of God; 10 for anyone who enters God’s rest also rests from their works,[e] just as God did from his. 11 Let us, therefore, make every effort to enter that rest, so that no one will perish by following their example of disobedience.

“Let us make every effort to enter into that rest”

See, Sabbath requires something of you…

[put all 3 up together at once]

Rest requires a degree of being willing to deny your insatiable need to be in control
It requires you to place yourself in the greater story again and see that the world will operate without your hand on the steering wheel
It requires you to believe that God is in control, NOT you!

Do you know what the people wanted to do who were with Caleb and Joshua. They said, “let’s go back to egypt…” They would prefer to go back into to slavery than to enter the land and the rest God offered. I feel like I’ve seen this over and over again with people of faith. They prefer to rather than trusting Jesus and leaning into Him, to walk back into their own life, back to old addictions, old ways of controlling, making the world about them and their pursuit. I get it. But that life has no real rest in it

See, Sabbathing or faithful rest, is not God wanting to take something from you, It’s God’s gift TOO you…

[put all 3 up together at once]

When you can rest in Christ and your Faith in Him, you will find times of refreshing
When you are willing to disconnect with downtime you’ll find life to be abundant
When you shut off the distractions and center yourself in Jesus, you find restoration for your soul

3 ways to help you Sabbath this week:

Pick a time to intentionally disconnect (Sundays? Put phones in drawers, shut off tv’s, etc)
Pick things that are rest & worship for you (this is what sabbath is)
Pick community over isolation (have a family, be together, have friend, go out for a good meal, be together - talk about God)

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

The first time I drove a car that had auto follow built in, I kept hitting the brakes, I didn’t trust it. This is what it is like for those of us who are used to being in control all the time. Taking your hands off the steering wheel can be scary. The good news is this. You can trust God. When you take your hands off, He has got you 100% and it’s all for your good only…

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Trail Head 8 - Rationing 101. Ever wondered why Jesus talks so much about money? Did you even know He did? Join me in finding out as we explore the question, should knowing God affect our finances? Tune in, let's dive deep. 🎙️ #Trailhead #Stewardship101 IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

Trail Head 8 - Rationing 101

Learning Godly Stewardship

Trail 14: Should knowing God affect my finances?

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Have you ever been betrayed, I mean, seriously betrayed? Years ago, I had a close friend that I invited into a leadership position. I had shared with him some insecurities I had around my leadership being young and inexperienced. I’ll never forget the board meeting I was in when this guy I thought was my friend started sharing the personal things I had told him one on one with everyone else and using it as a reason I maybe shouldn’t be the leader. I remember leaving that night with my heart in my stomach, I called Jenni and told her what had happened and that I felt like I’d been betrayed.

The world of betrayers has some famous ones, doesn’t it? Benedict Arnold, betrayed America during the revolution

Or Judas, the most famous of all betrayers - betrayed Jesus to His death.

What if I told you there is a betrayer in our midst, would that surprise you?

Don’t turn to your spouse and say, “I knew it!” Lol!

That’s not what I’m talking about.

Actually, the betrayer is closer than a spouse, closer than a mother, closer than a brother.

Jesus said this betrayer will show exactly who and what your allegiance is to…

Listen to who or what Jesus says this betrayer is:

Matthew 6:21

For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

Actually, what he fully says is this:

Matthew 6:19-21 & 24

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

Jesus is saying, your treasure (money) will betray what your heart is most focused on.

It is betraying you…

As a matter of fact, how you handled your possessions was one of the primary topics Jesus taught on.

It's estimated that around 15-25% of Jesus' recorded words in the Gospels are focused on the topic of possessions and our posture towards them.

so, let me ask you this question.

Why in the world does Jesus make such a big deal about money if what He cares about is your spiritual life?

Seriously, I want you to think about that question for a moment.

I want to take you into a couple of events from the life of Jesus that I think will help us understand all of this…

Mark 10:17-27

17 As Jesus started on his way, a man ran up to him and fell on his knees before him. “Good teacher,” he asked, “what must I do to inherit eternal life?”

18 “Why do you call me good?” Jesus answered. “No one is good—except God alone. 19 You know the commandments: ‘You shall not murder, you shall not commit adultery, you shall not steal, you shall not give false testimony, you shall not defraud, honor your father and mother.’”

20 “Teacher,” he declared, “all these I have kept since I was a boy.”

21 Jesus looked at him and loved him. “One thing you lack,” he said. “Go, sell everything you have and give to the poor, and you will have treasure in heaven. Then come, follow me.”

22 At this the man’s face fell. He went away sad, because he had great wealth.

23 Jesus looked around and said to his disciples, “How hard it is for the rich to enter the kingdom of God!”

24 The disciples were amazed at his words. But Jesus said again, “Children, how hard it is to enter the kingdom of God! 25 It is easier for a camel to go through the eye of a needle than for someone who is rich to enter the kingdom of God.”

26 The disciples were even more amazed, and said to each other, “Who then can be saved?”

27 Jesus looked at them and said, “With man this is impossible, but not with God; all things are possible with God.”

Or what about this…

Luke 9:57-62

57 As they were walking along the road, a man said to him, “I will follow you wherever you go.”

58 Jesus replied, “Foxes have dens and birds have nests, but the Son of Man has no place to lay his head.”

59 He said to another man, “Follow me.”

But he replied, “Lord, first let me go and bury my father.”

60 Jesus said to him, “Let the dead bury their own dead, but you go and proclaim the kingdom of God.”

61 Still another said, “I will follow you, Lord; but first let me go back and say goodbye to my family.”

62 Jesus replied, “No one who puts a hand to the plow and looks back is fit for service in the kingdom of God.”

Hold on to your hats, because I’m about to lay some deep truth on you…

Remember, we said money betrays us?

What does it betray? It betrays where our allegiance is and where we think we find the good life.

If you believe Jesus is where the good life is found, you will be willing to sacrifice anything to be with Him.

If you don’t, and I mean really down deep, believe that Jesus is where the good life is found, you will hold onto the thing that you believe will give you the good life.

How you handle your worldly wealth and where you invest it will speak volumes more about your faith in Jesus, more than any words you ever say.

Notice, I didn’t say giving all your money to the church. If you read this week's Trail Guide, then you know, I believe we should give 10% to the church to start with, but 100% of my money is Jesus’.

If you don’t believe me, ask my wife if I actually live this out…

See, we called this trailhead

Trail Head 8 - Rationing 101

Learning Godly Stewardship

Because there is one simple trick to train your brain to believe God is where the good life comes from. If you will do this one thing. Change the way you think of yourself and the money and possessions you have. If you begin to see them as God’s money and possessions and yourself as His steward, it will change everything about how you operate in this world.

If Jesus asked for me to give away all the money he gave me, why wouldn’t I? He can give me more.

If Jesus asked me to use my wealth to build pay for kids to go on a youth retreat, why wouldn’t I, that’s an investment in His Kingdom

If Jesus called me to give my paycheck, why wouldn’t I, He’s where the good life is found…

The steward realizes the resource he or she has is not their own resource, but that of the master.

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We're diving deep into practical faith. So, here's the big question to keep in mind throughout: How can we integrate our faith into every aspect of our lives? From understanding the significance of attending church to making God a part of our daily routines and discovering what we can offer to God, we're exploring the nitty-gritty of practical Christianity. So, grab your boots, let's hit the trail, and find the answers together! 🥾🌟 #PracticalFaith #TrailHead7. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

Trail Head 7 - Boots to the Ground

Getting practical with your faith

Trail 11: Why does it matter if I go to church

Trail 12: How do I integrate God into the rest of my life

Trail 13: What could I offer to God?

Trail 11: Why does it matter if I go to church

ILLUSTRATION:

This is a great question right? Honestly, who didn’t ask this question as a kid. “Why do I HAVE to go to church?” I don’t know if I really understood the need for the church deeply till I experienced being removed from it. I had been in ministry about 12 years and Jenni and I moved to Wichita KS to plant a church - we did what’s called, Parachute planting. We didn’t know anyone, we moved and started building relationships and trying to start a church for people who didn’t like church. That’s like trying to sell pickles to people who don’t like pickles, lol. But something weird happened during that time. Jenni and I would go to different churches to try them out and see what they were doing. But we didn’t have a body of Christ around us. It was the first time as a Christian where I was removed from the church. During that period I experienced more doubt and depression than all the 16 years before that.

I was a foot without a body…

Why do you think we struggle with the question, “Why do I have to go to church?”

What are the assumptions behind this sentiment?

-Church is boring

-Church is full of hypocrites

-Church is irrelevant

Can I ask you another question?

Why is it, that there are Christians in persecuted parts of the world that are being killed for their ability to gather together?

Why do we dread the thing they are dying for?

ILLUSTRATION:

I’ve noticed a trend in the church in the last 5 years or so. I call it “The Lazy River of Church”. People come to a church for a while, 3-6 months, maybe even a year. Something happens and they end up jumping back into the lazy river and jumping out at the next church. I have seen a few people come through our church about 3 times in the 3 years I’ve been here as they jump into the river and out.

Something is desperately wrong with how we perceive the church in America.

I want you to listen to these two verses about the church - and trust me, there are SO many more, but these are two powerful ones. Listen to the “why” behind their encouragement to keep meeting as a church.

Hebrews 10:24-25

24 And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds, 25 not giving up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but encouraging one another—and all the more as you see the Day approaching.

Galatians 6:2-3

2 Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way you will fulfill the law of Christ. 3 If anyone thinks they are something when they are not, they deceive themselves.

Did you notice the encouragement in these passages? It is about people bumping into people - encouraging each other, carrying each other's burdens…

This doesn’t happen in a Lazy River church culture - because everyone who comes is looking for what they can get, not what they can give…

This is why we have a three-pronged approach to the culture of what it means to be a part of Harmony:

Deeper discipleship - call to a life that matters
Connect Groups - involved in faith friendships
Serve, not served - others first

If you don’t have a support system other than me, you will be sorely disappointed - because I can’t be all things to all people all the time. I struggle to be enough for my wife and kids. What you really need is to be in a group and be committed to the church.

What would change if you decided Harmony (or whatever church you settle on) was your church for the rest of your life? How would you engage differently?

Trail 12: How do I integrate God into the rest of my life

ILLUSTRATION:

Years ago I was planning an event to have a different pastor friend to come speak at. He asked me what I wanted him to speak on and I said, “how to fit God into your day.” He said something that has stuck with me over 20 years. He said, the question is not how to fit God into your day, it should be how to fit your day into God.

Most of us try and fit God into our day (give him 5 minutes of prayer, 10 minutes of bible reading, and then back to life as usual)

What if you stopped trying to fit God into your day and instead, fit your day into God?

Colossians 3:17

17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

ILLUSTRATION:

I’ve told you before, I have a friend who when he schedules meetings, he intentionally leaves an empty chair to remind Himself that God is there.

Most Americans have experienced Christianity in a way that makes God a chore or a checklist. He’s not those things, He’s a person.

What practice could you do this week to start to make God part of your everyday life?

Trail 13: What could I offer to God?

God has uniquely gifted you with a purpose in His Kingdom

-the scripture calls these “spiritual gifts”

I want to quickly give you 3 practical things you can start to do to find your fit:

1. Start with little things:

Zechariah 4:10 (NLT)

10 Do not despise these small beginnings, for the LORD rejoices to see the work begin

2. Start with faithful things:

Ephesians 4:16

16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

You may not know your exact gifts, but you do know how to build others up. Volunteer in kids ministry, be a greeter, call someone and encourage them, send bible verses as notes

3. Just start something:

James 4:17

If anyone, then, knows the good they ought to do and doesn’t do it, it is sin for them.

This isn’t a difficult thing to get started, it’s a difficult thing because it’s easy…

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

Discipleship is really a matter of spiritual velocity. It’s how fast you are moving and the direction you are moving. I’ve known people who have been involved in Christianity for years and their spiritual velocity is almost nothing. But I’ve also known addicts who have come to know Jesus and their velocity is out of this world. The reality is, your past doesn’t matter as much as your future. What about you, are you going to make intentional decisions to see your spiritual velocity take off as you choose to invest in other Christians, Integrate your life into God, and offer yourself to God and His Kingdom!

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Hey there, trailblazers! 🏞️ Kent's sermon is up, and we've got a question to ponder: How can we align our prayers with God's will for a more impactful connection? Tune in and let's explore this together as we orient towards God! 🙏 #Trailhead6 IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

Trail Head 6 - Orienteering

Learning to orient yourself to God

Trail 9: How do I pray in a way that makes a difference?

Trail 10: How do I make God a Habit?

ILLUSTRATION:

Last year I went with my daughter on an overnight field trip to Pine Mountain where they taught kids Orienteering, how to read a map and compass. The idea was if these kids learned this skill, they’d be able to save themselves if they were ever lost in the woods. Let me just tell you, after helping these kids, I don’t have much help that any of them are getting out alive if they are lost in the woods.

Lol, learning to use a compass and a map is a skill. Learning to navigate takes some dedication and desire -it’s not hard, but it takes focus.

We are calling

Trailhead 6 - Orienteering - learning to orient yourself to God

For most of us, our natural bent is not to orient ourselves towards God but towards ourselves

That’s why today, we are going to look at two trails

Trail 9: How do I pray in a way that makes a difference?

Trail 10: How do I make God a Habit?

ILLUSTRATION:

Do any of you struggle with prayer? I know there are a handful of people that this just comes naturally for, but for others of us, it’s a HUGE challenge. I used to always feel guilty when I’d hear other pastors say things like, “The growth of your church will be directly reflected in your prayer life.” Because if I’m honest, I used to hardly ever really pray - even as a pastor.

I can take you to the exact moment it happened. I was taking a shower in college and I thinking about prayer and why we do it and I thought, “why am I praying if God knows everything I am going to ask Him anyway. This feels stupid”. And in that moment, I stopped asking God for things. I stopped bringing issues before God. I stopped engaging Him.

If you read the book this week, you know that I addressed some issues with this way of thinking. So, I’m not going to cover those, but what I am going to do is tell you what has changed everything for me when it comes to prayer.

Now, I do engage with God

Now, I do bring things before Him

Now, I do believe God wants to act based on our conversations

2 Key concepts about Prayer:

1. Key Concept: I believe God incarnates (comes in the flesh) Himself to us in order to have a relationship with us.

ILLUSTRATION:

I know that’s a confusing idea, but let me explain with an illustration. Imagine, you walk into a candy store with your kids. Before you even enter the candy store, you know the first thing your kid is going to ask you is, ‘Mom, Dad, can I have some candy’. You know the request is coming - it’s not a surprise, you probably even have your answer ready for them. But you don’t stop your child when they ask. You actually have a conversation with them. You listen to their request - and they might actually even convince you to do something you weren’t planning on doing, like letting them get a few different candies.

The child isn’t forcing the parent to do what they want (well, not always) but they are moving the heart of the parent towards a decision the parent was already predisposed towards.

The word incarnate means “in the flesh”. Jesus is God incarnate.

When He came into the world, Jesus necessarily limited himself in order to deal with limited beings - humans.

I believe God continues to incarnate Himself with us - knowing what our requests will be, but interacting in a way that allows for a relationship - for you to ask and move His heart.

I think God has always been like this. You can see it pretty early in Genesis 18 Abe has a conversation with God and negotiates from 50 down to 10 people who are righteous in Sodom and God will not destroy it. Moses does this with God for the Israelites, God is ready to wipe everyone out, and Moses negotiates with God. Jesus prays, “if there’s any way, but not my will, yours”

God comes to you ready for relationship with you in prayer - what is it that’s keeping you from entering into that relationship?

2. Key Concept: Prayer is the means to align yourself with God’s work in the world.

There is a way to get 100% of your prayers answered

->Pray in the will of the Father.

1 John 5:14

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

This is why Jesus, after negotiating with God says, “Not my will, but yours be done.”

I personally ask bold things of God, but always with the caveat, “It’s your will I’m after…”

So, what is the Father's will then?

2 Peter 3:9

9 The Lord is not slow in keeping his promise, as some understand slowness. Instead he is patient with you, not wanting anyone to perish, but everyone to come to repentance.

God longs for all to come to repentance - if you want prayers that are answered, pray in accordance with the desire of God

Literally pray, “Not my will, but yours be done.”

Trail 10: How do I make God a Habit?

ILLUSTRATION:

When I use the restroom, I don’t even think about putting up the toilet seat anymore, some of you women are like, “Kent’s the perfect man,” sorry ladies, I’m taken! I don’t think about it, I just do it. Why because when I put the seat up, I get a reward - a happy wife. Using the bathroom is the cue, the routine is putting up the seat, the reward is happyness :)

All habits are Cues, Routines, and Rewards

-an action that cues (when I see this, or “this” happens) I go into the routine that leads me to some reward, either major or minor.

What would it take for you to set up some keystone habits in your life that would feed into your relationship with God?

A Keystone habit is a habit that sets the foundation for other parts of your life

For instance, in our church - servant leadership is one of those - it affects everything else. If our leaders live out this habit, it will get rid of arguing, fighting, egos and so much more - it’s key to everything else.

I want to give you a list of time-honored, Christian Keystone habits that if you cultivate them, will affect everything else in your life:

Spending time with Jesus in the word
Spending time with Jesus in prayer

Other Key Habits

Solitude
Memorize scripture
journaling
fasting
Generosity
meditating on God’s word

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

I hope you know how much you matter in the Kingdom of God! I was telling my kids the other day how God loves to do things in Community - He even exists in community - 3 in 1 - Trinity, ever heard of it? God has chosen to use you and I to enact His will in this world through us submitting our will to Him. The only way for you to do that regularly is through cultivating a life of habit towards God. What I was telling my kids the other day though is because they have submitted themselves to Jesus, He’s using them. When my daughters hear a kid getting made fun of and they reach out and tell that kid how much they care about them. When my sons, stick up for someone or share Jesus with them. I don’t expect my kids to be perfect, but I love seeing how God uses them. Just like He wants to use you and me. I promise if you will really turn everything over to Him. He will use you in profound ways you can’t even imagine right now.

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How and why do you read the bible? AND why are so many people intimidated by it? We'll bust some myths. Plus, chat about why reading the Bible is essential and why you can trust it. 🙏 Join us for an eye-opening discussion! 🌟 #HarmonyChristianChurch #Bible101. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

Trail Head 5 - Fire 101

Learn the heart of Jesus in the Word of God - a light unto your Path

Trail 8: How to read the bible and why

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

I can remember the day the bible came alive for me. I had gone on a mission trip in Arizona. We were in the painted desert - this beautiful and barren landscape with piles of dried dirt in rainbow colors stretching as far as you could see with huge valleys worn into them from the rains. We sat on top of one of these and my youth pastor led us in worship. At the end, my pastor opened his bible and read to us the last few chapters of Job… As I listened my mind opened to the word of God. I started to hear it not just as a book that was boring, but as a letter documenting God’s love and interaction in the world.

I literally went home and started reading the bible. I highlighted every word for 2 chapters in Job and then realized if I highlight everything it’s just as bad as not highlighting anything :)

Here’s the deal

this wasn’t my first time reading the bible

So, What changed?

I changed how I saw the bible - it was no longer a boring instruction manual - it was a love letter written from God

Three Big “Whys”

Why One: Why are SO many people intimidated by the bible?

1. MISCONCEPTION: It’s a huge book

TRUTH: It’s a collection of 66 books (27 in the New Testament & 39 in the Old Testament)

MISCONCEPTION: It’s hard to understand

TRUTH: You need to get a translation that’s easier to read, try the NLT or the Message version

MISCONCEPTION: I started at the beginning and got bored

TRUTH: Starting at the beginning is the wrong place because the bible is a collection of books - starting with the New Testament, towards the end of the Bible is the best place to start. It’s also ok to jump around from book to book.

ILLUSTRATION:

How many of you find it super easy to navigate through Lexington? it’s funny because Jenni and I have a terrible time - I’m learning, but at first, we had to use Google Maps for everything.

Reading the bible is a little like this, the more you become familiar with the lay of the land, the easier it becomes to navigate. but you have to actually get out there and get into it..

Why Two: Why do people need to read the bible?

Maybe you’re asking yourself this question - let’s be honest, you’ve gone this long without reading it, why start now?

There are TONS of reasons to read, but here are just a few:

It gets you out of ruts (Kingdom of God thinking is not the thinking of this world)
So many people want God to speak to them and ignore what He’s already spoken…

I would even go so far as to say this is one of the primary ways God speaks to people is through His word. You are missing out on the Holy Spirit using God’s word to challenge, grow, and encourage you.

You don’t know what you’ve actually committed to as a Christian if you don’t know the word of God…

Can you imagine buying a car or a house and not knowing the terms of the agreement? It’s crazy to me how many people come to “get saved” but never decide to go further with Jesus than that. He’s waiting for you to go deeper!

Why Three: Why can I trust the bible?

Illustration:

when I first came to Christ I remember this guy telling me, “You know you can’t really trust that because there are so many people who just wrote it and made it their own and there are so many different versions…”

I went home and was like, “What do I say to that…” There wasn’t the internet back them to ask questions and try to find the answers. So, I did what any naive person would do. I read the forward to the bible - all the small text. Have you ever read that in a physical bible?

I found out that the bible is translated from Hebrew, Greek & Aramaic
I found out that some translations have hundreds of scholars who worked on the translation
I found out scholars used the best manuscripts available

I found out the Bible is a legit historical book - not just some made-up religious manuscript to manipulate people with.

ILLUSTRATION:

There is a great book on this called The Case for Christ. It was written by an investigative journalist from the Chicago Tribune. His wife became a Christian and he was trying to prove it false. He ended up becoming a Christian himself. (Lee Strobel)

As a matter of fact, let me explain some of what makes the Bible spectacular among ancient historical documents:

Two SIGNIFICANT arguments that anchor the bible as a reliable historical document.

Textual Variants are Low

-The New Testament has a relatively large number of surviving Greek manuscripts, over 5,800. There is a variation of about 1-2% between all these documents.

-The majority of textual variations in the New Testament are minor, such as differences in spelling, word order, and phrasing that do not significantly alter the meaning of the text.

Time between the writing of the document and the existing manuscripts we have
New Testament:
- Written 50 AD (Paul's Epistles) to as late as 100 AD (the Gospel of John).
- Earliest Manuscripts: 2nd century AD, with some fragments like P52 from around 125-175 AD.
- Time Gap: The time gap between the writing of the New Testament and the earliest surviving manuscripts is relatively short, typically within a century or so. This is considered quite remarkable for ancient texts.

[keep NEW TESTAMENT UP - compare these to it]

Homer's "Iliad":
- Time of Writing: 8th century BC.
- Earliest Manuscripts: 10th century AD.
- Time Gap: over a millennium
Plato's Works:
- Time of Writing: 4th century BC.
- Earliest Manuscripts: 9th century AD (some fragments earlier)
- Time Gap: over a millennium

Get Practical

Where to start: don’t read the OT till you’ve read the entire NT

- start with John and the book of Romans

Use a bible reading plan

-be careful on Devotions and plans - they oftentimes are great places to start - but they keep you in the shallow end.

Be a Bible Reading PRO

Pray - take time to invite God to speak to you, He was around and inspired everything you are reading

Read - don’t read too large of chunks of scripture, keep it to about a chapter to start, take your time, if your mind strays, go back to prayer and start again.

Observe - what is sticking out to you? What questions do you have? if you had to teach this to someone else, what would you say? Write down your observations, and journal them to God.

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

You know, we called this Trail Head “Fire 101” because the scripture says :

Psalm 119:105

Your word is a lamp for my feet,

a light on my path.

I can’t prove without a doubt that the bible is the word of God, but I can tell you from my own experience, it has transformed me into a different person - it has been a light for my path and my feet. when I first started reading it, literally, every day, whatever I read was what God used in my day-to-day conversations. People would bring something up and I’d be like, “I was just reading about that…” God wants to speak into your life, are you listening?

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Have you ever thought about how you can supercharge your faith and increase your potential as a follower of Jesus? We're talking about the 4G Steps to Following Jesus: God, Groups, Growing, and Going. Want to learn more? Tune in and discover how you can step into the 4G's and experience a transformed faith journey. ?? #FaithFuel IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

Trail Head 4 - Topography (get a lay of the land)

Understanding your part to play in the story of God

Trail 7: How do I live for God (God, Groups, Growing, Going Steps)

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Did you guys know I used to be in a moped gang? We were called the Moped Mafia, we used to get together and really slowly ride and block traffic. A few years I decided to soup up my “hog”. It was sweet chrome rims, leather seats, and a smooth ride and a mean 35cc’s under the “hood”.

Here was the problem with my moped. It would only go 35 mph and I needed more speed, I needed it to go faster. So I took the carburetor apart and drilled holes in air intake. I put a better muffler on it, and up-jetted it, meaning I allowed more fuel to pass into the carburetor, which created a bigger explosion which made my moped cook!

I supercharged that boy, I dumped fuel into to help it go faster

Today, I want to dump fuel into your spiritual life to help you go faster in your faith.

How can you supercharge your faith and increase your potential? To become all you were created to be in Christ?

As I reflected on my experience, I found that there were really 4 essential steps that I have taken and continue to take that have supercharged my faith and increased my potential as a follower of Jesus.

We call them

The 4G Steps to Following Jesus

These steps are not “one and done” - these are Kaizen - they are steps you engage in daily to constantly improve your relationship with Jesus

The God Step

weekly *worship*
daily *devotion*
Intentional rhythm to help you set your mind *on things above*

James 4:8

Come near to God and he will come near to you.

ILLUSTRATION:

Imagine, you have a friend come to you for advice and they say, “I’m thinking of giving up on my marriage, I’ve tried everything and nothing is working, I want it to work out, but I can’t see a way…” out of concern, you start asking them questions, “how long has this been going on?” “have you tried to get any help?” You really dig in and try to see what you can do to help them. Then you ask the question, “Well, how much time do you spend together?” and your friend says, “Oh, I don’t spend any time with them… After we got married, I decided it would be better for me to stay at my own place. She wants to text and spend time together, but I just don’t know that I have time for that."

James says, “Come near to God and he will come near to you.”

Lots of people struggle in their relationship with God and that’s because they don’t treat it as a relationship - they treat it as a transaction.

“I didn’t want to go to hell, so I did what I had to do to get out of that.”

The God step is about you intentionally choosing to do things that put you in relationship with Jesus.

ILLUSTRATION:

let me tell you how this personally looks for me. I get up in the mornings, go and work out. I will listen to podcasts about faith - not issues, but people who push me to go deeper with Jesus. I come home, I grab my bible and I spend about 30 min. I pray and ask God to speak to me as I read. I read from the NT, the OT, and a Proverb every day. I take my kids to school, on our way, we pray for their day - each of them prays and then I pray over them. We talk about what they are learning about God - sometimes we just talk about normal life stuff. It’s not me trying to force God into a conversation - it’s that God is part of normal life. I listen to worship music. I watch the things I put into my heart - when I watch tv - I use Vidangel a lot to cut out cussing, sex, nudity, etc. I try and stay present with Jesus during the day - if I’m working from a Starbucks, I ask Jesus what he wants to do in people's lives and I pray for them. At night, we used to gather and pray as a family. with bedtimes shifting, we don’t do that as much.

What about you? What does your rhythm to be intentional about including God in your day look like?

I’ll bet you have a rhythm for eating

I’ll bet you have a rhythm for working out

or a rhythm for going to the bathroom, getting to work, shopping, paying bills, why wouldn’t you create a rhythm for the God step?

The Groups Step

Actively engaging in *Godly relationships*
Small *groups*
Bible *Studies*
Friendships that are *faith-oriented*

The very first thing the first Christians did was to gather together and spend time in faith friendships.

Americans are more isolated than ever before.

This is why as a church we have Connect Groups. Because we know that apart from your personal devotion to God, the most important determinant for your success as a follower of Jesus is the people you surround yourself with.

Everyone needs to have a group of Christians they are connected to.

The Growing Step

Jesus loves you as you are, but loves you enough not to *leave you that way*
Are you *learning? Growing? Diving deeper? Read books, listen to podcasts, study the word of God***

The apostle Paul said this:

Philippians 3:12-14

12 Not that I have already obtained all this, or have already arrived at my goal, but I press on to take hold of that for which Christ Jesus took hold of me. 13 Brothers and sisters, I do not consider myself yet to have taken hold of it. But one thing I do: Forgetting what is behind and straining toward what is ahead, 14 I press on toward the goal to win the prize for which God has called me heavenward in Christ Jesus.

If Paul thought there was still more to learn, grow in, and deepen himself in, what makes you think you’ve come far enough?

The Going Step

Looking for God opportunities *(how will God use me today?)*
Using your time, talent, and treasure *for the Kingdom and to bring glory to God*

ILLUSTRATION:

We live in a world where NO ONE wants to do anything for ourselves. If I can outsource it, it will be better. I want to show up at the movies and not have to make my own popcorn, right? No one wants to have to do that. This is capitalism at its best. We have people who serve us and take care of us and we are willing to pay for it. Can I tell you a secret?

The church (the people who make up the body of Christ) was never meant to be a “come and serve me” entity.

The church was ALWAYS designed to be a go-and-give entity.

We are not the movie theater, we are the rescue crew after the Titanic.

We are all hands on deck. All making a difference. All willing to “make the popcorn”

Can I ask you a question?

What is the body of Christ missing out on because you’ve been coming to be served rather than finding out how you can serve?

And… what are you missing out on by not serving, by not “going”?

The going step is all about how you can make a difference!

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

A few years ago, I was at one of my son's basketball games and watching the different plays the coach was calling. Without thinking I said, “Huh, there’s strategy to basketball… who knew…” Lol. I’m a dork. Because I’m not a sports guy, I’d never slowed down to look at how a team does well at basketball. Maybe today, you’re looking at faith and going, “Huh, I never knew there was a strategy to being successful in your faith!”

You don’t have to wait another minute. the beautiful part of all this is that God is the most gracious of all and even though we thought we could have a transaction with Him - He STILL wants a relationship with you… Turn to Him today, it’s not too late to start stepping into the 4g's

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Each week we are exploring different trailheads as a part of Basecamp that can lead you to deepen your faith. This week we're exploring what your purpose is, how to get past sin and guilt, and how to have lasting power in your relationship with Jesus. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

Trail Head 3 - Hitting the Target

Setting appropriate expectations and your posture toward God

Trail 4: What’s my purpose?

Trail 5: What Happens if I mess up and Sin?

Trail 6: Will This Last? I’m worried I’ll go back to my old life

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

One of the best shots I’ve ever made in my life was as a kid, my buddies and I were down at a creek near my house hunting with our bb guns. I was joking around and as we saw this crow flying through the air and I said, “I’ll shoot it out of the sky!” I pointed my gun randomly, shot, and the bird fell out of the sky! It was one in a million shot. I went down as a legend with my buddies. They are probably still telling the story to their kids… :)

I feel like this is what most Christians are like when it comes to their faith. They are just hoping to hit the mark, hoping they get it right, hoping they make it through.

What if you could have security in your faith - knowing what you are doing, what to do when you are missing, and knowing how to make it for the long haul?

Today we are going to go through 3 trails at this trailhead called, “Hitting the Target.”

By the end of this, my hope is you’ll be able to aim and hit your target when it comes to your faith.

Trail 4 of the Trailhead:

What’s my Purpose?

Did you know when Jesus left the earth, He left very clear marching orders for His disciples?

Matthew 28:18-20

Bible scholars will tell you the “imperative” of this passage in Greek is “make disciples”

This means your purpose as a follower of Jesus is to make more disciples - followers of Jesus.

-not get more people to go to church

-not to be a better person

But to help more people be a disciple of Jesus’

What’s a disciple?

A disciple is a person who has learned to be just like their rabbi.

It’s why Jesus told us to go after people, to baptize them, and to teach them everything He commanded.

Disciples are supposed to become like the one who is discipling them - Jesus.

I like to say this like this:

I am Helping people find their way back to God, 1 person at a time

This is how we live out the mission of Advancing God’s Kingdom by living for God and loving people.

ILLUSTRATION:

One of the things that gets people off target is when they mess up and sin. Early on as a Christian, this doesn’t feel quite as big of a deal, but as you grow in your faith. When you mess up, it feels like you shouldn’t be messing up still and you start to question whether you really are a Christian or not. For lots of people it leaves them in a cycle of shame and guilt that keeps them from actually engaging with God. So, what do you do about it?

Trail 5: What happens if I mess up and sin? How to set your aim at the target.

First and foremost…

You ARE going to MESS up. But you don’t have to GIVE up, you just have to GET up.

You are not saved because of how good you are, your salvation comes because of how good God is.

Romans 8:1-2

"Therefore, there is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus, because through Christ Jesus the law of the Spirit who gives life has set you free from the law of sin and death."

Jesus has wiped away the consequences of sin in your life and set you free. But it does not mean you don’t still have old desires and muscle memory from your life before Jesus.

1 Peter 2:11

Dear friends, I urge you, as foreigners and exiles, to abstain from sinful desires, which wage war against your soul.

Peter says to abstain from sinful desires that are waging war against your soul.

We live in a world that says every single desire that comes into your mind is a good desire - not to be suppressed or repressed.

This is not the message of Christianity. Christianity says there is a part of you - your sinful nature - that has desires that wage war with your soul.

What do you do with that?

I’ll tell you what most people do. Most people try to “stop sinning”

ILLUSTRATION:

When I was a teen, I cussed like a sailor. When I came to Christ, that didn’t go away. I felt SO guilty about it. But I couldn’t stop no matter what I did. I can remember sitting on my bed, praying about it and just feeling overwhelmed by the guilt. It was one of the first times I can remember feeling the Holy Spirit speak to me. I felt God saying to me, “Kent, stop trying to not sin, and instead try and follow me. I am the one who will deal with your sin - you’re only job is to follow me.”

It wasn’t till years later that I read this and learned that Jesus had said something pretty similar - people were asking him about what works they needed to do for God and this is what He said:

John 6:29

Jesus answered, “The work of God is this: to believe in the one he has sent.”

The target is not to be a good person but to be God’s person.

The apostle paul describes what this looks like:

Galatians 2:19-21

19 “For through the law I died to the law so that I might live for God. 20 I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. 21 I do not set aside the grace of God, for if righteousness could be gained through the law, Christ died for nothing!”

To be God’s person means to Crucify your old life - die to your old desires, not fight them.

ILLUSTRATION:

To die to something, you have to admit that you lived for it - that you loved it. The reason you sin is because you like - even for just the few moments - what it does for you. You have to admit that you your sin did something for you, and die to that desire - whatever it did for you.

Paul also says that the life he now lives he lives by faith.

Being God’s person means learning to live moment by moment in the life God offers - live by faith.

-Quick tip: turn your internal dialogue into an internal prayer life.

Trail 6 - Will this last

ILLUSTRATION:

There is a HUGE difference between a marathon runner and a sprinter. One person knows they have to have lasting power, the other person knows they can leave it all on the floor. As a Follower of Jesus, this is a marathon. You HAVE to have lasting power. So, how do you do that?

There is a way to have lasting power in your relationships with God.

The two things you have to do to have lasting power is to focus on learning God’s’ love and engaging God with Grit.

1. Being proactive about God’s Love

Most people are reactive in their relationship with God.

They wait till something happens then they seek God. These people ALWAYS struggle to have a faith that impacts their life in any meaningful way.

It is the proactive person whose faith grows and impacts their life.

They are proactive in learning the heart of Jesus (reading scripture to know God)
They are proactive in repenting & dying to their sins (they evaluate their life and intentionally move it closer to Jesus’ way of life)
They hold the things of this world loosely (nothing is more important to them than knowing Jesus)

Proactive faith is unwilling to be lazy about their faith.

2. Engage God with Grit

ILLUSTRATION:

Ever worked with someone who was CONSTANTLY making excuses about why they didn’t get a project done? It’s one of the hardest things to deal with in my opinion, because what it tells me is the person is not willing to take ownership of the problem.

When you engage God with Grit, you become the kind of person who takes ownership of your relationship with God.

People who engage God with Grit:

Kills excuses
They create priorities around God for themselves and their family (do the hard things)ILLUSTRATION: What is the way you handle your faith teaching your kids about God. Where does God and His people fall on your priority list? Is it above work? above sports? above entertainment? I’m not here to tell you how to prioritize, I’m telling you, people who engage God with grit DO prioritize. We personally say no to things that we have to explain to our kids, as Christians who prioritize our relationship with God and His body, we are not going to do some things other people do.
Don’t back down - double down.

Pray to Close

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? When was the last time you embraced criticism & correction in your life? How do you even know which voices to listen to and let speak into your life? Join Kent as he dives into this important topic looking at the book of Proverbs. Let's grow together! ?? #SermonTime. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Years ago, when I was a youth pastor. I was at this camp and we had a “morning show” it was basically a way to wake up all the kids and get them excited for the day. We would get up there and do gross games and make jokes and make it super fun and set the expectation for the kids. Every day I would have the kids turn to their neighbor and say, “best camp ever…” in a derogatory and negative way. The kids would do it and I would laugh and get them to laugh and we’d move on. Finally, my buddy Jason Schmidt pulled me aside after a few days of this and he rebuked me. He said, “Kent, all the kids love you and follow you and when you make it like camp is no fun, you set the attitude for all of them… you’re a leader, you need to lead them better…”

Man, that hit me hard…

If I’m honest, his words stung me a little bit.

But, as I sat back and looked at it

Most of my growth as a leader has come from the hard truthful things and the people who risked telling them to me rather than through the easy things of life.

don’t you find that to be true?

ILLUSTRATION:

Years ago I tried my hand at making knives. The thing that shapes a knife from blank steel into an instrument you can cut with is heat, pressure, and friction.

The process of producing a tool requires the removal and reshaping of material - it takes heat, pressure, and friction

SCRIPTURE:

This week, we are taking a breather from Basecamp because I want to challenge you to expand your thinking to be willing to embrace a concept that our world has in some ways lost.

Your growth as a human is partially a product of the heat, pressure, and friction in your life - so stop running from it.

Let me explain.

I’ve told you the culture of the Kingdom of God is not the culture of the world we live in.

One of my biggest worries is that over the course of Basecamp, you are going to hear certain concepts and ideas and because they challenge the status quo, you are going to reject them instead of being willing to consider them.

They will feel like Rebuke, and our culture is scared to allow anyone to tell them they might be wrong.

Let’s look at some of what the book of Proverbs says about Rebuke to give us a pattern to use for personal growth.

1. Restructure your thinking about discipline…

Proverbs 12:1: "Whoever loves discipline loves knowledge, but whoever hates correction is stupid."

Discipline is not the same as punishment.

-Discipline is the means to course-correct

-Discipline comes from a desire of what is best for a person

ILLUSTRATION:

Good parents know how to teach this concept to their children. The reason you are correcting them is because you love them, not because you hate them. I tell my kids all the time if I hated them, I would let them do whatever the heck they want. It is my love for them that puts me in a position to do the hard things and bring correction.

What keeps people from loving discipline/correction [have the bullets appear one at a time]

Our Ego (if you operate out of pride or fear, you will innately reject discipline.)
Our Past Experience (you’ve carried wounds that keep you from being able to hear the discipline as a loving interaction)
Our Culture (so many of us have bought into the cultural idea that you should be able to “live your truth” that we ignore when our truth needs to be reshaped)

This brings me to a good point…

How do you know which rebuke or discipline to listen to?

2. Tuning your ears for Wisdom

Proverbs 15:31: "Whoever heeds life-giving correction will be at home among the wise."

ILLUSTRATION:

One of the weird things about being a pastor is you have hundreds of people who all have an opinion about how and what you should do and feel like it’s their biblical mandate to let you know those things. Harmony actually is a very uncommon church and I don’t get tons of this. But I’ve had more rebuke than you can imagine from the style of music a church uses, to the temperature of the thermostats, things I’ve said in a sermon, the way I dress, to a million other things. I’m sure I’m not alone in that

You’ve got the same thing… the over-opinionated employee, that parent of your student who wants to tell you how to run your class,

How do you know what to listen to and what not to listen to?

I love this proverb because it doesn’t tell you to listen to ALL correction, it tells you to heed “life-giving” correction

Learn from what is life-giving and discard the rest…

How do you know what’s “life-giving” correction?

Here are the personal metrics I use to determine life-giving (I want at least 2 out of 3 of these to consider the correction):

-Does the person bringing correction love Jesus?

-Does the person love/want what’s best for me?

-Does the person love/want the best for the organization or mission?

There are certainly other metrics you should use, but these will help you get where you need to go

The key is to realize you don’t have to take all corrections - but you can be wise in what you invite and who you invite to give you corrections..

ILLUSTRATION:

If you tell me my sermon was a stinker I might listen. But if my wife or one of our elders says that to me, I’m going to for sure listen. Their known proximity to me, to Jesus, and love for this church would dictate that for me. Make sense?

3. Good leaders look for the person who grows from adversity

Proverbs 19:20: "Listen to advice and accept discipline, and at the end you will be counted among the wise."

ILLUSTRATION:

Early on in my career, I thought I had to be a know it all. I thought I had to have an answer for every problem. I had to always be on top of every situation. This unintentionally put me in a position of pretending and not being open to feedback.

I’ve known a pretty large group of talented people who never progressed in their field simply due to their inability to take feedback and correction.

How do you change that attitude?

it takes two things:

Take the pressure off: realize no one, including God, needs you to have everything together
Address your ego: change from Edging God Out to Exalting God Only

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

You know, one of the little talked about things that Jesus did was to rebuke His disciples. At one point, He said to them, “are you still so dull?” like, “are you not even getting this stuff I’m talking about?” Another time, Peter said something that sounded SUPER spiritual and good and Jesus responded with “get behind me Satan, you don’t have in mind the things of God, but of man” I want to bring this up to you at the end of this sermon not because I think I’m in some position to correct or discipline you or rebuke you, but because Jesus is still in the business of rebuking us - it’s really a means by which He turns our hearts back to Himself. The scripture is clear that God uses hardship to discipline us - turn us back to Him. God cares way more about your discipleship than your comfort - He cares that you are looking more like Him than looking like what you want this life to look like.

What would it look like for you to intentionally take a step to be willing to let God offend your modern sensibility?

Because I promise you, the longer you follow Him, the more you will find the beauty of being seated with the wise and accepting the Lords discipline and rebuke!

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Each week we are exploring different trailheads as a part of Basecamp that can lead you to deepen your faith. This week we're exploring the next steps everyone needs to take in their faith. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

Trail Head 2 - Grab Your Gear

Understanding how to enter into a relationship with Jesus

Trail 3: Are there any next steps I need to take?

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

One of my favorite little pieces of trivia for people when going on a road trip is that the lines in the middle of the highway and on the interstate are upwards of 8 feet long. Did you know this? I’ve been known to literally pull over, get out and lay down in the middle of the highway to prove it - this of course was done in Kansas because there are only 5 people in Kansas and most days they are not out on the highway :). It’s really true, the easiest way to see it is when you are driving your car, try and compare the length of your car to the lines, and you’ll be blown away.

Do you know why we don’t realize how long the lines are?

It’s because

When you move fast, it’s easy to miss how big things can really be.

Today, we’re going to look at some big ideas that TONS of people have moved past too quickly oftentimes in their faith.

These three things are foundational pieces in your formation and growth as a Christian.

One of the questions you are going to want to ask yourself today as we study is:

“Have I slowed down enough to really consider how these foundational pieces have fit into my life?”

Let’s jump in.

To look forward, we need to look backward. Let’s read

Acts 2:36-39

36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.”

37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

38 Peter replied, “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 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.”

Peter has just preached the first sermon of the first church ever. When he does, thousands of people are listening and they are cut to the heart. When the people ask him what to do, Peter gives them two responses they need to do.

Repent and be baptized

Depending on how you grew up, you may have different ideas about what repentance and baptism mean.

Biblically, they are very simple ideas

Biblically, to repent means to change sides.

ILLUSTRATION:

It’s like if you had grown up rooting for Louisville and as an adult you realized the error of your ways and started to cheer for UK, you would have repented to UK’s side and away from Louisville.

Peter’s original audience would have understood that when He called them to repent, he was calling them to turn from a life that did not acknowledge Jesus at all to a life that recognized Him as the primaryauthority of their life.

The word "baptize" is from the Greek word "baptizō" (βαπτίζω). It is a transliteration of the Greek verb, meaning to immerse, dip, or submerge. The English word "baptize" is directly borrowed from the Greek term.

Paul, in Romans 6 says this about how baptism works:

Romans 6:3-7

3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

5 For if we have been united with him in a death like his, we will certainly also be united with him in a resurrection like his. 6 For we know that our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with,[a] that we should no longer be slaves to sin— 7 because anyone who has died has been set free from sin.

Christian Baptism is the way a person is united with Jesus in His death.

Jesus commanded us to baptize people as we make disciples:

Matthew 28:18-20

Maybe you’re asking yourself,

“So, is a person saved if they are not baptized?”

The scripture is clear that we are saved BY grace (God’s undeserved mercy) THROUGH faith (trusting in Jesus) and NOT by works (things we can do for ourselves)

Ephesians 2:8-10

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast.

Peter is also clear in Acts 2:38 that through repentance & baptism, a person receives forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit.

Confused yet? Which is it? Let me give you an illustration, that while not perfect, is helpful for me in understanding it.

ILLUSTRATION: I wear a wedding ring because I’m married. The wedding ring is not my marriage. I would be married without the wedding ring, but I’m not sure for how long, because my spouse expects me to live my married life out in a way that the wedding ring is my marriage as much as it is not.

In the same way, you can have faith in Jesus and not have taken the steps to have repented and been baptized, but I’m not sure what that actually says to Jesus if you are not willing to follow Him into those things.

Some of you need to ask yourself a few questions, not just "Did you accept Jesus as your Lord and Savior," but, "Did you repent of your old life?"

Did you switch teams - from a self-oriented life to a God-oriented life?

This is why baptism matters - because it’s the burial of that old life and embracing of the new God-life.

Have you taken the step to be baptized into the name of the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit?

if not, why not?

Those are the first two foundational pieces of following Jesus

Repentance - a continual recalibration of your life to a God-oriented life

Baptism - a one-time event - a burial of your old life into the new God life.

The third foundational piece is the gift of the Holy Spirit.

In the New Testament, the Holy Spirit is referred to as several things, Counselor, Seal of our Salvation, Deposit Guaranteeing our Salvation, and more.

Here are a few functions of the Holy Spirit in the life of a Follower of Jesus:

Comforter and Helper:

Jesus refers to the Holy Spirit as the Comforter or Helper who will come to assist and guide believers. In John 14:16-17, Jesus says, "And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another Helper, to be with you forever, even the Spirit of truth, whom the world cannot receive because it neither sees him nor knows him. You know him, for he dwells with you and will be in you."

2. Teacher and Remembrance:

Jesus states that the Holy Spirit will teach and bring to remembrance His words. John 14:26 says, "But the Helper, the Holy Spirit, whom the Father will send in my name, he will teach you all things and bring to your remembrance all that I have said to you."

3. Conviction of Sin and Righteousness:

The Holy Spirit convicts the world of sin, righteousness, and judgment. Jesus explains in John 16:8-11, "And when he comes, he will convict the world concerning sin and righteousness and judgment: concerning sin because they do not believe in me; concerning righteousness, because I go to the Father, and you will see me no longer; concerning judgment, because the ruler of this world is judged."

4. Empowerment for Witnessing:

The Holy Spirit empowers believers to be witnesses of Jesus. Acts 1:8 states, "But you will receive power when the Holy Spirit has come upon you, and you will be my witnesses in Jerusalem and in all Judea and Samaria, and to the end of the earth."

5. Fruit and Gifts:

The Holy Spirit produces fruit in the lives of believers and bestows spiritual gifts for the edification of the church. Galatians 5:22-23 speaks of the fruit of the Spirit: "But the fruit of the Spirit is love, joy, peace, patience, kindness, goodness, faithfulness, gentleness, self-control." Additionally, various passages in the New Testament, such as 1 Corinthians 12 and Romans 12:6-8, mention spiritual gifts that are distributed by the Holy Spirit to empower believers for ministry.

6. Indwelling and Seal:

The Holy Spirit dwells within believers and seals them as children of God. Romans 8:9 states, "You, however, are not in the flesh but in the Spirit, if in fact the Spirit of God dwells in you. Anyone who does not have the Spirit of Christ does not belong to him." Ephesians 1:13-14 also mentions believers being sealed with the Holy Spirit as a guarantee of their inheritance.

The New Testament has a peculiar way of talking about the church. It calls us “The Body of Christ”.

Why does it call us that?

It’s because we are where His Spirit has taken up residence.

We are the body Jesus indwells.

God’s choice is to live in you - the question is will we choose to live in Him?

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

On January 28, 1986, the world was shocked with the Challenger space shuttle exploded. A teacher (Christa McAuliffe) was aboard the shuttle along with 6 other crew members. 73 seconds after liftoff the space shuttle disintegrated with millions of school children watching (if you remember this event, describe your own experience). Do you know why the Challenger exploded and those 7 people died that day? They died because of an o-ring that failed. A little piece of rubber that let hot gases to escape. But the real reason they died, was because when officials at Nasa were told about the potential for the 0-ring to fail, they didn’t address it. They knew there was the potential for catastrophic failure and they ignored it.

Some of you need to take the next step in your relationship with God, you need to actually physically repent - move with your body towards saying I want to turn from my old life to the new life with Jesus.

Some of you need to realize that a relationship with Jesus is not just about not going to hell (an important part of salvation) but it’s for you to become God’s partner in His work in the world.

Ephesians 2:10

For we are God’s handiwork, created in Christ Jesus to do good works, which God prepared in advance for us to do.

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? Ready for a wild ride? Imagine trading your busy chaos for a divine encounter that changes everything. Let's dive into Acts 2:42-47 and ask, "What made those early Christians shift their lives so dramatically?" ? Join us at Harmony Christian Church and let's explore together! ? IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

I have a basic principle I live my life by. I learned it teaching my kids to ride their bikes. I’ve shared this before, but I think it’s a good way to set up this sermon. My kids, when they were learning to ride their bikes, would always look down at their feet. They’d inevitably end up in the ditch. It finally hit me, it’s because they were looking at where they were instead of where they wanted to go.

It’s become a principle in my life:

Look where you want to go, not where you are.

In life, lots of us are stuck and doing all the same things we’ve done for years. We are being dragged around by the

Tyranny of the urgent

Some of you don’t know how you got so busy, working multiple jobs, taking kids to endless practices, keeping up with the jones’. Buying cars & trucks you don’t need, etc.

You don’t know where you want to go, so you just give your time, attention, and resource to whatever is “loudest”

Today, I want us to go on a quick adventure.

We are going to look at a group of people who got a glimpse of a place they want to go and completely shifted what they were doing because of their encounter.

SCRIPTURE:

We are jumping into the first church that ever existed. Jesus has died, risen from the dead and He ascended into Heaven. He is no longer on earth.

Listen to what happens after Peter preaches this sermon - thousands come to Christ and this is what these early Christians do. If you’ve been in church for very long, you’ve probably heard a sermon on this passage:

Acts 2:42-47

42 They devoted themselves to the apostles’ teaching and to fellowship, to the breaking of bread and to prayer. 43 Everyone was filled with awe at the many wonders and signs performed by the apostles. 44 All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need. 46 Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people. And the Lord added to their number daily those who were being saved.

I want to ask a question I’ve never heard anyone ask.

What was it that caused these people to shift their patterns of behavior so drastically?

I know for you, you’ve grown up in a culture where it’s acceptable to worship Jesus - this God/man who they had all seen and experienced but now the story is he flew up into the sky. What made them think they needed to continue on with anything? What made them think that it wasn’t all over now that He left?

These people have shifted drastically:

-They devote themselves to apostles' teaching (they committed to being present and listening to preaching)

-They fellowshipped (they hung out around each other in a way that encouraged one another)

-They broke bread (they ate together)

-They prayed together (they were committed as a group to bringing things before God)

-They sold property to take care of those in need (they were shockingly generous)

Something that had never hit me, is each of these behaviors required leaving one thing for another

Time is a static commodity - if you do one thing, you are not doing another.

These people gave up in order to go up in their faith.

Still, the question is, what would cause such a deep shift?

These people were not experiencing a God who had come and left, but a God who had come and left Himself through the Holy Spirit.

Jesus knew this day was coming. He knew there would be a period when He wouldn’t be around. And this is what He said…

John 14:15-21

15 “If you love me, keep my commands. 16 And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help you and be with you forever— 17 the Spirit of truth. The world cannot accept him, because it neither sees him nor knows him. But you know him, for he lives with you and will be[c] in you. 18 I will not leave you as orphans; I will come to you. 19 Before long, the world will not see me anymore, but you will see me. Because I live, you also will live. 20 On that day you will realize that I am in my Father, and you are in me, and I am in you. 21 Whoever has my commands and keeps them is the one who loves me. The one who loves me will be loved by my Father, and I too will love them and show myself to them.”

These people had shifted where they were looking.

Jesus says, “If you love me, keep my commands. And I will ask the Father, and he will give you another advocate to help…”

They had decided the aim of their life was to live for Jesus and in the midst of that they encountered the Holy Spirit.

ILLUSTRATION:

When I first came to Christ, my brother had also come to Christ. He was coming out of a drug life and was on fire and really got pumped about the Holy Spirit. He told me to have the holy spirit, I needed to speak in tongues. He asked me if I wanted to pray for the gift of tongues. I said, I guess… He prayed 3 times for me to receive it and nothing happened. Finally, on the 3rd time, I thought, “he’s not gonna stop till I do this…” so after he prayed, I started speaking gibberish. He was like, Praise God! and I was like, ugh…

Listen.

There is lots of misinformation about what it means to live by the Spirit and have the Spirit in your life.

I believe the Holy Spirit does give some people miraculous gifts, but for lots of us, He’s just what Jesus said - he’s our advocate to help and be with you forever.

The Holy Spirit is literally Jesus’ Spirit - it is Him, taking up dwelling in you.

What I want you to get is Christians have always been a people of Encounter.

The reason these early Christians were so different was because they encountered God’s Spirit. He spoke gently to their spirit and was like, “hey, what if you sold your property and gave it to that person over there…” “Hey, why don’t you guys gather and learn what I taught…”

These Christians were not worshiping a God who had left them, they were worshiping a God who left Himself

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

I know, personally, it’s easy for me to get my eyes on something other than Jesus. I’ve got pressures, business that has to be taken care of. A million things to do for my kids. Some of you have babies that are keeping you awake all night. Some of you are dealing with end of life issues for parents or a spouse and everything has changed and you are struggling to just make it. Today, I wanted to remind you that you are of a people of Encounter. And the encounter is simple. “if you love me, keep my commands” All Jesus really is asking for is your love. “Will you love me” Will you point your life at me? He’s saying. And He offers His Spirit as your advocate. He is your legal defense team, your counselor, your therapist, your heart doctor.

Some of you don’t know what it is that Jesus even commanded, you want to love, but you don’t know how to live for Him. That’s why we have created basecamp. We are actually ALL going to go through that over the next several months. Because we want you to have a foundation.

Others of you have just let your eyes drift and you need to reengage the God of encounter. Don’t miss Him!

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Ever been surprised by someone's true nature? Join us as we explore John's encounter with Jesus in Revelation. Just like John, let's open our hearts to discover that Jesus is more than we can imagine. Tune in and don't miss out on this journey of encountering the extraordinary Jesus! ? IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

Oh man, there is nothing better than The Princess Bride!!!

“I am not left-handed!”

Sometimes, people are not what they seem.

You’ve experienced this right?
Dated a guy who seemed nice but was just a terror
Got hired on and quit after a couple weeks because the environment was toxic
Misjudged someone by their looks only to find out just how good they really were at what they do.

Today, we are going to look at an encounter with Jesus that showed him to not be who he had been thought to be…

INTRO:

We are jumping to the year 95 AD.

John the Apostle is now an old man. He has been preaching about Jesus for years. His skin has gone from stretched taught to wrinkled and thin. He has preached about his experience for the past 60 years or so. The stories have dug deep grooves in him and his experiences with Jesus are distant memories. Fishing with him, sitting around campfires, bewildered by meeting Him, and watching Him work with people. John has written his account of Jesus and he has led a church full of people devoted to Jesus - this man who turned out to be God in the flesh.

Now, an emperor of the Roman Empire has taken root named Domitian. He became violent towards Christians.

Domitian brought the second great persecution against Christians.

"[Domitian] showed great cruelty toward many, and, after displaying various kinds of hatred and avarice and pleasure-seeking and pride, he finally became a successor of Nero in his hatred toward God. He was the second to raise persecution against us, although his father Vespasian had undertaken nothing prejudicial to us." (Eusebius, Ecclesiastical History, Book 3, Chapter 17)

During this time, John, the apostle is sentenced to be imprisoned on the Island of Patmos - in the Aegean Sea - this beautiful location for vacationing today - would have been difficult living then - just rock/brush

It is here that we enter John’s story and his encounter.

Revelation 1:9-18

9 I, John, your brother and companion in the suffering and kingdom and patient endurance that are ours in Jesus, was on the island of Patmos because of the word of God and the testimony of Jesus. 10 On the Lord’s Day

This is Sunday - it’s the day Jesus rose from the dead and the reason Christians meet on this day… John is worshipping by himself because he’s been abandoned here.

I was in the Spirit, and I heard behind me a loud voice like a trumpet, 11 which said: “Write on a scroll what you see and send it to the seven churches: to Ephesus, Smyrna, Pergamum, Thyatira, Sardis, Philadelphia and Laodicea.”

John is worshiping Jesus and hears this loud, piercing voice behind him. My dad played the trumpet and I used to love to play with it as a kid. The sound of a trumpet is vivid - it’s powerful, it’s loud and piercing.

John is about to have letters that he will have to dictate to these churches that have popped up and are undergoing this same persecution.

Lots of us have been told Revelation is a guidebook to the end times. It’s actually more like a medic’s manual for bringing healing to wounded people.

Throughout this book, Jesus is going to remind persecuted people that in the end - they win because He won.

back to this encounter.

You picture it right, John is all by himself, he’s on this rocky island, waves crashing. He’s worshipping Jesus - it’s all he has. And he hears a voice crack through the silence.

12 I turned around to see the voice that was speaking to me. And when I turned I saw seven golden lampstands, 13 and among the lampstands was someone like a son of man,[a] dressed in a robe reaching down to his feet and with a golden sash around his chest.

I’m not going to go into it, I’ve referenced it a bunch before - but you can draw a line between Daniel 7 and this passage. John is seeing Jesus - the Son of Man - who in Dan 7 is with the ancient of days. John will see Jesus embodying the same essence of the ancient of days - in Revelation - it’s clear that Jesus is both, the ancient of days and the son of man.

14 The hair on his head was white like wool, as white as snow, and his eyes were like blazing fire. 15 His feet were like bronze glowing in a furnace, and his voice was like the sound of rushing waters. 16 In his right hand he held seven stars, and coming out of his mouth was a sharp, double-edged sword. His face was like the sun shining in all its brilliance.

ILLUSTRATION:

When I was a kid, my brother told me you can’t look at the sun for very long without going blind. I was dumb enough to be like, “Oh yeah…” I tried and couldn’t make it even a second I think. Lol. I was not the smartest cookie…

Did you get the picture John is painting?

I wish I were an artist, if I were, I would try and draw this picture.

Can you picture him? lamp stands - think golden menorah’s robe down to feet, golden sash - this is the dress of an emperor or a conquering general. His eyes look like a fire. His feet are beautifully bronze in color - like he’s glowing in a furnace. When he speaks it sounds like the rush of white water rapids, he holds stars in his hands, and from his mouth is a sword protruding - meaning his words cut things to pieces. You can’t look at his face because it’s like the sun.

17 When I saw him, I fell at his feet as though dead.

I’m not sure if John fainted or just became faint. but he can’t handle what he’s being exposed to.

Have you ever had something knock you off your feet?

My wife Jenni describes meeting me this way…. lol

I can’t express enough how serious this meeting with Jesus is for John.

Then in a moment of tenderness, listen to what Jesus does:

Then he placed his right hand on me and said: “Do not be afraid. I am the First and the Last. 18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades.

Jesus puts his hand on him and tells John just who He is.

He is the First and last. The living one, who has died and now lives forever. He unlocks and locks death for who He wants.

Maybe you are sitting there going, “So what Kent?”

What are you trying to get at?

Listen, John knew Jesus.

-He had camped with Him

-Marveled at His unique teaching

-Watching Him heal people

He would have thought He knew who Jesus was.

and still, Jesus is able to knock him off his feet.

One of my biggest concerns for our generation of Christians is that we live in a world where we settle for scientific certainty about things and miss the grand scope of the world around us.

People do this with God and Jesus all the time.

If I can promise you one thing. It is this:

Jesus is more than you think or imagine.

John knew the kind, gentle Jesus who touched lepers and healed blind people, who stood against religious intolerance. But the uncloaked Jesus he met on Patmos was so much that he could only use analogy, metaphor and simile to describe Him.

Jesus is more.

Just off the top of my head…

Jesus is Savior from your Sins (Romans 5:8, Acts 4:12)
Jesus is the originator and mechanism of creation (John 1:3, Colossians 1:16-17)
Jesus holds all things together (Colossians 1:17, Hebrews 1:3)
Jesus is the judge of the world (Matthew 25:31-32, Acts 17:31)
Jesus unlocks death for those who turn to Him (John 11:25-26, 1 Corinthians 15:55-57)
Jesus authors and perfects faith (Hebrews 12:2, Romans 12:3)
Jesus restores and patches up our spiritual deficiencies (1 Peter 2:24, Isaiah 53:5)

Jesus IS MORE!

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

I recently read the book Undaunted Courage about Lewis and Clark and their expedition West. As I was reading it I felt the Holy Spirit whisper, “This is what life with me is like.” Your relationship with Jesus should be an adventure. It should be you bumping into God in awe-inspiring ways. Sometimes taking you to the brink of disaster and other times leaving you speechless.

Listen. We are getting ready to launch Encounter on Sept 13th and our prayer for you is that you won’t view encountering Jesus as a one-time event, but as an ongoing adventure to get to know the Jesus that is more. Turn to Jesus!

Because if you encounter Him long enough, at some point, He’s sure to turn to you and say, “There is something I need to tell you… I am not left-handed either…”

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Are we truly seeking God's Kingdom first, or are we trying to make God fit into our own desires and expectations? Join us online and be sure to sign up for Encounter on Wednesday nights launching September 13th! ? IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

All right, let’s get down to brass tacks - who is the most annoying customer/client you’ve ever dealt with? You know, the one who is CONSTANTLY changing the specs of their design, or is constantly complaining about the level of service. The customer who is never happy or never satisfied.

I was in a store the other day and there was this woman and her husband who had purchased a product, used the product several times, and then wanted to return it and exchange it for a different one. The type of product it was was the kind of thing that once you use it, it’s used. It was the most uncomfortable 15 minutes of my life listening to this couple harass this young worker trying to get her to return the item. I literally almost stepped in and was like, “Can I help y’all?”

What do you do when “the customer is always right” isn’t right?

Now I know it depends on your industry and what your business is. Most of you probably know that taking a loss in your business is worth keeping most customers.

But there are industries and arenas of life where this idea of “the customer is always right” actually sets a person up for failure.

Imagine a teacher operating under those standards…

ILLUSTRATION:

When I was in bible college, I had this afternoon class with a handful of students. When the professor showed up I said, “This college pays you, right?” He said, “Yes” I said, “and they get their funds to pay you from the tuition we pay, right?” He said, “Yes,” I said, “and whoever pays your salary is your boss, so let us do you a favor and give you the day off - you’ve earned it…” He laughed and said, “No”.

Ha, because the customer is not always right.

One of the core dangers that is created inside of Americans from “the customer is always right” and other phrases we live by is that we all too easily begin to see our worlds from an egocentric point of view.

We can too easily view ourselves as the center of the universe.

And that is eternally dangerous…

I want to walk us into a story of Encountering God that so elegantly cuts through the malarkey and helps us see ourselves in the proper context… Check it out…

SET UP:

What we are about to enter into is from the time of the pharaohs. The Israelites have followed Moses out into the desert and now they are about to move into the promised land. This is the in-between them taking those first few steps into Canaan and the life they had lived wandering in the desert for 40 years. Joshua has just finished taking all the young men and circumcising them.

They are on the cusp of a massive change in their history. Jericho is their next stop - and it’s a serious challenge. Joshua has not faced anything like this before. He is going to have to figure out how to take this city. This is the encounter we get in this moment…

Joshua 5:13-15

13 Now when Joshua was near Jericho, he looked up and saw a man standing in front of him with a drawn sword in his hand. Joshua went up to him and asked, “Are you for us or for our enemies?”

ILLUSTRATION:

When I was in college, some buddies and I got lost and ended up on an army base - there was this huge line of cars we were in, and there were military guys with German shepherds. We tried to flip around and go the other direction and this military guy with a machine gun started yelling at us to get back in line… Ha, talk about being scared.

Joshua, is out, probably scoping out Jericho and he sees a military man with a sword drawn. This is the sign of someone ready for battle. Joshua isn’t some wimpy college kid he asks this guy if he’s for Joshua and the Israelites or if he’s for his enemies.

The implications are, “If you’re for me, then I won’t have to hurt you, but if you are for my enemies, we’re gonna fight”

Joshua never considered that there could be a third option…

Check it out…

14 “Neither,” he replied, “but as commander of the army of the Lord I have now come.”

This soldier is not for Joshua, he’s not for Joshua’s enemies. He’s for Yahweh, God.

Man, we need to set up a tent and camp here for a minute.

Listen church,

I’m convinced that what more of us need is an encounter with God that reminds us we are supposed to be on His team, He’s not on ours.

So much of our music in modern worship is about how much God is for you and loves you - it’s not untrue, but it misses something when it doesn’t paint the whole picture.

Your job is to be after God.

Listen to this parable Jesus told about

Luke 17:7-10 (The Message Version)

“Suppose one of you has a servant who comes in from plowing the field or tending the sheep. Would you take his coat, set the table, and say, ‘Sit down and eat’? Wouldn’t you be more likely to say, ‘Prepare dinner; change your clothes and wait table for me until I’ve finished my coffee; then go to the kitchen and have your supper’? Does the servant get special thanks for doing what’s expected of him? It’s the same with you. When you’ve done everything expected of you, be matter-of-fact and say, ‘The work is done. What we were told to do, we did.’”

Can I ask you a question?

Does that rub you the wrong way?

The idea that at the end of the day, you and I are just servants of the King…

Joshua gets this…

Look at how Joshua responds to this angel…

Then Joshua fell facedown to the ground in reverence, and asked him, “What message does my Lord[a] have for his servant?”

15 The commander of the Lord’s army replied, “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy.” And Joshua did so.

The moment Joshua realizes he’s having an encounter with God, he falls on his face.

Do you understand that when you came to Jesus, you came to a King? You came to the God of the universe. He was the one who thought up the color blue and the idea of water being able to take on 3 forms. He is the one who can overthrow nations and raise up servants to be kings. He is the God of the universe.

ILLUSTRATION:

Years ago I worked in a church where the worship time was less than stellar. The music was so bad I’d literally bear through it week after week just trying to get through it. I’d sit there in my head thinking how terrible it was. How I wished it was better and I wished it was more like I wanted it. One morning I was sitting there waiting to get to preach and thinking how much I hated it when the Holy Spirit whispered to me, “It’s not for you…”

Ugh… I needed to be slapped in the face like that…

Let me ask you a question…

What’s the aim of your life?

Do you want to just be comfortable?

Do you want to make more money?

Do you just want your relationships to be chaos-free?

Do you want things your way?

Jesus said “Seek first the Kingdom of God and his righteousness”

You can’t fake seeking first God’s Kingdom - God can’t be tricked. Either Jesus is King or you are. Which is it?

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

One of my favorite jobs growing up that I had was tossing pizzas at Dominos. I worked on making the pizzas and learned how to toss the dough. I love it still to this day, but can I tell you something? You can tell someone how to toss dough, but it’s so much easier to show them.

We want you to come to Encounter on Wednesday nights because we want you to Encounter God through community - I think lots of us want Jesus to be King in our lives, but we don’t really know what that means or how that looks. Listen, Christianity is an on-the-job training kind of thing. You learn it by doing it with other people who are a little further along than you. You learn to toss that dough by watching others and learning from them. Grabbing ahold of some of the passion they have and the way they ask questions. You come as a servant and learn from the King and His other servants…

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PART I:

A few days before the cross…

Jesus is in Jerusalem, he has been upsetting the leaders by asking hard questions and pushing the boundaries of what convention would say. He’s turned over tables in the temple, He came into Jerusalem with people saying, “hosanna” (in Hebrew means “save us”) riding on a donkey - like Jewish Kings would have ridden.

Jesus will spend most of his nights on the back side of the Mount of Olives, just outside the city of Jerusalem in the city of Bethany - the house of the poor, right on the edge of the desert.

It is here he will have a woman anoint his feet with expensive perfume - perfume He will claim is her preparing Him for His burial…

PART II:

it’s the night before the cross. Jesus is celebrating the Passover with his disciples. Normally a holiday that is full of joy, on this night it seems ominous. Jesus starts the celebration by acting like a household servant and washing the disciple's feet. He will tell them that one of them is going to betray Him. He seems full of paranoia and it begins to spread to them. They are asking themselves if He means them. He, of course, does mean Judas.

this meal is normally a meal full of meaning - food hidden, chairs left for ancient prophets, and food that represents God’s redemption of His people. But on this night, Jesus inputs a new meaning into the meal. He takes the bread, it would have been almost more like a cracker. And he breaks it. He says, “I’ll be broken just like this for you…” “what could he even mean by that…” Then he takes the wine and says, “This is my blood, poured out for you - it’s the blood of the covenant that will bring the forgiveness of many…”

the evening ends, dark and heavy, the group of 12 men and Jesus missing one - Judas has run out and everyone's talking.

PART III:

It’s now late into the evening. Jesus has gone to the Garden of Gethsemane and now they are among the olive trees - he’s upset, more upset than they’ve ever seen Him. He prays they sleep, 3 times. 3 times they fail Him. He is anguished, broken - knowing what’s coming. The cross is hours away…

Then it happens. Torches and voices, kisses that betray. scuffles.

Jesus was taken off, Jesus not even fighting them, Jesus going to be tried unlawfully in the middle of the night

PART IV:

All night he’s been moved from place to place. He’s been beaten to within inches of His life. He’s exhausted, broken, quiet…

and then this…

Matthew 27:27

27 Then the governor’s soldiers took Jesus into the Praetorium and gathered the whole company of soldiers around him. 28 They stripped him and put a scarlet robe on him, 29 and then twisted together a crown of thorns and set it on his head. They put a staff in his right hand. Then they knelt in front of him and mocked him. “Hail, king of the Jews!” they said. 30 They spit on him, and took the staff and struck him on the head again and again. 31 After they had mocked him, they took off the robe and put his own clothes on him. Then they led him away to crucify him.

32 As they were going out, they met a man from Cyrene, named Simon, and they forced him to carry the cross. 33 They came to a place called Golgotha (which means “the place of the skull”). 34 There they offered Jesus wine to drink, mixed with gall; but after tasting it, he refused to drink it. 35 When they had crucified him, they divided up his clothes by casting lots. 36 And sitting down, they kept watch over him there. 37 Above his head they placed the written charge against him: this is jesus, the king of the jews.

38 Two rebels were crucified with him, one on his right and one on his left. 39 Those who passed by hurled insults at him, shaking their heads 40 and saying, “You who are going to destroy the temple and build it in three days, save yourself! Come down from the cross, if you are the Son of God!” 41 In the same way the chief priests, the teachers of the law and the elders mocked him. 42 “He saved others,” they said, “but he can’t save himself! He’s the king of Israel! Let him come down now from the cross, and we will believe in him. 43 He trusts in God. Let God rescue him now if he wants him, for he said, ‘I am the Son of God.’” 44 In the same way the rebels who were crucified with him also heaped insults on him.

45 From noon until three in the afternoon darkness came over all the land. 46 About three in the afternoon Jesus cried out in a loud voice, “Eli, Eli,[c] lema sabachthani?” (which means “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”).[d]

47 When some of those standing there heard this, they said, “He’s calling Elijah.”

48 Immediately one of them ran and got a sponge. He filled it with wine vinegar, put it on a staff, and offered it to Jesus to drink. 49 The rest said, “Now leave him alone. Let’s see if Elijah comes to save him.”

50 And when Jesus had cried out again in a loud voice, he gave up his spirit.

51 At that moment the curtain of the temple was torn in two from top to bottom. The earth shook, the rocks split 52 and the tombs broke open. The bodies of many holy people who had died were raised to life. 53 They came out of the tombs after Jesus’ resurrection and[e] went into the holy city and appeared to many people.

54 When the centurion and those with him who were guarding Jesus saw the earthquake and all that had happened, they were terrified, and exclaimed, “Surely he was the Son of God!”

It is in this moment that the powers of hell were defeated and Jesus procured freedom from sin for all mankind.

It’s one thing for me to talk about this, it’s another thing for you to hear about it. I’ve asked lots of people to send me videos of what Jesus’ death on the cross did for them. I want you to hear those and I want you to see them. Then, we are going to partake of a very special communion.

You’re going to come up to the cross, and pour out a cup of juice on this cross and remind yourself of how Jesus saved you from your sins?

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How can we believe in God when we can't physically see or experience Him? Tune in to today's sermon to discover how eyewitness testimonies and the transformative power of Jesus can deepen our faith. Tune in and let's journey together towards liberation! Jump in with us in Sections 111 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Have you ever heard someone say they can’t believe in God because they can’t believe in something they can’t see? I mean, people believe in all kinds of things they’ll never get to see Gravity, oxygen, Social Security. That McDonald's is still fast food.

low gas prices

kids will listen to you

fast food

Ha, seriously though, this is a problem for lots of people, right, they want to be able to touch and feel things, in order to believe in them.

How do you believe in a God you can’t see or physically experience?

Did you know Jesus knew this was going to be a problem for you?

After His resurrection, after Thomas had put his fingers in Jesus’ side and the holes in His hands, Jesus said this:

John 20:29

29 Then Jesus told him, “Because you have seen me, you have believed; blessed are those who have not seen and yet have believed.”

People act like they’ve come up some grand argument about the existence of God, but Jesus knew this would be the argument from the beginning.

Jesus knew it would be hard to believe without seeing.

If you’re a skeptical person, maybe you’re wondering why anyone would believe..

ILLUSTRATION:

I get it, my wife has an easy time believing, it’s how she’s wired. I’ve always struggled more. I always think things are hocus pocus. so, for me, believing in Jesus took some work. Can I take you to one of things that helped me?

We’re gonna start on a mountain, move to years past Jesus’ death & resurrection, and end with us today…

SCRIPTURE:

Jesus is gearing up to head to Jerusalem, actually, shortly after the passage we’re going to read, Jesus will “turn his face resolutely towards Jerusalem”. He has started to say and do cryptic things. Like he takes the disciples up to this pagan Gentile region and asks them who people say He is. He predicts his death and resurrection for the first time - they don’t know what to do with this. and then Jesus takes them up onto a high Mountain - this is found in section 111- we’re going to read from Luke's version, but Mark & Matt. include it as well..

Lk 9:28-36

28 About eight days after Jesus said this, he took Peter, John and James with him and went up onto a mountain to pray.

Jesus takes these three guys on this hike up the mountain and they go so he can pray…

29 As he was praying, the appearance of his face changed, and his clothes became as bright as a flash of lightning. 30 Two men, Moses and Elijah, appeared in glorious splendor, talking with Jesus. 31 They spoke about his departure,[a] which he was about to bring to fulfillment at Jerusalem.

Moses & Elijah, these two guys are two of the most notable prophets from the Old Testament and both of them stood against evil Kingdoms- they both stood, were tested following the mission of God - and they show up to encourage Jesus…

32 Peter and his companions were very sleepy, but when they became fully awake, they saw his glory and the two men standing with him.

ILLUSTRATION:

The other day, I woke up at like 4am and there was a snake in our bed between Jenni and I! I jumped out of bed and scrambled to grab my glasses and my phone. I turned the light on and all of a sudden realized… I was dreaming… Lol, there was no snake!

These guys have fallen asleep - this is a human moment - they’ve been hiking, their tired and Jesus is praying. But all of the sudden they wake up and have to rub their eyes. Jesus is talking to people they’ve heard about their whole life - this would be like seeing someone talking to George Washington & Abraham Lincoln…

33 As the men were leaving Jesus, Peter said to him, “Master, it is good for us to be here. Let us put up three shelters—one for you, one for Moses and one for Elijah.” (He did not know what he was saying.)

Peter cracks me up - he sees these guys and doesn’t know what to do so he’s like, “um, I mean, you guys wanna camp out or something?”

Ha, you’ve done this, right? You’ve met a famous person and were like, “remember that one time you were in that movie?”

34 While he was speaking, a cloud appeared and covered them, and they were afraid as they entered the cloud. 35 A voice came from the cloud, saying, “This is my Son, whom I have chosen; listen to him.” 36 When the voice had spoken, they found that Jesus was alone. The disciples kept this to themselves and did not tell anyone at that time what they had seen.

Matthew & Mark tell us that Jesus told them not to tell anyone what had happened until the resurrection.

Can I ask you a question?

Why did Jesus take these 3 guys with him for this experience? He didn’t need them there?

To answer that question, I want to fast forward to the end of Peter’s life.

He’s had so many more experiences - he abandoned Jesus at His death, He was restored after His resurrection, He’s led countless people to Jesus.

and now, he’s at the end of His life…

2 Peter 1:12-18

12 So I will always remind you of these things, even though you know them and are firmly established in the truth you now have. 13 I think it is right to refresh your memory as long as I live in the tent of this body, 14 because I know that I will soon put it aside, as our Lord Jesus Christ has made clear to me. 15 And I will make every effort to see that after my departure you will always be able to remember these things.

Soon after this, Peter will die a terrible death, crucified upside down by the Romans. He will never, even for a moment, abandon the message of Jesus crucified and risen from the dead.

Listen to what Peter will anchor these people's faith in…

16 For we did not follow cleverly devised stories when we told you about the coming of our Lord Jesus Christ in power, but we were eyewitnesses of his majesty. 17 He received honor and glory from God the Father when the voice came to him from the Majestic Glory, saying, “This is my Son, whom I love; with him I am well pleased.”[b] 18 We ourselves heard this voice that came from heaven when we were with him on the sacred mountain.

Peter goes back to this moment on the Mountain and says - “we saw His power, and now we’re testifying to it”

Why did Jesus take Peter, James & John up on that mountain?

So they could tell those of us who couldn’t go up on the mountain.

“But Kent, doesn’t that still require faith?”

Of course it does.

Last year in July I went to Israel. How many of you were with me in Israel? None of you, right? You don’t even know if I went there really, the most you know is that I was gone for a couple of weeks. The only thing that can tell you if was there or not was whether you trust my testimony - if it makes sense or not.

People who claim that God doesn’t exist because they can’t touch or feel Him forget that there were people who actually did touch and feel Him and they told us about it.

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

Holding onto that argument reminds me of when I was in my 20’s, I would jokingly tell people that congress had made up that we had gone to the moon so they could allocate money for chili dogs or something. I would say, it didn’t really happen - look at the video of it, it looks like what special effects of the 60’s could make - the flag waving all fake, guys in space suits hopping around… It all looks fake - and I could make that argument for a little while unless I was around Neil Armstrong - can you imagine trying to make that argument with him. He’d tell me what it felt like to not experience gravity like you’ve always experienced it. He’d tell you about seeing the earth from the perspective of the moon. He’d talk about all of the ways that experience shifted his life and all of the sudden, it would become hard to argue with him…

John says it this way about Jesus in

1 John 1:1

That which was from the beginning, which we have heard, which we have seen with our eyes, which we have looked at and our hands have touched—this we proclaim concerning the Word of life.

God has answered your prayer about Him coming down to the world - you just didn’t happen to live in the time when He did it.

What if you started to really explore His eyewitnesses - Jesus took them through so much so they could tell us about touching the word of life.

You are literally just steps away from experiencing Jesus yourself - you just have to believe with all your heart, let go of your old life and embrace the new life He offers!

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Are we willing to come out of the captivity of the evil one and allow Jesus to set us free from whatever binds us? Are we ready to surrender our lives to Him and experience His transformative power? Join us for this sermon as we dive deeper into the story of the demon-possessed man in Mark 5:1-20 and discover how Jesus can break the power of darkness in our lives. Don't miss out on the opportunity to find freedom and share in the amazement of all that Jesus has done. Tune in and let's journey together towards liberation! Jump in with us in Sections 88 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

You know the phrase, “Let’s talk about the elephant in the room,” have you ever wondered where that came from? I mean, because I’d think if you had an elephant in a room, it would be all you would talk about. I mean did someone show up at a rotary club meeting and there was a pachyderm sitting in the corner, everyone sipping their tea and NOT talking about the elephant in the room?

I just don’t get it

But I’ll tell you this

Humans have an incredible capacity to ignore big issues to not have to deal with the dissonance they create in us.

-How many companies should have bit the dust years ago, but still hang on

-Married couples, unwilling to deal with the issues in front of them

What we do we do?

We let there be elephants in the room…

Today, I want to take you into a story from the Gospels and then show you an "elephant in the room”

SCRIPTURE

Mk 5:1-20

They went across the lake to the region of the Gerasenes.[a]

Remember what has just been happening with these guys we talked about it a couple weeks ago - they have been on the lake, there has been a terrible storm - they thought they were going to die - likely the sky is still dark as clouds have receded - likely the shore is wet, mud everywhere… This is gentile - not a jew territory…

I want you to get this…

Jesus has put their life on the line to get here. Why?

2 When Jesus got out of the boat, a man with an impure spirit came from the tombs to meet him. 3 This man lived in the tombs, and no one could bind him anymore, not even with a chain. 4 For he had often been chained hand and foot, but he tore the chains apart and broke the irons on his feet. No one was strong enough to subdue him. 5 Night and day among the tombs and in the hills he would cry out and cut himself with stones.

Mark gives us the picture of this man - when you are at the Sea of Galilee - you will see there are all these cliffs surrounding it with caves, etc. This guy has been living in these. People have tried chaining him - they can’t hold him. They are living in a cemetery. Who has been trying to bind him? Does he have kids? A wife? He’s tortured by what’s going on inside of him.

6 When he saw Jesus from a distance, he ran and fell on his knees in front of him.

I picture him slipping and sliding in the mud and stopping in front of Jesus. Can you imagine the disciples - you’ve just come through the storm on the lake, you land on shore and you hear [wild scream] baked Bart coming at you screaming and stumbling at a full run..

I’d be like, “later Jesus!” Ha

the man comes up

7 He shouted at the top of his voice, “What do you want with me, Jesus, Son of the Most High God? In God’s name don’t torture me!” 8 For Jesus had said to him, “Come out of this man, you impure spirit!”

I want you to get this, Jesus tells the impure spirit to come out of the man and it DOESN’t. It’s actually negotiating with Jesus.

9 Then Jesus asked him, “What is your name?”

“My name is Legion,” he replied, “for we are many.” 10 And he begged Jesus again and again not to send them out of the area.

11 A large herd of pigs was feeding on the nearby hillside. 12 The demons begged Jesus, “Send us among the pigs; allow us to go into them.” 13 He gave them permission, and the impure spirits came out and went into the pigs. The herd, about two thousand in number, rushed down the steep bank into the lake and were drowned.

Do you know what a Legion was? 3-6,000 soldiers…

This man is riddled with demons…

I’ve heard people get upset about all the pigs that die. “If Jesus knew they would all die, it seems cruel”

Why are you blaming Jesus? The demons are the ones that drove the pigs to their death - I have the suspicion it’s because the demons wanted to be free of their bodies so they could go an infest someone else.

Listen to what happens next…

14 Those tending the pigs ran off and reported this in the town and countryside, and the people went out to see what had happened. 15 When they came to Jesus, they saw the man who had been possessed by the legion of demons, sitting there, dressed and in his right mind; and they were afraid.

These pig farmers have just watched as a terrible storm receded. They have probably come out to check on their flock? of pigs. They see Jesus with Baked Bart and he’s in his right mind. Their pigs all of the sudden start running over the cliff and drowning…

16 Those who had seen it told the people what had happened to the demon-possessed man—and told about the pigs as well. 17 Then the people began to plead with Jesus to leave their region.

I get it, the people want him to leave - “I don’t know who or what you are, but we can’t have you here…”

This is where I want you to pick up the story…

Listen…

18 As Jesus was getting into the boat, the man who had been demon-possessed begged to go with him. 19 Jesus did not let him, but said, “Go home to your own people and tell them how much the Lord has done for you, and how he has had mercy on you.” 20 So the man went away and began to tell in the Decapolis[b] how much Jesus had done for him. And all the people were amazed.

Can I ask you a question I’ve never heard anyone talk about? To me, it’s the elephant in the room…

Why didn’t Jesus just send the demons to hell?

Why did He allow them to move on to possess another?

It’s a good question right?

It’s the part of the story that has always bothered me…

I want to remind you of a passage we read several weeks ago…

Hebrews 2:14-15

Jesus was not just after ridding one man of the infestation of evil in the world. His goal was all of humanity.

One person at a time!

On the cross, Jesus dealt a blow that broke the hold of the evil one on all who would turn to Him

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

Can I tell you my brother's story?

My brother was a cool kid growing up. He was always popular - he was the kid in the late 80s who would throw the ragers with 700 kids at it. By the time I was in high school, he was doing ever drug under the sun and selling it to make money. He was baked more often than not. My parents kicked him out of the house. I remember coming home and hearing the music he listened to about killing your parents and crazy stuff.

My brother was in town where we had grown up, there is some interstate that creates a loop around the city and my brother and his buddies had been on this loop going around the city - over and over again until they ran out of gas - because they were so messed up - they had taken crazy amounts of Peoti. my brother's buddies told him to wait at the car because he was so baked. But he started walking and caught up to them, they sent him back to the car - but he walked past it not knowing it was his car. He said, on the interstate, he saw his buddy standing in the middle of the road, in a black hoody with a face that looked like a skull, calling him out to the middle of the road. He went out and his buddy told him to play chicken with a semi that was coming. So, my brother did. He said the last thing he remembered was seeing these bright lights in his eyes and then he woke up on the side of the road with police all around him and handcuffs on. He said the police told him later that a trucker had called in and said he saw this kid step in front of his semi and go under the grill - he thought he’d killed my brother…

My brother went to jail and started to turn to Jesus.

He eventually moved back into our house. I can remember days where he would go into his room and come out and be like, “I just read the Old Testament.”

Why?

What really hit my brother on that day was that Jesus wanted His heart and God had the ability to free him.

Jesus has the ability to free you too! Jesus died to set you free from whatever it is that binds you - set you free from sin, from destructive thoughts, etc.

It doesn’t mean your body won’t still bear the scars of the life you’ve lived, but it means you no longer HAVE to live in the captivity of the evil one!

Come out!

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Have you ever struggled with trusting God? What's that about? How do you get past it? Tune in to Kent's sermon and learn how you can turn and trust the one who can still the wind and the waves and redeem our story. Jump in with us in Sections 87 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

ILLUSTRATION:

The first time I ever swung a golf club was at a driving range. I knew nothing about golfing except they had given me a long stick to hit a small ball. So, naturally, as a 20-something kid, I thought, “Hit it as hard as you can…” Man, I was swinging that bad boy as hard as possible, trying to muscle it. And you can guess what was happening, it was terrible - the ball was slicing, and then sometimes barely moving. At one point, it literally went sideways. Finally, a guy came over to me and said, “It’s not about how hard you hit it, it’s about having good form and follow through”…

I stopped and watched all these other people hitting the ball, I watched them with grace, hit the ball, and follow through with their club and it hit me, I couldn’t get a hit because I didn’t know what I was doing…

WE:

We all know what it’s like to not have good follow-through on something, right?

-Some of you have a boss that takes things to like 90% done and then switches to a new project and it drives you nuts - nothing’s ever finished

As humans, we know what it looks like for someone to not follow through on an implied promise.

I think the secret struggle of lots of people when it comes to God, is feeling like God fails to follow through.

There are a few points in people's lives where they tend to walk away from God

The sermon I’m about to preach is one that can cause people to walk away from God.

Can I preach it, and then walk you back through why people walk away and what we can do?

Check it out…

THE SERMON:

One of the things I think Jesus was doing was redeeming the history & story of Israel.

Let me explain - do you know the story of Jonah?

God called Jonah to go to a non-Jewish nation and call them to God. He didn’t want to do it, so he ran - he got on a boat with a bunch of religiously pagan sailors and set off for a distant land to run from God. Jonah went down into the boat and fell asleep. While he was sleeping, a huge storm broke out. The sailors, guys who knew what they were doing on the water thought they were going to die. They finally wake up Jonah and end up realizing he’s the reason - he’s running from God. They throw Jonah over the side of the boat and the storm stops. The sailors end up worshiping God and sacrificing to him out of fear.

Alright, let’s jump into the gospels (section 87), cause I want you to see how Jesus redeems this story..

Mark 4:35-41

35 That day when evening came, he said to his disciples, “Let us go over to the other side.”

Now, you don’t know this at this point, but I”m preaching on it next week. Jesus is actually going over to the other side of the lake to a non-Jewish man who is suffering from demon possession… Jonah ran from the non-Jewish people, Jesus is running towards him.

36 Leaving the crowd behind, they took him along, just as he was, in the boat. There were also other boats with him. 37 A furious squall came up, and the waves broke over the boat, so that it was nearly swamped.

Luke tells us they were in great danger…

These guys have spent their entire lives on the water and they know they are in serious trouble - sound familiar?

38 Jesus was in the stern, sleeping on a cushion. The disciples woke him and said to him, “Teacher, don’t you care if we drown?”

Jesus is asleep during this chaos. It’s funny, I picture him rolling over like one of my teenagers and being like, “5 more minutes…” covering his face with his cloak… :)

Now, remember at this point in the story of Jonah, they throw him over board and the storm stops.. but not with Jesus!

39 He got up, rebuked the wind and said to the waves, “Quiet! Be still!” Then the wind died down and it was completely calm.

with a word, Jesus speaks and the waves stop.

I was on a boat on the sea of Galilee and felt the waves on just a windy day, I kept thinking, what would would you think of someone who could really do that - control the ecosystem with a word - that’s God-level power…

In both stories, God stops the storm.

40 He said to his disciples, “Why are you so afraid? Do you still have no faith?”

41 They were terrified and asked each other, “Who is this? Even the wind and the waves obey him!”

These guys recognize who he is in their fear…

So, here’s the sermon I’d normally preach, ready for it?

God is in the business of writing stories of redemption.

Jesus redeems the story of Jonah and He can redeem your story

All you have to do is turn and trust the one who can still the wind and the waves.

You just have to trust and have faith.

Hit pause, cause maybe you’re thinking

Kent, I don’t get it, where’s the problem with that sermon?

Here’s the problem.

The implication of that sermon is that God is going to “follow through” for you if you have enough faith - He will move whatever mountain you need moved.

And lots of you… have experienced the exact opposite.

You had faith, you trusted and the mountain remained.

And the temptation is to just walk away from Jesus.

Ugh…

Can I just tell you a couple quick stories?

Because I believe God is in the business of redeeming stories

I believe and have 100% faith and trust in Jesus.

Did you know the one person we know of that Jesus knew died and didn’t raise from the dead was his cousin?

Did you know that Paul the apostle healed lots of people but was brutalized and put in prisons?

Did you know that all the apostles - even the ones who were in the boat that day and thought they would die but were rescued, that they all died even worse deaths at the hands of violent men?

Listen, your confidence in God can’t be bound by your circumstances.

Yes, God sometimes will answer prayers in miraculous, mind-bending ways, but at other times, He will be strikingly silent.

Jesus was God while He was sleeping and they were terrified and He was God when He was standing and commanding the elements to back down.

God doesn’t sleep, but God can be silent - it doesn’t mean He doesn’t care, it just means He is up to something you don’t understand yet.

God’s gift to mankind is not to remove us from our circumstances but to walk through them with us.

“Then how can I ever have confidence in prayer with God?”

1 John 5:14

This is the confidence we have in approaching God: that if we ask anything according to his will, he hears us.

God is always following through, He’s just following through on His will - which is complex, multifaceted, caught up in time and space trying to bring as many into relationship with Him as possible.

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

A few years back there was a heartbreaking story of some worship leaders at a church whose 2-year-old daughter passed away suddenly. The church prayed for several days for this little girl to resurrect. It was heartbreaking.

Can I tell you something, I believe God could do something like that, I’ve even prayed for it. But it doesn’t destroy my faith if God doesn’t do it. As a matter of fact, the entire book of Revelation is written to show us that God DOES have a plan to restore these wrongs.

It is ok to both admit that what you have gone through is terrible and wrong AND to still trust God in the midst of the storm.

Jesus Himself entered into those kinds of places - when His friend Lazarus died. Jesus knew He was going to raise him from the dead, and yet Jesus still cried. Some of you, need to let down your guard and cry. Some of you need to return to Jesus and realize you had bought into some implications about God and how He works that were just never true…

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What does our rebellion against God result in and why? Tune in to Kent's sermon to understand the biblical theology behind it and the idea that humanity is in slavery to the fear of death and under the power of Satan, and how Jesus came to break that power and set us free! IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

You know there was a study that was done to see if kids are more influenced by nature or nuture - meaning, are we more a product of our environments or our inherited traits. They found that nature won out. Kids who had been adopted were more similar to their birth families in nature than the families who had raised them. That’s why my kids are all so good looking! Ha!

Actually it’s why all my kids knees are going to be shot by the age of 19… My kids are just lucky to have Jenni for a mom - her good WAY outweighs my genes, thank Jesus.

We all are a product of what we have inherited.

This is not just true physically, but spiritually as well.

You don’t have to teach your kid to disobey you, do you?

None of you had to teach your child to be selfish, right?

None of you had to teach your child to say “no” to you

As a matter of fact, it’s not till your kids are older that people start to teach them how to be more sophisticated with sin, right?

This is what most of you experienced in College…

Rebellion is a part of the human condition.

ILLUSTRATION:

It’s so built in that some parents will use it to get what they want. We say things like, “You better not eat that vegetable…” That’s how my parents got me to do all kinds of things - they leveraged my sinful rebellious nature to get me to obey them. What they didn’t know what they were actually encouraging rebellion in me… We call it reverse psychology… It’s part of the reason we never used it with our kids…

It’s not reverse psychology though, it’s feeding the beast inside of us.

Rebellion is part of our spiritual inheritance…

Can I walk you through some biblical Theology to set up an idea for today?

The Bible is clear that mankind's rebellion against God resulted in death entering the world.

Romans 6:23

For the wages of sin is death

Probably, if you grew up going to church you’ve heard that before. But did you know there is another theological idea tied to this?

At the core of Adam & Eve’s rebellion against God was the core idea of “we will attempt to live life on our own terms” - remember the tree they ate from was the knowledge of Good & Evil?

The problem was and is: when Adam & Eve and all mankind become aware of what is good and what is evil - and still choose to do evil - all become subject to the judgment of those choices.

ILLUSTRATION:

In other words when I was a kid and knew that stealing was wrong, but I chose to steal anyway because it was easier than saving my money up and buying the thing I wanted. There was a necessary consequence for that action.

You may be thinking, but does sinful rebellion really deserve Death?

Here’s why it results in death…

Our rebellion is ultimately us placing our trust in the words of the accuser (Satan) over the creator (God).

For Adam and Eve it’s hyper clear - God said don’t do this, they did it. The sin was in them giving authority to Satan that was only God’s… and they became subject to right and wrong, good and evil…

When talking about the work Jesus did on the cross, this is what the author of Hebrews says about it and why Jesus came in the flesh like a human…

Hebrews 2:14-15

This idea that humanity is in slavery to the fear of death and under the power of the devil, Satan, or the Evil one, is throughout the New Testament…

I’m going to post later today several passages that show this, but can I just point to one place from Jesus’ life that illustrates this fact?

When Jesus is in the desert before starting his ministry, Satan comes and tempts Him. Do you remember what the 3rd temptation was that Satan put in front of Jesus?

Matthew 4:8-10

8 Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. 9 “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”

10 Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

Why didn’t Jesus say, “It’s not yours to give?”

He didn’t say it, and it was a real temptation, because

Satan IS the god of this world.

Satan had the authority to give Jesus the loyalty of mankind because all mankind has been put under the spell of believing our rebellion is our own idea.

…and if Jesus would rebel Himself, He could have avoided the cross and gained position, but lost authority.

So, why am I telling you all this?

You will miss the power of today's parable if you don’t understand the predicament of our world…

Mt 13:44-46

44 “The kingdom of heaven is like treasure hidden in a field. When a man found it, he hid it again, and then in his joy went and sold all he had and bought that field.

45 “Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a merchant looking for fine pearls. 46 When he found one of great value, he went away and sold everything he had and bought it.

These are not hard to understand parables…

The Kingdom of Heaven - God’s Kingdom is like treasure

-whether you find it or go searching for it, once you’ve experienced it, you’d give anything and everything to get it and have it be yours!

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

I want to tell you a story and try and tie all this sermon into a bow if possible…

In 1987 a young couple had a baby who was only 19 days old that came down with a very high fever. The parents took the baby to the NYC hospital to be treated. What they didn’t know was a woman would dress up as a nurse at that hospital and kidnap this baby - Carlina White. Police, FBI got involved, but no one ever found Carlina. Carlina kept feeling like there was something off as she grew up - she didn’t resemble her “mother” at all. Her mother eventually told her that her biological parents died in a fire - but things didn’t add up. Carlina. Started searching through missing children’s case and all of the sudden came on a picture of herself as a baby. Can you imagine, learning your entire life was a fraud. What do you do with that?

You can either stay where you are, or you can move towards the life you were always meant to have.

That’s what Carlina did - she moved into the life she was meant to have. Her “mother” was eventually tried and put away for the kidnapping. Carlina was reunited with her birth family and be reunited with them.

Let me ask you a question - you are either moving towards the life Jesus offers in the Kingdom or you are moving back towards your life ruled by Satan, rebellion, and the fear of Death.

Which is it for you?

and can I ask you a harder question?

What in your life shows which Kingdom you’re running towards?

Listen to me, the reason the Kingdom is like a treasure, is because it’s freeing - it’s hope, it’s Joy, it’s the consequences of sin being taken upon Jesus so you can be free - it’s you putting your authority and trust back in Jesus and literally being moved from a kidnapping victim to coming back home to God. It’s crazy to me how many Christians were like, “yup, that’s really my dad,” and then walked right back into the house of the kidnapper - living under the rule of sin.

Paul will say this this way in Romans 6 right before Romans 6:23 that I read earlier

Romans 6:19-13

Just as you used to offer yourselves as slaves to impurity and to ever-increasing wickedness, so now offer yourselves as slaves to righteousness leading to holiness. 20 When you were slaves to sin, you were free from the control of righteousness. 21 What benefit did you reap at that time from the things you are now ashamed of? Those things result in death! 22 But now that you have been set free from sin and have become slaves of God, the benefit you reap leads to holiness, and the result is eternal life. 23 For the wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life in Christ Jesus our Lord.

The gift of God is eternal life and to live for it. What will you do?

If you don’t know how to do this, let me tell you, it’s simple

You die to yourself - die to your old way of doing life
You live by faith - you choose to moment by moment include God in your life
You learn the heart of Jesus - start reading the New Testament today and ask God, “what does your heart beat for?”

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This week Kent shares with us from the parable of the 4 soils and fills in some blanks on some exciting news for Harmony moving forward.. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

So, growing up, I always thought if you had good kids it’s because you had just hit the lottery - it was just the luck of the draw. That’s why my basic plan for starting a family was to find someone with really good kids and offer money to buy their children… Lol, not really, I was just going to take them… Ha, I would never do that. But seriously.

I really thought it was magic, like there was a great coin slot in the sky that we all just put our quarter in and got what we got out of it. I thought it was just luck, that was, till I became a youth pastor. While it’s true that every kid has a personality and no one is going to parent perfect

I found that good kids were the product of lots of hard-won sweat and tears. It was lots of follow-through, lots of getting up when it would be easier to stay in your chair. It was thousands of little conversations and hours spent shaping and caring for those kids - stewarding their hearts towards wisdom and life.

It turns out things grow in the soil their planted in.

The Biblical idea for this is called reaping and sowing.

It means whatever you plant is what you will get back in return.

So, here’s the question our staff has been mulling over…

You know the whole reason I’ve given my life to the work of ministry is not just to keep you entertained up here or to help you leave feeling motivated for the week.

My life’s purpose is to raise up and release Leaders for God’s Kingdom - Disciples.

The question our staff has been struggling through is how do we help you move from “interested church attender” to “active discipled leader”?

I don’t mean that you would have to be a church leader or become a pastor. What I mean is, how do you go from “Yeah, I go to church” to, “I’m on mission for Jesus?” What does it take?

Jesus told a parable to tell us what kind of soil that kind of person grows in.

Here’s the parable:

There was a farmer who went out to plant some seed. He was doing it the old-fashioned way where you walked through afield and spread it with your hands. Some of that seed fell on the path next to the field. Birds came and ate it up before it could even take root. Some of it fell into some rocky ground - that seed took root, but as soon as it came up the sun baked it and it withered because it’s roots couldn’t go deep. Some of the seed fell into some weeds, it started to come up but it got choked out by the other plants. The rest of the seed fell on good soil, it took root and started to grow and it produced more seeds all the way up to 100x what was sown.

Jesus loved to tell these kind of stories. He used stuff people understood in those days - if he lived in Georgetown he’d talk about making car parts. But He lived in a place where agriculture ruled the day.

Jesus grabs his disciples and says this to them…

Matthew 13:18-23

18 “Listen then to what the parable of the sower means: 19 When anyone hears the message about the kingdom and does not understand it, the evil one comes and snatches away what was sown in their heart. This is the seed sown along the path. 20 The seed falling on rocky ground refers to someone who hears the word and at once receives it with joy. 21 But since they have no root, they last only a short time. When trouble or persecution comes because of the word, they quickly fall away. 22 The seed falling among the thorns refers to someone who hears the word, but the worries of this life and the deceitfulness of wealth choke the word, making it unfruitful. 23 But the seed falling on good soil refers to someone who hears the word and understands it. This is the one who produces a crop, yielding a hundred, sixty or thirty times what was sown.”

Jesus point is, the soil matters as much as the seed…

The question of how to move you from “interested church attender” to “active discipled leader” is a question of how to become good soil.

TAKE THE TURN:

Can I step aside from the sermon and share some of the difficulties we face in our church and culture right now?

We are living in an unprecedented time.

Most people know more about the Marvel universe than they do about the Messiah…

Even in churches I’d say…

We want to know how to follow Jesus but don’t know anything Jesus said.

I’m not saying this as a judgement or to make you feel bad - it’s just the truth of our situation.

Does that feel like good soil?

Our Kids ministry struggles because every single week we have a completely different set of children in there.

Imagine trying to take kids on a consistent journey into the heart of God and not know who knows what

Our teens are so involved in so many activities that our student ministry (which I’ve been helping with) has almost a completely different group of kids every single week.

Families are stretched thin already, right?

How do we become good soil?

This is the question we’ve been asking…

So,

Some day, God is going to look at our generation and say, “what did you do with it?”

I’m the kind of person who doesn’t see the challenge, I only see the opportunity.

While lots of churches are facing what we are facing, I see an opportunity for an entire generation to come passionately alive to the gospel of God’s Kingdom and join Him in redeeming the world back to Him.

All we have to do is become good soil.

-Jesus tells us what it means to become good soil

-You need to clear the things out that keep your roots from going deep and keep your heart and mind from getting distracted off His Kingdom.

Think about the things it takes to prepare soil - get rid of weeds, prepare the soil for deep roots by breaking it up, watering it, providing nutrients, etc.

So, we’ve been thinking about how can we create an environment that helps us produce good soil…

Not just for you, but for the whole family.

So, we’re taking an old thing churches used to do, and making it over for our modern needs.

Here’s the deal our plan is starting in September of this next year, we are going to launch a Wed. Night Environment called

Encounter

Encounter will have four main threads to it.

We are launching a new ministry initiative called

Base Camp [PUT UP BASECAMP LOGO]

-Base camp will be a rotating environment that will take every person in our church through the trail guide - we’re going to go over it as a church all together. But from now on, if you have a friend you invite or someone new comes to church - their first stop is to complete basecamp. This way we are all on the same page about what we are doing and where we are going. We are tilling the ground to become good soil and planting seeds.

Encounter Groups [PUT UP GROUP LOGO]

We believe EVERY single person needs to be in a group at harmony - it is the place where you can become good soil - for Christians, interacting with other Christians is how you get weeds pulled out, it’s how you get rocks cleared out of your soil. It is, iron sharpening iron. But we know it’s hard for you to join a group and add another thing into your life when you already have sports, and activities you’re involved in. We will continue to have connect groups that meet on other nights, but you’ll see how having Connect Groups that occur on Wed. nights is going to be a game changer for lot of people. That’s why the next step is so vital to our plan:

Encounter Kids & Encounter Youth [PUT UP Kids & Youth LOGO’s]

We want to provide an experience for the ENTIRE family, so we are going to be adding a program lots of you will be familiar with, called Awanas in order to take our kids to the next level. We want to intentionally create an environment where we know week to week who to expect and can put some expectations on them. For them to be growing deep in their roots with Jesus. We also are moving our student ministry to Wed. nights and rebranding it Encounter Youth - and REACH on Sunday nights.

Encounter on Wednesday Nights means you and your entire family will be growing in their relationship with God and becoming good soil - moving from “interested church attender” to “active discipled leader”

So, here’s what you need to know

Encounter is Launching Sept. 13.

Encounter will follow the rhythm of the school year.

Encounter Schedule:

5:45-6:15 Meal

6:30-7:45 Encounter Environments (Basecamp, Groups, Kids, Youth)

8:00 Go Home and Live it!

Check out this video, and while you do we are going to pass out some cards to you, we want you to fill these cards out and let us know you are in!

[PLAY ENCOUNTER PROMO]

So, here’s my question,

Are you willing to say “yes” to being good soil?

To standing with us to reach this generation for God and His Kingdom?

Here’s what I want to ask.

In the next few moments, Anthony and the team are going to come out and play our invitation song for communion. I want to ask you to do me a favor, everyone get out your envelopes you got on your way in today. On the count of three we’re all going to open them up! Inside you’ve find a “save my spot” card - we’re wanting to know, who is in to saying yes to this. It’s super simple. you’ll find two cards in there, one is the “save my spot” and the other is a prayer card. We are going to sing a song in a moment. And I’m going to ask if you are willing to stand with us to be good soil in this world and plan on joining encounter that you physically stand with us. I want you to Fill out your card, when it’s ready, I want you to stand up with me and someone will come and grab the card from you and then I want you to worship Jesus…

[SING SONG]

Kent Celebrates - tosses out some shirts to people who are standing

We pray for Encounter.

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Ever questioned whether you're saved or not? Kent is going to take us to a story from Jesus that will touch on that idea. Stay tuned to the end to get some practical ways to orient yourself to being good Seed. Jump in with us in Sections 80 & 83 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

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visit https://my.harmonychurch.cc/sermons

Choose the date from last Sunday's sermon to see the questions

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

I hate having to search for my Starbucks drink.

I place my order online, walk into the store, and there are 75 other drinks sitting lined up like boys at a junior high dance.

I’ve just started grabbing the first one that looks good to me!

Ha, sometimes I take one that’s not mine and just watch for someone to come looking for their precious, mocha latte, with a double half twist cold brewed with a skoch of chai.

What if you just walked up and started taste testing till you found the right one? What do you think they would do? Ha, [act out] “Ew, that should be taken off the menu…”

Every time I go looking for my drink, I’ve got the “Sorry if I just touched your drink” look on my face. Because they are always hiding the label under the little drink skirt.

Seriously, I hate it!

I hate trying to find something that’s hidden right in plain sight.

We all know what that’s like, right

Ladies, how many times has your husband been looking for something and you walk over and say, “It’s right here!” and it’s literally right in front of his face!

Ever realized you left the report on your desk in a pile of papers and you’re rushing trying to find it, digging through stacks of junk to find the “one”?

Today, we’re going to jump into a story Jesus told, a parable about trying to find something that was hidden in plain sight.

A parable is an earthly story with a heavenly meaning..

Check it out…

Mt 13:24-30

24 Jesus told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a man who sowed good seed in his field. 25 But while everyone was sleeping, his enemy came and sowed weeds among the wheat, and went away.

Actually, the weeds Jesus is referring to is a type of grass that grows in Israel, when it is first starting to grow, it looks almost identical to wheat, this is important for later… Keep it in your back pocket

26 When the wheat sprouted and formed heads, then the weeds also appeared.

27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

Good question, right?

Farmers today go to great lengths to not have weeds growing up along with their grain.

Weeds take nutrients, they take moisture, they take physical space up - they're a terrible thing to have growing with your good seed.

How many of you have grown a garden - a good gardener goes out and regularly weeds their garden…

This story is about to turn dark though, listen to the answer of “where then did the weeds come from”

28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

ILLUSTRATION:

Can you imagine hating someone so much you’d be willing to go try and ruin their entire crop? You’d be willing to sneak onto their property, put your own safety on the line, just to try and destroy their harvest…?

Some of you know what this is like, you work with the person who intentionally undercuts you with the boss, they plant little seeds in their mind about how bad you are. Some of you have an ex who does this with your kids, they plant weeds in there…

This is what’s happened to this guys crop -

Weed seed has been sown with the good seed by the enemy.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them.

Remember, these weeds looked like wheat while growing. This farmer doesn’t want to lose any of his crop…

30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

This is being at Starbucks trying to find the right coffee x 1000

This guy's livelihood, and likely family, is on the line.

What does the parable mean?

I want to read to you what Jesus says about it. Then I want to look at what we need to do out of it.

Mt. 13:36-43

36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

You need to know, Jesus has told several parables here, but the one they don’t know what to do with is this one…

37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom.

Everyone good so far?

Jesus is the farmer, the world is the field, and the good seed is the people of the Kingdom.

So, what are the weeds?

Listen to what Jesus will say and pay attention because, in just a bit, He’s gonna tell us how we can tell the weeds apart from the seeds.

The weeds are the people of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

got it? Jesus is being pretty clear

40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age.

I need to prepare you, what Jesus is about to say, is hard…

41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

can I read that again for you…?

41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil.

can I ask you a pretty tough question?

How do you know if you are a weed or a seed?

Jesus says both will grow in the same place and will look similar

If that question hits you hard, then I’d encourage you to listen up…

Weeds cause sin and do evil…

-The cause of sin is not just a person who causes others to sin, but this has the idea of being caught up in things that cause sin.

Can I have permission to punch you in the gut a little bit?

There are at least 3 reasons we might be more weed than seed.

Some of us have grown desensitized to sin
Some of us don’t know what sin even looks like - the culture you’ve grown up in normalizes sin (We the get out of hell free card, but didn’t want to savior/leader that came with it… So, we never went deeper to learn His heart)
Some of us don’t really care about pleasing Jesus as much as pleasing ourselves…
- You are a jerk and you normalize it by saying, “I’m just a grump”
- You are more caught up in finding your identity in what you want than you are in trying to know how God sees you
- You know more bible than most people and can quote it but don’t ever live it…

Look, I’m hitting hard here because it matters.

It’s clear that Jesus is saying that seed will be drastically different from the weed around them in the end.

So, if you have any concerns that you might be a weed, I want to say this to you…

It’s time to take drastic, immediate actions in your life to be good seed.

Make a PLAN to get into God's word (learn the heart of Jesus - grab a trail guide and read the section on reading the bible)
PUT it all on the table (Evaluate all the assumptions you bring to the Kingdom)
PUT the plan into action (take a step THIS week - join a connect group, download the bible app and put it where their Tik Took app is) get practical.

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

Listen, I’m concerned that most of you have come in thinking you can have salvation, but leave behind who the savior is. That’s not how it works. This is why we baptize, it’s to remind you everything about your old life has died and you now live a live that is characterized by life in Jesus. You don’t live this way to gain salvation, you live this way because of salvation.

Salvation can’t be earned, but salvation is not opposed to effort

Today, I don’t want to give you an emotional call to action. I want to look you in the eyes and say, “you have a choice to be good seed today.” choose it. Take the next few moments to write up a plan. Make it reasonable - “over the next year, I’m going to study Jesus’ life and learn how He saw the world”. This is just pursuit at it’s best - it’s orienting your life towards Jesus instead of yourself.

Matthew 13:24-30 & 36-43

Mk 4:26-29

26 He also said, “This is what the kingdom of God is like. A man scatters seed on the ground. 27 Night and day, whether he sleeps or gets up, the seed sprouts and grows, though he does not know how. 28 All by itself the soil produces grain—first the stalk, then the head, then the full kernel in the head. 29 As soon as the grain is ripe, he puts the sickle to it, because the harvest has come.”

Mt 13:24-30

27 “The owner’s servants came to him and said, ‘Sir, didn’t you sow good seed in your field? Where then did the weeds come from?’

28 “‘An enemy did this,’ he replied.

“The servants asked him, ‘Do you want us to go and pull them up?’

29 “‘No,’ he answered, ‘because while you are pulling the weeds, you may uproot the wheat with them. 30 Let both grow together until the harvest. At that time I will tell the harvesters: First collect the weeds and tie them in bundles to be burned; then gather the wheat and bring it into my barn.’”

Mt 13:31-32

31 He told them another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like a mustard seed, which a man took and planted in his field. 32 Though it is the smallest of all seeds, yet when it grows, it is the largest of garden plants and becomes a tree, so that the birds come and perch in its branches.”

Mk 4:30-34

30 Again he said, “What shall we say the kingdom of God is like, or what parable shall we use to describe it? 31 It is like a mustard seed, which is the smallest of all seeds on earth. 32 Yet when planted, it grows and becomes the largest of all garden plants, with such big branches that the birds can perch in its shade.”

33 With many similar parables Jesus spoke the word to them, as much as they could understand. 34 He did not say anything to them without using a parable. But when he was alone with his own disciples, he explained everything.

Mt 13:33-35

33 He told them still another parable: “The kingdom of heaven is like yeast that a woman took and mixed into about sixty pounds[a] of flour until it worked all through the dough.”

34 Jesus spoke all these things to the crowd in parables; he did not say anything to them without using a parable. 35 So was fulfilled what was spoken through the prophet:

“I will open my mouth in parables, I will utter things hidden since the creation of the world.”[b]

Mt. 13:36-43

36 Then he left the crowd and went into the house. His disciples came to him and said, “Explain to us the parable of the weeds in the field.”

37 He answered, “The one who sowed the good seed is the Son of Man. 38 The field is the world, and the good seed stands for the people of the kingdom. The weeds are the people of the evil one, 39 and the enemy who sows them is the devil. The harvest is the end of the age, and the harvesters are angels.

40 “As the weeds are pulled up and burned in the fire, so it will be at the end of the age. 41 The Son of Man will send out his angels, and they will weed out of his kingdom everything that causes sin and all who do evil. 42 They will throw them into the blazing furnace, where there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth. 43 Then the righteous will shine like the sun in the kingdom of their Father. Whoever has ears, let them hear.

The Kingdom of God spreads, it is planted & we are the seeds - the active agents in spreading the message. God is not interested in weeding out the weeds from the seeds - He is only interested in letting you grow - it’s up to you what you will be and where you will end up.

STUDY:

God is planting and letting things grow - He's not judging things early - but waiting till it will be obvious at the end of the ages
Wheat and Tares look similar - you can see from the images below. It would be very difficult to pull them up in the field without pulling up some wheat
Jesus is intimating there will be people who seem to be a part of the Kingdom who are not - our job is to not try and guess who is in or who is not, He's not even allowing the angels to do that. Our job is to grow and be wheat - make sure we are 'in Christ'
Both wheat and darnel belong to the natural order Gramineæ or Grasses. They are easily distinguished when in flower, by the wheat having two glumes, and its florets having their edges next the rachis or common stalk; while in the darnel there is one glume and the florets have their backs next the rachis.
Jesus actually lets you know there is an enemy - this is something SO many Christians don't actively appreciate, or engage. We just assume every thought, every experience we have is "God's will or plan" but, Jesus very clearly says there are seeds that are sown that are not from Him. Do you have the discernment in your own life to determine what is from Him and what's not? How do you know?
- You need to know God's word - you need to be in His word and listening for His heart (Learn the Heart of Jesus)
- You need to get around people who are solid followers of Jesus to learn from them - get in a connect group
- We have this thing in our culture that "you do you" or "live your truth" the problem with that is it assumes you actually know truth - it assumes you have within you the highest form of truth - built in. It assumes you are perfect as you are, ultimately, you are a god unto yourself. You don't have some place you need to grow? Some place where you have adopted wrong beliefs and behaviors?
  - What if God has something to say about
    - your identity
    - your sexuality
    - your ethics
    - your family dynamics
    - and more
  - What if He has something to say, but you're unwilling to listen because you're not even looking for Him?

ILLUSTRATION:

What if I put $100 bill under one chair... and didn't tell them I had done that till this point in the sermon. Point out, none of you even looked under your chairs, why? Because it wasn't even on your radar - in your mind there was no reason to look under your seat, and now all you can think about is, "when can I look under my seat?"

Jesus is looking for the wheat, what does that mean? He tells us - it's what's left after getting rid of everything that causes sin and those who do evil.
- In CS Lewis' Great divorce, he gives a picture of people being offered heaven and they can't see giving up their sin habits that keep them from Jesus - it's too comfortable to stay where they are than to be threshed out and have that stuff stripped from them.
  - The question some of you have to ask is do you even want what Jesus offers?
    - What if He will require you to give up your medeling quarlesome ways - like you love to stir up the pot and don't care about who you hurt - what if He will strip out those things?
    - What if He strips out your lust, will you be happy with that, or will there be a part of you that doesn't know how you'll make it through a hard day?
    - What if unbridled rage and anger isn't there - you just hoping He will magically fix that? What will you do when things don't go your way?
  - The question is really, do you want Jesus more than you want this...
This also means for ministry, we need to hold it loosely - you are going to have people you invest a lot in and don't see what you think is fruit, other times people are magically going to start growing. To quote Paul, "one plants, another waters, God gives the growth." If Jesus isn't willing to judge the fruit of something before hand, who are you to do that - your job is to be faithful to Him

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Jesus said some pretty tough things - He was always hyper clear that there is a competition in our souls of who will have the throne in your heart. The question is which King will you choose? Jump in with us in Sections 61 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Do you remember the first time you got on an airplane? For me, I was older, already an adult. So, I remember sitting there nervously as we all boarded and sat there, the whir of the engine and the bustle of the stewardesses. They started to back the plane away from the gate and the stewardess starts to tell everyone how to buckle their seat belts and what to do in case of a crash. I’m listening to it and I’m studying and pouring over the pamphlet in front of me like it’s my only lifeline to reality…

I can remember very vividly looking around at everyone else on the plane and being like, “if we get in a crash, I’m not helping any of you suckers out!”

Ha!

here’s my question…

Why didn’t anyone care about the instructions about what to do in case of a crash?

Cause I guarantee you, if we’d have been in a crash - it’s the first and only thing they would have cared about…

At least one of the reasons they didn’t care is because they didn’t believe a crash would happen to them.

They’d never experienced a crash and so they ignored the information.

You might want to argue with me and say, “Or they’ve just heard it so many times that they didn’t have to listen anymore.” I’d agree with you, except, for the fact that I’m pretty sure if you got on a plane and they said, “There’s a 90% chance that we go down, but it’s our only choice to take off right now, otherwise there’s a 100% chance we die” If that was the case, how many people do you think would listen to the instructions that time? I’m pretty sure every single person would be dialed in, listening to every detail.

The only change would be they believed they were going to need the information..

Can I take you to some of Jesus’ most ignored words? :)

Jesus has been talking to people about praying, he’s been talking about fasting…

He’s been sharing about what life in the Kingdom of God looks like, how to pray, how to fast.

Then He gives the rules of the Kingdom that most of us listen to and then go right back to life as usual.

Mt 6:19-24

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

In our modern world, this would have been, don’t store up your treasure on earth where stock markets fail and floods and tornadoes destroy…

right?

Jesus is trying to help them see how the security this world offers is more at risk than we’d like to admit

“Then what do I do with my treasure Jesus?”

20 But store up for yourselves treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also.

More on this in a minute…

22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy,[a] your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,[b] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness!

ILLUSTRATION:

Ever heard of an evil eye? I’ve accidentally cut some people off and gotten this, and maybe a few other gestures… We don’t get Jesus’ illustration here, but what you need to know is having good eyes or bad eyes was a way of talking about someone's generosity. Kind of like how we might say someone lived their life with open hands…

Jesus is saying when you live your life from a generous posture you live your life in a way that brings light!

Makes sense - sounds good, not hearing the problem here Kent…

24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

This is where I think we all start to drift off in Jesus’ words…

Now, I don’t mean to say we don’t like them, that we don’t agree with them even in a philosophical way. What I mean is that we look at them and we say,

Sounds like a good philosophy, but does it work in real-world practice?

That’s the question, right?

How many of you spend the majority of your time thinking about money: how to get it, how to spend it, how to save it, how to keep it, and how not to lose it?

ILLUSTRATION:

When I went to work for the car dealership I worked for years ago, my boss wanted to get me to work using incentives, I told him he could do it, but I wasn’t driven by money. He literally told me to not tell anyone because no one would trust me… LOL, it’s funny cause that’s the one thing that helps people trust me as a pastor.

Most people are driven by money.

So, when Jesus says you can either serve God or money, we hear Him - but we don’t listen…

Like the people sitting by me on the airplane that day…

We come to Jesus and say:

I’ve got to…

But I’ve got bills to pay

I’ve got things I want to do

I’ve got to be able to retire

What is the “I’ve got to” excuse for you??

It’s interesting because Jesus knows this will be your argument

because the very next thing He will say is this…

Matthew 6:25-27

25 “Therefore I tell you, do not worry about your life, what you will eat or drink; or about your body, what you will wear. Is not life more than food, and the body more than clothes? 26 Look at the birds of the air; they do not sow or reap or store away in barns, and yet your heavenly Father feeds them. Are you not much more valuable than they? 27 Can any one of you by worrying add a single hour to your life[e]?

Can I tell you my sneaky suspicion as to why we don’t trust Jesus that it’s shifting to storing treasure in Heaven over treasure on Earth?

My sneaky suspicion is that you don’t really believe God will come through. Money seems to come through - it puts you in control, it provides, it gives you security.

But you can’t take it with you, and the happiness & security it brings is unsatisfying - that’s why you constantly want more and are enslaved by it.

Let me clear something up

Jesus isn’t saying money is bad - He isn’t even saying you shouldn’t work hard and make as much as you possibly can.

Jesus’ point is about WHERE you are storing the treasure.

Listen again:

Mt 6:19-24

19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal.

The only thing that will move from this present life to eternal life is people. That’s it.

Jesus will point all these people to these simple words:

Matthew 6:33

”But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well.”

Treasure, when stored in doing Kingdom-good for people, can translate into eternity…

Ask this question every day: “Who’s agenda am I after?”

that’s it, ask and answer that question or God’s Kingdom and His agenda and you will naturally start finding ways to store up treasures in heaven.

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

I told you my sneaky suspicion is that you haven’t taken this step to change the leadership in your life in a real way because you don’t trust God will come through. Maybe when you were a kid, bad stuff happened to you and you stopped trusting God, maybe you prayed and felt like your prayer wasn’t answered, maybe you tragically lost someone you loved and can’t fathom how that could have happened. Whatever it is, can I ask you this question? Have you ever tried honestly, moment by moment seeking first God’s Kingdom and righteousness, asking and answering the question, “Who’s agenda am I after?” and seeing if God comes through - not with all your wants - not health and wealth, but all your needs. My guess is your lack of taking this step is bound up in this quote by GK Chesterton:

“The Christian ideal has not been tried and found wanting. It has been found difficult, and left untried.”

-GK Chesterton

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What is it that shapes your identity? How would you answer the questions, "who am I" and "whose am I"? This week Kent takes us to some words of Jesus' that have the potential to revolutionize your identity. Jump in with us in Sections 50 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

ILLUSTRATION:

In World War II the Japanese had prisoners of war write letters to home about how much they hated America and how what America was doing was wrong. Why did the prisoners do this? because they were being offered cigarettes.

What they found is these prisoners slowly became anti-American.

Why?

Intellectually, the prisoners couldn’t imagine that they had sold out America for cigarettes.

Ultimately, they justified their behavior by shifting their belief to match their actions. They became Anti-American.

Why did that happen?

It’s because

You can’t operate for long in a manner that is inconsistent with what you believe about yourself without creating incredible dissonance inside of you.

The only way to resolve the dissonance is by changing either what you do or what you believe.

did you hear that? Human's ability to justify things will cause us to either morph our beliefs to fit our behavior, or we will morph our behavior to fit our beliefs - we CAN’T stay in a place of inconsistency for long

When there is prolonged misalignment between your belief & behavior you will experience an internal breakdown.

ILLUSTRATION:

let me try and help this make sense with one more quick illustration. I believe inside that I’m a hard worker - that I go above and beyond. A while back, I was under a lot of pressure and found myself mindlessly scrolling through Facebook, even when I was supposed to be working. I would get to the end of the work day and feel awful. Why? It was because

I was being inconsistent with who I am.

My lack of integrity in my activity was violating my authenticity.

This is why people in our culture talk about their “authentic self”

The problem is, in our culture, we pretend like our authentic self is untouched by any kind of outside influence or pressure, but that’s not true… Your authentic self is a construct

Your authentic self is a construct of your internal personality plus your experiences, relationships, beliefs, and behaviors.

We call this our identity

But identity is not formed in a vacuum

It is one of the most basic parts of being human. Another way to get at this is to ask the questions…

Who are you? and Whose are you?

I would say these two questions being answered inadequately in our society is causing more mental distress and spiritual anxiety than just about anything else in our world…

I want you to listen to Jesus’ words in the Sermon on the Mount with all this in mind - this idea of both knowing who you are are and whose you are and being consistent with that.

Mt 5:13-16

13 “You are the salt of the earth. But if the salt loses its saltiness, how can it be made salty again? It is no longer good for anything, except to be thrown out and trampled underfoot.

14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.

Jesus doesn’t say, “You should become the salt of the earth, the light of the world.” Jesus says "YOU ARE"

Jesus is saying, in the present tense, “You are salt, you are light”

Jesus is making a claim about your identity.

What does it mean to be salt & light?

Salt:

Paul says in

Colossians 46

6 Let your conversation be always full of grace, seasoned with salt, so that you may know how to answer everyone.

When you are salt - you season everything you come into contact with the Kingdom of God.

You live differently than the people around you, your standards are based on the righteousness of God - you are unwilling to justify bad behavior, you are honest, you are a servant, you love others ferociously, etc.

It doesn’t really matter if you are a preservative, a flavor additive or something else, Jesus’ point is, you change the environment when you are His follower - just you being present changes things.

Light:

Can I tell you a secret, Jesus called someone else the light of the world too, not just you and me… Listen to this

John 8:12

12 When Jesus spoke again to the people, he said, “I am the light of the world. Whoever follows me will never walk in darkness, but will have the light of life.”

Being light means you expose dark things to the light of life.

When you walk into the room you bring hope, you bring joy, you bring truth, you bring grace, mercy, etc.

Here’s the point. Jesus says you are Salt and light.

Salt can’t be not-salty, light can’t be darkness.

So, can I ask you a question?

What does your behavior say about your belief? Does the way you act show you ACTUALLY believe Jesus?

If that question is messing with you, my guess is you believe something other than Jesus about who you are and whose you are. You feel a conflict between what you should believe and the way you behave.

You believe you’re too bad

You believe you can’t change

You believe it doesn’t matter

You believe your identity is caught up in something other than God.

ILLUSTRATION:

I’m not up here to try and convince you of anything, other than challenge you. You know I’ve been working on losing weight, and one of things TJ has said that hit me is “you don’t have a will problem, you have a BS problem - belief system.” See, I could lose weight if I believed I would get paid a million dollars for it. I could put in the work, make it happen. I just don’t believe it’s worth it. The same is true for you with your relationship with Jesus. Once you decide you believe Him. You believe that you are salt, you are light. That God has given you a gift that is incalculable. That you have been rescued from darkness. That you have been rescued from bland. That you have been placed in eternal security with Him. That He loved you so much, He gave His own life. When you do that. You will start to live out of it.

But Kent, I’m still struggling with sin…

See the person who struggles with sin is different from the person who has settled for living in sin.

The person who is struggling is looking to die to it. The person who has settled to live in it has given up.

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

This morning, I want to invite you to do something different for communion. We’ve put the cross in a central location. I want you to grab your communion, then come up and feel it, stand in front of it, think about the sacrifice that was made for you. Really think about it, picture Jesus on the cross. Picture Him looking at you and saying, “this was for you…” Then think about, who does that make you want to be? Don’t you WANT to be salt & light after that? Doesn’t it make you WANT to live differently? Address your belief and your behavior will follow.

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The Kingdom Jesus came to initiate inside of you is so wildly different than what our world expects, you almost look lucky. Tune in today to learn how your citizenship and not your circumstances determine more about you than you know. Jump in with us in Sections 49 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

I am perhaps one of the most unlucky people you will ever meet! I’m telling you, if something could go wrong, it’s going to happen to me. The first time this hit me was when I was a kid, we had been going off and on to this church - they were having a meal afterward and it was a fancy church. Like, they had real crystal and china for church meals - none of this paper plates and red solo cups! For some reason, my parents asked me to carry the tray. I think they were trying to empower me. But as I was carrying this tray, I started to fumble it and everything flew off of it. crashing to the floor, tons of crystal and china. You could see in the old lady’s faces that I had just committed a mortal sin. Ha. And since that point in time, that’s basically the story of my life…

So much so, that I’ve learned to use my bad luck to my advantage. I’ve found that if I’m in a doctor's office and I’m really getting into an article in a magazine that the doctor will call me to come. I used to hate this, but now I use it to my advantage :)

Can I ask you a question?

Who are the people you consider “lucky” in our world?

If you’re like me, you’ve got a person in your mind who nothing ever goes wrong for. The person who just lucks into meeting famous people, the person who starts a business and it all just seems to go well for. I’ve got a buddy who is hyper-aware of his luck and he will tell you right away, he doesn’t know why, but he always seems to be in the right place at the right time…

What are the things you would use to say a person is lucky?

Did you know Jesus talks about who gets to be lucky in this world?

Ah, some of you are like, “Kent, this sounds like witchcraft - I don’t remember Jesus ever saying anyone was lucky”

Let me read you the passage and then it will make sense to you, you ready for this?

As I read this passage, every time you hear the word blessed, I want you to use the word “lucky” in your mind.

Matthew 5:1-12

When he saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then[a]he began to teach them, saying:

Blessed are those who are happy and have it all together, for they will be the envy of all
Blessed are those who are surrounded by loved ones, for they never have to experience true loss
Blessed are the powerful, for they get whatever they want
Blessed are those who are hungry for more and more, for their hunger will only grow
Blessed are those who are in control and overpower, for they get to be in charge
Blessed are those who are willing to do whatever it takes to get what they want, for they will be feared by all
Blessed are those who will do what it takes to win any fight, for they will never lack an opponent
Blessed are those whose life is easy and never has to stand against or for anything, because their life will be easy and relatively meaningless

Ha, some of you are like, “wait a second, I don’t think that’s right…”

I made up all those blessed/lucky statements

Some of you know that’s not what Jesus said - but this is what you would expect if you were making a list of what makes a person lucky, right?

I did this because I want, when you read Jesus’ actual list of what makes you lucky or blessed, for you see it for what it is - strange…

Mt 5:1-12

When he saw the crowds, he went up on the mountain, and after he sat down, his disciples came to him. 2 Then[a]he began to teach them, saying:

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

4 Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

5 Blessed are the humble,

for they will inherit the earth.

6 Blessed are those who hunger and thirst for righteousness,

for they will be filled.

7 Blessed are the merciful,

for they will be shown mercy.

8 Blessed are the pure in heart,

for they will see God.

9 Blessed are the peacemakers,

for they will be called sons of God.

10 Blessed are those who are persecuted because of righteousness,

for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

11 “You are blessed when they insult you and persecute you and falsely say every kind of evil against you because of me.12 Be glad and rejoice, because your reward is great in heaven. For that is how they persecuted the prophets who were before you.

So, what’s the deal? Why does Jesus’ list seem so backward from what you would expect?

-poor in spirit? Mourning? humble?

Matthew has just got done at the end of Chapter 4 telling you how Jesus has been preaching the Kingdom of God, and now, Jesus is going to sit down and tell you what it’s like for someone who lives in the Kingdom - for the person who has found the treasure of God.

When you have the Kingdom of God in your life, you have the luckiest of all lives!

But why?

Jesus’ point is that circumstances don’t determine your status - your citizenship does…

-you can be depressed

-you can be the janitor sweeping up after people

-you can be the lowest of the lows and still you have been translated from a life of meaninglessness to a life of complete meaning.

This kind of perspective allows you to live with a freedom others find perplexing

-You can say no to things that seem like absolute opportunities

ILLUSTRATION: Not taking a promotion to stay with the team you’ve been able to share Jesus with, guy who chose to stay in prison as a Christian so he could continue to share the gospel

-You can say yes to things that seem like the absolute wrong thing

ILLUSTRATION: kids going to bible college when their parents told them not to, missionaries going on the field, giving up a secular job to work at a church

Reminds me of what Paul says…:

Romans 8:35-39

35 Who shall separate us from the love of Christ? Shall trouble or hardship or persecution or famine or nakedness or danger or sword? 36 As it is written:

“For your sake we face death all day long; we are considered as sheep to be slaughtered.”[a]

37 No, in all these things we are more than conquerors through him who loved us. 38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[b] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

When you are “in Christ” you are already “in”

What does this mean for us?

It means if you AREN’T “in Christ” (never committed your life to Him as Lord & Savior) then you better worry… (Matthew 21:44)
It means if you ARE “in Christ” you can hold the things of this world loosely - your time, your treasure, and your talent all become opportunities for God to work rather than means by which you gain significance (Philippians 3:8)
It means rebooting and reinstalling an entirely new way of thinking about life that is counter to our culture (Romans 12:2)

Just because you are saved doesn’t mean your body, mind, and heart doesn’t need to come under the thinking and way of the Kingdom. This is why you NEED to be in a connect group - around other Christians who can help challenge you.

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

The day we visited the Mount of the Beatitudes in Israel was July 5th, in the US on the 4th, there had been an attack where some people got shot in Chicago - our tour guide had been quiet. We found out it’s because his dad had been shot and was in the hospital. He finally shared as we were getting off the bus - he had talked to his dad that day and found out he was ok. But as we were getting off the bus - it hit me that 11 years earlier on July 6th, my dad had died. That morning, I had talked to him because he was in the hospital and he had used the same words, “don’t worry about me, I’m fine” I tried to hide my face as this flood of emotions ran through my bones. I held back from the group, spent time by myself. We all gathered by this church and someone from our group just spontaneously started to read the beatitudes…

3 “Blessed are the poor in spirit,

for the kingdom of heaven is theirs.

4 Blessed are those who mourn,

for they will be comforted.

as he read those words “blessed are those who mourn, for they will be comforted”, I felt Jesus speak to me, “this is for you too Kent”… I couldn’t handle it, I walked off by myself - what were the odds that I would be there on that day, that series of events would happen, all so God could speak to me and say, “you too”. Listen, the list of Beatitudes matters - because I believe if you have made Jesus your savior, He’s looking right at you and wants to speak to you today and say, “you too”

Why not give Him your entire life? Your entire heart?

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Have you ever had a failure in your life that still haunts you? Most of us have. Today we jump to the end of the story to look how Jesus & His resurrection brought restoration to a massive failure. Jump in with us in Sections 247 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Several weeks ago I installed a new shower in our bathroom. Let me just tell you, I’m at best mildly handy. Like I’m constantly thinking, “don’t cut your hand out, don’t cut your hand off”. But I knew our shower wasn’t going to fix itself. So, I got some advice from Anthony and went after it. Everything was going great until about the 2nd hour into it the demolition when I accidentally place my little ladder on the shower drain pipe without knowing it and snapped it off - inside the wall… It was just downhill from there. I had to cut out the floor to fix the pipe - the structure I put in to support the pipe kept it from fitting up snugly to the base - which of course I realized after gluing the basin down. Literally, when I was on the 10-yard line and installing the shower handle, I had to put a screw into the valve behind the wall and the screw broke off in the valve, behind the wall… Oh man, it was just failure after failure - what was crushing about it is when that stuff happened to me. It doesn't just feel like I've hit an issue, it feels like it is me...

Failure feels crushing because failure feels final

It feels personal…

How do you personally respond to failure?

I mean big failures?

What does it mean for you when your business failed?

When your marriage failed?

When your kids ended up not turning out at all like you dreamed they would?

When you fail your kids?

Ways people tend to respond to failure…

-Anger

-Avoidance - act as though it never happened - give attention to something else, withdraw

-Reengage with a vengeance

-Create agreements ("I'll never let xy&z happen to me again,” ”I'm never going to allow myself to be put in that situation again")

-Self-doubt

-Embarrassment & shame

-Depression & Desperation

These are just some of the ways we all try and overcome failure. I want to ask you a pretty serious question…

What’s the worst failure of your life?

Now, I want to be gentle with your soul right now, I’m not trying to bring you into a dark place, so you need to be gentle with yourself too. Don’t start beating yourself up about it. I want you to just kind of put it out on a pedestal for you to look at, without judgment. But what is it? What’s the thing you’re most embarrassed about or wish you could change?

I’m not going to share mine, but don’t kid yourself, I have one for me. I’m as human as you. I can see it on a pedestal, right there.

Can I, for a moment, take you into someone else’s worst moment in life?

It is Thursday, April 6th, AD 30 (this is my best, educated guess on the date). The disciples have just had the Passover dinner with Jesus. Jesus is betrayed by a kiss, soldiers arrest Him. Peter sneaks into the courtyard of the proceedings. Peter’s cold, he’s warming himself at the fire, his stomach is turning, he’s nervous, Jesus isn’t fighting, He’s not even standing up for Himself. Had Peter been wrong about Him? All of the sudden a young girl says, “aren’t you with Him?” speaking of Jesus. Peter, without even thinking deny’s it, “I don’t know what you’re talking about” 2 more times he’s pointed out. The third time Peter calls down curses - in our culture this would be like, “lady, I don’t know what the F you’re talking about”… Just at that moment, in the darkness of the night with the fire still burning to coals and the first rays of light breaking over the horizon, a rooster crows…

And Peter remembers this…

Luke 22:31-34

31 “Simon, Simon, Satan has asked to sift all of you as wheat. 32 But I have prayed for you, Simon, that your faith may not fail. And when you have turned back, strengthen your brothers.”

33 But he replied, “Lord, I am ready to go with you to prison and to death.”

34 Jesus answered, “I tell you, Peter, before the rooster crows today, you will deny three times that you know me.”

Peter’s so embarrassed, such a failure, that when Jesus dies on the cross, he’s nowhere to be found.

“I’ll go to prison and death” - he couldn’t even admit he knew Jesus…

The timeline of events after this…

April 7th - Jesus dies on the cross - terrible, brutal
April 7th - Jesus is placed in the grave
April 8th - Jesus is in the grave - dead
April 9th - Jesus is in the grave till shortly after sunrise - Jesus raises from the dead and appears to the women and several disciples
April 16th - Jesus appears again to the disciples
Sometime after this, before May 18th, Jesus appears to Peter & the Disciples again on the Sea of Galilee

Jesus had told the disciples to go to Galilee and wait for Him.

Paul tells us that in these off times, Jesus appeared to over 500 people…

Peter getting antsy. I picture Peter bouncing his leg, worry growing in him - he failed Jesus. Finally, Peter says, “I’m going fishing!” he gets up and goes and 6 of the other disciples decide they're going too…

They are out on the lake and NOTHING is going right for them. They haven’t caught one single fish. There is just about nothing worse if you are a good fisherman than catching nothing.

They’re out there and Jesus shows up, He tells them to cast their net on the right side of their boat… They listen and do it and catch a huge catch of fish - this is something Jesus did when he first called Peter… A very similar miracle. Peter jumps in the water and swims to shore, Jesus and the boys eat a fish breakfast over a fire on the shore - I’ve been to this spot, there is this giant piece of bedrock that juts out above the water - this is near the spot where Jesus performed the miracle of the fish and bread.

Jesus and Peter go off and have a private conversation and I’d like to let you listen to it…

John 21:15-19

15 When they had finished eating, Jesus said to Simon Peter, “Simon son of John, do you love me more than these?”

“Yes, Lord,” he said, “you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my lambs.”

16 Again Jesus said, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

He answered, “Yes, Lord, you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Take care of my sheep.”

17 The third time he said to him, “Simon son of John, do you love me?”

Peter was hurt because Jesus asked him the third time, “Do you love me?” He said, “Lord, you know all things; you know that I love you.”

Jesus said, “Feed my sheep. 18 Very truly I tell you, when you were younger you dressed yourself and went where you wanted; but when you are old you will stretch out your hands, and someone else will dress you and lead you where you do not want to go.” 19 Jesus said this to indicate the kind of death by which Peter would glorify God. Then he said to him, “Follow me!”

Did you see it?

Peter denied Jesus 3 times

Jesus asked him if he loved Him 3 times

ILLUSTRATION:

Have you ever seen a video of a surgeon work? it’s incredible - they cut into a person's body, go straight to the problem, sometimes a microscopic level, and they start cutting…

Jesus with absolute precision goes straight for Peter’s heart

Jesus wasn’t willing to let Peter hide away in failure

He wanted to take Peter's worst failure and make it his greatest Faith Story!

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

Can I ask you a question today?

Are you willing to let Jesus into your worst failure and let Him turn it into your greatest Faith Story?

all it takes is you inviting Him into it.

Some of you, Jesus wants to break your addictions, He wants to call you out of your life of lust, he wants to forgive you and walk with you, he wants to call you out and say, “Follow Me!”

I can remember after a particularly bad period of time of feeling like I was completely failing in my faith - you think it’s bad when you are struggling, try being a guy or gal that has to get up and talk to people about following God and knowing you’re not doing so hot at the time. I remember just being like, “God, you must really hate me, you must really be disgusted with who I am…”

I felt Jesus say, “is that who you think I am?”

See, Jesus is in the restoration business

Isaiah 54:9-10

“To me this is like the days of Noah, when I swore that the waters of Noah would never again cover the earth. So now I have sworn not to be angry with you, never to rebuke you again.

10 Though the mountains be shaken and the hills be removed,

yet my unfailing love for you will not be shaken nor my covenant of peace be removed,” says the Lord, who has compassion on you.

God looked forward to this day, when He would bring a new covenant on the earth, He saw you and He saw me and He said, “I can bring them back”

Are you willing to turn back to Him?

What if you just took a simple challenge? What if for the next 4 weeks, you committed to being in a place - a church - where God could meet with you and you could learn about His unshakeable love?

View Details

Do you really know who Jesus is? Jesus tells us who he is through the miracles he did. Jump in with us in Sections 44 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

OPENING:

Do you really know who Jesus is? Jesus tells us who He is through the miracles He did. People respond differently to the miracles that Jesus performed, and we can find these same responses in ourselves. Are you carried along in your faith like the paralytic through the roof, trying to earn it like the man by the pool, or are you like the centurion who has true faith in knowing who Jesus really is? It's time to simply turn to Jesus.

So What Do You Do?

Meeting new people is a bit hard, right? At least it is for me. That might sound weird, but I do sometimes find it a bit awkward to be thrown into a new environment full of strangers and expected to make friends. Now some people definitely can’t relate. They’re the sort who could have a full conversation with a tree. They’ve never met a stranger. That’s not necessarily me. I have no problem once the conversation gets going, but starting it up is a bit difficult. I’ve found that having a few icebreakers ready to go seems to help. If you also find it a bit hard to get things in a new conversation, then I’ll give you a few icebreakers to try out and these are completely free! They’re my gift to you.

Ok, so this one is a classic. “How much does a polar bear weigh, enough to break the ice? Hi, my name is Robby.” That one is like old faithful. It’s the one I always go to. Another technique I like to use is to ask a question that throws them off. I find that if they’re hit with a strange out of the blue question, it sometimes lowers their defenses and makes conversation easier. A few of my favorite questions are, “Is cereal a soup?” “If you had to eat a crayon, what color would you choose?” “Would you rather fight one horse-sized duck or ten duck-sized horses?” See, these are great at getting people out of their comfort zone. It may also totally weird them out and then they’ll leave you alone, which I sometimes also consider a win. If those don’t really work for you or maybe you’re in a more formal setting, then I have some great questions you could try that won’t get you brought before HR. “What is your cell phone wallpaper?” “What’s the best book you’ve read this year?” “Who is the most famous person you’ve ever met?” I find that these questions are much better than some of the boring icebreakers people usually use.

While really asking any questions about a person is usually a great way to ease the tension, I mean everyone’s favorite subject to talk about is themselves, there is one question, in particular, I absolutely hate answering. It’s also, unfortunately, the most common question people ask when you first meet them. “So, what do you do for work?” Ugh, I hate that question. It’s not because I’m ashamed of being a pastor or anything. It’s because usually when I reply, “I’m a pastor,” the other person sometimes makes the conversation really weird. Ironically, it’s the people who aren’t believers who usually just carry on with the conversation, but sometimes people begin to just give me their spiritual resume. “Oh, I used to go to church, but I just haven’t found the right one. This is my favorite bible verse, what’s yours? I went to church as a kid. I’m a Christian, I just don’t really do the whole going to church thing. I went on a mission trip before to Mexico.” I’m used to it now, but it does get a bit weird. You know, I’m not really the one you need to convince, right? I’m not going to bump into you in line at the pearly gates and be like, “Peter, my man, this guy here is totally legit. You should let him in, because he told me once when I had to sit next to him on an airplane that he sometimes likes to listen to Phil Wickham in the shower.”

I get it, though. What they’re really trying to do is show me that we’re on the same team. They’re trying to relate to me and go, “See, we’re like totally similar.” They do it because we know in our hearts, who we are is not simply what we say we are but what we do. This is something that Jesus even says when he challenged the pharisee to check his spiritual resume. Often time, Jesus clashed with the spiritual leaders of his time, and on this particular occasion, Jesus was getting pretty heated. Check out what he says in John 5:31-40

John 5:31–40 (CSB)

“If I testify about myself, my testimony is not true. There is another who testifies about me, and I know that the testimony he gives about me is true. You sent messengers to John, and he testified to the truth. I don’t receive human testimony, but I say these things so that you may be saved.

John was a burning and shining lamp, and you were willing to rejoice for a while in his light.

“But I have a greater testimony than John’s because of the works that the Father has given me to accomplish. These very works I am doing testify about me that the Father has sent me. The Father who sent me has himself testified about me. You have not heard his voice at any time, and you haven’t seen his form. You don’t have his word residing in you, because you don’t believe the one he sent. You pore over the Scriptures because you think you have eternal life in them, and yet they testify about me. But you are not willing to come to me so that you may have life.

So quickly break down what Jesus is saying here. He says that if I just talked about myself then you wouldn’t believe me, and that’s fair enough. That’s why you sent people to ask John, who is Jesus’ cousin, about who I am. I don’t really care what other people say about me because I have a greater testimony than anyone else can give me, and that is my father’s testimony. You can see His testimony of who I am through the things that I have done in His name. You don’t see that though, because God isn’t residing within you. You say that scripture is just so important, and yet it’s all pointing you back to me, but you still reject me.

See, what Jesus is saying is that if you want to know who I am, look at what I’ve done. We’d like to think that the sole reason behind the miracles Jesus did was to simply help people, but that’s not it. Jesus performed the miracles he did to show who he is. I’m the son of God and I have the receipts to prove it.

That’s what we’re going to do today. We’re going to check the receipts to discover who God truly is and how people should respond to that.

We Are Carried Along (LK 5:17-26)

We don’t have a lot of time today and we have a few stories to get through, so let’s jump directly into our first miracle. Here’s the setup. Jesus is teaching one day, and by this point, he was beginning to draw crowds. There were people from all over the surrounding regions who had come to hear him teach. Among them were the religious teachers at the time, the Pharisees. Now, you have to understand the dynamic here. The Pharisees were not there because they wanted to listen and learn from Jesus. Instead, it was like they were there to evaluate him. My teachers in the room know exactly what that feels like, right? Even as a kid, I could tell that my teacher was a bit more stressed out than usual on days when an administrator was sitting in the room evaluating them. Not a good feeling.

So as Jesus continues to teach we sort of shift focus from him to this small group of friends. They’ve just shown up and between them, they’re carrying their friend on a stretcher who was paralyzed. Not only had Jesus’ renown as a teacher spread but apparently people were beginning to hear that he was a healer as well. They begin trying to push their way through the crowd. If only they could get their friend before Jesus, he could be healed and walk again. They try pushing through, but this crowd was shoulder to shoulder. “Please, please, let us through. We have to see him!” but it was no use. The people were so packed together, that there was no way through the crowd. The friends may have hit some resistance, but so great was their love for their friend that they didn’t give up. Suddenly, one of them has a plan. He noticed that there was a clear path up to the roof of the building Jesus was in. They quickly carry their friend over and carefully lift him up to the roof of this building.

So, picture this, Jesus is here in the middle of this large group, standing in this house. He’s teaching and everyone is just so captured by him that they are shocked when they suddenly hear... Everyone looks up to try and figure out what’s happening when suddenly the ceiling opens up. Jesus stares up and everyone watches on in confusion as a man is lowered through the ceiling on a cot. I mean, this is crazy. Imagine this happening here today. Just in the middle of this sermon, suddenly someone busts through the ceiling here. The security team would have a fit and poor David would pass out just thinking about the cost to fix this giant hole in the roof.

Jesus sees the man and the friends and puts two and two together and says, “Friend, your sins are forgiven.” What in the world! Even more outrageous than the man being lowered through the ceiling is the fact that Jesus is now forgiving sins! The Pharisees standing nearby suddenly turn a deep shade of red over the outrage, but, and this is the most alpha move ever, Jesus basically reads their minds before they can even say a word. “What’s easier to say to this man, your sins are forgiven or get up and walk? So you know who I am, that I can forgive sins,” Jesus turns now to the man, “Stand up, pick up your stretcher, and walk home.” The man does just that. The hair on the back of everyone’s necks stands up as they watch in awe as this man gets to his feet and begins to praise God as he left. Suddenly the room is filled with shouts as dozens of voices cry out at once praising God drowning out anything the pharisee may have said in response.

This story clearly shows who Jesus is. He is God with skin on, the Lord in the flesh. He is God among us. In fact, all of these stories today are going to show the same thing. Jesus is God. The part of the story we need to look at is how those around Jesus respond when he reveals this to them. I think you’ll find that you’ll relate to one of the characters in these three miracle stories today. Scripture really comes alive when we find ourselves in the story. So maybe, you’re like the paralyzed person in this story. You’re being carried along to Jesus. Maybe it started when you were young. You were carried to church by your parents. Maybe today you were carried here by your significant other or spouse. Maybe it’s something else that’s carrying you here. It’s the fact that your friends are here or that you like the community. You like the people in your connect group, so you’re carried along by them. Just like the man in this story, you have people in your life who continue to carry you to Jesus, they’re praying for you and talking to you and trying to help you grow in Jesus. Maybe like the man in this story, you don’t even put up a fight. You enjoy it. You want them to carry you to Jesus. Unlike the man in the story, though, you’ve never really recognized Jesus as your Lord. Imagine if the guy in the story, after Jesus tells him to get up and walk, just said, “Yeah, that’s cool, but I can’t walk, bro.” That’s not what happened, though. Jesus revealed who he was by forgiving his sins and he responded in faith by walking when Jesus told him to. You, on the other hand, you have yet to really walk. Jesus has called you to walk, to take this thing seriously, but you’ve continued to lay on your mat, sit on the sidelines, stay on the bench, and get carried along. You haven’t really recognized Jesus as your Lord.

He’s a Means to an End (Luke 17:11-19)

That takes us to our next miracle. Jesus is traveling along the road when this group of ten men notices him. Now, these men had leprosy. Today leprosy is easily curable, but back then it was much more permanent. Not only did you have to live with this horrible bacterial infection, but you were also cast out from society. If you were diagnosed with leprosy, you’d have to say goodbye to everyone you ever knew, your parents, siblings, even your spouse and children, and you were forced to live in a colony with other lepers never to see them again. It was a horrible experience. So these men see Jesus and cry out, “Jesus, master, have mercy on us!” Jesus, feeling deep compassion for them, replies, “Go and show yourselves to the priest.” See, when a leper was healed, they would have to be examined by a priest to be declared healed and allowed back into society. So these ten men leave to see the priest. As they’re going, suddenly they notice the flakey white spots on their bodies begin to vanish. They begin to look at each other in excitement and they start cheering and laughing, knowing that they’ve been healed. They pick up the pace and are excited to finally rejoin the world, and see their loved ones again. Then as they’re running, one of them stops and begins to really consider what just happened. Why should he run to the high priest and to the temple? Why would he do that when he knows that God isn’t there, it’s with Jesus, the one who just cleansed him? Why would he go to anyone else? So he turns back around and runs back, hoping that he isn’t too late to catch back up with Jesus. After running a little ways he finally reaches Jesus and falls down at his feet and breathlessly begins to thank Jesus and praise him. “Wait a minute,” Jesus responds, “Weren’t there ten of you? Why have only one of you returned to glorify God? Get up, your faith has saved you.”

(Application)

It’s easy to look at this story and say, “Ah, that’s me, I’m like the other man who returned,” and if that’s true, then great. Oftentimes, though, I find it takes much more honesty to say that maybe I’m like the other nine. I mean, maybe you are like the one who returned, but you better be real sure that’s who you are in this story. Sometimes we’re like the other nine who didn’t return. For us, Jesus is just a means to an end. He’s the way we get what we want. We don’t really see Jesus as the Lord of our lives, the creator of the universe. Instead, he’s a giant celestial vending machine. If we say the right things, do the right things, and think the right things then Jesus will give me what I want. Jesus will make me wealthy, successful, and powerful. Maybe it’s something more tangible. If I follow Jesus then I’ll become a better spouse, I can be a better person. I want my kids to follow Jesus not because I care about them having a relationship with him, but I just want them to behave better. You don’t really have a relationship with Jesus where you love him and follow him. Instead, you have an agreement where he does the things you want and gives you the results you like, and you continue to follow him. The Bible has a word for that sort of relationship, idolatry.

We realize who Jesus really is (Mt 8:5-13)

I know, I’m being a bit harsh today. I get it. I’m really putting the pressure on, but I’m not meaning to condemn you. I’m trying to wake you up and get you to realize who Jesus really is. It’s what I wanted someone to do for me when I was each of those people at one point or another in my life. That takes us to our last story, the story of what Jesus did for me.

Our story starts what feels like much longer ago than it should be if I’m honest. When a child is born, usually they go home from the hospital in the arms of the woman who gave birth to them. That’s not what happened with me. Apparently, my mother didn’t want me. Instead, I went home with two of the most wonderful and loving people I’ve ever met. I called them Mom and Dad. I told myself that being adopted didn’t really matter to me. These people changed my diapers, fed me, bathed me, and loved me. They were my parents. If I was honest, though, in some way it did affect me and I did define myself as unwanted and abandoned. When I was in the second grade, I became close friends with the son of a pastor. I was over at his house most weekends, which also meant I was going to church most Sunday mornings. That’s where I learned about this guy named Jesus, and how he wanted to be my friend. Well, 2nd grade Robby could always use more friends, so I signed up for some of that. I prayed a prayer and decided I wanted to be baptized. My parents decided that they should probably check this church out if their son was going to be baptized. That’s where they learned about Jesus too and I got to watch them be baptized as well.

Everything was going great and we were so excited, that was until one day a little over a year after that day, my parents sat me down and explained to me that my mom had cancer. I wasn’t too worried though, because I was told that my new friend Jesus would take care of it. So I prayed and prayed for my mom to get well. I watched her go through treatment, struggle some days, and fight for her life. She went into remission and we celebrated, and then the cancer came back, stronger than ever. So I prayed more and I threw myself into the church. If only I showed Jesus just how much I love him, then maybe he’ll give me what I want and heal my mom. I shook that celestial vending machine so hard and begged and begged, but in the end I didn’t get what I wanted. My mother passed away anyways. For the second time in my life I was abandoned by my mother, and for the first time, I was abandoned by Jesus. When I didn’t get what I wanted from God, it destroyed my faith.

I continued to go to church and do all the churchy things, but something wasn’t quite right. My faith looked great, people praised me and told me how much of a promising young man I was, but it was all just some game to me. I would have put the works that I did for the kingdom when I was a teen up against any adult then or now. In reality, I was just being carried along to Jesus. My dad carried me to church, my friend did, too. I liked the praise everyone gave me and I was carried along by them. I didn’t want to give any of it up, but I also didn’t really take any of it seriously. I was carried to Jesus over and over, and I saw Him, and He called to me to come back to Him, but I never got up and walked.

That was until one day when I was around 16 or so, I was sitting in my room when my dad walked in. He handed me an envelope and mentioned that he recently came across this again, and thought I was ready to read it. I opened the letter and realized that it was from my birth mother. She had written it while pregnant with me. In it, she explained that she was just 16 as well and a cashier at a grocery store. My dad had apparently wanted nothing to do with her or me for that matter. She said that she really wanted to try and make it work, but realized that she couldn’t. As a child herself, and off the salary of a part-time cashier, she couldn’t give me the sort of life that she wanted for her unborn child. She decided to give me over to a wonderful couple she had met who desperately wanted children of their own, but couldn’t. The decision tore her apart because she really loved me, but it was that love that moved her to give me a life she never could provide.

It was in that moment the gospel snapped into sharp focus for me. I wept. I was destroyed. The weight of God’s entire glory and grace crushed me. Just as my mother gave up her only son so I could have a better life, God had given up his only Son so I could have real life. It was in that moment that I realized who Jesus really was. He was my Lord. He was the one who created me and everything else. He is the one who hung the stars and set their planets on their courses. He is the one who divinely wrote out my destiny before I was even created. He is the one who bled and died on a cross to save me as if I was the only one on earth. He is the one who was raised three days later into new life. He is the one who sits at the right hand of the Father and pleads on my behalf. He is the one who held a young boy as he cried himself to sleep at night after his mother passed. He is the one who revealed himself to that same boy eight years later as he sobbed on that same bed. He is the one who held that same boy, ten years later, as he wept on the steps of this very altar as he battled thoughts of suicide. He’s the one who has chased me into the darkness again and again to pull me from despair.

I need you to understand, you need to meet Jesus. Don’t leave here today and not know who Jesus is, who he really is.

Maybe you were like me once and you’re just being carried to Jesus. There are people in your life who just carry you over and over to Jesus. They pray for you, go to church with you, and maybe they’re even in your small group. You come here because you like the people or you like the pastors or it’s just what you’re used to. Something is carrying you here, there is some other reason you come to church, but it’s not Jesus. You haven’t really owned your faith yet, you haven’t got up to walk. You just keep laying on your mat. The reason for that is you don’t really know who Jesus is yet. You don’t recognize him as the Lord of you life, because if you did then there’s no doubt that you’d get up and walk. If you really knew who Jesus was then your faith would be so alive that you’d come here simply to meet Jesus and be with his people.

But for others, Jesus is not your Lord but rather just a means to an end. He’s a celestial vending machine in the sky. You don’t have a relationship but an agreement. As long as Jesus keeps you happy then you’ll stay with him. The problem with that is, well, Jesus doesn’t answer to you. He has his own great plans for your life, but those plans sometimes don’t align with our own. If your entire relationship with Jesus is based on him doing things for you then you really don’t know him as your Lord, he’s just an idol. The problem with idols is that we abandon them once we start to not like them. That is absolutely what will happen to you, because it’s what happened to me.

But you can change all that today by actually meeting the real Jesus. When you meet the real living Jesus, the one who died and rose again, it will change your life. You can do that today. There will be people here with lanyards at the edges of the room who would love nothing more than to introduce you to Jesus.

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Jesus was clear about who He was and what His life means for you. Are you clear about that? Be sure to tune in and listen closely today to hear the power of settling in your mind and heart what you think of Jesus. Jump in with us in Sections 43 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

So, I’ve told you guys, growing up I was a turd of a kid. I mean, seriously, I was the worst! I was in 7th grade in middle school I had said something pretty terrible in class - one of those things that teacher's face turns red and they are doing everything they can not to beat you in the moment. Yeah, it was one of those things. She yelled at me to immediately go to the principles office, do not pass go, do not collect $200. I went to his office, his secretary told me to wait outside his door. He finally called me into his office, I went in and sat down in the chair in front of his desk. He said, “who told you to sit down” I immediately knew I was in trouble so I stood up, he said, “sit down Wagner…” Oh, man… I was in SO much trouble…

I was in that office to be judged for what I had done wrong.

Trust me, if you knew what I said that day, you would want me judged…

Our world has a problem with “judging” but what we mean is I don’t want anyone telling me what to do.

The idea of “Justice” - righting wrongs, requires some kind of judgment, doesn’t it?

If someone were to abuse a child, you would want Justice for that child, wouldn’t you? You would want judgment…

Today, we’re going to jump into a section where Jesus will talk about judgment - it’s following the healing at the pool of Bethesda where Jesus is going to be challenged and he’s going to say some integral things about judging that you WON”T want to miss.

If you remember, Jesus healed this lame guy by the pool of Bethesda, He asked him if he wants to get better and he does. Jesus heals him and tells the guy to pick up his mat and carry it. Which in Jewish tradition is a HUGE no no. The Sabbath - honoring it, was the 4th commandment in the 10 commandments. The Jews believe that work can be constituted by carrying something from one domain to another, so from a pool to your home. They catch this guy and are mad at him for carrying it and he’s like, “I”m just doing what the guy who healed me told me to do…” After this guys saw Jesus at the temple, he turns Jesus in to these leaders - he’s a foreshadow of Judas if you ask me.

But when these guys come and ask Jesus why He’s working on the Sabbath, Jesus says this.

John 5:17

17 In his defense Jesus said to them, “My Father is always at his work to this very day, and I too am working.”

Jesus is, in essence, saying “I’m doing work on the Sabbath because my Father is always working, and I’m just like my Father"

listen to how the Jewish people respond to this…

John 5:18

18 For this reason they tried all the more to kill him; not only was he breaking the Sabbath, but he was even calling God his own Father, making himself equal with God.

Jesus’ answer was that He is equal with God and that’s why He can work on the Sabbath - and they want to kill Him for it…

This is one of these points where you can’t just say Jesus is a good teacher - He is either a lunatic, a liar, or He’s Lord…

Jesus will go on…

John 5:19-23

19 Jesus gave them this answer: “Very truly I tell you, the Son can do nothing by himself; he can do only what he sees his Father doing, because whatever the Father does the Son also does. 20 For the Father loves the Son and shows him all he does. Yes, and he will show him even greater works than these, so that you will be amazed.

ILLUSTRATION:

Years ago when our youngest was little, we had told him that knives were bad - they were dangerous. We caught him on video yelling at the knife block in our house, “no, no… knife bad!”

Lol, he was doing what his Father did…

This is crucial to understand about Jesus

When you see Jesus, you are seeing the Father.

Jesus only does what the Father does

Jesus is working towards something big - remember, He said you’d see and be amazed, listen to this…

21 For just as the Father raises the dead and gives them life, even so the Son gives life to whom he is pleased to give it. 22 Moreover, the Father judges no one, but has entrusted all judgment to the Son, 23 that all may honor the Son just as they honor the Father. Whoever does not honor the Son does not honor the Father, who sent him.

Did you hear what Jesus just said?

Jesus is the one who will judge you…

and me…

The question is, how do you get the life the Son gives?

right? I mean

If Jesus is the judge, then He’s who you need to please

Jesus is going to tell us how to get life

24 “Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life. 25 Very truly I tell you, a time is coming and has now come when the dead will hear the voice of the Son of God and those who hear will live. 26 For as the Father has life in himself, so he has granted the Son also to have life in himself. 27 And he has given him authority to judge because he is the Son of Man.

28 “Do not be amazed at this, for a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear his voice 29 and come out—those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned. 30 By myself I can do nothing; I judge only as I hear, and my judgment is just, for I seek not to please myself but him who sent me.

ILLUSTRATION:

When I was a kid and I was reading a book, I’d always want to skip ahead to the end. I wanted to know how it all ended.

Jesus skips to the end - actually, you can read about how this will look in Revelation 20. the scripture says that the dead will rise and they will be brought before a throne, books will be opened and people will be judged, a book of life will be opened and if you name isn’t written in the book of life, you’ll be thrown in a lake of fire - we would call this hell.

Jesus says,

“a time is coming when all who are in their graves will hear [God’s] voice and come out - those who have done what is good will rise to live, and those who have done what is evil will rise to be condemned”

So, what is the “good” and what is the “evil”

listen to what Jesus said earlier…

Very truly I tell you, whoever hears my word and believes him who sent me has eternal life and will not be judged but has crossed over from death to life.

The good is to hear Jesus’ words and believe Him…

That’s it!

-It’s not about being a better person - although if you believe His words you’ll end up becoming a better person

-it’s not about not cussing - although a person who believes Him will want to stop cussing

-It’s not about going to church or giving all your money away - although a person who believes Him may end up wanting to do those things

The person who believes Jesus - has settled in their heart and mind that there is no other way but Jesus, that person will NOT be judged!

The evil is to understand that God has visited us and invited us into His Kingdom and to just ignore it, or just give it lip service.

It is to remain in the rebellion of Adam & Eve and all mankind - to say to God, “we don’t need you…”

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

Don’t get me wrong - God hates Sin - but your sinfulness is ultimately just a result of your unwillingness to submit to Jesus’ vision of life with God. It is your vein's attempt to hold onto control, the harder you hold on, the darker it gets. The first and only time I tried to water ski, I was sitting in the water waiting for the boat to take off. They had explained about standing up and how to point your skis and how to hold your legs. The boat growled and jumped out of the water. The line tightened up and I could feel my body being propelled on top of the water. I was doing it! For about 3 seconds… My skis split apart and I lost my balance and I went head-first into the water. I remember it kept getting darker and darker, I couldn’t figure out, my life jacket wasn’t working. I was going to die in that dark water. And then it hit me, I was still holding onto the rope - the rope that I thought was my lifeline was dragging me down. I had to let go of that rope for my life jacket to work. The instant I let go, I started moving toward the top..

Man, I need you to hear this today! SO many of you are trying to hold onto the rope in your life - you’re holding onto your own way of life, your own vision, your own idea of what good looks like.

When will you let go of your old life and let Jesus bring you to the surface?

You can find salvation today in Jesus - there is no one else who can free you from the bondage of sin and rebellion.

but you have to hear and believe! Will you believe?

You can escape judgment today and enter into the way of life Jesus offers - you just settle in your heart and mind - there is no other way!

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We all have temporary problems and terminal problems - are you willing to let Jesus' power into yours to transform your world? What would that look like?? Today, Kent is going to unpack a surprising way this idea could change your life. Jump in with us in Sections 42 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

John 5:1-15

Some time later, Jesus went up to Jerusalem for one of the Jewish festivals. 2 Now there is in Jerusalem near the Sheep Gate a pool, which in Aramaic is called Bethesda[a] and which is surrounded by five covered colonnades.

Archaeologists have uncovered this pool in Jerusalem. It’s one of the big bummers about my trip, we were unable to visit this pool so I’ve only seen it online and in pictures - but it’s actually two pools - one to the north and one to the south, These colonnades were like covered porches…

3 Here a great number of disabled people used to lie—the blind, the lame, the paralyzed. [4] [b] 5 One who was there had been an invalid for thirty-eight years. 6 When Jesus saw him lying there and learned that he had been in this condition for a long time, he asked him, “Do you want to get well?”

ILLUSTRATION:

You guys love the price is right? Remember that show - it’s what I’d watch when I stayed home sick from school… “come on down, your up next on the Price is right!”

well, I promised I’d tell you where there were weird or contradictory things in the passages I preach on. This is one of those. did anyone notice there isn’t actually a verse 4 here? There’s just a note… The note is that some of our later copies of the greek manuscripts - specifically the ones that the King James version used, had a verse about Angels coming down and stirring the water, and the first one into the pool won and got healed. It was a little like the first-century version of price is right! “come on down, you’re next to get healed!”

The problem is, this verse isn’t in our earliest greek manuscripts - what scholars think happened is that someone who was copying the manuscripts put a note about a legend of why these people are by the pool - which by the way means house of mercy and later was a site of pagan healing. The thought is this copyist makes the note and as people are copying, eventually, it gets moved into the main text as part of the verse. We are able to know that what we have is a solid representation of the actual written new testament because we compare all the versions and are able to see what is in all of them and was obviously the original material…

So, here’s the question.

Jesus is walking around, he’s obviously inquiring about how long everyone has been there or been sick, and he only chooses one. Why does Jesus pick this guy over anyone else?

Because what’s interesting is John tells us there were a lot of disabled people there - but Jesus only heals one that we know of, why?

A quick word on healing…

Lots of Christians are really caught up on healing, and it’s an important thing - it’s actually a sign of God moving

I want you to realize, anyone Jesus healed eventually got worse again…

Did you hear that? healing is a temporary relief from a terminal problem.

Listen, I can’t prove it, but I think Jesus has been asking around who has been there for the longest, who has been waiting. Because

I think Jesus wants to find the person who is barely holding on to hope so He can change their world!

7 “Sir,” the invalid replied, “I have no one to help me into the pool when the water is stirred. While I am trying to get in, someone else goes down ahead of me.”

8 Then Jesus said to him, “Get up! Pick up your mat and walk.” 9 At once the man was cured; he picked up his mat and walked.

Do you remember how Jesus started this interaction?

Jesus asked him, “do you want to get well?”

what a weird question

I asked my kids if this was a dumb question - they were like, “yup!” I asked them, then why do you think He asks it…

What if Jesus asks him if he wants to get better because Jesus wants him to ask himself, “do I REALLY?”

Because this guy's answer is one of having kind of given up

His answer is full of the victim mentality, “I don’t have anyone to help me get in, so everyone else beats me”

This guy wants to be healed, but he doesn’t ever see it happening.

Jesus doesn’t see the obstacles, Jesus only sees opportunity

And in that holy moment, Heaven takes over earth, and muscles that had atrophied have blood course them. Power imbues his bones with strength. The very life that turned dust into a man fills the man's body and he gets up and walks. He listens to Jesus and picks up his mat.

Listen, It happens to be a Sabbath - I think Jesus is maybe picking a fight here. Because the Jewish people believed one of the ultimate sins was to break the Sabbath by working, and their tradition says - even to this day - to carry something on the Sabbath is work if you move it from one domain - place - to another.

And so this man, whom Jesus heals will walk, carrying His mat and the leaders will see him and they will say, start to question him about Jesus.

He doesn’t know Jesus’ name even to give to them…

But he’s shook…

we pick back up in vs. 14

14 Later Jesus found him at the temple and said to him, “See, you are well again. Stop sinning or something worse may happen to you.” 15 The man went away and told the Jewish leaders that it was Jesus who had made him well.

There’s just two verses here, but it’s really powerful stuff…

This man is at the temple…

I’m telling you, for 38 years, this man hasn’t been able to walk into the temple. He’s probably sat out front begging, but he’s never been able to step onto the premises. I picture him walking around and in his mind marveling over everything, feeling a little like a fish out of water - like he’s a fraud. I picture him jumping up and clicking his heels kind of thing. Then he sees Jesu again…

Jesus comes up to this man and says, “you are healed again, stop sinning or something worse may happen to you…”

What could be worse than 38 years of looking at people's feet and being passed over?

Jesus isn’t making a statement about, “if you sin, bad stuff will happen to you in this life, if you don’t, good things will happen to you.”’

Jesus is making a statement about this man's ultimate problem.

The life this man has lived must change if he wants to inherit eternal life.

Jesus will make other statements like this - “fall on this rock and it will break you, if it falls on you it will crush you.” “Why do you fear men who can only take away your life, fear God who can destroy both your body and your soul in hell”

Jesus is saying, let this temporary solution lead you to terminate your old way of life.

Stop sinning!

Do you know how you do that?

The only way to conquer sin is through a life surrendered to Jesus

It is a day-to-day, moment-by-moment reliance on the goodness and power of Jesus, the same power that healed this man, the same power that raised Jesus from the dead is available for freedom from your sin

CLOSING:

When I was young, I did this thing called a pamper pull. You had to climb up on this telephone pole and stand on top of this little box and then jump out to a trapeze bar about 5 feet away and try and grab onto it. I climbed up and was shaking the whole time. I got on top of the pole and could feel it swaying beneath me. Everyone was yelling for me to jump. Finally, I took a deep breath, bent down, and jumped. I was soaring through the air like an eagle, my hands hit the bar, and I thought, “it’s going to work,” my fingers wrapped around the bar and then physics took over. My weight pulled me down and my fingers slipped off the bar. and I fell to my death :) well, almost, I didn’t die because there was this safety rope on me, it caught me and rescued me.

Look, so many of you sit in here and you are barely holding on. You are this guy, you’ve been sitting under the crushing weight of your life for a long time. Your relationships are in a mess, your finances are terrible, and your way of life has led you to crush others, or be crushed yourself and it just hasn’t worked. I’m telling you, you don’t have to leap and have it be a terminal problem for you.

Jesus’ power is still available right here and right now for you. He can rescue you from the predicament you're in. He can restore you, He can free you from the power of sin in your life.

He OVERCAME death - He took our terminal problem and replaced it with triumph!

What if today you placed your whole hope in Jesus, your whole trust in Him?

I’m not sure what happened to this guy - I know he went and turned Jesus into the religious leaders - my worry is he took what Jesus gave him for the temporary problem and ignored Him for the terminal problem.. Don’t be that guy!

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What would change about your life if you lived like you believed you'd live forever? How would your worry change? How would you invest your time differently? Today, Kent is going to unpack a surprising way this idea could change your life. Jump in with us in Sections 40 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Have you ever sat in a church and heard a pastor talk about how someday you’re going to have an epitaph on your gravestone? We will ask the question, what will you want to be remembered by…

the real question is, ‘what kind of legacy do you want to leave?’

It’s a great question, right, because it gets you thinking about the brevity of life on earth.

But something I’ve been thinking about lately is a different way to highlight what is important.

Can I ask you a question?

What would change about the way you live, if you ACTUALLY believed that you were going to exist for the rest of eternity?

What I mean is this: I think most of us know that eternal life is a huge part of the gospel message

But how many of us ACT as though we believe that?

Let me put it another way

I heard Francis Chan use this illustration once and I thought it was genius…

[Pull out a long thick rope]

Imagine this rope represents the length of eternal life - it extends into all history - [have the rope going off stage to where you can’t see it anymore]

Most of us live like this first little inch of the rope is the most important part -

We build our own little empires.

The new dream is to have the way we want it, gather as many resources for ourselves as possible

We even have sayings like, “carving out your own piece of the pie”

But somehow, we neglect that this is only one little tiny part of the life and existence we will inhabit.

And the empire we build in this part of life, won’t come with us into the next.

So, let me ask you again

If you really believed that once you’ve placed your trust in Jesus as your ultimate leader, you have eternal life - what should change about the way you live?

I want to show you just one way it might change, we’re going to take a quick look at a moment from Jesus’ life…

Mt 9:9-13

As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth.

Mark & Luke tell us that this tax collector’s name is Levi, only Matthew tells us this is actually the author of the book you're reading who is writing his first-hand account - he’s actually going to give us a detail the others leave out…

Here is Matthew sitting at his tax collector booth near the Sea of Galilee. This guy would have been so hated. In our day and age, you might think loan shark… these were people who were sanctioned by Rome who took advantage of their people - he would have been the guy who was taxing Peter, Andrew, James, and John… it’s this guy that Jesus says this too…

“Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him.

10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?”

12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’[a] For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

You get the picture?

Jesus has called the wrong guy…

All three gospels make sure you know that the Religious leaders talked to the disciples instead of Jesus about this

I’m not sure if this is just a coincidence or if it’s because these guys know that Jesus’ disciples can’t be happy about this either…

So, they ask the disciples

“Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners”

ILLUSTRATION:

In ministry, you’ll have people come up to you and say, “there are some people who are upset about something…” I learned a long time ago to not allow “some people” to exist - if you ever try that on me, I’m gonna say, “who are the 'some people'”.

I learned from Jesus that you don’t let junk like that get in the way and cloud the mission…

Jesus doesn’t let this stuff slide…

Jesus knows what they are saying, the grumbling in the background and He immediately addresses it.

Jesus is SO sharp - I’m just always amazed at how much of a punch he can pack in so few words

“It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick”

and this is where Matthew will interject something Jesus says that lets you know this is eyewitness testimony, listen to

In Mark and Luke, Jesus just skips to, “For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

But Matthew includes Jesus saying this,

But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’

Why? Why does Matthew include this and the others don’t?

I think Matthew remembers Jesus saying this because he was the object of Jesus’ mercy.

Mercy has been a hallmark of followers of Jesus

James, the brother of Jesus, will say it this way:

James 2:12-13

12 Speak and act as those who are going to be judged by the law that gives freedom, 13 because judgment without mercy will be shown to anyone who has not been merciful. Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Mercy triumphs over judgment

There is only one thing that will move from this life to the next. People, that’s it. Everything else stays here.

You can see in Jesus’ ministry how He prioritized people over everything else. He went after their hearts, He cared for them, He loved them. Jesus was merciful where others would be harsh

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

As I’ve grown older, I’ve found it easier for me to be judgmental, for me to side more with the religious leaders than with the savior. Have you found that? You’ll know this is you if you find yourself angry about everything, you’ll find yourself saying things to justify yourself and labeling people so you don’t have to see them as people.

This is what the religious leaders did

They labeled people “sinners” because at that point they ceased to be people and they became a category.

Mercy triumphs over judgment.

Mercy isn’t deserved

Mercy isn’t earned

Mercy is given - and it triumphs because it has the power to move hearts back to God in a way judgment never could

Don’t believe me? Look at Matthew…

[Download and play: youtube.com/watch?v=7IUL9yq0We8 ]

Who could you show mercy to and change their world?

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"Follow Me," Jesus is still putting this call on us, are you willing to respond to Him? Jump in with us in Sections 33 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

WELCOME & INTRODUCTION TO SERVICE:

When I got back from Israel last summer, I was coming down the escalator, ready to go grab my luggage, but as I was coming out I saw my family waiting for me. I hadn't seen them for weeks and I forgot everything else, all I wanted was to surround myself with them.

Look, this week we are doing something different for worship because tonight we are doing something different tonight - we are having an old-school worship & prayer night, where we are inviting people to come and share testimonies of the good things they've seen God do and we're going to seek God.

And we thought, why don't we bring that to Sunday morning. So, this morning, it's just Anthony with a guitar, leading us - no lights, nothing fancy - not that all that's bad. But we wanted to be sure that this morning - you come off of your week and you see that God is standing right there waiting for you...

David, writing the psalms said this:

Psalm 41:1-2

As a deer pants for flowing streams,

so pants my soul for you, O God.

2 My soul thirsts for God,

for the living God.

When shall I come and appear before God?

I'll tell you when, today, today we are coming before God - we are inviting you to join us in worshiping Jesus with everything you've got... Because there is NOTHING better than Him! Nothing!

ANNOUNCEMENTS:

Tonight - 6:30, right here - prayer and worship
Ladies Night - March 10, 6-8:30pm, Scan to Register - $15 covers childcare & food
Need Candy - today is last day to donate, but if you still want to give, text "Candy" to give number or select the fund when giving online

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

How many of you went to the Journey concert a few weeks ago on Valentine's day?

oh man, I would have loved to have gone!

Have you guys seen the documentary, “don’t stop believing” about Arnel Pineda from the Philippines becoming the new lead singer for Journey? He was singing in bars in the Philippines - Steve Perry wouldn’t come back on tour with Journey and so they started just pulling up youtube videos of people singing and came across Pineda. He sounded just like Perry, so they called him up and asked him to eventually become the frontman of the band.

Crazy right?

He went from singing in bars to blowing out huge concert venues.

We love those kinds of stories, don’t we? Because we believe, maybe, just maybe there’s a chance for us too…

What do you do when an opportunity like that comes along?

-how about you? Would you be nervous? Would you let your worries and fears keep you from taking that step

-or are the kind of person who would just leap at the opportunity

Today, we’re going to look at the opportunity that’s before us and I’m going to ask you to step, so get ready!

check this out…

Jesus has been doing ministry, He’s met with John the Baptist, with Nicodemus, He’s turned water into wine and now He’s back in Cana after doing some ministry in other places - a leader from Capernaum comes and asks him to heal his son. He’s rejected at Nazareth... And now He’s up near Capernaum, He’s on the Sea of Galilee…

I’m going to read this out of Matthew, but Mark gives us almost word for word the same account:

Mt 4:18-22

18 As Jesus was walking beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw two brothers, Simon called Peter and his brother Andrew. They were casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 19 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 20 At once they left their nets and followed him.

21 Going on from there, he saw two other brothers, James son of Zebedee and his brother John. They were in a boat with their father Zebedee, preparing their nets. Jesus called them, 22 and immediately they left the boat and their father and followed him.

Maybe you’ve heard this story preached before. The way you’ve heard it was, “these guys are out there fishing, Jesus calls them and they just blindly follow.” I’ve said this before in here, but these guys knew Jesus before this - they had been with John the Baptist and had heard him say that Jesus was the reason he had come. They had heard John tell them that Jesus was the one who was the lamb of God who would take away the sin of the world.

I also have some really good reasons to believe that James & John are actually Jesus’ cousins

You need to rework your framework to see this as a calling of guys who already had exposure to Jesus, not a first contact.

Here’s what I want to show you today though about this historical account…

You have these guys out there fishing - I think Peter and Andrew have actually gone out early, trying to get ahead of other fishermen, because John & James are just preparing their nets, but Andrew and Peter have been fishing. It’s probably really early morning, these guys have maybe gotten started before the day began. Oh man, the Sea of Galilee is this beautiful spot where in the mornings as the sun comes up, the Sea is just glass still, in the evenings the winds stir and come up strong over the mountains, but in the morning, it’s picture perfect still. These guys are out fishing, I like to picture them trying to be a little quiet, not letting the other fishermen know they snuck out early to get ahead of the game. And Jesus comes up to them, He’s out walking. he sees Simon & Andrew and calls to them and Jesus says

“Come, follow me”

This is almost always Jesus’ invitation to people.

Can I ask you a question maybe you’ve never thought of?

Why does Jesus NEED disciples?

I mean, what He is going to do on the cross doesn’t need them. His Kingdom has lasted WAY beyond the life of these guys. They actually frustrated the process as much as helped along the way.

So, why does He need them?

The simple answer is, He doesn’t. It’s His deep pleasure to use them.

This has always been the case with God, it’s a peculiar piece of who He is and how He works, that

God is a God who longs to perform His work in community.

The original purpose of Humanity was to be stewards of God’s creation - we were to rule and subdue.

You were created to bear God’s image into the world - being His ambassadors to all of Creation

God didn’t need Humans for this, but His longing was to create a community that loved Him and reflected that love back into creation

So, why does Jesus NEED disciples? Because He is doing what He has always done, He’s going to love them and teach them to reflect His love back into the world.

ILLUSTRATION:

Have you ever been around someone so much that you start to hear their voice coming through you? I used to have to be careful about binging tv shows because I could sometimes hear myself preaching and saying something with the voice of a character in that tv show. All of a sudden I’m turning into Kramer from Seinfeld or something.

do you know why that is?

It’s because Humans are designed to mirror those we are around. It’s a way we subconsciously connect with others. We’re wired for it.

Scientifically speaking, it’s called

The Mirror Neuron System - it’s the part of your brain that picks up and learns behavior from others.

So, when Jesus calls these guys to follow Him, His goal is to enact their mirror neuron system and teach them a new way of life.

He wants to lift their vision and get them to see there is more than just fishing in life - they can be fishers of men.

When they follow Him, their vision will be lifted and they’ll learn how to reflect God’s love back into the world.

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

Can I tell you something? I’ve seen Jesus continue to do this over and over again. I’ve seen Him say to people, “you sell cars, I’m going to teach you to sell the Kingdom of God to people.” “you organize deliveries? I’m going to teach you how to organize a revival” “you teach children? I’m going to teach you to capture hearts”

Jesus has a vision for your life that is beyond the horizontal place you want to stay. He wants to call you to follow Him and learn from Him, to learn to mirror Him.

Did you know this was the job of a disciple, it was to learn to think, talk, and be like their Rabbi.

Their job was to become a mirror.

What do you think Jesus would say to you if He were here today calling to you to follow Him? How would He raise your vision of your life to partner with God as a disciple?

I guess the question is, what are you going to do now that an opportunity like that has presented itself to you?

[close - we have papers and pens at the cross, I want you to come up and write what it is that God is calling you to and write your response to Him and then pray over it, after that, go take communion]

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Today Kent gets in our faces and challenges us with whether we've settled for being a Casual Acquaintance of Jesus, or having an intimate relationship with Him. Jump in with us in Sections 32 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Oh my gosh, the other day, I was SO scatterbrained - so much going on that we were going somewhere and the GPS kept being like, “turn right now” and I’d be past the turn. I’d flip onto another street and the GPS was like, “turn here” and again, I’d already be past the turn. It got to the point where google maps started insulting me, “turn around dummy… You keep going past the turns. Why don’t you listen to me” lol, it should have - they should have an “insensitive setting”

I do think Jenni was like, “do you need me to drive?” Lol

Even though I had the map right in front of me, I just kept missing my destination.

Oofta! If that doesn’t describe so many of our spiritual experiences, I don’t know what does…

We all know what it’s like to have the map in front of us and miss the destination

We are jumping back into the life of Jesus with some people who just absolutely miss Jesus…

You ever do this, you're back in your hometown and you’re seeing guys you played ball with in High school, or an old boyfriend, or the lady who watched you growing up. Jesus is there in Nazareth, it’s Saturday and He is going to Synagogue for worship.

Lk 4:16-21

16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read,17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me,

because he has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners

and recovery of sight for the blind,

to set the oppressed free,

19 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”[a]

20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him.21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.”

This passage is a passage about the Messiah coming from 700 years before Jesus

This is a mic-drop moment

Everyone is hushed - I would have loved to have been there in that moment to hear the whispers coming out of everyone's mouths - because they are all kind of speaking nice things about Him, but it’s out of the side of their mouth…

He tells them, “y’all are gonna wish I’d do the things I’m doing in other places here, but it’s not gonna happen.”

Matthew 13:58 will tell us Jesus could hardly do any miracles in Nazareth because of their unbelief

They get so furious with Him that they grab Him and take Him outside of the city to a hill we call, “Mount Precipice” Tradition is this is the hill they took Him to try and throw Him off the cliff...

You need to imagine this as a violent action…

This is a pretty good walk outside of the city

This is Jesus likely being pushed and shoved…

Can I show you Mount Precipice?

I happened to hike up it a bit while I was in Israel

I need you to know, this is terrible terrain, I never understood until being there how this could be true that Mark tells us

[they] took him to the brow of the hill on which the town was built, in order to throw him off the cliff.30 But he walked right through the crowd and went on his way.

Jesus just walks right through them

I think he’s able to do this because the terrain is so terrible and there’s a crowd, He just walks off…

Can I take this bad boy in for a landing with you?

I know so many people who have a casual acquaintance with Jesus

-in general, they know the story & they have some ideas about salvation

You will know someone who has a casual acquaintance because their focus will be on religious rule-keeping.

-don’t cuss or drink around the pastor, go to church and pretend like there’s nothing wrong with you, say the right things, do the right things

Matthew 7:21-23

21 “Not everyone who says to me, ‘Lord, Lord,’ will enter the kingdom of heaven, but only the one who does the will of my Father who is in heaven. 22 Many will say to me on that day, ‘Lord, Lord, did we not prophesy in your name and in your name drive out demons and in your name perform many miracles?’ 23 Then I will tell them plainly, ‘I never knew you. Away from me, you evildoers!’

Jesus will walk right through this crowd of people…

Why? Because they didn’t know Him…

Listen, we’ve all been given the directions - shoot, every week I’m saying to you, “turn now!”

But so many keep going in the same direction because they are convinced they already know Jesus because of their casual acquaintance with Him

I think casual acquaintance is almost more dangerous than complete ignorance.

did you hear me, your casual acquaintance with Jesus is more dangerous than not knowing anything about Him,

Why? Because the casual acquaintance thinks they already know enough about who Jesus is.

Can I just tell you to “TURN NOW?” one more time?

I’ve told you my heart is for you to become a disciple of Jesus’ - that’s my heart because it’s Jesus’ heart - His great commission in Matthew 28 was

“Go and Make Disciples…”

Being a disciple doesn’t happen by casual acquaintance. It happens by an intentional process.

3 Turns you Can make NOW to move towards discipleship

Die to yourself. You can’t take your old life into your new life with Jesus and think it’s going to work - you need a completely new life. This means actively looking at the parts of you that come into conflict with who Jesus is and dying to them.
Live by faith. This is not froo froo pie in the sky, “I just believe” this is you taking your moment by moment to Jesus. “Jesus, I’m struggling with my kids right now, I need your guidance and patience” “Jesus, I’m so overwhelmed right now, I commit my energy to you and ask for your peace” It’s actually living your life out of a posture of Faith as though you believe God is so real you can live by His activity in your life.
Learn the Heart of Jesus.You start to devour the scripture because you are looking for the heart of Jesus. How did He handle disagreements, how does He care for children, who is He. He wants a relationship with you desperately.

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

When I was in High school, my senior trip, we went to this lake called “Scott Lake”. All the football team started throwing kids into the lake. I knew they’d come for me at some point, so when I saw them coming, I took off my glasses and got ready for a fight. They were all trying to grab me and get me in the water and I was fighting them off, but at one point, I realized, they were going to get me…

In that moment, I had a stroke of brilliance. I stopped and yelled, “my glasses!” and acted like I was looking for my glasses. They were all so shocked they all stopped and started looking too. And while they were all looking for my glasses, I ran off!

ha, listen to me. God is a little like that in my experience. If you are after Him just to get what you ant out of Him, He’s slippery. But if you seek Him with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, He’s sticky - like a best friend. Maybe the problem for you, is you’ve been after Him like a casual acquaintance, not a best friend. Change that approach and it will change everything!

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There's a razor's edge difference between bravery & stupidity. Check out today's message looking at the bravery of Jesus and other early Christians and see how it challenges you. Jump in with us in Sections 30 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

When I was a kid, I really only got in one fistfight. There was this kid in my neighborhood named Matt Peeka - Matt was the kid everyone loved to pick on. He was a year older than me, but I was bigger than him..

My buddies and I had this tree house down at the Creek that was near my house that we had all worked on building together. There were these tall reeds there. I can remember that day, we were all hanging out at the treehouse and for some reason, we all started talking about fighting. Now, ladies, you might not get this, but the guys will. Matt and I weren’t mad at each other, my buddies just were like, “you two should fight” and I was dumb enough to be like, “yeah, why not…”

I figured I was bigger than Matt, but let me tell you something, the kid who gets picked on all the time, is not the kid you should choose to fight when you’re not mad. Not only that, but Matt came from an abusive family - I know for a fact his dad had beat him before with a bicycle chain (which I on a side note, if you are doing that and you are in here - come talk to me and get help and you get out of your family until you can be a different kind of parent).

So, when I stepped out in those reeds with Matt with all the guys standing around yelling “fight, fight, fight” - as the camera swooped around us, I had no idea what I was in for… Matt came out like a caged tiger. He just started pounding my face over and over again. I didn’t know what to do - I pushed him, I punched his body but couldn’t bring myself to hit him in the face and all the while, he just bloodied my face…

I’m not proud of it, but I finally just ran away…

Don’t be sad for me though, I’m kind of glad it happened, I figure Matt probably needed that “win” in his life :)

Here’s what I’m reminded of though

There is a razor's edge difference between brave and stupid.

Knowing when you’ve crossed from brave to stupid is key.

Today, I want us to look at Jesus in a peculiar spot and what I want you to notice is how Jesus walks the razor's edge into bravery. Then we’re gonna look at why He does this and how others have followed His example and you can too…

Mk 1:14-15

THE STORY:

Herod Antipas - this is the son of Herod the Great who killed the babies @ Christmas. Antipas has taken his brother's wife, Herodias as his lover. John the Baptist had been preaching against this union saying it was unlawful and he had been put in prison. John will eventually be beheaded when Antipas throws a birthday party for himself, inviting all his generals and military people. Herodias’ daughter Salome, a teenage girl will dance for Antipas - think dirty old man. Antipas is so turned on, he will offer her up to half of his Kingdom and after talking to her mom, all she asks for is John the Baptist's head on a plate…

The Herods are serious people to be messing with. We know from Josephus that John the Baptist was put in prison in Macherus - a fortress near the Dead Sea - on the west Side.

Jesus has been in the south, which is where Macherus is, Galilee is in the North

When Mark says Jesus, after John is put in prison, heads to Galilee - it looks like He’s running away from the lion's den

Matthew tells us that Jesus has gone to Capernaum in Galilee.

It might look like He’s running away, but that’s only because you are not first-century Jews.

Antipas actually ruled two territories as a client-state King for Rome.

He ruled in the south West of the Jordan near the Dead Sea.

But his capital was in Tiberius, off the Sea of Galilee, 3.5 hours walk from Capernaum.

Jesus isn’t running from the fight - He’s running to it.

so just a question…

Brave or stupid?

I want you to be aware of what the Gospel is that Jesus preached - I know you think the Gospel is “come and get saved so you can go to heaven….” But that’s not what Mark said Jesus preached, is it?

Jesus went into Galilee, proclaiming the good news of God. 15 “The time has come,” he said. “The kingdom of God has come near. Repent and believe the good news!”

Jesus is preaching a Kingdom, and the implication is He is the King…

In the heart of Herod Antipas’ territory.

Do you see how gutsy Jesus is?

again, brave or stupid?

Why would He do this? Capernaum is not just in Herod’s Territory, it’s on the border of His brother Phillips's Territory, Jesus is in this place where these two fraudulent Kings are set up and He’s saying, I’m bringing the true Kingdom.

Can I tell you something? This kind of bravery is something SO many Christians have embraced throughout history…

The apostle Paul, while he is in prison asks the Ephesians this:

Ephesians 6:19

Pray also for me, that whenever I speak, words may be given me so that I will fearlessly make known the mystery of the gospel

Paul, who was in prison for His faith, believed so much in the Kingdom Jesus came to establish that even while he was in chains by the Kingdom of the world, he wanted to Fearlessly make known the mystery of God’s Kingdom..

there was a guy in the book of Acts named Stephen who was killed by being pelted with stones for his declaration of Jesus and His Kingdom

Peter was crucified upside down

Christians were thrown to lions sewed into animal skins

Even to this day around the world, people are put to death for being Christians.

So, why do they do it?

I think Matthew hits it when He shares why Jesus, with all bravery, went into Antipas’ territory to preach His Kingdom

[Anthony, please put the underlines in the scripture when on screen]

Matthew 4:12-17

12 When Jesus heard that John had been put in prison, he withdrew to Galilee.13 Leaving Nazareth, he went and lived in Capernaum, which was by the lake in the area of Zebulun and Naphtali—14 to fulfill what was said through the prophet Isaiah:

15 “Land of Zebulun and land of Naphtali,

the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan,

Galilee of the Gentiles—

16 the people living in darkness

have seen a great light;

on those living in the land of the shadow of death

a light has dawned.”[a]

17 From that time on Jesus began to preach, “Repent, for the kingdom of heaven has come near.”

Jesus’ bravery and the bravery of subsequent Christians was about bringing light to those in darkness - even to the point of giving their life.

It’s because the Kingdom of God is an eternal Kingdom, it extends into heaven, but it starts in the here and now.

and Christians have been willing to give their lives so others might experience it.

Let me tell you something unfortunate about Christianity in our modern times.

We have let the idea of being a consumer taint the way we live in the Kingdom of God

We are always looking for what we can get instead of what we can give.

and it makes us cowards when we should be brave.

You were made for so much more, you were made to contribute.

That’s why as a church our mission is

Advancing the Kingdom by living for God and loving people

What would it look like for you to live that out in your life?

Where have you been hiding from the challenge of standing for those who are outside the Kingdom?

ILLUSTRATION:

Have you ever told your kid to clean their room, but it’s such a mess, they don’t know what to do? And you’re like, “just start cleaning.” Advancing the Kingdom is a little like that. It’s already in there what to do.

Live for God

Love people

When you step into those two things in bravery- you are advancing the Kingdom.

Christian, it’s time for us to return to our roots of bravery.

Will you? Where are you feeling convicted that you’ve not been brave - not asking for bible thumping - again, live for God, love people…

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

When I first became a Christian I would hear Christians use words like, “what a testimony” or, “you could be a powerful witness for Jesus” and I have to be honest, I was like, “what the heck are you talking about?”

I just kept thinking I was gonna get called into court and asked to testify about Jesus or worse yet, there would be some guy shining a light in my face while I’m tied to a chair asking me

“Now, tell me your whereabouts on January 5, 2010, at 6 pm….”

It wasn’t till I had been around for a while that I learned

Being a witness or having a testimony was you sharing your God story with someone who’s never heard it.

But maybe you are sitting out there going,

“Kent, I don’t have a ‘God’ story and even if I do, why would I need to share it - that’s a private thing between me and God”

Can I take you to a story today that might help you see why you sharing your God story could be one of the most impactful things you could do?

SCRIPTURE:

We are going to be in John chapter 4 today, I want to tell you the story of what’s happening and then get to the end of it…

Jesus has been in Judea - think the area around Jerusalem - the best way to think of Israel is to think of someone with their arm held up, cut off their chest and the top part of their arm above the elbow and that’s what the country looks like. Judea is the bicep. Jesus is heading towards Galilee - north of the elbow :).

The reason Jesus is on the move is that the fuzz is hot on his tail - He’s starting to pick up some heat from the religious leaders and His time hasn’t come yet. And Jesus makes an interesting choice - see, normally, Jewish people when they would travel between Galilee & Judea would travel around an area known as Samaria. You’ve heard of a “good Samaritan” before, but did you know that there is a series of mountains between the north of the elbow and your bicep that a group of people actually lived who are called the Samaritans - there are still like 900 people of this decent alive today. In ancient times Israel had been broken into two Kingdoms, a Northern Kingdom and a Southern Kingdom. The Northern Kingdom was taken captive by the Assyrians, and when that happened, the people left behind became the Samaritans - basically, they were Jewish, but they had one major difference, they claimed the place you worshipped God was on a mountain inter territory, not the southern territory…

They literally changed what the old testament said to reflect this and for a 1st-century Jew, this made them hate them.

It would be like someone saying, “in order to be a real Kentuckian, you have to cheer for Louisville :)”

The Jews would go around Samaria, because of their deep hate for them

But not Jesus - Jesus tends to go straight through Samaria

There’s something about Him that takes Him where no one else is willing to go…

oof there’s a sermon in there, but it’s for another day…

Let’s get to it. Jesus has gone directly to this spot in Samaria, He’s right at the base of this Mountain where Jacob had hundreds and hundreds of years before dug a well, you can literally still visit this well…

And Jesus is sitting there, by Himself, it’s noon and this woman comes out to get water. She’s by herself. She’s coming at the hottest part of the day, she’s at the very least ostracized from the community - and I think we find out why. They start talking and Jesus tells her to go get her husband, she’s had 5 husbands and she’s living with a guy who’s not her husband…

This woman is loose - there are choice words we’d call her today, right?

What is Jesus doing talking to a woman like this?

I mean seriously, she’s damaged goods… And not only does He talk to her, but He tells her He’s the messiah (I actually think He tells her twice, once He references that He can give her living water - one of the things the Messiah will do from Zechariah is bring living water - it would flow out from Him). But He also blatantly tells her

She’s so much the wrong person for Jesus to be telling who He is that John remarks on it in a backward way:

John 4:27

27 Just then his disciples returned and were surprised to find him talking with a woman. But no one asked, “What do you want?” or “Why are you talking with her?”

John’s intimating that they all wanted to ask, but didn’t…

Watch what happens out of this tender moment of Jesus telling the wrong person all the right things…

Him turning her worst story into her redemption story

John 4:28-38

28 Then, leaving her water jar, the woman went back to the town and said to the people,

She’s in such a hurry, she leaves the very thing she had come there to do - leaves her water jar…

Look what she tells the people of the town…

29 “Come, see a man who told me everything I ever did. Could this be the Messiah?” 30 They came out of the town and made their way toward him.

31 Meanwhile his disciples urged him, “Rabbi, eat something.”

32 But he said to them, “I have food to eat that you know nothing about.”

33 Then his disciples said to each other, “Could someone have brought him food?”

ILLUSTRATION:

You ever gone through an experience like given someone CPR, they almost died and you, just a normal person saved their life?

Other people just don’t get it, do they? You’re hopped up on the experience and they can’t relate…

that’s what’s happening here.

The disciples think He’s hungry and they don’t know He’s just changed this woman’s world.

34 “My food,” said Jesus, “is to do the will of him who sent me and to finish his work. 35 Don’t you have a saying, ‘It’s still four months until harvest’? I tell you, open your eyes and look at the fields! They are ripe for harvest. 36 Even now the one who reaps draws a wage and harvests a crop for eternal life, so that the sower and the reaper may be glad together. 37 Thus the saying ‘One sows and another reaps’ is true. 38 I sent you to reap what you have not worked for. Others have done the hard work, and you have reaped the benefits of their labor.”

I can’t prove it, but I think as Jesus is saying this, the woman is coming back over the hill with a crowd following her of people who have heard her story. I think he’s saying, “the field is ripe!”

The next thing John tells us is the Samaritans come and believe because of the woman’s testimony. But their belief grows because they come into contact with Jesus themselves.

CLOSING:

One of the craziest things in the world to me is that as followers of Jesus, we’re scared to tell people about Him. Listen, I get it, you’re worried about stepping on someone's toes, you're worried about looking like an idiot, you’re worried you won’t be able to answer people's questions but maybe you’re missing the point.

What people need to hear from you is your story with God

I was this way, and now I’m a different way

They need to know how your worst story became your redemption story

See, when people in your world hear your testimony, “I was this way, and now I’m different,” and you help them come into contact with Jesus themselves - YOU CHANGE ETERNITY

So, my question today is this…

Who do you need to tell?

If you don’t have a story to tell - you may need to really look at your life and ask the question, have I brought my worst moment into contact with Jesus?

Don’t miss it today - today could be your redemption story - for the rest of us, let’s tell someone, and then invite them to this place where they can come face to face with Him!

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What is the story you've been living in? What if you could write a story with your life that would change eternity. Jump in with us in Sections 25 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

So, years ago, after we left our church plant, I stepped out of ministry for about a year and worked at a friend's car dealership doing online marketing and social media. The dealership was doing some construction and had chosen not to hire a union crew. On my way to work the first week, I pulled up to the dealership and there was this huge banner with these people holding it that said, “Shame on Subaru of Wichita…” I saw this sign for a couple of days in a row and had this idea, “we should put out a sign that says, “for having unbeatable prices”

I couldn’t shake the idea, so when I came to work the next day, I talked with my coworker about the idea and told him. He kind of chuckled and said, “that would be funny…”

Later that week, the owner of the dealership came up to me and said, did you hear about the funny idea Aaron had? I said, “no, what is it…” and he repeated to me my idea word for word…

You know what’s worse? Every day for months, I had to carry that sign out to the corner and put it up knowing it was my idea and he got the credit for it….

What do you do in situations like that?

How does your ego handle it when the credit you’re supposed to get goes to someone else?

Today, we’re going to jump back into the life of John the Baptist for a moment and look at a moment when he was faced with something similar.

Jn 3:22-36

22 After this,

This is after Jesus’ conversation with Nicodemus that we’ve just spent time on.

Jesus and his disciples went out into the Judean countryside, where he spent some time with them, and baptized.

Now, John will tell us in the next chapter that it wasn’t Jesus doing the baptisms but His disciples..

23 Now John also was baptizing at Aenon near Salim, because there was plenty of water, and people were coming and being baptized. 24 (This was before John was put in prison.)

Aenon sounds like a location, but the word actually means - the springs - so John has moved north out of the desert to the springs near Salim, Salim was up on this hill in the middle of a pretty beautiful spot and has springs surrounding it…

Jesus and John are likely baptizing fairly close to each other is the point…

And listen to what comes of it…

25 An argument developed between some of John’s disciples and a certain Jew over the matter of ceremonial washing. 26 They came to John and said to him, “Rabbi, that man who was with you on the other side of the Jordan—the one you testified about—look, he is baptizing, and everyone is going to him.”

This is it, this is John’s sign on the side of the road moment…

You’ve had these moments, right? Does someone take the credit? Does some guy steal your idea? Someone uses your work to get themselves a promotion?

John’s disciples see the whole scenario this way: John lent his influence to Jesus and now John’s influence is waning as Jesus’ is gaining…

Let’s just be honest for a moment - how do you respond to that situation if you are John?

and I mean REALLY respond, not, what’s the right answer, but do you complain to your friends and your husband? Do you sabotage your coworker? Are you bolder and you just insert yourself?

Listen to what John says and does…

27 To this John replied, “A person can receive only what is given them from heaven. 28 You yourselves can testify that I said, ‘I am not the Messiah but am sent ahead of him.’ 29 The bride belongs to the bridegroom. The friend who attends the bridegroom waits and listens for him, and is full of joy when he hears the bridegroom’s voice. That joy is mine, and it is now complete.

30 He must become greater; I must become less.”[a]

There is SO much gold in John’s response

Can I harvest it with you for a moment?

“A person can receive only what is given them from heaven.”

John is fully aware of his place in the story

John is a B Character in an A story…

what I mean is that John is not the main character of the story…

The story is not about him.

I love his ILLUSTRATION:

About the bridegroom and the friend - it reminds me of an Adam Sandler movie years ago - Wedding Singer, where the brother of a groom stands up to give a toast and ends up telling everyone how bad his brother is, he ends the toast talking about him being the best man and he says, “best man? the Better man!” and everyone is silent…

It’s because the story of the wedding is about the groom and the bride, everyone else is just a B Character…

Here’s the problem, here’s the crux for most of us.

Your entire life you’ve been told you are supposed to “make a difference” “you matter” “you are important”

I don’t how many times I’ve heard someone who is famous say, “I just wanted to hear them chanting or know my name”

Can I tell you a secret our world isn’t going to tell you?

The story isn’t about you…

We are all B Characters in an A Story

You can keep reading what John the apostle says about Jesus

-He makes it clear in vs. 31-36 that Jesus is from above, that the story is about Him.

How much of your struggle, your disappointment, your loss, your failure is a result of putting yourself center stage when it should have been Jesus all along?

John’s statement, “He must become greater, I must become less” should be one you memorize

When this becomes the trajectory of your life, it will change EVERYTHING

Does this mean you don’t stand up for yourself sometimes?

Does this mean it’s ok for people to take advantage of you?

Does this mean you don’t matter?

No, none of that

This means not thinking less of yourself, but thinking of yourself less.

CLOSING:

When I was working at the dealership and having to carry that sign out every day, one of the things I knew about the guy I was working with was that he was an Atheist. See, the question for me became do I fight to make my story the primary focus and aim of my life or Jesus? So, what I did was I took even that and turned it into a Jesus story in my life. I would pray for him as we carried the sign together, and I’d ask him questions. I’d care for him and push him on his pushing back on Jesus.

The question for all of us, every day, is will you write a story with your life that is primarily about you or about Jesus

This takes brutal honesty, this takes perspective, this takes humility… and this will change the world!

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There are certain people who push the paradigms you think in, John the Baptist was one of those people. Jump in with us in Sections 17, 19, & 20 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

You ever met someone and thought, “I just want to spend more time with you to learn the way you think…”

My buddy Dan Mitchell is like that - he was my youth pastor and the one who mentored/discipled me and still continues to.

Still to this day, 30 years later he challenges me. I still want to learn to think like he does, I still want to have the kind of heart he has for Jesus.

One of the biggest mistakes you can make in life is to stop putting yourself in positions where your paradigm is pushed.

It’s one of the reasons I think you should make being in church every week a huge priority because you need someone outside of you pushing on your paradigm

Who in your world pushes your paradigm? Your way of thinking?

This morning, I want to put you into contact with someone from the timeline of Jesus who should push your paradigm…

We are jumping into the history of Jesus' life at the beginning of his ministry.

His baptism by John the Baptist.

John is out in the desert baptizing people who are coming to him. He’s dressed in camel hair clothing with a leather belt and his primary diet is honey & locusts.

Josephus the ancient Jewish Roman Historian talks briefly about John the Baptist in Antiquities 18 (https://www.livius.org/sources/content/josephus/jewish-antiquities/josephus-on-john-the-baptist/)

I want you to get that John was a real person and we really have stuff to learn from him.

Today, the Jordan river where John was baptizing is gross and full of runoff junk - but it would have been a spot of life in the middle of a desert. People have traveled a long way to get to John. This is a little like Woodstock - but the religious version. And where we come into the scene John is being questioned by religious leaders about who he is and what he’s doing, check it out…

as we go through this - I want you to let John push your paradigm

3 Ways John Should Push Your Paradigm…

Jn 1:19-34

19 Now this was John’s testimony when the Jewish leaders[a] in Jerusalem sent priests and Levites to ask him who he was. 20 He did not fail to confess, but confessed freely, “I am not the Messiah.”

21 They asked him, “Then who are you? Are you Elijah?”

He said, “I am not.”

“Are you the Prophet?”

He answered, “No.”

Let me explain real quick - Malachi talked about how Elijah would come before the Messiah - this is such a deeply held belief among the Jews that many to this day at Passover set an extra setting for Elijah in case he should return and they open their door to let him in.

Moses was also promised by God that a prophet like him would come.

So these priests and Levites are asking John if he is one of these guys…

It’s interesting because his answer is no, but later, Jesus will tell us that John was Elijah

What’s interesting is John didn’t fully know what his role was..

22 Finally they said, “Who are you? Give us an answer to take back to those who sent us. What do you say about yourself?”

23 John replied in the words of Isaiah the prophet, “I am the voice of one calling in the wilderness, ‘Make straight the way for the Lord.’”[b]

John may have not known the role he played on a grand scale, but he knew what he was doing - he was making the way

Paradigm Push 1: Stop waiting for all the information from God, just be obedient in what you already know.

Oof, can I tell you something? You already know God wants you to be a servant, you already know God wants you to make disciples, you already know God wants you to be living your life completely for Him.

Stop letting the fact that you don’t know all the details keep you from living for the eternal.

24 Now the Pharisees who had been sent 25 questioned him, “Why then do you baptize if you are not the Messiah, nor Elijah, nor the Prophet?”

26 “I baptize with[c] water,” John replied, “but among you stands one you do not know. 27 He is the one who comes after me, the straps of whose sandals I am not worthy to untie.”

The Jewish people were the ones that invented baptism, did you know this? In Hebrew it’s called Mikva - it’s a very specific purity ritual to purify yourself after touching death or in preparation for a religious event - going to the temple, consummating marriage, etc.

They want to know if John isn’t one of these expected people, what in the world is he doing baptizing apart from a religious reason?

John’s answer is interesting - the one he’s preparing the way for is so great that John isn’t even worthy to help him take off his sandals for baptism.

28 This all happened at Bethany on the other side of the Jordan, where John was baptizing.

John Testifies About Jesus

29 The next day John saw Jesus coming toward him and said, “Look, the Lamb of God, who takes away the sin of the world! 30 This is the one I meant when I said, ‘A man who comes after me has surpassed me because he was before me.’ 31 I myself did not know him, but the reason I came baptizing with water was that he might be revealed to Israel.”

Paradigm Push 2: Point people to Jesus

We live in the weirdest period of human history. The idea of fame & influence has been democratized and anyone can become an overnight famous person influencing the world around us. And almost exclusively what those people are wanting to do is push people to listen to them. Look, I get that most of you don’t care about that, you’re not interested in it. But you do need to realize, the people around you are.

And, you need to realize you have influence.

ILLUSTRATION:

I remember the first time it hit me that often times as a youth pastor I made kids who were pretty or popular feel bad for having that status - not intentionally, but I did. Then it hit me, what if they used their beauty, their popularity, and their status for Jesus and His Kingdom.

What if the way to die to self was not in sabotaging your influence but to stop using it to boost your own ego and instead, become an influencer for the Kingdom

We need more business people who stop and pray for people, teachers who answer spiritual questions when asked with bravery, business owners who care for their employees personal life

John was always pointing people to Jesus

32 Then John gave this testimony: “I saw the Spirit come down from heaven as a dove and remain on him. 33 And I myself did not know him, but the one who sent me to baptize with water told me, ‘The man on whom you see the Spirit come down and remain is the one who will baptize with the Holy Spirit.’ 34 I have seen and I testify that this is God’s Chosen One.”[d]

with this last paradigm push, can I just talk to those of you who have been on the fence about following Jesus?

Paradigm Push 3: You need Jesus

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

One of the weird things about being a pastor is people think you’re better than you are. I try and let you know I’m not that great all the time, and with me it’s probably easier than lots of others. But I need you to know, the only things that are good about me are because of Jesus. Kent in his Kentness is a mess. I always know when I’m living in my Kentness - the other night, I got mad about something, it wasn’t anything important, but I could feel in myself that I was not living by the Spirit of God. I was full on in my Kentness - I was harsh and not kind in my thoughts - even if on the outside you can’t tell, I can tell. I’m miserable to be within my own mind even. Because my Kentness is focused completely on…. Kent.

Look, Jesus did come to save you from your sins - to free you from the slavery it put you in and to rescue you from hell - but that’s just the entrance into the park.

He came to immerse you in the work of the Holy Spirit in your life so you and I no longer have to live in the filth of our Kentness… We can live in the God flow of life.

He came to restore the relationship that was broken in the Garden - to have God in your life, taking up residence inside of you every day, all day.

Even when I’m in my Kentness, it is the Spirit of God that pulls me out of that. “Kent, you were harsh, go apologize to your son…” “Kent, she just needs you to give her a hug, not a lecture.” “Kent, give that $100 in your pocket to him…”

Life immersed in the Holy Spirit is unequivocally the most exciting, freeing, hope-filled, peace-generating thing I’ve ever experienced

Jesus came to give it to you, why wait any longer?

Pray to close

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What do Snakes, Adam & Eve, and a guy named Nicodemus all have to do with each other? Tune in to learn! Jump in with us in Sections 24 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Time for me to expose a secret about my wife… She LOVES the tv show survivor, I mean like crazy loves it. If I try to make fun of it, I’m sleeping on the couch loves it… Ha. One of the staples of the show survivor is Jeff Probst comes on at the beginning of the episode and says, “previously on survivor!”

and then they recap what’s happened up until that point.

Today, we are going to look at one of the most well-known passages of scripture in the bible.

But before we do, I’ve got to recap a few stories for you so we can see something you may have never seen before.

Is everyone ok with that?

So, “Previously in the bible!”

Two stories:

Story One: Adam & Eve

First, Adam & Eve, my guess is most of you are at least familiar with this story, right - you may not believe it’s actually true, but you’re familiar with it. Even if you don’t believe it actually happened, which I do, you have to at the least admit it is the story of humanity in a nutshell… Adam & Eve are the first created humans in all of history. They are formed from the dust of the ground, God breathes life into them. They live in union with God until one day the serpent comes to them and tempts them to eat from the one tree in the Garden that God had told them not to eat from… Does this sound familiar? You know the story right? In Genesis 3, they eat, realize they are naked, and sew fig leaves to cover themselves. Then God comes walking into the Garden and they hide from Him. God asks them why they are hiding and Adam lies, he says, “Because we were naked”, but they weren’t naked anymore

They are hiding because they can’t bear to be exposed…

either physically or spiritually…

Ok, Keep story one in your back pocket

Story Two: Snake Bites

In Numbers 21 there is a story about the Israelites after they have left Egypt, this is Moses leading them out into the desert, this is 1,600ish years before Jesus. A long time ago….

The people are wandering around in the desert, they had followed Moses out of Egypt thinking they were getting freedom, which they did, but it wasn’t what they thought. They were thirsty and hungry and had enemies on all sides and they had to trust God. They are in the middle of the desert, and they get mad at God, they get mad at Moses and they start to complain and grumble.

This kind of cracks me up, God sends poisonous snakes among these people… I know it’s serious, but I know this is how people are. God is taking care of them, He’s providing food and water, He’s freed them from slavery and given Himself to them and it’s not enough. So, He lets snakes start to come after them….

The people come to Moses and confess that they sinned and they ask him to pray that God will take away the snakes.

Moses prays. God tells him to make a serpent out of bronze and put it on a pole so that anytime anyone looks at the bronze serpent after being bit, they will be healed.

So, now we’ve got story one and story two, but what do they have to do with Today?

“Kent, have you gone off your rocker?”

Let me tie these together in Section 24 of the Harmony of the Gospels

Last week we talked about Nic coming to Jesus at night, Jesus told him to be born again he had to be born of water and the Spirit.

We are picking up at the end of that discussion, check it out…

John 3:9-21

9 “How can this be?” Nicodemus asked.

10 “You are Israel’s teacher,” said Jesus, “and do you not understand these things?

ILLUSTRATION:

Have you ever tried to explain something to a teenager that they think they already know everything about? I was the most arrogant teen in the world and thought I knew everything - if I already knew it, you weren’t going to teach me anything…

It’s hard to see things you aren’t looking for…

Nic can’t see it and doesn’t understand it because it doesn’t fit in the way he understands God.

I think, can’t prove it, but I think this is why Jesus started with fisherman instead of scholars - because Nicodemus already has a way of thinking about God and he can’t see any other way…

Jesus is about to blow Nic up! Check this out…

11 Very truly I tell you, we speak of what we know, and we testify to what we have seen, but still you people do not accept our testimony. 12 I have spoken to you of earthly things and you do not believe; how then will you believe if I speak of heavenly things? 13 No one has ever gone into heaven except the one who came from heaven—the Son of Man.[a]

ILLUSTRATION:

When I was in High school I had a nickname, queso - yup, I went by “cheese” - someday I’ll tell you that story. But, there are certain people in my life who will still call me queso - they know what it means and there are others that when they hear that name, know exactly who is being talked about.

I’m not going into it today - but when Jesus calls Himself “The Son of Man” He is specifically using a title in Daniel 7 that refers to one who would come in the clouds..

You need to know that Nicodemus would have understood Jesus to be referring to Himself as the Messiah in Daniel 7 - The Son of Man.

Man, this is so chocked full - this passage, but we need to get to the meat of it…

Jesus continues…

14 Just as Moses lifted up the snake in the wilderness, so the Son of Man must be lifted up,[b] 15 that everyone who believes may have eternal life in him.”[c]

Did you hear it?

Story Two - Jesus is saying He will be lifted up and everyone who believes in Him will have eternal life.

Jesus is unabashedly dividing all of humanity into those who believe and those who don’t. Those who have eternal life and those who don’t…

Just as the serpent on the pole healed the Israelites of the snake bite in the desert, Jesus heals us of the snake bite given in the Garden of Eden - the sin we all live in.

And then He says this - you need to know, some bibles don’t put quotes around this, but I think it’s Jesus’ words… Listen

this is the passage you’ve heard your whole life…

Out of the motif of the snake bite - Jesus says this

Jesus DID come to separate - but He’s not the one doing the separating, we decide for ourselves if we will stand condemned or not.

So, what about Story One Kent?

Listen to how Jesus ends this whole thing…

19 This is the verdict: Light has come into the world, but people loved darkness instead of light because their deeds were evil. 20 Everyone who does evil hates the light, and will not come into the light for fear that their deeds will be exposed. 21 But whoever lives by the truth comes into the light, so that it may be seen plainly that what they have done has been done in the sight of God.

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

One of the things I’ve learned about myself is that I hate more than anything being exposed. I used to not think this was true about me. I actually held a value that as long as I told you the truth about myself that I could do anything I wanted. But that wasn’t quite the truth.

I was willing to own up to the terrible things I did, but couldn’t face the consequences of them…

I have a feeling we are all like this, it’s a born trait. It’s why we all understand Adam and Eve and their hiding from God in the Garden. Because we know what it’s like to be exposed and to want to hide.

Jesus says it is this trait inside of us all, this desire to hide from the light that keeps us in the dark.

What is it that is keeping you in the dark? What are you afraid of exposing?

God already knows it, guess what, it is already going to be exposed, the question is whether you will come to the one who can heal you of it and free you from it.

He is the serpent on the pole. He was lifted up on the cross to free you from the poison of sin in your life. You hiding from being exposed doesn’t help anything.

ILLUSTRATION:

I tell my kids when I ask them a question that I already know the answer so be honest - which is true, I wouldn’t know to ask the question if I didn’t know the answer. God already knows, the question is whether you are going to be honest enough with yourself to admit just how bad the consequences of your life are and your need for a savior. He’s waiting for you to come to Him for freedom and life!

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What does it mean to be born again? For a long time I missed what Jesus actually says about this idea, tune in to see if you've missed it or not. Jump in with us in Sections 24 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

So, over Christmas break, I was standing in the kitchen with my nephew who was asking me what I do as a pastor- lol. He was like, “I know you preach and stuff, but, like, do you work the rest of the week?” I’ve always thought if people think I really only work one hour a week, why don’t I? Lol.

I told him my week is full of meetings, leadership decisions, one on one coaching, staff meetings and more. Plus, I have to write a 10-page persuasive research paper that has to be engaging enough for you to want to give me 30 minutes of your time and then I have to present the paper every week. It’s a weird job.

But then he asked me a good question, he asked me if I ever struggle with what to say or preach. That’s a good question because I happened to be working on this sermon at that exact time and I was struggling with how to preach it.

See, this morning, I’m going to tell you about Jesus meeting with Nicodemus and Jesus saying “you need to be born again” and while that seems like the easiest thing in the world to preach, I’ve preached on it a million times and it felt hard for me to figure out how to approach it.

But as I talked it through with him it hit me that there was something I hadn’t preached on before…

Can I show you?

Check this out, we’ll be in John 3

John 3:1-8

Now there was a Pharisee, a man named Nicodemus who was a member of the Jewish ruling council. 2 He came to Jesus at night and said, “Rabbi, we know that you are a teacher who has come from God. For no one could perform the signs you are doing if God were not with him.”

Nic comes to Jesus and from the outset, he’s showing us that he has respect for Jesus - nic was a part of the Jewish ruling council.

He’s seen Jesus work miracles - He will actually defend Jesus to the Sanhedrin and after Jesus dies, Nic will be one of the people who help bury him. I think he is legitimately seeking Jesus

Nic is worried about being seen with Jesus - it’s why he comes at night, under the cloak of dark

some of you get that, right, you are interested in spiritual things, but you’ve been resistant to spiritual things for a long time and you can’t have anyone see you being interested

-I love that Jesus just accepts him and starts to talk to Him…

Listen to Jesus’ response to nic….

3 Jesus replied, “Very truly I tell you, no one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.[a]”

I love that Jesus doesn’t really care about Nic’s compliments - he cuts straight to the heart of the matter.

Jesus always cuts to the heart of the matter.

4 “How can someone be born when they are old?” Nicodemus asked. “Surely they cannot enter a second time into their mother’s womb to be born!”

Lol, when I was describing this to my nephew - he thought it was funny when I put this part of the story in the context

Nic is saying, “ew, there’s no way someone could climb back into their mom and be born again, that’s just ridiculous…”

Nic doesn’t get it - He thinks Jesus is talking about a physical reality and Jesus is talking about a spiritual reality.

ILLUSTRATION:

Have you ever tried to help your kids with the new math they teach them? My kids will do 15 plus 15 and by the end of it they’ve written up some algebraic calculation “well, if x=5, then the quotient of the remainder of the dividend…” and I’m like, “what? the answer is 30, it’s 30… it’s just 15 plus 15…

What Jesus is teaching Nicodemus is totally foreign to Him.

Nicodemus had no category for “born again”

I want you to notice why it is that Jesus is saying you must be born again.

“No one can see the kingdom of God unless they are born again.”

This is what I had never preached on before.

I had always linked being born again to salvation - which it is, I believe. But the reason Jesus gives for it is for you to see/enter the Kingdom of Heaven.

listen

5 Jesus answered, “Very truly I tell you, no one can enter the kingdom of God unless they are born of water and the Spirit. 6 Flesh gives birth to flesh, but the Spirit[b] gives birth to spirit. 7 You should not be surprised at my saying, ‘You[c] must be born again.’

ILLUSTRATION:

When you were a little kid, did you ever make up a secret knock to get into your room? if you didn’t enter with the knock, you couldn’t come in…

Jesus is saying that entrance into the Kingdom of God is a matter of a different kind of birth than what Nicodemus had ever known - it was a matter of being born of water and the spirit

Nicodemus and the early Christians would have understood Jesus’ reference to being born of water as a reference to baptism.

Baptism - was the place of starting over - dying to your old life and being raised to new life in Jesus

For the Jewish person, Mikva (baptism) was how a person converted to Judaism - and it was said to so thoroughly change a person that they came out the other side of the water able to marry a sibling if they wanted because they were completely new.

Jesus ties this act with an act of the Spirit moving - not just what the person does.

but that God Himself works something in the person.

Reminds me of

Jeremiah 29:13

You will seek me and find me when you seek me with all your heart.

Can I ask you a question?

Did you just come to Jesus to be saved when what He wanted was for you to enter His Kingdom?

Why would Jesus want you to be “saved” and then just go back to who you were before?

He saved you so you could serve in the Kingdom!

Listen to how Jesus talks about these people who have been born of the Spirit…

8 The wind blows wherever it pleases. You hear its sound, but you cannot tell where it comes from or where it is going. So it is with everyone born of the Spirit.”

Those who are born of water and the Spirit are living for a Kingdom other than their own.

-they will use their talents in a way that’s unexpected

-they will use their time in a way that’s unexpected

-they will use their treasure in a way that’s unexpected

Because they are fully submitted to the King in the Kingdom.

So what about you?

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION: When we used to live in Kansas, we were about 2.5 hrs from Branson where Silver Dollar City is - it’s similar, so I’ve heard to Dollywood. We used to go there several times a year. One of the things that we loved about Silver Dollar City was right after you get inside the gates, there is this place with cinnamon rolls the size of your face. They're amazing! So much frosting and deliciousness in them. I thought, can you imagine someone going to silver dollar city and getting to the cinnamon roll stand and being like, “I’ve made it! this is what I’ve always dreamed of!” and they stop there? They don’t go in and see all the rides and all the amazing food and shows and fun. They miss the entire thing. When you come out they're still there at the cinnamon roll stand and you’re like, “why didn’t you go in?” and they say, “this is all we wanted…”

Some of you came to Jesus to be “born again” and you came just for salvation - just to escape hell, which is great, but it wasn’t the point. escaping hell is a by-product of knowing the King. He came so you could see the Kingdom, so you could enter the Kingdom - being a part of a Kingdom necessitates you following the directive of the King. You have stopped short of actually experiencing everything He wants for you.

What if you went all the way in? What if you sought Him with all your heart? For some of you that means taking a step into baptism and really following him in water and the spirit. For some of you, it means going back to your first love. Some of you need to join a connect group and get around other Christians who deeply love Jesus. The only thing you shouldn’t do is stay where you are.

When it comes to following Jesus, you are either moving closer to Him or further away, there is no standing still.

so get into the Jet stream of Jesus and let Him move you…

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How do you overcome temptation, sometimes it feels like there is no way to get past it. Today, Kent preaches on this from the life of Jesus in Section 18 as well as Interviews Trainer Joe from Lexington. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Do you know one of the reasons so many people make new years resolutions? It’s because we spent so much time giving into temptation over Christmas.

I always joked that I gained 2lbs for every day we were at Jenni’s mom & dad’s house over Christmas because everywhere I went there were literally piles of cookies.

What do you do when you’ve spent your whole life giving in to temptation?

This morning, we are going to look at a snapshot of Jesus’ life when He faced temptation

then I have a special guest I want to bring out and we’re going to have a discussion around temptation.

So, if you want to open your bibles to Mt 4. This is right after Jesus gets baptized by John B. He is led out into the wilderness - this is a dry barren place in Israel with little oasis’ of springs & palm trees.

Listen to what Jesus did..

Matthew 4:1-11

Then Jesus was led by the Spirit into the wilderness to be tempted by the devil. 2 After fasting forty days and forty nights, he was hungry. 3 The tempter came to him and said, “If you are the Son of God, tell these stones to become bread.”

4 Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.'”

You get the picture? Jesus hasn’t eaten for 40 days. I fasted 11 days one time, I thought I was going to die - I was only drinking water and then I decided to add in fruit juices. I got so crazy sick from it.

Here is Jesus after 40 days - he’s not just hungry, he’s likely in a position where His body is breaking down muscle at this point.

-Satan comes and tells him to turn the stones into bread…

This is a temptation for Jesus because He COULD have done it.

He could have turned those stones to bread and just eaten them.

But Jesus resists the temptation and quotes the scripture from Duet 8 “man shall not live on bread alone” This scripture is where God is telling the Israelites he let them go Hungry and then fed them with manna so they would learn that man lives by God’s word, not by anything else.

Jesus is not willing to step past what the Father has called Him to for a quick fix…

Oof, that’s a gut punch for me… I don’t know about you.

How often do you settle for a quick fix and miss what God may be intending for us if we had just held out?

I don’t know if you can feel it, but Jesus cannot be in a good mental space right now…

People are most susceptible to temptation when they are tired, lonely, or hurting.

Jesus is likely experiencing all three of those things

What do you do when you experience such deep temptations? when you are at your weakest?

Jesus will go on to be tempted to test God’s love for Him and to get worship and power through idolatry, and in each of these temptations, Jesus goes the distance.

Listen to this quote from CS Lewis about temptation:

“No man knows how bad he is till he has tried very hard to be good. A silly idea is current that good people do not know what temptation means. This is an obvious lie. Only those who try to resist temptation know how strong it is. After all, you find out the strength of the German army by fighting against it, not by giving in. You find out the strength of a wind by trying to walk against it, not by lying down. A man who gives in to temptation after five minutes simply does not know what it would have been like an hour later. That is why bad people, in one sense, know very little about badness — they have lived a sheltered life by always giving in. We never find out the strength of the evil impulse inside us until we try to fight it: and Christ, because He was the only man who never yielded to temptation, is also the only man who knows to the full what temptation means — the only complete realist.”

So, let me ask you this question…

How do you go the distance when tempted?

Isn’t that the question? If we could figure out how to resist temptation, we wouldn’t need New Years' Resolutions.

This morning, I want to introduce you to a friend of mine, that I’ve gotten to know thanks to David Burchfield..

You guys know I’ve struggled with my weight for most of my life. In July of last year, I was 314 lbs. I had gone to Israel and all the walking destroyed my knees - you guys don’t know this, but I had gotten to the point where I was having to sit on my butt to scoot down the stairs of our house because I physically couldn’t stand it.

I finally, after watching David lose weight, joined the program David was doing has lost over 140 lbs and my life was transformed. The difference was, I thought it was going to be a diet, but really, what I learned was to apply what I know about other temptations to the temptation that most fully grabbed my heart - you can learn more about the program tonight if you want, but this morning, I want to talk to Trainer Joe Olliges about temptation because He brings a really unique view to this…

Would you guys welcome Trainer Joe Olliges to the stage

Questions:

I’ve heard you talk a bunch about this passage of Jesus being tempted, and you got me thinking about it in a way I hadn’t thought of it before, could you share that with us?
What is it that you think keeps so many of us beholden to giving into temptations - I know your specialty is food, but those truths carry over into other areas?
Why do you think so many Christians are willing to settle for lies and ignore the truth?
What are things you think everyone needs in their life for someone to overcome temptation?
Why do you think so many people in your program are successful? What is it that makes someone successful at resisting temptation?

CLOSER:

Will you all give it up for Trainer Joe? [Joe Exits]

Joe, thanks so much for that!

One of the things I love about Trainer Joe is he is willing to say the hard things to you.

Most of us avoid hard things because it makes us uncomfortable, but hard things are what help you grow.

I want to close by reading a passage from James 4, this is the brother of Jesus writing to us, I have to imagine he is remembering Jesus’ temptation when he says this:

James 4:7-10

7 Submit yourselves, then, to God. Resist the devil, and he will flee from you. 8 Come near to God and he will come near to you. Wash your hands, you sinners, and purify your hearts, you double-minded. 9 Grieve, mourn and wail. Change your laughter to mourning and your joy to gloom. 10 Humble yourselves before the Lord, and he will lift you up.

James doesn’t pull any punches does he - he sobers you up real quick.

Submit yourself to God, resist the devil and he’ll flee. Come near to God, He’ll come near to you… Wash your hands sinners purify your hearts, grieve mourn wail… laughter to mourning

James is calling you and me out!

He’s saying, live in reality - take ownership of the life you’ve lived and turn to God - because He can lift you up!

Listen the only way to overcome temptation is to exchange your lies for truth

To switch your focus from pleasing yourself to pleasing God

We have some pieces of paper and pens up here at the cross. during communion, I want you to write a lie you’ve been believing that today on that paper and leave it at the cross, take another paper and write the truth you are going to embrace and put it somewhere you’ll see it everyday!

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Listen to Russel Johnson talk about the importance of drawing near to God!

IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

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How do you encounter God when He seems silent? How do you know if you are doing what He REALLY wants? This week Kent tackles this question and challenges us to take our relationship with God to the next level. Jump in with us in Sections 2 & 19 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

So, in Israel, you walk in this parking garage that has KFC on the escalator, and there are vendors trying to get you to buy their goods. You walk up this hill to this massive building - it looks more like a castle than a church, then you turn into this parking lot full of cars and people, all waiting in line to enter into this ancient building. Each time it’s been repaired the doorway has gotten smaller, to where now you have to duck to get in. It’s said you duck in reverence to Christ, no one is allowed to enter without bowing to Jesus.

When you get through that door, there is an ancient entryway and another door you pass through and you enter into this giant cathedral with massive ancient mosaics covering the walls

You walk up past this worship space that is full of so much ornamentation that it’s hard to process it all. You are ushered into this smaller space and everyone crowds down this little set of stairs that leads down to the bedrock - all of this is built over the ancient stones that would have been there during Jesus’ life. I wish I had the ability to start taking away all of these adornments and to strip back the land to what it would have looked like, because really, what you are walking into is a cave that is built into the bedrock - nothing fancy, no fanfare. But you would be standing in the middle of a bible story.

I felt like it took a lot of imagination to get rid of thousands of years of junk to see what was there. A dark, smelly, hard, cold cave that would have been used to house animals…

You literally are standing in the midst of a bible story at this point. You are walking into the middle of the 2nd chapter of Luke.

I stood there and watched as people worshiped in these spots. All I could think about was that fateful night so long ago when that spot changed from a cave into a cathedral…

Can I read to you the historical account of this moment?

Luke 2:1-7

In those days Caesar Augustus issued a decree that a census should be taken of the entire Roman world. 2 (This was the first census that took place while[a] Quirinius was governor of Syria.) 3 And everyone went to their own town to register.

4 So Joseph also went up from the town of Nazareth in Galilee to Judea, to Bethlehem the town of David, because he belonged to the house and line of David. 5 He went there to register with Mary, who was pledged to be married to him and was expecting a child. 6 While they were there, the time came for the baby to be born, 7 and she gave birth to her firstborn, a son. She wrapped him in cloths and placed him in a manger, because there was no guest room available for them.

I told you I’d point out places there could be problems, or seeming contradictions, in the scripture.

Let me point one out right now before we go on.

Luke anchors his account of the birth of Jesus through historical people and a historical event

-A decree by Caesar Augustus

-A census taken by the Romans

-During the governorship of Quirinius

Here’s the problem:

We know of a few censuses Caesar decreed, the only one that would make sense for the birth of Jesus is NOT during the governorship of Quirinius.

Is Luke just wrong?

Non-religious scholars will want to say that Luke is just wrong because there is no evidence that Quirinius was governor during that time. So, Luke either made it up or was a bad historian.

Here’s the problem. They are taking an eyewitness testimony and saying, “because we have no corroboration of his account - he must be wrong”

No corroboration means is we only have one eyewitness account of something that happened 2,000 years ago

It doesn’t mean it didn’t happen the way Luke said, it just means we don’t have enough evidence to verify it.

My personal view on these kinds of “contradictions” is that if there is a plausible explanation, then I’m willing to hold onto the biblical account.

ILLUSTRATION:

I had a buddy who said, it’s like having your kid go to a party about the 90s and come back and try and tell you how you tight-roll your jeans wrong because they really know how to do it right. They weren’t there, they don’t really know…

SCRIPTURE:

In that cave, all those years ago, David and Mary sat…

Can you imagine what that night was like?

They had been traveling for over 3 days to travel.

They’ve arrived, but there is no room available for them. It’s not like these people were all wealthy and had lots of extra room like Americans, most of them lived very meager existences. Mary and Joseph are given an extra room, the place where the animals were kept. Likely as a mercy, not to be mean or rude - it would be warm, and there would be straw and hay for whenever Mary did give birth. It would be humble, but it would suffice.

And Jesus would be born away from home, in the lowest of places.

It’s interesting to me because Jesus will spend most of His life “away from home” in places where He’s the outsider.

He will move to Egypt as a baby for a period of time

as an adult He will move from town to town

He will be crucified as an outsider

Jesus knows what it’s like to be on the outside.

I love how the NLT says

Hebrews 4:15

This High Priest of ours understands our weaknesses, for he faced all of the same testings we do, yet he did not sin.

Jesus gets you…

This is the difference between Christianity and every other religion.

In every other religion, you have to become something to get to God

-be a better person

-be super religious

-be more moral

In Christianity, God became something to rescue you!

Jesus came just like us to save people just like us - to rescue you from the sin that wrecks life.

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

You know, when I traveled to Israel, it was a 10-hour plane ride - and at the time I weighed 314lbs. Needless to say, it was the most uncomfortable I’ve ever been in my life :)

But as I’ve thought a lot about standing in that cave in Israel where God chose to enter the world. He could have done it on a much grander stage - looking around at the building and junk around the cave, if humanity had a choice in the matter - He would have. But that’s not who He is. He came simply, humbly, without fanfare, to a couple that was probably scared out of their mind, in pain, facing real issues in a strange land. He came in that cave because of you. He literally had you on his mind. He knew you’d be sitting here, listening to me preach this.

All I can think about is how I may have endured some pain to get there, but it’s nothing like what He endured to come after you and me. He came for you. He wants you. He wants to forgive you your sins. He wants to become the leader of your life, to bring salvation to you and give you eternal life. But You have do have to do something. You have to accept it. It’s not enough to look at it and be like, “that’s nice” you have to accept Him. Put your faith in Him.

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What can you learn from a teenage pregnant girl? Turns out a lot! Jump in with us in Sections 6 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

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Sermon Notes Slide Key:

Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
[some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Did everyone have a good Thanksgiving?

Up until now, as we’ve been tracking Jesus, we’ve been jumping all around, but now we are going to take a turn and go back to the beginning and start tracking Jesus through his life chronologically…

I was thinking about going to families' houses for thanksgiving - how many of you travel for Thanksgiving? If Kansas wasn’t so far away, we’d love to be near our family. It’s crazy to me to think our family is really just one LONG drive away, but we are about to jump into the story of Mary - right after she’s found out that she will be carrying the Savior and she is going to travel to her relatives' house, Elizabeth.

Nazareth to the hills of Judea would have been 3 to 4 days by foot and when she goes she’s going to go for 3 months…

The reason I wanted to start here in Jesus’ life is knowing the kind of people someone was raised by, can tell you a lot about the person.

and for Jesus, it’s no different…

Let me Set the Stage…

Mary has been told by an angel, Gabriel, that she is going to be with child. He tells her that Elizabeth is in her 6 month of pregnancy - Mary stayed right up to the birth of John or left right before in order to let John and Elizabeth get ready…

But when Mary shows up on Elizabeth’s doorstep - before Mary can even share what has happened with her, John the Baptist, inside Elizabeth's womb jumps for joy - He responds to the Holy Spirit. Elizabeth just knows that Mary is carrying the savior. We don’t know how she knows other than the Holy Spirit fills Betsy…

I love this interaction, Elizabeth, at the end of our life bearing the child that would ultimately announce the arrival of Jesus on the scene announces Mary & her child and pronounces how blessed Mary is.

Both women were in extraordinary circumstances

It is after Elizabeth makes this proclamation about Mary that Mary begins to speak…

Honestly

Luke 1:46-56

46 And Mary said:

“My soul glorifies the Lord

47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

48 for he has been mindful

of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed,

49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—

holy is his name.

50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,

from generation to generation.

51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;

he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones

but has lifted up the humble.

53 He has filled the hungry with good things

but has sent the rich away empty.

54 He has helped his servant Israel,

remembering to be merciful

55 to Abraham and his descendants forever,

just as he promised our ancestors.”

56 Mary stayed with Elizabeth for about three months and then returned home.

Honestly, I don’t think I’ve ever heard a sermon on the song of Mary.

As I studied it, I found out lots of scholars think someone else wrote it and inserted it here. The reason? How could a young girl write and remember this song all those years later to tell Luke?

to me, I just wonder how she couldn’t…

I can picture Mary traveling for 3 days - we don’t know if she’s alone, I’m going to assume a young woman wouldn’t be traveling by herself. But here is Mary, sitting out at night under the stars reflecting back on the last few days of her life. She is literally sitting in the middle of a bible story - she is Abraham having the angel visit him. She is Moses at the burning bush. I picture her sitting there and writing down the first stanza of this song…

“My soul glorifies the Lord

47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior,

48 for he has been mindful

of the humble state of his servant.

From now on all generations will call me blessed,

49 for the Mighty One has done great things for me—

holy is his name.

The faith of Mary is striking to me

She is facing a terrifying proposal - a woman pregnant out of wedlock - the penalty could have been death

But she sees herself as blessed…

How does a young girl have such an amazing perspective on her potential problem?

As I studied this song, I realized it I needed to preach this after Thanksgiving because

Mary looks forward by looking backward

This is a common Jewish practice in poetry and song

She sees the goodness of God in the here and now by looking at the goodness of God “then"

This is a fitting mindset for us following Thanksgiving and moving into Christmas.

Let me show you… I want to take what Mary says and just hyperlink to some stories if I could…

50 His mercy extends to those who fear him,

from generation to generation.

51 He has performed mighty deeds with his arm;

he has scattered those who are proud in their inmost thoughts.

How can you read that and not think Moses and the Pharaoh of Egypt.. God literally brought the Hebrew people out of slavery and as Moses spread his arm over the Red sea, the waters parted and God’s people walked over dry land. It was the pride of Pharaoh that sent his soldiers in following Moses and the people and the waters came crashing down on these men of war…

God scattered the proud, but the humble like Mary, He upholds

She knows she can trust Him no matter the circumstance.

52 He has brought down rulers from their thrones

but has lifted up the humble.

Do you know the story of Nebuchadnezzar?

Has a dream and no one can interpret it. He brings Daniel in (this is not the dream where he will kill you if you can’t get it right). His dream is about this ginormous tree that gets cut down to just a stump. Daniel interprets the dream for Neb and he tells him that the dream is about him. He is the tree and God is going to send a watcher (angel) to cut down the tree. That until Neb acknowledges God as the true King that he will eat grass like a cow…

And Neb is brought low and becomes one like a cow… he eats grass until he acknowledges God as King

Mary now trusts that same God to lift her up like Daniel, this exile away from home..

53 He has filled the hungry with good things

but has sent the rich away empty.

In Elisha’s day there was a widow who couldn’t pay off her loan, she was about to lose her children… And so God sent the prophet Elisha and told the woman to collect as many jars as she could. She starts pouring from her small jar of oil and keeps pouring till every jar is filled and finally, she runs out… What if she had collected more jars? She was spared and filled!

God was faithful in terrifying circumstances then

Mary knows he’ll be faithful now..

I could go on all day, and not just with stories from scripture, but stories from my own life and the lives of those around me.

God is FAITHFUL!

CLOSING:

I know some of you might be struggling right now, can I encourage you to look forward by looking backward?

God isn’t done - he sent His son not just for Mary, but for you as well!

The great promise of Jesus is

“God with us” not “God someday”

If you’ve never turned your life over to Jesus, what are you waiting for? He says in the book of revelation, “Behold, I stand at the door and knock, whoever lets me in, I will come and dine with them…”

Jesus’ promise is to come and dine with you. He is literally just waiting for you to let him in.

Get over it, come up here, let’s talk about you inviting Jesus in TODAY!

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There is a way lots of people get following Jesus wrong. Today, Kent unpacks this major mistake lots of people make and show us how there is a different way. Jump in with us in Sections 182 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

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Sermon Notes Slide Key:

Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
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Your heart is more important than you could ever imagine. We can so easily give our hearts over to things that are the wrong things, this week, Kent encourages you to give your heart over to Jesus. Jump in with us in Sections 200 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

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Sermon Notes Slide Key:

Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
[some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Years ago I had started working out and honestly was just trying to build up muscles. I was a young buck and wanted to be strong. I’m not sure it worked, lol. I was overweight and was really hoping working out would help me. I struck up this conversation with this guy while we were sitting there. When you are overweight, there are always people in a gym who want to help you, and this guy was one of those guys. He asked me what I was doing and so I proceeded to tell him what my workouts were. He asked me if I was doing any cardio and I told him I did a little bit and he said something that has stuck with me for probably 20 years or more at this point. He said,

“You know, I’ve never heard of someone dying from having too small of a bicep, but I’ve heard of lots of people dying from having a weak heart…”

I don’t know who the guy was, all I know is he was a lawyer…

But that statement has stuck with me…

I was thinking lately about this statement again and how it’s not just true physically, but spiritually it’s true as well..

I know lots of people who morally look good on the outside, but their hearts are weak and corrupt.

Today, I want us to take a look at our hearts and evaluate if we’ve bitten off on ideas the world says matter more than the ideas Jesus says matter.

Turn your bibles to Luke 20 (SECTION 200)

THE SETUP

Let me set up where we are entering into Jesus’ life as we track Him..

-He is in the last week of His life.

-This is the whole enchilada, the whole game

-He has been confronting leaders and teachers all week

-He’s being tested by them

-Word has spread that He has raised Lazarus from the dead

-Some people are believing in Him, others are not - but many are threatened by Him…

Jesus has swept over the people of Israel like Pokemon over a 3rd-grade class…

I want to read this passage to you in a second, but I want to show you how it’s tied to the passage that follows - but we almost always miss it because of how the chapter breaks from the guy who put the chapters in… But originally there would have been no break.

Lk 20:45-47

45 While all the people were listening, Jesus said to his disciples, 46 “Beware of the teachers of the law. They like to walk around in flowing robes and love to be greeted with respect in the marketplaces and have the most important seats in the synagogues and the places of honor at banquets. 47 They devour widows’ houses and for a show make lengthy prayers. These men will be punished most severely.”

ILLUSTRATION:

There is this guy that I see clips of on Facebook all the time, he’s the whispering arm wrestler. He cracks me up because he will be wrestling someone and they will be going with all their might against him. He’ll just quietly whisper to them what they need to do to try and beat him, “bring your left shoulder forward…” “lean with your body…” and then at some point, he will just come out of nowhere and cream them…

Jesus has been doing this all day to the religious leaders of His day. They have been asking Him question after question…the Sadducees about the Resurrection of the dead and the Pharisees about the greatest commandment. Jesus just comes out of nowhere and creams them every time.

Here’s what I want you to get, what Jesus just said about these religious leaders was within their earshot…

Did you hear what He said about these teachers of the law?

For a moment, pretend He’s talking about you…

Beware of the teachers of the law…

-They like people to see them (flowing robes, greeted with respect, and most important seats)

-They don’t care about people - image is everything (they devour widows' houses, make lengthy prayers)

Did you hear how He finishes that statement?

These men will be punished most severely.”

Do you get the picture?

These people cared more about their image, position, and prestige than they cared about the people…

Here’s the part we almost always miss, that Luke & Jesus intentionally contrast this section with…

Got the picture? Jesus has just finished talking about how these people everyone looks up to have it all and then He’s going to point out the very person these people are taking advantage of and say, “she’s the one…”

Check it out…

These are literally the next words in Luke…

Luke 21:1-4

As Jesus looked up, he saw the rich putting their gifts into the temple treasury. 2 He also saw a poor widow put in two very small copper coins. 3 “Truly I tell you,” he said, “this poor widow has put in more than all the others. 4 All these people gave their gifts out of their wealth; but she out of her poverty put in all she had to live on.”

This helps us place Jesus… He would have been inside the temple in what is called the “court of women.” When you are in Israel with us, you will stand on the temple mount, you will go up a few stairs towards the Dome of the Rock and you will be standing where the temple was. There were 3 sections people could go into, the court of gentiles - anyone could go in that section, the court of women - Jewish women could go. The last section was the court of men, where only men could go. Jesus is in the court of women because this is where the temple treasury was. 13 boxes with bronze trumpets on top that you could put your money in as you gave. Jesus is in this section and He’s now watching the people put their money in… Not intimidating at all, I’m thinking about doing this for offerings… lol

He sees this woman put in her last two pennies…

And He points her out and says this woman is the superstar, not the religious leaders…

They were willing to take her to the cleaners to gain prestige & satisfy their greed

She gave herself away in faith…

ILLUSTRATION:

It reminds me of years before this when one of Jesus’ ancestors was going to be chosen as King. Samuel, the prophet went to the family of Jesse, all he knew was God had a young man in that family He wanted to be king. Sam got there and saw all of Jesse’s sons, Eliab came in front of him and Sam thought, “this has to be it, he’s the guy - he looks like a King…”

But listen to God’s reply

1 Samuel 16:7

But the Lord said to Samuel, “Do not consider his appearance or his height, for I have rejected him. The Lord does not look at the things people look at. People look at the outward appearance, but the Lord looks at the heart.”

CLOSING:

A while back, I had a conversation with one of my kids about how the world uses power and manipulation to get what it wants, but that’s not the way of Jesus. He doesn’t care about status, He doesn’t care about wealth, He cares about your heart.

My kid, pretty shrewdly said, “yeah, but dad, it works…”

That’s the problem for most of us, right, the power, prestige, and greed work to get us what we think we want…

It’s vital that you get and understand this, the way of Jesus is not about getting you what you want, it’s about getting you what you need.

You are in desperate need of a relationship with God… You can have all the prestige, money, power, and position in this world and still go to hell (be separated for ETERNITY from God)

Jesus is after your heart.

That’s why this lady ends up being the hero and the religious people end up being the zeros

God doesn’t look at the outward appearance but at the heart

That’s why the proverbs say

Proverbs 4:23

Above all else, guard your heart, for everything you do flows from it.

It is time to turn your heart back to Jesus… This is the simplest call I could have….

It’s time to learn the heart of Jesus…

It’s a different way than what the world offers, and you can’t live without it.

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The topic of tithing in a church seems to get more people riled up than lots of other issues, tune in today to hear what Jesus had to say on the topic and ways people can slide off into the deep end. Jump in with us in Sections 138 (compare to 198) of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

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Sermon Notes Slide Key:

Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
[some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

One time, early in our relationship. Jenni and I went up to Colorado to Pikes Peak. It was beautiful. We had hiked through the woods and were up on the side of this cliff, it wasn’t particularly treacherous, but it was steep. Jenni and I had climbed out on this fallen dead tree to get a picture and we were balancing there. I did what any dumb young buck trying to impress his woman would do in that situation. I thought, “I’ll just pick her up and put her on the other side of me to show her how strong I am…” Lol. I don’t know what I expected her to do, swoon? So, I put my arm around Jenni and tried to swing her around to the other side of me. But instead of swinging her around, I ended up loosing my balance and throwing her down the mountain. I fell off the tree too and jabbed my chest with a stick. Lol, needless to say, Jenni wasn’t impressed.

I’ve been in several situations in my life where it felt like it was so easy to slip off one side to another.

-Some of you feel that in your relationship with your spouse right now, you have had a rough go of it and you are walking on a tight wire trying not to make him mad.

-Your parents seem to get set off at the slightest thing and you’ve been walking on pins and needles every time you’re in your house, you try not to be there as much as possible because of it.

This past few weeks we’ve been talking about money, possessions, and eternity.

I’ve been thinking about the two edges people slip off into when it comes to tithing.

Tithing is the biblical principle where someone who loves God gives 10% of their income back to God.

I know, some of you are like, “oh man, here we go again….” If you’re worried that all churches care about and talk about is money I would encourage you to stick around and hear me out. I get having a preconceived idea about something…

ILLUSTRATION:

Our executive pastor David did this weightless transformation for like the past year or more. He’s lost over 135 pounds. I watched him, but honestly, I’m a skeptic at heart. I’ve lost lots of weight before and I kept thinking, we’ll see when you gain it all back. and I don’t want another diet. I finally put aside my skepticism and tried what he was doing and found out it’s transformational.

What if your skepticism was turned to transformation today?

It doesn’t hurt (or cost) you to listen…

Listen, there are a million things we can slip off into one side or another and tithing is no different.

There are two sides that Christians typically slip off into.

Today, I want to share those two sides and then show you a different way to think about tithing

1. The first way Christians slide off the end with tithing is to neglect its importance.

This view says tithing is an old testament thing, it’s not important, and it views tithing as optional (at least treats it that way)

The problem with this way of thinking about tithing is that it ignores that the tithe is the way God has set up funding His kingdom.

Malachi 3:10

10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it.

Typically, this passage is preached about testing God and you finding your blessing, which is a perfect ok way to preach it.

But I want you to notice what neglecting the tithe does.

“Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse,” Why? “that there may be food in my house.”

God wants his people to bring the tithe because they are starving ministry when they don’t.

ILLUSTRATION:

I normally don’t like to use illustrations that feel like brow-beating, so I want to be careful here. My goal is not to make you feel guilty, but did you know Harmony has about 55 givers per week? I don’t have access to names or amounts, and I like it that way. But what I do know that you guys don’t know is that our staff are masters at taking a little bit of money and making it go a long way. I don’t like talking about money, but one of my dreams for our church is for us to get to a point where we can do ministry to neighborhoods in our community or help with putting Christmas presents out for people who don’t have them without having to question whether we have the resource to do it or not. We don’t talk about it a lot because it’s not who we are, but it also doesn’t help you to know that literally, there are times when our ministries are starving because we just simply don’t have the resource.

Listen, this isn’t to guilt you, there are lots of reasons a person may not tithe. Maybe you’re new to the church. Maybe you didn’t even know it was God’s desire. Maybe you had never thought of it.

When we neglect the tithe it steals from God (His words not mine)

8 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me.

“But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’

“In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me.

2. The second way Christians slide off the end with tithing is to over-inflate its importance and become legalistic about it.

This was the view during Jesus’ day for the Pharisees.

These people have good intentions, but they inflate the tithe to be overly important.

they browbeat people with how little they give and are so concerned about getting it right that if they are off by pennies, they try and figure out what’s wrong.

This too misses it…

This is actually what Jesus was coming against one day when He was at a Pharisee's house. It’s interesting because he says the exact same thing he’s about to say, but He’ll say it towards the end of his life, I’ve put a comparison of these two sections in the harmonies online.

Jesus is at this Pharisee's house and the guy is an absolute legalist.

The Pharisees get painted as “bad guys” a lot of times when people preach, but they were just trying to honor God with their lives by obeying the law of Moses.

This guy is mad at Jesus because He hadn’t performed the ritual hand washing the Pharisees did before eating and Jesus lays into him.

The crux of everything Jesus says in this conversation is this, “you try to honor God with legalistic fervor, but you are missing the heart of God”

Listen to this passage from Luke

Lk 11:42

42 “Woe to you Pharisees, because you give God a tenth of your mint, rue and all other kinds of garden herbs, but you neglect justice and the love of God. You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.

Matthew Jesus had time to work on delivery of this line and He adds:

Matthew 23:24

24 You blind guides! You strain out a gnat but swallow a camel.

Most people slide off into making Tithing nothing, or they (mostly pastors) slide off into making it everything.

I want you to notice what Jesus makes it, Jesus makes tithing a LITTLE thing.

Notice He says: You should have practiced the latter without leaving the former undone.

What He’s concerned with is that they’ve taken the time to strain out a gnat (tithing their dill & basil) but are swallowing a camel (neglecting the greater things of God, Justice, and Love).

For Jesus tithing is the easy stuff, it’s the no-brainer, and it’s the learner's permit.

Tithing shouldn’t even be taking up brain space because it’s just what people who love God do!

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

Jenni and I were talking about this the other day, because for us, neither of us grew up in a family where tithing and giving was really an important thing. But when I cam to know Jesus, and her too. It was just like the obvious things to do. Not because we are spiritual giants but because it so much reflected the heart of Jesus. The whole message of Christianity is giving yourself away for others. It’s why Jesus is SO mad at the Pharisees for not loving and having biblical justice - like caring for those who are getting treated unfairly. Because they are neglecting the very character of God.

For me, tithing was just reflecting the character of God.

Jesus did talk about tithing, when He did, He talked about it as the no-brainer of faith. Because anyone who actually realizes what they have received in Jesus would never be so tied to their wealth that held onto it in spite of trusting God with their whole life.

Listen, you may think this is about padding my pocket, I get it. I promise you it’s not. This is about you getting the little things straight in your life so you can focus on the big things, like love and Justice, seeking first the Kingdom of God. So much so that if you don’t trust me, start tithing to a church like Regeneration Church here in town that’s doing great things. See if as you turn your heart to God, He doesn’t start to work in yours.

View Details

Finding God's purpose in the things we typically use to seek our pleasure. Jump in with us to Sections 162 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

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Sermon Notes Slide Key:

Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
[some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Dads are good for certain things, aren’t we? We’re good for mowing the lawn. If you want a super cheesy joke, we’ve got ya covered. I constantly pretend like what my kids say is something else, “I want cheesy potatoes” you want Jesus tomatoes? They think I’m hilarious ;). But when my kids were little, the same thing would happen over and over again. They would fall down and hurt their knee, or they’d accidentally scrape they’re elbow, or they’d cut off a finger. I’d be right there as super dad, I’d swoop em up into my arms to see if they were ok and then it would happen.

My wife would come around the corner having heard the siren cry of a child and before a word could be spoken, my crying child would do the universal sign for I don’t want you… [reach hands out, hands sprawled outward, head cocked]

man that’s infuriating! ;)

When you’re a kid, moms are typically the “go-to” when you’re hurt.

We all have an allegiance to certain things over others.

Some of you are UK Fans

And others of you are just wrong… lol

If you really wanted to, you could strip someone down to their allegiances and it would tell you what you need to know about that person, wouldn’t it?

Allegiance is about alignment

In a moment, we’re going to look at Jesus confronting the allegiances and alignment of the Pharisees. We’re going to unpack what He said, and then we’re going to put it away inside of ourselves.

Last week we started this with the reveal from World Vision and looking at the story of the Shrewd manager, do you remember that story?

Jesus told a story about a guy who was a manager for a really rich guy. This guy couldn’t be trusted at all. He embezzled and wasted the master's money. Finally, he knew he was going to be fired so he began making deals with people who owed his master.

Jesus stops in his story to point out that the people of the world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than we are

-he tells them to use their wealth to Gain friends and then He continues with the story from the master's perspective now

Luke 16:10-15

10 “Whoever can be trusted with very little can also be trusted with much, and whoever is dishonest with very little will also be dishonest with much.

this is what we teach our kids, right?

-if you lie you, then I can’t trust you in the future

-this isn’t some big spiritual statement, as much as Jesus describing how things work so He can make a bigger point

Remember why the manager was going to be let go? It was because he had mishandled his masters money…

ILLUSTRATION:

Often times a leader's primary responsibility is to interpret reality for those who follow them. To give you a framework to think about the circumstances you are in. Parents do this all the time, your kid's team loses, you tell them, “Wagners don’t ever lose as long as we learn something…”

Jesus has taken this story of the sneaky manager and how he misuses his master's wealth.

Jesus is framing this parable for us when He says, “Whoever can be trusted with little, can be trusted with more, whoever is dishonest with little, will be dishonest with much.”

Now, he’s going to tell us what the little is, what is the master's wealth we manage… Listen

11 So if you have not been trustworthy in handling worldly wealth, who will trust you with true riches? 12 And if you have not been trustworthy with someone else’s property, who will give you property of your own?

Jesus is squarely coming after the money in your pocket and framing it as the “masters” money, not yours.

Now, I get it, if you’re not a Christian, or you don’t believe that Jesus is really God, then maybe you look at this and go… “eh, sorry man, that’s my money.

But if you believe Jesus, and you believe that you didn’t choose where you were born and the parents you had and the million different opportunities that had to happen for you to have that money in your pocket.

Maybe God put that money in your pocket not just for your own pleasure, but for His purposes. Have you ever thought of that?

What if God has a purpose for your money that’s other than what your purpose is?

Jesus gets it, He knows the argument you’re going to have with this…

-“but how would I know what to do with that money?”

-“it’s my money, I worked for it, why can’t I use it on my pleasure”

Listen as he answers your excuses…

13 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.”

14 The Pharisees, who loved money, heard all this and were sneering at Jesus. 15 He said to them, “You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.

You can’t serve two masters

ILLUSTRATION:

When I first started at Harmony, I had never worked at the lead pastor with an executive pastor - think CEO & CFO. We didn’t have clearly defined expectations of who would do what. I’ll never forget one of our staff being brave enough to come to me and say, “Kent, I feel like I”m getting dragged in two different directions all the time cause I don’t know if I need to list to David or you…”

Why? Because no one can serve two masters

Jesus very clearly says you can’t serve both God and money

Some of you want the benefits of being close to Jesus, relationships that are healthy, a character that people admire, wisdom but you still are ruled by your money and possessions.

Did you hear what Jesus said to the pharisees?

You are the ones who justify yourselves in the eyes of others, but God knows your hearts. What people value highly is detestable in God’s sight.

Why did He say that?

It’s the same reason our world values money…

The larger our bank account, the more value our life seems to have - the more security we have.

Do you know why God detests what humans value highly? It’s because we allow that thing to give us the security that only God can give.

-let that settle in for a moment

So, what’s your alignment? What do you run to when things are falling apart, the economy is failing? The world doesn’t make sense?

What do you do with the resource you’ve been given?

let me ask this question,

If your resources are really God’s resources and you are just his investment manager. Do you think He would look at your bank account and say, “they’ve been trustworthy with the little I’ve given them?”

CLOSING:

I was having this conversation with a friend recently about how so many people say that when it comes you just have to let go and let God, but that’s not what Jesus said. What Jesus said was if you seek first the Kingdom of God then all else will be added to you. This answers the questions you have about, “if I start letting God take control of my possessions, who will take care of me”. Jesus is literally giving you the plan - if you seek first his Kingdom and his righteousness. You still have something to do in this. Your job is to seek His Kingdom and He will take care of you - when He sees you being trustworthy, he’ll give you even greater things…

what if you took the step to go all in with Jesus today. What if you chose to follow Him!

View Details

What would it be like to go from death to life? From failure to freedom? Jesus gave that gift so freely. Don't miss this message today to be impacted by the life of Jesus. Jump in with us in Sections 72 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

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Sermon Notes Slide Key:

Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
[some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Luke 16:1-9

Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’

3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— 4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’

5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

6 “‘Nine hundred gallons[a] of olive oil,’ he replied.

“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’

7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’

“‘A thousand bushels[b] of wheat,’ he replied.

“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’

8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

Over the years I’ve preached on this passage several times and every time it hits me just how jarring it should be to us.

Jesus sets up this scene, if you really listen, for everyone to be mad at this manager. He’s the guy who should get what’s coming to him.

He’s been wasteful, he’s conniving, he’s all around a creep

At the end of the parable, Jesus flips the script on us and says, “you have something to learn from this guy”

Listen to what He says…

“The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light.

ILLUSTRATION:

When I was in youth ministry, we would do big fun giveaways. One time we put a pool out on our property, had a swimming party and then gave it away. I would take grief all the time from people about this kind of stuff. You’re just buying people off was the sentiment. For me, I was always like, “I want to do whatever it takes to reach a lost person…” and then I read this passage - did you see what Jesus said. I’ve pointed this out before here, but it’s been a while and it’s worth retelling.

This is, word for word, what Jesus says

I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

Jesus is saying, use your wealth to buy people for the Kingdom of God

Jesus didn’t value earthly wealth at all, but He understood wealth is the value system of the world.

He tells His followers to use the temporary wealth the world values to buy friends - so when you get to heaven, it will be packed full of the people you influenced for the Kingdom

This isn’t about you having more friends

It’s about more friends having what you have

This is why we participated last week in the Chosen event

At Harmony, we call this being shockingly generous

we want people to walk away going asking, “how could they hold what they have so lightly?”

It’s not ours in the first place - the resource I steward is God’s resource. When we are generous, we are reflecting the heart of God

Last week, a whole bunch of you walked out of this room, took pictures and we loaded them up on the back of Robby, our student pastor and he took your generosity, literally to the other side of the world. I wanted to close out today's message as we consider what it looks like to be shockingly generous by bringing Robby up here and walking through his experience as we get ready to reveal who it was that chose you…

ROBBY INTERVIEW:

Robby, you just spent the last week in Kenya taking us with you for kids to get to choose who they wanted to become their partner. What was the trip like overall? (keep it broad - long flights, funny anecdotes, etc.)
What was it like to be in this place in Kenya and see what World Vision's impact has been?
What was it about the kids that really hit you?
What would be one thing you’d want everyone in here to know who invested in the lives of these people you met in Kenya?

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So, about 6 months ago I went out for coffee with Josh Moran who is our representative from World Vision. Honestly, I was a little stand-offish because I didn’t want to get sold something, I try to be cautious about what we add to what we do at Harmony. I’m sitting there listening to Josh and thinking, “I know how this thing works, you come to make us feel bad about being Americans and then we go in and help kids out…” But as I listened I realized there was something drastically different about what World Vision was doing with Chosen. It’s not that other ministries are bad or wrong in how they do this, but what was different about what World Vision does is they don’t just bring help to the poor and under-served. They bring dignity and hope.

When I was a kid, I grew up poor - I know some of you know what that’s like. I can remember going to church with my parents and having to go to the basement to this stuffy room. There was a guy who worked at JC Penney and he would bring all the returned or stained clothes to the church. I’ll never forget standing there as a kid with this tall guy dressed nicely as we foraged through the clothes to see if we could find some school clothes that might fit us. If I’m really honest with you, it was embarrassing. I’m not sure how my parents felt about it, but I know they worked hard and we couldn’t make ends meet. I can’t imagine that it left them with much dignity.

So, as I sat there listening to Josh talk about how World Vision was flipping the script and the kids would choose us. How they are investing in helping people break the cycles of poverty and get clean water. How they are empowering people with the hope of Jesus.

You know all month long we’ve been talking about "what is the impact we could make?" What is the way that we could be used to Advance the Kingdom of God? Last week you took a challenge to identify with the poor. This week, what if every one of us went out there and took a step to take care of the poor? To put food on a family's table and earn the right to bring faith into their community. What if helping could also bring dignity, what if you could be chosen?

This is a literal way you can Advance the Kingdom. I know for some of you, $39 is a huge ask. I know for others of you, you spend $39 a week on coffee. We aren’t asking you to do this because you all need to give more - you are already a crazy generous church. We are asking you because we believe this investment could literally mean a life is changed.

What if God is just waiting for you to say yes so you can be chosen? Imagine what it will feel like to have a child look at the picture of you and your family and say, “them, I want them…”

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Sermon Notes Slide Key:

Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
[some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to

ACT I

[Woman dressed in ancient clothes, sits frozen looking at herself in a mirror]

She was what you’d call “a lady of the night.” Her profession had made her tough and unfeeling. It was her job to pretend intimacy while maintaining distance.

He was the first man she’d intentionally tried to get close to in years. Not in a physical way. She was just intrigued by His words, by His way with people. His way with people like her. She had heard the stories of Him raising a young boy from the dead. She’d listened to Him speak of a kingdom where people like her were blessed.

Then He crushed her, not in a bad way, but in a good way… She was standing in the crowd that day when He said these words…

Matthew 11:28-30

She hadn’t been able to get them out of her mind all day long. All she has known was weariness and burden. It was like He was speaking straight to her… Easy and light sounded amazing to her. She was SO tired, she had never been able to see a way out before, but now, maybe… just maybe there was a way…

All day long the feeling had been growing in her and now it had swelled to the point that she couldn’t ignore it anymore. She put her shawl on, she went over the dresser she typically prepared herself for the men she entertained, this time she looked in the silver mirror and saw the potential for new life. Tonight she would go to a man and give herself, not her body, her true self, the part she had hidden for so long.

As she looked, she saw it, the tool of her trade, the alabaster jar of perfume she’d use to cover the stench of the men and to make herself seem alluring. She knew what she had to do. It had cost her a great deal of money, but it didn’t matter, she would lay it at the master's feet as her gift and as a sign of her leaving this life behind for whatever was on the other side.

ACT II

[Table set on stage - no one but Kent up there]

That night, Jesus had been invited to a Pharisee’s house named Simon. In those days you didn’t sit on chairs, you sat on the floor, you lounged on one arm and ate with the other. I don’t know why Simon has invited Jesus, does he want to be close to this miracle worker for the prestige of it? Out of curiosity? or to keep him close as a potential threat… We don’t know, all we know is that Jesus is there and he’s eating…

She has somehow found out where Jesus is at. She’s come with her alabaster jar of perfume. She doesn’t know what she’s going to say or what she’s going to do, but she’s coming to bring Jesus her offering of repentance and hoping for a new life.

What transpires next is one of the most beautifully raw moments of history… Here’s how I see it…

This woman comes into the Pharisee's house and goes to Jesus - you have to ask yourself how she knew how to get in and where to find Jesus in this man's house…

Jesus is eating and telling a joke about a fisherman when all of a sudden everyone at the table gets silent. There is the woman standing behind him. In the silence, all Jesus hears is the faint sobbing of this woman. She falls to her knees at his feet. Tears streamed from her face, falling on his feet, wetting them. As she looks she can see the streaks as the tears run through the dust on his feet. Embarrassed, she begins to wipe away the tears with her hair. She has completely forgotten to keep her composure. At this moment, she’s lost it all. Then it hits her, she can’t do much for this teacher, but she can wash his feet. She wipes his feet, this holy man with her tears and hair. She all of the sudden realizes why the perfume, she takes some and pours it over his feet.

You… are witnessing… a holy moment.

and then the moment is broken…

Lk 7:39-50

39 When the Pharisee who had invited him saw this, he said to himself, “If this man were a prophet, he would know who is touching him and what kind of woman she is—that she is a sinner.”

Jesus knows the thoughts of this man and his attention is stolen from this beautiful act of worship to deal with Simon’s complaint…

Listen to what Jesus says to Simon…

40 Jesus answered him, “Simon, I have something to tell you.”

“Tell me, teacher,” he said.

41 “Two people owed money to a certain moneylender. One owed him five hundred denarii,[a] and the other fifty. 42 Neither of them had the money to pay him back, so he forgave the debts of both. Now which of them will love him more?”

Simon's answer is that it’s the one with the bigger debt forgiven…

“You have judged correctly,” Jesus said.

44 Then he turned toward the woman and said to Simon, “Do you see this woman? I came into your house. You did not give me any water for my feet, but she wet my feet with her tears and wiped them with her hair. 45 You did not give me a kiss, but this woman, from the time I entered, has not stopped kissing my feet. 46 You did not put oil on my head, but she has poured perfume on my feet. 47 Therefore, I tell you, her many sins have been forgiven—as her great love has shown. But whoever has been forgiven little loves little.”

48 Then Jesus said to her, “Your sins are forgiven.”

49 The other guests began to say among themselves, “Who is this who even forgives sins?”

50 Jesus said to the woman, “Your faith has saved you; go in peace.”

Whoever has been forgiven little loves little…

The problem for Simon the Pharisee was his answer was wrong…

Neither person who owed the debt could pay the debt. They had both been forgiven the same, it was just the perception of how they’d been forgiven that was different.

ACT III - MESSAGE:

ILLUSTRATION:

In the past when I’ve shared my testimony with people about all the terrible stuff I did before knowing Jesus, I’ve had people say, “I wish I had a story like that, I just grew up in church and always known Jesus…”

These people have a perception problem

They think their sin was less than my sin.

Sin is sin, it will all separate you from God and all sin sends you to hell just the same.

Most of the time, their sin was more corrosive and destructive than mine, it just wasn’t as brash. Their judgmental, gossip destroyed people without care. Their selfish rage stole from those who weren’t as strong-willed. Their casual approach to faith robbed sincere seekers of finding Jesus.

The bottom line is, the woman perceived her need for Jesus and Simon didn’t…

At what point will you weep over the depth of your sin?

Do you know how to know if someone has been forgiven much?

Because they will love much…

ILLUSTRATION:

I do things for my wife that I won’t do for other humans, do you know why? because I love her. I’ve learned more about grace from her than I will ever learn from another human being. I give my life to her in love not because I’m a good guy, but because it’s what love does when you’ve experienced grace.

What about you? Have you loved much? How do I even do that, it’s not like Jesus is here for me to go wash his feet.

CLOSING CHALLENGE:

Matthew 25:31-40

31 “When the Son of Man comes in his glory, and all the angels with him, he will sit on his glorious throne. 32 All the nations will be gathered before him, and he will separate the people one from another as a shepherd separates the sheep from the goats. 33 He will put the sheep on his right and the goats on his left.

34 “Then the King will say to those on his right, ‘Come, you who are blessed by my Father; take your inheritance, the kingdom prepared for you since the creation of the world. 35 For I was hungry and you gave me something to eat, I was thirsty and you gave me something to drink, I was a stranger and you invited me in, 36 I needed clothes and you clothed me, I was sick and you looked after me, I was in prison and you came to visit me.’

37 “Then the righteous will answer him, ‘Lord, when did we see you hungry and feed you, or thirsty and give you something to drink? 38 When did we see you a stranger and invite you in, or needing clothes and clothe you? 39 When did we see you sick or in prison and go to visit you?’

40 “The King will reply, ‘Truly I tell you, whatever you did for one of the least of these brothers and sisters of mine, you did for me.’

Did you notice, Jesus tells us exactly what it looks like for us to love much…

When we do anything for the “least of these” we do it for Jesus…

CLOSING:

I was thinking about how could we in a practical way all take steps this week to love much because of what we’ve been given from Jesus. We have decided to partner with World Vision in a pretty special way, it’s called the Matthew 25 challenge. It’s designed to point our hearts toward what it’s like to live without a lot of the things we take for granted so we can be the kind of people who realize the blessings we’ve been given. It’s a spiritual practice. Here’s what I want you to do, everyone take out your phone, in a second, we are going to text this number together… Explain the challenge…

View Details

Have you ever seen something miraculous? This week Kent delves into how often those who see the miraculous are those who serve. Jump in with us in Sections 22 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

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Sermon Notes Slide Key:

Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
[some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

My senior year, my grandparents decided they were going to pay to take my entire family, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. on a cruise to the Bahamas. Free cruise, how does it get better than that? Except I was a teenager - like a seriously moody grumpy teenager. This meant I was going to miss a week and a half of being with my buddies. It meant I was going to miss going to church camp. You ever heard don’t look a gift horse in the mouth? I didn’t just look it in the mouth, I literally shoved my whole head in. I was full-on teenage angst. I knew going on that trip would ruin my life. I knew all the best things in the world were going to happen during that week and a half. I fought my parents, told my grandparents I didn’t want to go to the Bahamas. I was SO mad! (because I’m dumb… :)

Literally, we are in Florida ready to get on the boat, and I’m still feeling like I’m forced to do something I don’t want to do…

You ever felt that?

-you have protested over and over again that your company doesn’t need to be spending time and resources on that new project and your boss tells you to suck it up and do it anyway?

-your parents force you to do something that everything in you didn’t want to do?

We all know what it’s like to be put in a position where you feel like you HAVE to do something you don’t want to

Did you know Jesus knows what that’s like? Check this out, in a second we are going to look at a time when Jesus was force to do something He didn’t want to do, I’ll show you something that blew me away, and then we’ll swing it around to what do we do next…

John 2:1-12

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

Jewish weddings are not what we are used to. They had two parts, the betrothal - the husband and the father of the bride would set a price the husband would pay to the family and the bride. The father would determine if he thought the man would be a good fit for his daughter and then he would pour a glass of wine, if his daughter drank the wine, it meant she approved and if she didn’t, it meant she didn’t approve. After this point, the couple was legally married, even though they didn’t live together or consulate the marriage…

The groom would go off to prepare a place for him and his wife. This would take up to a year before he’d come back for her. And when he did, she and her bridesmaids needed to be ready (I couldn’t find any information on this, but I think they must have known a general time frame for when it would occur because guests were invited). They would keep lamps trimmed and ready. The bridegroom's friends would blow a shofar horn - he would go with the party through the streets and get his bride. They would all come back and have the wedding ceremony. All the guests would be there - they would party and celebrate for days - often times up to a week.

This is where we find Jesus, at the wedding of this bride and groom…

-He and His mom have both been invited to the wedding, along with his disciples…

And this couple has run out of wine.

I’ve wondered why Mary gets involved with it, does she know the family well? Is she worried about this young woman about to be embarrassed by the fact that they’v run out - Mary herself knew what it was like to be embarrassed as a young betrothed woman - because of being pregnant with Jesus…

Whatever the reason, it seems we find ourselves in the middle of the moment where Mary, Jesus, & the servants know there is no more wine, but it hasn’t gotten out to the master of the banquet…

-they are probably scurrying, everyone trying to see if there is any other solution and Mary comes to Jesus…

4 “Woman,[a] why do you involve me?” Jesus replied. “My hour has not yet come.”

Jesus calling his mom “woman” seems derogatory in our culture, but would have been seen as simply an informal way of speaking to her…

ILLUSTRATION:

A few weeks ago, we had my mom’s surprise 70th birthday party. I had such a hard time not spilling the beans. I’m terrible at keeping secrets. I kept being worried I’d accidentally let out what was going on…

Jesus is worried that Mary is going to put His mission in jeopardy because she wants to fix this problem, but Jesus is super specific about what He will do and when He will do it…

It cracks me up, because

This passage rings so true to life. Mary doesn’t answer Jesus’ complaint - she just moves on with her plan.

listen…

5 His mother said to the servants, “Do whatever he tells you.”

6 Nearby stood six stone water jars, the kind used by the Jews for ceremonial washing, each holding from twenty to thirty gallons.[b]

These would have been special jars - used for the family to wash their hands to be ceremonially pure. Likely a priest's family.

-stone jars were used because they were considered pure

-clay had to be thrown out every year.

-they would have been expensive - thus priest - enough money for the jars, but not for enough wine for the celebration

7 Jesus said to the servants, “Fill the jars with water”; so they filled them to the brim.

120-180 gallons of wine… 2,400 servings of wine

-Jesus is being extravagant - they won’t run out…

8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew. Then he called the bridegroom aside 10 and said, “Everyone brings out the choice wine first and then the cheaper wine after the guests have had too much to drink; but you have saved the best till now.”

It was typical to start off with the good stuff when people were drinking lots…

ILLUSTRATION:

When I was in Israel we celebrated Shabbat (sabbath) with our rabbis - they bought wine for everyone, but when the wine ran out, everyone started drinking the cheap wine the hotel provided.

The same is true for weddings in ancient Israel.

The master of the banquet is surprised because the wine is SO good, normally it would be watered down and not the good stuff..

11 What Jesus did here in Cana of Galilee was the first of the signs through which he revealed his glory; and his disciples believed in him.

12 After this he went down to Capernaum with his mother and brothers and his disciples. There they stayed for a few days.

So, maybe you’re sitting there going, OK Kent, thanks for the History lesson, but so what?

To be honest, this story has always been a bit of a conundrum for me. I never gave it much thought, until I heard an older preacher say something that really stuck out to me…

Let me point it out to you… I want to read you a section of this again:

8 Then he told them, “Now draw some out and take it to the master of the banquet.”

They did so, 9 and the master of the banquet tasted the water that had been turned into wine. He did not realize where it had come from, though the servants who had drawn the water knew.

The only people who saw the miracle were the servants…

This is often the way with Jesus.

When you are near the work of God you see the wonders of God

ILLUSTRATION:

I’ve seen this in my own life. I’ve been on missions trips where our vehicle breaks down in the middle of Arizona - all the kids filed off the bus and gathered around it in a circle and prayed. The guy driving got back on and turned the key and the vehicle started back up and drove fine the rest of the trip.

I’ve seen God just show up in ministries and provide when we had nothing.

Our first Christmas at our church plant - we had $15,000 in debt on our own personal credit cards. I was sitting there stressing about it and waiting to get up and preach and had a woman walk up and hand me an envelope and she said, “Merry Christmas”. I opened the envelope and it had $20,000 in it.

I’ve seen very sick people be prayed over and experience a full recovery.

My wife was doing mission work in Africa and witnessed a blind man receive sight.

These things don’t happen every day

But we’d never have experienced them if we weren’t staying near the work of God.

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

I ended up going on that trip with my family for the cruise. For the first few days, I was still all grumpy about it. But pretty soon, I realized that this was a pretty cool experience. And as I’ve looked back I’ve realized more and more how amazing it was. I got to spend that time with my grandparents and my entire family. I got to go to the beaches of Nasa and ride in a crazy taxi with my grandparents. I got to talk over meals with my grandpa and spend time with my family. I got to see the open seas and swim in the most amazing waters. I got to listen to a steel drum band on the shores. I got to experience things I never would have. But if I had stayed in that place where I was, I would never have experienced it.

Can I ask you a question?

Do you experience the wonders of God in your life?

My guess is, if you aren’t seeing the wonders of God in your life, you probably aren’t staying close to the work of God.

If you keep doing what you’ve always done, you’ll get the results you’ve always gotten…

Look, serving sounds worse than it is.

Serving is really about taking your giftedness and passions and connecting them to the mission of God and giving yourself away.

That’s why we are doing the 90 Days of Service Challenge

We want to challenge you to join the challenge to take your giftedness and passions, connect them with God’s mission (we’ll help you with this), and give 90 Days to serving God to see what God will do!

After 90 Days, you can keep going if you’ve found your fit, you can try something different to find your fit, or you can take a break.

There’s no pressure, we just want you to experience the wonders of God and that takes being near the work of God - it takes getting on the boat…

View Details

What was it about Jesus that allowed Him to give Himself away even after an exhausting day? Today we'll look at two secrets and uncover a way for you to start to get the same kind of impact in your own life. We'll be in Sections 35 today @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

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Sermon Notes Slide Key:

Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
[some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

I get up here and dance around for two services back to back. My day really starts yesterday going over my sermon at about 5 or 6 pm, getting up early on Sunday and practicing it a couple times, I then meet with some guys and after that I get up and preach the same message twice - both times it has to have the same intensity and the same power to it. And afterwards, Every single week I experience the same thing, I call it the “Holy Hangover”. My brain is groggy, I can’t function, I’m emotionally drained, spiritually empty, and all together worn out…

Then Monday I have to get up and start the week over again.

We all have something like that, don’t we? Something that wears us out

-That guy that stops in your office and drones on and on about how the doctor can’t get his medicine right

-The meeting that makes you want to pull your hair out

-That customer that needs you to hold their hand every step of the way and is a never-ending stream of questions?

So, here’s the question I want us to deal with today

How do you keep your tank from getting empty when you are constantly pouring out?

It’s not like this is a unique scenario -

Jesus encountered severe scenarios that drained Him and was still able to keep giving. What gives?

Check this out… Section 35 of the Harmonies

SCRIPTURE:

This is right after Jesus has called Peter, Andrew, James, and John. He attends synagogue worship with them on a Saturday (the Sabbath). While Jesus is in the Synagogue in Capernaum, Peter & Andrew's hometown, a demon-possessed man comes in and Jesus casts out the demon.

Mark 1:29

29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew.

Capernaum is this beautiful little fishing village right off the sea of Galilee. Picture something the size of Sadieville or stamping ground. Peter's house was like 40 yards from the synagogue - those of you going on the Israel trip will stand in the synagogue and look over to Peter's house…

Luke 4:38b

Now Simon’s mother-in-law was suffering from a high fever, and they asked Jesus to help her.

Jesus has been at church and He’s having to pour out to help this demon possessed guy - I don’t know if that’s taxing, but I’ve seen the exorcist and it has to be at least a little mentally taxing. Now He’s come home from church. He surely just wants to relax, but He can’t, He has to help Simon’s mother-in-law

Jesus does what you’d expect Him to do - I have to think Peter was like, “um, look, teacher - if you heal her, she’s gonna want to get a family picture with you and talk shop…” :) Listen to what Jesus does..

39 So he bent over her and rebuked the fever, and it left her. She got up at once and began to wait on them.

ILLUSTRATION:

One time we were at my Mother-in-laws for Thanksgiving and she came running through the living room saying something about being out of hot pads. I didn’t think anything of it till she went back in the back room and came out a little while later with a couple hot pads, I said, “Oh, you found some,” she said, “No, I crocheted them….” Ha. This rings true to me that this woman would be sick one moment and Jesus so completely heals her from this fever that she gets up and wants to serve them.

The last meal of the Sabbath, the dinner is kind of a big deal, it’s a celebration. When we were in Jerusalem on the Sabbath we had some guys walk down into the Orthodox Jewish area that evening. They said there were all kinds of people out in the streets, it’s like a big weekly party.

this woman gets up and wants to prepare the meal and take care of their guests.

Mark 1:32-33

32 That evening after sunset the people brought to Jesus all the sick and demon-possessed.

33 The whole town gathered at the door, 34 and Jesus healed many who had various diseases. He also drove out many demons, but he would not let the demons speak because they knew who he was.

It had never hit me that the reason all 3 Gospels that record this story mention evening or sunset is because it was the Sabbath. The people have all been in their homes having these meals together with family and they’ve all been telling the story of how Jesus healed the demon-possessed man in the synagogue that morning. They all know where Peter lives and that Jesus is with him and they all make a b-line for him as soon as they all can because in their mind, there’s a chance Jesus might heal them too. I crippled my hand in a farming accident, I have these headaches that won’t stop, my child is plagued by these terrible voices in his head.

they all come to Jesus - Mark says the whole town gathers around…

And again, Jesus, for the 3rd time in this day - and now late at night (people typically went to bed shortly after sundown) these people show up and He’s walking around healing them…

I picture Him giving each person His complete attention - that’s hard as a pastor because everyone wants your attention.

But don’t miss it, none of the Gospels mention it, but it’s got to be true

Jesus has to be tired..

But Still, He pours Himself out

What was it about Jesus that made Him different?

Because this challenges me

when I go home after a long day, what I want is to sit down and binge a tv show, not answer the door and give myself away some more…

Jesus was available and able to make room for ministry.

ILLUSTRATION:

I don’t know about you, but I”m at the point in life where I’d rather give you money than give you my time… That’s because my life is so packed full of “stuff” that the thought of adding one more thing would be like George Castanza trying to close his wallet… Everything would explode out of it. The reality is I’m often not available and able to make room for ministry because my schedule is SO jammed packed full of “stuff”

The scripture is full of the kind of stuff Paul wrote in Galatians…

Galatians 6:2

Carry each other’s burdens, and in this way, you will fulfill the law of Christ.

The reality is, the kind of life that is available and able to make room for ministry requires an intentionality that most of us haven’t been willing to embrace.

So, can I ask you a question? What if you actually took that level of intentionality seriously in your life?

Two Powerful Pursuits on an intentional life

1. Living life in light of your higher purpose

If you actually saw your life in light of the mission of Advancing the Kingdom - living for God and loving people becomes your purpose you would become intentional about your time, I promise you.

Jesus knew what He was here on this earth for and He lived for it. What about you?

2. Squarely place your hope on God as your sustainer - kill all the imposters.

-You have all kinds of imposters that you run to when your life is a struggle that are false God’s for you. Some of you run to success, some of you run to food, some of you run to pornography, some of you run to control. They are all imposters…

When King David faced his own son hunting him down to kill him, this is what he said…

Psalm 3:4-6

4 I call out to the Lord, and he answers me from his holy mountain.

5 I lie down and sleep; I wake again because the Lord sustains me.

6 I will not fear though tens of thousands assail me on every side.

Jesus said something similar in his own life after fasting for 40 days when He was tempted by the devil with bread

Matthew 4:4

Jesus answered, “It is written: ‘Man shall not live on bread alone, but on every word that comes from the mouth of God.’”

When you are actually willing to face in your life the things that you run to instead of God that either cause you to run away or to puff up and fight. You will find peace when you start to kill off the imposters that you allow to take the place of God and actually seek Him with your whole heart. Where you can say with David, “I wake because the Lord sustains me”

CLOSING:

I was meeting for lunch with a friend the other day who’s quite a bit older than me. He said, “I just don’t care about much anymore, none of it really matters. He said, what really matters is do I love God and do I love my family”. Let me ask you a question, 100 years from now are the things you’re investing your life in going to still be making a ripple through this world? Running your kids ragged with activities? Staying late at work all the time? What would it look like for you to be available and able to do ministry work that would last a lifetime?

Look, starting today this

90 Days of impact

We’re doing it because we want everyone to be positioned to be involved in a ministry that makes an eternal impact. This isn’t the only way to make a difference, but if you’re looking to start being intentional - it’s a great place to start!

Use the Catalog to find your fit in ministry

Fill out the card in the back (or online)

Put the card in one of the boxes or drop it off at the hub

You can taste-test a ministry for 90 days and see if it’s the place for you to make an impact!

View Details

This week Kent takes us to the result of all of the ministry of Jesus and gives us insight into 3 things these early Christians knew that could make a HUGE difference in our following Jesus. IT'S EASY TO GIVE, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

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Sermon Notes Slide Key:

Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
[some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

DC - July 4th, Beach Boys at the Capitol. it was packed - barriers, police everywhere, people packed in. found a spot on the grass. The whole time kept thinking, “where are the fireworks gonna be?” capitol behind the other direction the band shell was blocking your view looking that way.

the concert ended, dark, the first firework shot up and within seconds, the entire crowd stood up and all started moving out the gate. stroller full of stuff and a bunch of little kids on bungee cords - I didn’t even think, just took off with the crowd. Jenni started yelling, “what are you doing?” I was like “we gotta move or we die!” Ha

made it out the gate just a few minutes left on the fireworks display, surrounded by 50,000 of my closest friends and my wife not super happy about me just following the rush of the crowd. :)

You’ve felt the rush of the crowd, haven’t you?

-concert - moved because everyone around you moving?

-video tide pool China thousands of people floated back & forth

-ran a 5k got stuck in the middle of a crowd - move the pace

all know what it’s like to be in the rush of the crowd…

Today, I want to Flash Forward past the life of Jesus and take you to a crowd rush moment.

We will look at what comes out of this moment and see a thing or two we could learn from this event in history.

pentecost. 50 days since Jesus resurrected - Jews call it Shavuot

Shavuot, the second of three pilgrim festivals for the Jewish people. Celebrated the beginning of the harvest of wheat, the bringing of first fruits, and the giving of the law to Moses.

people from all over the known world in Jerusalem - they had been there 50 days before and seen the whole mix-up with Jesus…

disciples huddled away waiting for Holy Spirit to come

-all of sudden, spirit comes - tongues of fire. people hear in their own language

“been hitting the sauce a little early…”

Peter stands up in a huge crowd - tells the people aren’t drunk. preaches the first sermon of the church and it’s powerful. LITERALLY, the ones who crucified Jesus, not “Jesus died because of my sin” but like, they are there chanting “crucify Him” tells them God raised Jesus from the dead and that He is the Messiah they’ve been waiting for.

Listen, this is the culmination of years of ministry. We’ll see as we Track Jesus - He preaches and sends people out to preach all over Israel.

this is the moment. Peter preaches and the scriptures says

When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?”

Peter stands up in Act 2:38 and says, Repent and be baptized, everyone of you for the forgiveness of sins and the gift of the Holy Spirit

-Which, by the way, is part of the reason we baptize as part of salvation…

Do you know how many people were baptized that day?

3,000…

Can you even imagine… 120 people to 3,000? I can’t, what do you do with all those people? How do you care for them?

25 people to every one person that was there originally…

-pre-phone, pre-internet, pre-cup on a string…

-no cars to gather together

-people from all over the known world…

What do you do? The rush of the crowd has hit, but how do you care for the people?

Brad gave us a primer on this last week, listen to what they do..

Act 2:42-47

These Jewish believers intuitively did three things that we could all learn from when the rush of the crowd is gone…

1. They knew they had something to learn

devoted themselves to the Apostles teaching

-greek “they clung” to it. They couldn’t get enough of it…

when I first came to know Jesus - sit in my pastors office while he worked and ask him questions. show up 30 minutes before anyone else at church on Sunday mornings, cause I just couldn’t wait for the doors to open. I devoured scriptures…

not anything special, I’d seen how devastating a life given over to sin was and saw life in Jesus I’d never known.

What would it take for you to become so devoted to the teaching of Jesus that people would say, you seem to “cling” to it?

“Kent, you’re a pastor” I was 15-16 years old, not a pastor…

The only difference between me and anyone else is I believed Jesus was really life…

-you can make excuses, look at your life, and you’ll see you make room for what you care about. Sports, check. Hitting the lake, check.

We make room for what we really care about, not just what we say we care about…

These people devoted themselves, and clung to the apostles' teaching - they carried the words of life…

2. They knew they had something to get

early disciples naturally knew they needed to be with one another…

“They devoted themselves to… fellowship, to the breaking of bread and prayer”

“Every day they continued to meet together in the temple courts. They broke bread in their homes and ate together with glad and sincere hearts, 47 praising God and enjoying the favor of all the people.”

They knew they needed each other… They needed to be together to get better

why SO emphatic about Connect groups and everyone needing one.

You have something to get - if never engage with other Christians in a meaningful way, you’ll never be challenged to grow…

Seriously, if haven’t considered a connect group spin-off that starts tonight, don’t miss it, there’s still time to sign up.

3. They knew they had something to give

All the believers were together and had everything in common. 45 They sold property and possessions to give to anyone who had need.

sold their stuff to care for one another…

Not only do you have something to get from being in a smaller group of Christ Followers, you have something to give to them.

someone God is just waiting for you to get into a relationship with so you can be the one who gives and inputs into their lives..

As good as it is to get, when you get the chance to give, to show up in their hospital room, to take them a meal, to slip them $100. You will find there is nothing like God using you.

When you are in a group, it’s a chance for you to “Be” the church with your fellow Christ Followers - to give yourself away.

CLOSING:

In a moment, we are going to sing a song and partake of Communion. I want to encourage you. If you’ve struggled as a Christian, struggled with doubt, or felt alone, or like you don’t know anyone. I can just about guarantee you it’s because you’re not in a group - or in the right group where you can both give and get. My goal is to bring you the apostles teaching, groups are where you get and give. If you’re in a group, take time today to pray for your group and your members and consider your commitment to them. If you’re not in a group, get signed up today!

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Jesus was all about Community, even in our prayer life he taught us to pray in community. Jump in with us in Section 134 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

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Jesus' call transformed the lives of those who followed Him, but how did that call come to them? Tune in to learn a surprising fact that most don't know about the call of the first disciples. We'll be in Sections 21, 33, & 37 today @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

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Sermon Notes Slide Key:

Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Do you remember getting picked for Dodgeball as kids? For some of you, this was like your favorite part of school sports. if you were like me, you hated the dodgeball pick. I’d stand there and watch as every other kid got picked until it finally came down to me, the chubby kid was pyand the scrawny kid with glasses who ate his boogers. They’d ALWAYS pick that kid and I’d be the one who they’d say, “I guess we’ll take Kent…”

I think they just figured I was an easier target than that kid…

Getting picked (or not picked) means more than most of us want to admit…

Today, going to look at Jesus’ picks and how strange it seems at first blush
Show how there’s more going on under the surface than you think
and then come back and make a connection you might have missed that can really impact your life!

check it out…

Mark 1:16-20

16 As Jesus walked beside the Sea of Galilee, he saw Simon and his brother Andrew casting a net into the lake, for they were fishermen. 17 “Come, follow me,” Jesus said, “and I will send you out to fish for people.” 18 At once they left their nets and followed him.

19 When he had gone a little farther, he saw James son of Zebedee and his brother John in a boat, preparing their nets. 20 Without delay he called them, and they left their father Zebedee in the boat with the hired men and followed him.

I’ve heard this read a hundred times and every time what I’ve heard preachers preach about is the faith of these guys to hear Jesus say, “come, follow me” and they just follow…

Normally the focus is on, “at once they left their nets and followed him”

But that’s not the whole story…

Did you know Jesus had met these guys before?

John 1:35-51 (section 21)

Let me tell you the story

Jesus has been baptized by John and gone out into the desert to be tempted by Satan, he comes back, and when He comes back John the Baptist is there with some of his disciples, this is a dry desert area… people have come out to see what John is doing.. John has garnered followers and John sees Jesus - his relative coming up and he says this to two of his disciples:

John 1:36

36 When he saw Jesus passing by, he said, “Look, the Lamb of God!”

This is a huge statement… This is the second time he’s made this statement, the first time he says Jesus will take away the sins of the world…

There is this great interchange in John where these disciples start creeping on Jesus and He turns around and asks them what they want…

Turns out one of John’s disciples was Andrew - he gets his brother Peter to come and follow Jesus too.

This is way before Jesus walks up to Simon and Andrew and asks them to follow Him

turns water into wine @ wedding in Cana
Clears the temple
Nicodemus visits him at night
John B tells more about Jesus
Herod puts John in Prison
Jesus goes through Samaria to the woman at the well
Samaritans believe
Jesus finds out about John and goes to Galilee to preach
Jesus heals a gov't official's son - Jesus is in Cana & the official is in Capernaum - Jesus says the son will live and he goes back and his son does live
Jesus goes to Nazareth, they reject him and want to kill him

Jesus is back and forth between Jerusalem and Galilee over and over again… He’s teaching and healing people.

ILLUSTRATION:

Have you ever done something and people undervalue what it took to get it done? I’ve heard people say how lucky we are to have great kids. Now, I’ll tell you - every kid has a personality and there is some luck involved. But you know as well as I do, it took a whole lot of perseverance and time for our kids to be who they are. And we are still investing in them…

When we act like these guys just follow Jesus because they had tremendous faith we do ourselves and the story a disservice…

These guys followed Jesus because experience & relationships all pointed them in the same direction. That following Jesus was life…

-Andrew investigated based on John the B’s statements

-Simon came because Andrew brought him

-John and James lived in the region where Jesus has been performing miracles…

We live in such a disconnected world where everything is about how hard YOU can work and YOU doing it all on your own that we miss that Jesus hardly ever did anything alone…

Listen, when you are surrounded by people who point you to Jesus and then you experience Jesus for yourself, it changes everything.

Luke (our Harmony places this in the wrong place in my opinion) gives more detail to this moment of disciples following Jesus…

Luke 5:3-11

3 He got into one of the boats, the one belonging to Simon, and asked him to put out a little from shore. Then he sat down and taught the people from the boat.

4 When he had finished speaking, he said to Simon, “Put out into deep water, and let down the nets for a catch.”

5 Simon answered, “Master, we’ve worked hard all night and haven’t caught anything. But because you say so, I will let down the nets.”

6 When they had done so, they caught such a large number of fish that their nets began to break. 7 So they signaled their partners in the other boat to come and help them, and they came and filled both boats so full that they began to sink.

8 When Simon Peter saw this, he fell at Jesus’ knees and said, “Go away from me, Lord; I am a sinful man!” 9 For he and all his companions were astonished at the catch of fish they had taken, 10 and so were James and John, the sons of Zebedee, Simon’s partners.

Then Jesus said to Simon, “Don’t be afraid; from now on you will fish for people.” 11 So they pulled their boats up on shore, left everything and followed him.

Peter had been introduced to Jesus through Andrew & John the Baptist and now He experienced Him for himself and there was no other response but to give himself to Jesus.

Listen…

can I ask you a question?

Who are you surrounding yourself with?

Do they point you to Jesus?

I can just about guess that if you are struggling in your faith that you are not involved in faith friendships…

This is why we are so passionate about Connect Groups in our church:

When you are surrounded by people who point you to Jesus you are positioned to experience Jesus

We are trying our darnedest to get you into these relationships, but the reality is until you think it’s important - it won’t matter.

Your belief will always trump your behavior. so, if you believe that you can go at it alone, no matter how much you are struggling in your faith. You’ll never take that step. But if you believe that you can’t be an overcoming Christian in isolation, you will do whatever you can to be in community with others - you’ll join our next Spin off- you’ll choose to lead a group. You’ll get in relationships that point you so you can be positioned.

ILLUSTRATION:

Imagine if the coach for the Cincinnati Reds showed up at your kid's practice and watched your child play baseball. If the coach told you, “I’ve never seen someone with the talent your child has. You keep on this trajectory and I promise, I’ll be back in 4 years to bring them on my team” or, what if the coach said, “Dad, you’re wasting your time, your child doesn’t have what it takes, you could spend the next 30 years practicing and working skills and they’d never get to the level they need to.” Do you know the only difference in what you would do next? It would be your belief - your child hasn’t changed. But one direction your belief would lead you to put your kid in every opportunity possible to grow. The other belief would lead you to potentially abandon baseball and work on something you thought they could be successful in. All of it is based on belief.

If you don’t believe being in relationships is vital to your faith - you’ll never prioritize them

CLOSING:

When I first came to Christ, I was lucky to find some guys who loved Jesus too. We were in High School - but we would get up every day an hour before school and meet together in a car to pray before school. We’d encourage each other and challenge each other. Still to this day, these guys point me to Jesus. You don’t know it, but often times I say in my sermons are a direct result of conversations I’ve had with these men. Because they point me to Jesus and it positions me to experience Him.

Where are you at on this journey? Some of you need to get signed up for our next spin off’s to start getting into those relationships. Some of you need to be the person who steps up and leads and points people - Amber has struggled to get leaders - maybe you need to step up to lead. Or maybe for you, you’ve started to experience Jesus and it’s time for you to accept His gift of real life.

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Have you ever wondered why God didn't answer your prayer or why He hasn't removed you from a tough circumstance? Hopefully, today's message will be healing for you as you tune in to listen how God has not forgotten you.. Visit section 4 today @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/timeline-of-jesus/birth-preparation/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

When I was a student pastor I was at this Summer camp and there was this girl that had an amputated leg. It was Middle School camp and if you know anything about middle school, you know kids can be merciless. We had been in worship for the camp and I noticed she got up and went outside. I went out and asked if she was ok. She was broken, kids had been making fun of her because of her disability. She told me she just sometimes wanted it all to end… She wanted to know where God was, why did he let this happen to her…

WE:

We can all feel that pain, right?

We’ve all questioned whether God even cares

The problem is, most of us never take the time to actually answer the question

and we’re left with a weak faith that fails at the first sign of negative circumstances.

This morning, I want us to look at an early story of from before Jesus’ life of John the Baptist's birth…

-did you know John the Baptist was mentioned by the ancient Roman/Jewish Historian Josephus? Not just a myth, but a real person who really lived in history…

We’ll look at this story that so many can identify with and then out of it we’ll come back and answer the question - does God even care?

Lk 1:5-25

5 In the time of Herod king of Judea there was a priest named Zechariah, who belonged to the priestly division of Abijah; his wife Elizabeth was also a descendant of Aaron. 6 Both of them were righteous in the sight of God, observing all the Lord’s commands and decrees blamelessly. 7 But they were childless because Elizabeth was not able to conceive, and they were both very old.

ILLUSTRATION:

I need us to slow down here because I have known several families in my time who have struggled with not being able to have children. It is a deep pain for them to watch their friends have kids, to play with nieces and nephews and long to be able to have their own children and not be able to. I have had them sit in my office and weep as they mourn the children they are unable to bring into this world. It is absolutely heartbreaking. And if that has ever been you, then I want you to hear. Elizabeth and Zechariah know that pain.

One of the things I love about the bible is the real stories of real people with real struggles

In Zech & Betsy’s day, this would not have just been seen as something to be sad over, there is a strong likelihood that they would have been understood as not being righteous enough…

Luke makes sure to mention how good they were - “they were both righteous and observed everything, and still they remained childless…”

How many nights did Betsy weep over those children

How many times did Zech come back after being mocked for not being able to produce a son

What would they do with their inheritance

Now, they are past the age of bearing children…

The dream is gone…

8 Once when Zechariah’s division was on duty and he was serving as priest before God, 9 he was chosen by lot, according to the custom of the priesthood, to go into the temple of the Lord and burn incense. 10 And when the time for the burning of incense came, all the assembled worshipers were praying outside.

ILLUSTRATION:

You ever had a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity? You actually met Elvis while he was alive? Ate dinner with a president?

For Zech, that’s what this moment is like. The Talmud tells us this is literally a once-in-a-lifetime opportunity. You got chosen for this event one time… Every single day, twice a day, a priest would go into the Holy place, this is the lobby to the Holy of Holy’s it was only the place where only a priest could go. There was a table for the showbread (the bread of the presence - this is the bread David eats and was only for the priests). There is also a menorah - an olive oil lamp. And the table of incense. The priest would go in at the time of prayer and pray this prayer while burning this special incense:

HaShem (a name the Jewish people use in place of God because His name is holy) of legions is with us!

A stronghold for us is the G-d of Yaakov (Jacob), selah!

HaShem of legions, happy is the man who trusts in You!

HaShem, deliver us!

Our King, answer us on this day we call out to You!

May the offerings of Yehudah (Judah) and Jerusalem please HaShem, as in the past and bygone years!

This is the prayer Zech is praying - can you imagine him reveling in it? He has not been in this room before - he’s dreamed of this moment his whole life, probably thought he may never get to do it… and then his number gets called! He’s praying, “Our King, answer us on this day…”

11 Then an angel of the Lord appeared to him, standing at the right side of the altar of incense. 12 When Zechariah saw him, he was startled and was gripped with fear.

Always the response of someone who meets an angel

13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.

Your wife Elizabeth will bear you a son, and you are to call him John. 14 He will be a joy and delight to you, and many will rejoice because of his birth, 15 for he will be great in the sight of the Lord. He is never to take wine or other fermented drink, and he will be filled with the Holy Spirit even before he is born. 16 He will bring back many of the people of Israel to the Lord their God. 17 And he will go on before the Lord, in the spirit and power of Elijah, to turn the hearts of the parents to their children and the disobedient to the wisdom of the righteous—to make ready a people prepared for the Lord.”

18 Zechariah asked the angel, “How can I be sure of this? I am an old man and my wife is well along in years.”

19 The angel said to him, “I am Gabriel. I stand in the presence of God, and I have been sent to speak to you and to tell you this good news. 20 And now you will be silent and not able to speak until the day this happens, because you did not believe my words, which will come true at their appointed time.”

21 Meanwhile, the people were waiting for Zechariah and wondering why he stayed so long in the temple. 22 When he came out, he could not speak to them. They realized he had seen a vision in the temple, for he kept making signs to them but remained unable to speak.

23 When his time of service was completed, he returned home. 24 After this his wife Elizabeth became pregnant and for five months remained in seclusion. 25 “The Lord has done this for me,” she said. “In these days he has shown his favor and taken away my disgrace among the people.”

Gabriel - the same Gabriel that announces to Mary is now telling Zech he is going to have a son and his son is going to turn Israel back to God… That’s like Moses stuff, that’s Elijah stuff - that’s prophets of old stuff

But Zech can’t believe Him… Impossible - we are both old…

So Gabe tells him he’s going to not be able to talk till the boy is born…

I always crack up when I read Elizabeth saying:

“The Lord has done this for me,”

I know she’s talking about the baby, but come on, some of it has to be about her husband not being able to talk ;)

It’s an incredible story, but maybe you’re sitting there going, “but Kent, what does that have to do with where’s God when hard stuff happens?”

Can I point out something maybe you missed because I zoomed past it?

Remember, Zech is praying “Our King answer us…”

and Gabe says this:

13 But the angel said to him: “Do not be afraid, Zechariah; your prayer has been heard.

Which prayer? Which prayer has been heard?

The context of the angel's answer is not the prayer that Zech is praying right now…

The context is that the prayer God is answering is the prayer about Zechariah & Elizabeth being childless

But get this…

They are old at this point… I can’t prove it, but they have likely stopped praying that prayer…

The prayer of, “God give me a baby,” is the prayer of a young family.

I’m pretty sure that Zechariah and Elizabeth had given up on that prayer years ago…

But God never did.

Can I say that again…

You may have given up, but that doesn’t mean that God has given up…

“your prayer has been heard.”

God heard the prayer of Zech & Betsy and he responded, not when they thought He should and not in the way they would have had it. But He did.

CLOSING:

Some of you are probably still wondering what happened to the little girl at the beginning of my sermon, “kent, was she ok?”

She was fine and we talked and she understood that God had made her stronger than most and she could endure it.

One of the things I’ve found is people HATE it when I tell half a story in my sermons to get to a point I want to make and then never finish. When there is a cliffhanger. We want resolution…

Part of the problem for humans is we live in a world and story that is unfinished, and a lot of times we judge our story before the conclusion has been revealed.

We want resolution and God is after restoration…

I think that’s part of the reason Pauls said:

38 For I am convinced that neither death nor life, neither angels nor demons,[k] neither the present nor the future, nor any powers, 39 neither height nor depth, nor anything else in all creation, will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord.

Let your hope be in the fact that God’s love for you in Jesus is unshakeable and know that He will work out circumstances in His time - whether it’s in this life or the next…

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FACEBOOK COPY: The gift God gave in Jesus is foreseen in a pretty amazing way in the genealogies of Jesus - today Kent unpacks some pretty incredible hidden treasures you may have never heard. Visit section 3 today @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/timeline-of-jesus/birth-preparation/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Growing up there was always this constant thing that would happen as my parents got to know other adults. it would start like this. Someone would start talking about how they were related to someone famous, Bloody Mary, or Herbert Hoover, whoever it was didn’t matter, because what followed next was always the same. My mom would chime in and start talking about her maiden name was Crockett and we were actually related to Davy Crockett - I think His dad was my ancestors' dad too… All I know is every male in my family has to kill a bear by the age of 3… Ha, remember the song…

Anyway, my mom would start to regain these fine folks and show them up on their history and how we were related to one of America’s finest folk legends. And that’s when it would happen, my dad would chime in and he’d say something to the effect of, “yup, Janice is related to Davy Crockett, the Wagners, come from a long line of horse thieves…” Ha. I’m about 95% sure that wasn’t true… But every time it’s what my dad said…

As American Genealogies are kind of a mixed bag. With the invention of ancestory.com and other websites like it, some of you have figured out that you are related to the duke of wellington.

But for others of us, like my dad - you could care less..

Generally speaking, Americans are about the future, not the past.

“Where I come from isn’t as important as where I’m going”

But that’s not the case for a huge part of the rest of the world…

ILLUSTRATION:

Jenni’s uncle by marriage is Muslim. He and I were talking one day and he told me that he has a document that takes his family lineage back to Abraham through Ishmael. That’s crazy, right?

His genealogy anchored him in the history of a larger story

Today, we are going to look at what some might consider the most boring part of the gospels, but if you are willing to do a little literary archaeology - you will see it’s a treasure trove that anchors Jesus’ story in the history of a much larger story…

So, first things first - before we put on our Indiana Jones hats and go archaeology-ing, I need to clear something up…

Both Matthew & Luke give us the genealogy of Jesus. The problem is, they are different…

Matthew 1:15b-16

Matthan the father of Jacob,

16 and Jacob the father of Joseph, the husband of Mary, and Mary was the mother of Jesus who is called the Messiah.

Luke 3:23

23 Now Jesus himself was about thirty years old when he began his ministry. He was the son, so it was thought, of Joseph,

the son of Heli,

Matthew says Joseph’s Father was Jacob and Luke claims it was Heli (or some translations Eli)

What do you do with that?

Some of you are like, “finally, I knew this was a bunch of hooey…”

Before you get rid of the New Testament as contradictory, let me give you 3 good explanations for why there might be a difference of lineage between David & Jesus in the two gospels.

[WATCH: 3 Minute Theology with Kent - https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FspZ9MsVA3E ]

Ok, phew - boom, hopefully, that was under 3 minutes. Because that’s not what I want to show you today…

All month we’ve been talking about the Giving God, and I want to show you how the genealogies foretold the gift…

So, put on your Indiana Jones Hats, we are going to go for a ride…

1st The 14’s in Matthew

Matthew ends his genealogy with this statement:

17 Thus there were fourteen generations in all from Abraham to David, fourteen from David to the exile to Babylon, and fourteen from the exile to the Messiah.

I’m not going to read them all to you, but what you need to know is Matthew is doing something that is common in biblical genealogies. He has skipped some people to get three 14’s - but why? Let me show you…

Got your indy hats on?

In Hebrew every letter has a number associated with it - numbers are huge in Judaism.

David’s name happens to be the following letters in Hebrew:

ד ו ד

ד(dalet) + ו (vav) + ד (dalet)

with me so far?

ד(dalet) = 4

ו (vav) = 6

That means David’s name is 4 + 6 + 4 = 14

remember Matthew’s profession was “Tax collector” the guy is a math genius…

But here’s something else you might not know

The number Three is the number of completion in the Hebrew bible.

So, Matthew is saying Jesus is 14, 14, 14 - He is David, David, David - but why?

Because the Jewish people knew that the Messiah would be the son of David.

Jesus is the completion of the Davidic Messiah that was to come into the world.

Or what about the women in Matthew’s Genealogy?

…Judah the father of Perez and Zerah, whose mother was Tamar,

…Salmon the father of Boaz, whose mother was Rahab,

…Boaz the father of Obed, whose mother was Ruth,

…David was the father of Solomon, whose mother had been Uriah’s wife

-Tamar was a Canaanite woman who had to essentially prostitute herself to get her father-in-law to give her a child (her father-in-law was supposed to give his youngest son in a levirate marriage to her because two of his older sons had already died married to her - Judah doesn’t and she ends up having to trick him into getting her pregnant)

-Rahab was a prostitute and a foreigner who helped the spies in Israel when they came to spy out on Jericho…

-Ruth was a Moabite-es - would have likely been despised by a lot of the people of the time because the Moabites had treated the Israelites terribly

-And Bathsheba - Matthew references her to her previous husband to just show the extent of how terrible what happened to her was. She was raped by David and her husband was murdered.

Why reference these women in a genealogy of the Messiah - all with sordid pasts and most with sexually sordid pasts?

Because Matthew is pointing out how God can use anyone and helping everyone to see that Mary really is as much of a hero as the women who came before her.

Or what about Luke’s Genealogy

He ends his 76 generations like this…

Lamech,

37 the son of Methuselah, the son of Enoch,

the son of Jared, the son of Mahalalel,

the son of Kenan, 38 the son of Enosh,

the son of Seth, the son of Adam,

the son of God.

Why does Luke take his genealogy all the way back to Adam and then to God?

Luke is making the point that Jesus is the essential man who is the Son of God

He came to set right what Adam got wrong…

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

When I was a kid, I was playing basketball with some buddies - the ball flew into the yard and I jumped on it. All my friends jumped on top of me to try and wrestle the ball out of my hands. I immediately started screaming - they all jumped off and when I rolled over, my pants leg was full of blood. My knee had been gashed open to within a 1/4 of an inch of paralyzing me. The next 30 minutes were a blur of blood and rushing to an er. I can remember them coming in and giving me shots inside the wound to numb it so they could clean it. Then the doc came in to sew it up. Stitches on the inside and the outside. I can remember feeling the needle and the pressure as they pulled through the skin and flesh. I was squeezing my dad’s hand so hard he said his fingers were turning white. At one point, my dad said, “I wish it was me instead of you…” he would always chuckle when he’d tell this story because he said I replied, “Me too…” Ha.

I know the genealogies are boring. I get it… But what they tell me is that the story of Jesus is really anchored in real history. And it tells me that the story of God coming to take our place was not just some nice story you tell your kids to make them obey. It’s the real story of the Adam who came to set everything right that went wrong.

What will it take for you to give your life over to Him? He literally came and took your place on the cross, taking all your sin on Him so that you could be free. he didn’t just wish it was him instead of us, He did it…

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The story of the announcement of the birth of Jesus is breathtaking. Tune in today to make some connections to the past and the future - we are in Section 5 @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/timeline-of-jesus/birth-preparation/. GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

OPENING:

Years ago I thought Jenni was dying… She had just had surgery about a week earlier and she was not getting better. She was pale and at one point I walked into the bedroom and she was laying on the bed looking like death. I don’t know that I’ve ever been so scared. We immediately called the doctor and got an appointment. We went in and they drew blood to start running tests. Waiting to get the results back was torture - some of you know what that’s like. Finally, they called us back in for a consult. I can remember sitting in that room, neither of us talking, both just hoping for anything but the worst…

I’ll never forget the doctor coming in… She sat down with a serious look on her face.

She said, “we got your results back…”

My heart stopped beating for a moment

Finally, the doctor leaned in and she blurts out, “You’re pregnant!”

I literally almost fainted…

We hadn’t even considered the idea that Jenni was pregnant - she had taken a pregnancy test before undergoing the surgery the week before and it was negative. Not only that, but Jen hadn’t been sick or anything with our first child - so it never even crossed our mind…

My grandma of course wanted to know if we knew what caused that…

Ha…

That was a crazy way to find out you were about to have another child…

But not near as crazy as the first Christmas story…

LK 1:26-38

26 In the sixth month of Elizabeth’s pregnancy

In a couple of weeks we are going to talk about this baby…

Elizabeth is the mom of John the baptist - so when she’s 6 months along, Mary is going to have the following happen…

God sent the angel Gabriel to Nazareth, a town in Galilee, 27 to a virgin pledged to be married to a man named Joseph, a descendant of David. The virgin’s name was Mary.

This is not the first time Gabriel has appeared in the bible, he is who announced the birth of John the Baptist, but in 538BC this same angel appeared to Daniel…

Daniel is in his 80s, he knows the prophecy in Jeremiah that says the captivity in Babylon will only last 70 years and he’s close to the end of that 70 years. Literally, within a year, Cyrus will make a decree for the Jewish people to begin to be able to start returning home. Daniel has been praying this prayer of repentance when an angel appears…

Daniel 9:20-22

20 While I was speaking and praying, confessing my sin and the sin of my people Israel and making my request to the Lord my God for his holy hill— 21 while I was still in prayer, Gabriel, the man I had seen in the earlier vision, came to me in swift flight about the time of the evening sacrifice. 22 He instructed me and said to me, “Daniel, I have now come to give you insight and understanding.

The message Gabriel will give to Daniel is almost universally accepted as pertaining to the coming of the Messiah

-People don’t agree about exactly what it means - it’s probably one of the most confusing passages…

But here’s what’s significant to me…

We have Gabriel some 530 some years before Jesus’ birth foretelling the Messiah coming and dying.

Then we don’t hear from him again…

Until he begins speaking of the coming Messiah again…

Here we have Gabriel greeting Mary, listen to what he says to her…

28 The angel went to her and said, “Greetings, you who are highly favored! The Lord is with you.”

29 Mary was greatly troubled at his words and wondered what kind of greeting this might be. 30 But the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary; you have found favor with God. 31 You will conceive and give birth to a son, and you are to call him Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. The Lord God will give him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over Jacob’s descendants forever; his kingdom will never end.”

This is Shocking news

-I thought finding out that my wife was pregnant after a negative test was shocking - this is beyond shocking… I know for most of you, you’ve heard this so much in your life you’ve forgotten how crazy it is.

Mary is not an old woman at this point, she is probably late teens, maybe early 20s - she’s a young woman.

She’s told she will conceive and give birth to a son and call him Jesus

The Hebrew of Jesus’ name is actually Yeshua it means, Salvation.

There is so much in this proclamation

that Jesus would sit on David’s throne
that Jesus would be the Son of the Most High - a title for God
He would reign over Jacob and his kingdom would never end…

Here’s what I want you to get…

You all know this stuff and it all makes sense - you know Jesus will die and raise to life, that His Kingdom is one that exists inside humans - not in a particular land.

But Mary didn’t…

This would have blown her away…

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

35 The angel answered, “The Holy Spirit will come on you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you. So the holy one to be born will be called[a] the Son of God. 36 Even Elizabeth your relative is going to have a child in her old age, and she who was said to be unable to conceive is in her sixth month. 37 For no word from God will ever fail.”

38 “I am the Lord’s servant,” Mary answered. “May your word to me be fulfilled.” Then the angel left her.

I have stood in the church that is built around the cave that they believe Mary was in when Gabriel came to her… Most of Nazareth is built up on this mountainside and the city in the time of Jesus was tiny, only a few hundred people living there in the stone-cut cave dwellings… It’s a humble place…

And it’s in this place that Mary hears the angel's words - the foretelling of Jesus and she believes and says

“I am the Lord’s servant,”

Do you remember at the very beginning of the sermon there was a video with a passage from Isaiah being read? Can I just read you the first part of that again?

Is 53:1

Who has believed our message

and to whom has the arm of the Lord been revealed?

Who believed? Who was it revealed to?

A young woman in a tiny town

She was a nothing nobody - she should have been a blip on the radar of history that no one would ever know about…

Except she said, “I am in…”

and that changed everything…

There was a reason God chose Mary & Joseph to be the parents of Jesus - Joseph’s acceptance of this whole situation was just as humbling…

Jesus’ parents were people of deep faith and reliance upon Jesus - they were defined by trust…

I believe God is still looking for simple trust from us, He may not ask you to steward the change agent for the entirety of human history - but He is asking for your whole devotion…

One of the things that has struck me from studying the life of Jesus so much is how singular He was in His desire for devotion from those who followed Him.

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

Years ago when I was a youth pastor, I had taken some of my kids who were leaders on a retreat to learn leadership - we did trust falls and low ropes courses, and finally we were going to do some repelling. One of the teenage girls was at the edge of the mountain and I was back with her twin sister sitting up against a rock watching as the guide tried to convince her sister to go over the edge. Her sister wouldn’t trust the guide and she was freaking out.. That’s when her twin leaned over to me and said, “if my sister dies, I’m suing you for everything you’re worth!” I thought, “you have no clue how much youth pastors make…”

When I saw this video, it reminded me of those sisters…

[Download and play video: https://www.tiktok.com/@shotovercanyonswing/video/7114409010261970177?lang=en]

Let me tell you something… Following Jesus requires you going over the edge with him.

It requires you being all in…

Can I ask you one thing?

What is keeping you from going all in with Jesus?

He came to save you from your sins - and the reality is this. when you go over the edge with Jesus and give yourself totally to Him. What you find is that it’s not scary - it’s like home. You find that the God of the universe who came for us, makes up residence in your heart!

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Follow along in Section 1 @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/timeline-of-jesus/birth-preparation/

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

So, I have a confession of how much of a dork I am.

Years ago, when we were gearing up to plant our church, I had a therapist tell me that I needed to take 4 hours a week to go off by myself and be alone to just let my brain process. I wasn’t supposed to do anything. Not take a book, not listen to anything, not be around people. Just be totally alone to let all the thoughts in my head role around to their end…

So, I went out into the country where we lived at the time in Kansas - just prairie as far as you can see. No trees, no big hills, just prairie, wheat and corn. I would walk around trying to not do anything for 4 hours… But every time, I would end up doing the same thing… I’d end up seeing a coyote track and some scat and I’d end up attempting to track coyote’s….

Ha, I know, I’m a nerd…

I was supposed to be out there letting my brain process, but I couldn’t do it, I wanted to track down a coyote and wrestle it to the ground and wear it around my neck like some kind of trophy :)

I’m not a master at tracking things

Shoot, my wife will tell you I can’t even find my own underwear without her help :)

but one thing I’ve gotten good at over the years is tracking Jesus and His story in the scriptures…

Today we are starting a year long journey to track Jesus through the eyewitness Gospel accounts

We are going to spend the entire next year preaching through Jesus’ life and ministry…

Because of that, I need to give you some context of what this years going to look like…

Where we’re going…

For the first few months we will be looking at Jesus’ life through a topical lenses in order to understand some of the major themes Jesus highlighted in His ministry.

Then in December we take a turn and begin tracking Jesus’ life chronologically using a resource called a Harmony of the Gospels.

So, let’s define some terms for you - so we’ll all be on the same page…

Defining Terms

I just said we are going to be using a “harmony of the Gospel.” What is that?

A harmony of the gospels is a resource where scholars (in this case the ones that put together the Life Application Study Bible) take the accounts of Jesus’ life in the various Gospel accounts and put them in a chronological order and pair them together.

What’s a Gospel?

So, Christians will talk about “the Gospel” which we mean the fact that God came to save us from our sins and that He died and rose from the dead to do so.

But the word Gospel actually is just a word that means, “Good News” - in the Greek it’s Euangelion

Euangelion was the good news that would go out when a Roman soldier had experienced victory in war or when news about the caesar and his exploits

Christianity has 4 books we call “Gospels” - Matthew, Mark, Luke, John

These are eyewitness accounts of the life of Jesus

Actually, one of the requirements the early church had when creating the cannon or measure of scripture was that these books had to be written by someone who knew Jesus or was close to someone who knew Jesus…

Listen to Luke’s words in the first part of His Gospel:

Luke 1:1-4

Many have undertaken to draw up an account of the things that have been fulfilled[a] among us, 2 just as they were handed down to us by those who from the first were eyewitnesses and servants of the word. 3 With this in mind, since I myself have carefully investigated everything from the beginning, I too decided to write an orderly account for you, most excellent Theophilus, 4 so that you may know the certainty of the things you have been taught.

Luke was a doctor in ancient times - he had not personally seen Jesus, so he set out on a journey to track down people who had seen and known Jesus. The stories we have in Luke are an

Because Luke’s goal was an orderly account, we’ve based our Harmony on his order of events.

the other gospel writers weren’t as concerned with order. They have been preaching these stories for years and as they grew older they realized that Jesus wasn’t going to return as soon as they thought so they begin writing down the stories to ensure that future generations have them.

Because of that their versions of the stories are not chronological. This is one of the things that is really hard for modern readers.

Americans want scientific precision

But the Ancient Eastern mind wasn’t like that. They wanted precision in the essence of truth and were not concerned with details being precise.

that doesn’t mean that we can’t trust historically what happened - but it does mean that when there are things that seem contradictory, we will stop and explain them and help you get context for what they mean…

ILLUSTRAITON:

It reminds me of coming home the other day and Jenni started to tell me a story about her friend who had gotten 29 things for $5. Immediately my kids piped up and said, “it was 25 things for $5”. Jenni’s response was, “it doesn’t matter…” Why didn’t it matter? Her point in sharing the story wasn’t the exact amount of things her friend got for the $5, it was that her friend got an amazing deal…

The Gospels are often times like that - they’re trying to convey the essence of the story of God’s salvation work in Jesus, not provide a legal transcript of the events.

this is hugely important as we work through the gospels - that you think Eastern, not Western…

I’m excited about tracking Jesus with you all over the next year.

I’m excited to join Luke in his investigation…

Imagine for moment if these 4 guys had decided to not investigate?

Imagine if the story of Jesus had been lost to time and not written down?

Instead, you literally carry around the words of eye witnesses who talked with Jesus.

When you read the story in Luke and hear that Mary treasured these things in her heart - that’s because Mary told Luke that…

I’ve been thinking about what my hope for you in this series is…

If I had to put it into a few words I would say that you take on the name of the person Luke is writing this for - did you pick it up? He’s writing to a person - their name is Theophilus and Luke is writing his Gospel so Theophilus will know that what he’s been taught is true… Theophilus actually commissioned two works from Luke - the book of Acts also exists because of him. My guess is Theophilus was a rich believer who lived in the Greek world who wanted to know if it was all true…

The name Theophilus means “Lover of God”…

My hope for this series is that as we look at the life of Jesus, you won’t just want him for salvation - a good thing. But that you will fall madly, head over heals in love with Him and want to Him.

That you’d become Theophilus…

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Today we are going to hear Elijah Ombati share with us about a ministry called NASHA.

NASHA has seen more than 32,000+ students/families benefit at various levels. It currently serves 202 students at the Church school, targets to provide 250 children/learners with uniforms each year, and currently targets 600 to help find sponsors for high school.

Currently, 400 high school students who are in great need are in sponsorship in different levels provision of helpful resources that helps to shape their moral lives/values.

GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .

If you would like to order a Harmony Christian Church t-shirt. follow this link to order your own! https://my.breezechms.com/form/c10c96

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GREG HORN is the Founder and Executive Director of “HOPE is Here Ministries” based here in Central Kentucky.

HOPE is HERE Ministries started in 2017 after Greg Horn lost 3 friends to SUICIDE in the previous 18 months.

GOD put a “HOLY DISCONTENT” in Greg’s Heart that something needed to be done to create awareness about the growing SUICIDE rate in Central Kentucky and that there needed to be “Light Shined on this area of Darkness.”

GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .

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This week, Nathaniel shares stories of transformation in Scott County and how YOU can be a part of that process. GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .

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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Prepare yourself to want to say, “Awe…” at the end of this story. One of my earliest memories was hiding under a table in our living room. It had been pushed up against a wall so we could clean. I don’t know if every family is like this, but when our family came to visit my parents went crazy thinking we had to clean our house to the nth degree. And my family growing up were slobs - that’s a nice way of saying it. I was under that table crying my eyes out because my dad had told me to clean a particular room, my mom had told me to clean the bathroom, and my older brother had yelled at me and told me to put a bunch of junk away. I was under that table crying because I couldn’t do all of them at once and I was afraid they were all going to be angry with me so I hid…

Can I tell you a secret about me and you?

When we were growing up, we all learned ways of dealing with the brokenness in this world - patterns of living, paths to walk on that seemed to “save” us…

For me, hiding and escaping became my mechanism - when things get painful - I escape by making things fun and funny… and guess what…

Hiding or escaping became a type of salvation for me…

And it worked - for a while until it didn’t…

I’m not alone in this

Some of you are the opposite of me

you don’t try to escape, you try to control - you found that when you stood up and took the wheel - that you felt better, so you became a controller

Some of you need to bring things into order - and you have to have everything perfect all the time and perfection was your salvation…

For some of you, it was relationships and people - needing people in your world who could make you feel good and keep you from being alone

There are a million ways that we all set up idols to run to for salvation

But any salvation that is not found in Jesus leads to death

I want to read you a passage Jesus read about Himself… Listen to it:

Isaiah 61:1-2

The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,

because the Lord has anointed me

to proclaim good news to the poor.

He has sent me to bind up the brokenhearted,

to proclaim freedom for the captives

and release from darkness for the prisoners,

2 to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor

Good news to the poor

Bind up the brokenhearted

Proclaim freedom for the captives

Release from darkness for prisoners

Let me be clear - Jesus’ salvation is found in the forgiveness of sins - but that’s only the starting point - He came not just to forgive but to restore and set you free

It is Jesus saying in

John 8:36

So if the Son sets you free, you will be free indeed.

He wants to bind up your broken heart, he wants to bring freedom to you, he wants to give you good news if you’re poor and bring light into your darkness…

Maybe you’re asking…

So, if Jesus wants to restore and set me free, then why do I still seem to struggle so much?

I’ll tell you what I think it is…

Many of us recognized our need for a Deliverer in Jesus but never died to our old strategy of salvation…

ILLUSTRATION:

For me, it looks like this… I have a painful week of failing at every turn. I forget to do something major for my wife and start to feel like a failure. I miss an important meeting accidentally. And it’s all capped off by someone coming into my office to complain about something I said in my sermon. I go home and while Jenni and the kids are upstairs, I open the cupboard and pull out a package of Oreos and I start to escape…

I don’t even realize how much I try to escape and just how quick my muscle memory goes back to those patterns of salvation.

I, at that moment, am completely atheist. Because I am treating my broken incomplete heart with a completely godless solution.

So, what do you do?

I want you to listen to Paul in Romans - he’s been building up the gospel and how Jesus is like Adam - how just as through one man sin entered the world, so does the solution come through one man and that His death becomes salvation for all…

Romans 6:2bff

We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

Did you notice what Paul said?

He said that when we were baptized, we were baptized into Jesus’ Death

This is a mystery - when Jesus died - He died once, for all - Paul is connecting the dots “we know our old self was crucified with him so that the body ruled by sin might be done away with.”

This is why baptism is SO vital

Because you are choosing in that moment to identify that your life has died…

-you are going into a medium that literally could kill you

-you are losing complete control as someone else buries you

-you are giving up the fight of sin and control in your life and taking hold of the gift of death…

See, I think the problem for most of us is when we were baptized we didn’t unite with Jesus’ death in our body and die to ourselves - we just wanted a get out jail free card - not a complete restoration of our being.

Jesus came to restore your whole self

But that means that when you go under the water - you actually have to stop the fight…

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

That day when I was crying under the table. My mom and dad found me and asked me, Kent, what’s wrong - I told them what was going on. And my dad and mom comforted me and told me I didn’t have to hide or run, that I didn’t have to carry all that burden myself. Listen - Jesus died so you could die to your sin, so He could pull you out from the tables you’ve set up in your life that are your protective muscle memory. Isn’t it time that you came out and died to those things and started letting His light in?

What does that mean?

It means when you find yourself in the proverbial cupboard eating the proverbial oreo - that you start to untangle your heart before God and ask Him to help reveal to you why you so quickly became an atheist and turned to something other than Him for restoration of your heart.

Remember, you died in that water - you now live the life Jesus came to offer - HERE and NOW, not in the future. There is a God who longs to pull you out from the table and wipe your tears! Let Him today!

DON'T FORGET - WRITE A SHORT SERMON - YOU ARE SUPPOSED TO DO A FINANCIAL UPDATE AND PREPARE EVERYONE FOR "STORIES OF IMPACT" SERIES.

Romans 6:1-14

What shall we say, then? Shall we go on sinning so that grace may increase? 2 By no means! We are those who have died to sin; how can we live in it any longer? 3 Or don’t you know that all of us who were baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were therefore buried with him through baptism into death in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead through the glory of the Father, we too may live a new life.

8 Now if we died with Christ, we believe that we will also live with him. 9 For we know that since Christ was raised from the dead, he cannot die again; death no longer has mastery over him. 10 The death he died, he died to sin once for all; but the life he lives, he lives to God.

11 In the same way, count yourselves dead to sin but alive to God in Christ Jesus. 12 Therefore do not let sin reign in your mortal body so that you obey its evil desires. 13 Do not offer any part of yourself to sin as an instrument of wickedness, but rather offer yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life; and offer every part of yourself to him as an instrument of righteousness. 14 For sin shall no longer be your master, because you are not under the law, but under grace.

One of my favorite things to get to be a part of is someones baptism. It’s one of the greatest pleasures of my life! God takes someone dying to themself and gives them new life. Peter says it’s the point where God forgives someone their sin and gives them the gift of the Holy Spirit. Baptism is literally the point where water, for you and me, ends with us giving up the fight. It is “no more fight”…

STUDY:

-Paul's argument is that baptism was the union of our own death with Christ - it is where we are crucified

-Vs 6 - "done away with" could also be "rendered powerless"

-It's an important question to ask yourself where you have become a slave to something other than Christ. What does it look like to die to sin and have sin in your body be rendered powerless

-sin lives in your body - it can very much be from a thought patter or a muscle memory you have. Most people try to fight those inclinations without changing the root - dying to the bodily control of that habit or desire.

-vs 10 - the death he died he died to sin - Paul's whole argument is that we have been united and brought into the death of Christ through baptism. Jesus' death was to sin - it was once for all - it's WHY we all need to be united to His death - it's how we die to sin - we become participants in the cross with Christ. Because His death was my death. So, how do we live? The same way He lived. the life he lives, He lives to God.

-vs 11-14 then become the masthead of the Christian life - of entering into the kingdom through Jesus.

-it's about...

-counting yourself dead to sin - but alive to God in Christ Jesus

-not letting sin reign in your body - by becoming aware of the evil desires you have

-stop offering your body as an instrument of wickedness, instead offer yourself to God

-offer every part of yourself to Him as instrument of righteousness

-Sin is no longer your master because you are under grace, not the law...

-there needs to be some discussion of spiritual formation - helping people to realize that there can be a change in your spiritual state that does not affect your body - the habits you've cultivated to survive in a fallen world. All of your struggle in the Christian life will come from leaving this muscle memory untouched. You grew up in a world where you had to learn to fight and struggle for yourself, in a world that was inexorably tied to self-preservation and self-orientation.

-you have now entered into a world where you must trust God to have your well being as His primary concern and your primary concern becomes His will in the world.. (think of Deut 8:3 - He humbled you by letting you go hungry. Then he provided you with mana to eat so that you might learn that man does not live on bread alone but by every word that comes from the mouth of God.)

-Baptizo - baptize, dip in or under water; immerse.

-Baptism - is it because of the drowning that it symbolizes Death?

-About Judaism & baptism (Mikvah) (https://www.chabad.org/theJewishWoman/article_cdo/aid/1541/jewish/The-Mikvah.htm)

The Midrash relates that after being banished from Eden, Adam sat in a river that flowed from the garden. This was an integral part of his teshuvah (repentance) process, of his attempt at return to his original perfection.
Before the revelation at Sinai, all Jews were commanded to immerse themselves in preparation for coming face to face with G‑d.
In the desert, the famed “well of Miriam” served as a mikvah. And Aaron and his sons’ induction into the priesthood was marked by immersion in the mikvah.
In Temple times, the priests as well as each Jew who wished entry into the House of G‑d had first to immerse in a mikvah.
On Yom Kippur, the holiest of all days, the High Priest was allowed entrance into the Holy of Holies, the innermost chamber of the Temple, into which no other mortal could enter. This was the zenith of a day that involved an ascending order of services, each of which was preceded by immersion in the mikvah.
The primary uses of mikvah today are delineated in Jewish law and date back to the dawn of Jewish history. They cover many elements of Jewish life. Mikvah is an integral part of conversion to Judaism. It is used, though less widely known, for the immersion of new pots, dishes and utensils before they are utilized by a Jew. The mikvah concept is also the focal point of the taharah, the purification rite of a Jew before the person is laid to rest and the soul ascends on high. The manual pouring of water in a highly specific manner over the entire body of the deceased serves this purpose.
Mikvah is also used by men on various occasions; with the exception of conversion, they are all customary. The most widely practiced are immersion by a groom on his wedding day and by every man before Yom Kippur. Many Chassidic men use the mikvah before each Shabbat and holiday, some even making use of mikvah each day before morning prayer (in cities with large populations of observant Jews, special mikvahs for men facilitate these customs). But the most important and general usage of mikvah is for purification by the menstruant woman.
For the menstruant woman, immersion in a mikvah is part of a larger framework best known as Taharat Hamishpachah (Family Purity). As with every area of Jewish practice, Family Purity involves a set of detailed laws; namely, the “when” “what” and “how” of observance.
Men or women in Temple times, who were precluded from services because of ritual defilement, could, after immersion, alight the Temple Mount, enter the House of G‑d and involve themselves in sacrificial offerings and the like. The case of the convert is most dramatic. The individual who descends into the mikvah as a gentile emerges from beneath its waters as a Jew.

-The Jewish people prescribe that a Mikvah must be from living water - water that is of natural origin. Interesting to think that Jesus IS the living water - he offers it and says it will come out of you... Living water comes from God - He is the origin of living water itself. So, for Jesus to say living water will come out of you, He is saying that He is the origin of living water

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Today we look at an old story of arrogance and pride. Our hope is that we will all be challenged by the end, to refocus our hearts on God, and what he's doing as we investigate living differently. GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Years ago, shortly after I had come to Christ I was riding in the car with my pastor and mentor Dan Mitchell. I had gone all-in on Jesus. We had been in the car for quite a while when Dan broke the silence and said, “Kent, do you know what humility is?” I was honest with him and said, “no” to which he replied, “well, you don’t have any…”

Ha, man, sometimes you need a truth-teller in your life - someone who is not afraid to tell you how it is.

That conversation literally changed the entire course of my life.

Today, because I had no humility, I want to look at

A story of what happens when a lack of humility is out of control.

We are jumping into ancient history…

Story of Israel…

Centuries before Jesus would come on the scene - the Israelites had originally gone to Egypt during a famine for help. They eventually became disdained by the Egyptians and put into slavery for 430 years - 430 years they’ve been crying out for God’s rescue. When along comes a man named Moses - his first 40 years he is the adopted son of the Pharaoh’s daughter. He kills a man who is mistreating a Jewish man and he is exiled into the desert for 40 more years. When God calls him. Moses goes back to Egypt as a well-seasoned older man. When he gets there he goes before Pharaoh and tells him what God tells him to say

“Let my people go”

ILLUSTRATION:

Have you ever known someone whose power of their position went to their head? This is Pharaoh.

This guy has only known power and control - his word is final…

… and finally, there is a competing word to his…

God has spoken and said “Let my people go"

There is something really interesting in this whole exchange that goes on for chapters in the book of Exodus…

God will send plagues upon the Egyptians

for a while, the scripture tells us that Pharaoh hardened his heart against God, but eventually it changes and starts to say, “God hardened his heart.

Look at this list…

God sends 10 plagues against Pharaoh…

Blood: Pharaoh’s heart “became hard” (7:22)
Frogs: Pharaoh “hardened his own heart” (8:15)
Gnats: Pharaoh’s heart “was hard” (8:19)
Flies: “Pharaoh hardened his own heart” (8:32)
Livestock die: Pharaoh’s heart “was hard” (9:7)
Boils: “The Lord hardened Pharaoh’s heart” (9:12)
Hail: Pharaoh “hardened his own heart” (9:34)
Locusts: God announces that he has “hardened Pharaoh’s heart” (10:1,10:20)
Darkness: God “hardened Pharaoh’s heart” (10:27)
Death of the firstborn: God “hardened Pharaoh’s heart” (11:10)

Ten times God has sent plagues and instead of humbling himself - Pharaoh doubles down…

ILLUSTRATION:

When I was young, I was a terrible poker player because I believed I was better than I was. If I was down - I ALWAYS believed I could pull out, so I would always double down and put more money on the table, even behind a terrible hand…

Pharaoh’s hand is being shown to be nothing in the presence of God almighty, and still, He holds out…

Until the death of the firstborn.

On that night, the firstborn of Egypt all die - there’s weeping and wailing. The Israelites are passed over as God’s angel of death sees the blood over their doorposts. The Egyptians send them out into the desert, even giving them stuff - they need them gone - this has been too much…

The Israelites go out in the desert and God intentionally leads them around in a way that makes them look like they don’t know what they are doing. He says 3 times in Exodus 14 that he is going to harden Pharaoh's heart so that he might get glory in Egypt…

The scene is incredible…

And this is where the water fight will take place. God will destroy the pride of Egypt in one fell swoop…

Picture it, it’s night. The people are terrified, Moses tells them to be still, the Lord will fight for them and God says, “get a move one.” he puts a cloud between Israel and Egypt. It’s darkness on one side and light on the other. The air begins to be heavy as the barometric pressure goes out of whack. The wind starts to blow, intense wind, loud wind. Waters part as Moses holds his stick over the water. He calls for the people to move… They start walking through the sand of the sea.

Exodus 14:23-25

23 The Egyptians pursued them, and all Pharaoh’s horses and chariots and horsemen followed them into the sea. 24 During the last watch of the night the Lord looked down from the pillar of fire and cloud at the Egyptian army and threw it into confusion. 25 He jammed[b] the wheels of their chariots so that they had difficulty driving. And the Egyptians said, “Let’s get away from the Israelites! The Lord is fighting for them against Egypt.”

God will tell Moses to put down his hands and the water will crush Egypt.

In one fell swoop, God sets free the Israelites from slavery and completely humbles the nation that had held them captive

All, using their own pride and arrogance against them…

I am reminded of a passage

James 4:6

6 But he gives us more grace. That is why Scripture says:

“God opposes the proud but shows favor to the humble.”[c]

God opposes the proud, but shows favor to the humble…

The biblical idea of pride is a self-sufficiency that is devoid of need and acknowledgment of God.

Pharaoh was the epitome of this kind of pride - he felt as though he could stand against God almighty…

So, can I ask you a question?

Do you know what humility is? Are you a person who walks in full submission to God almighty, or do you tend to go your own way and fight against Him?

I know - most of us “believe” in God

but do you NEED God?

Do you live in a way that says every single thing I have is His and because of Him?

or do you live believing you are the master of your own destiny?

It’s interesting to me that Moses, who had given up on ever being someone of influence became the one who echoed the words of God and brought about complete rescue while the one who thought he was a God, was brought to his own untimely end…

CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:

The other day I was walking through the hallways of the church praying and to be honest, worrying. Sometimes the burden of a church can be overwhelming. I was praying to God and asking Him to move and as I was praying that, God overwhelmed me with the thought that all these things that seem SO big to me are nothing to him, literally a blip on his radar. He was the God who in a night turned slaves into free people. In a moment he wiped the arrogance and pride of the Pharaoh off the face of the earth. He, that God that existed then. The God who existed when all of history was void of sound and form. That God is the God who walks with me in that hallway and sits with you in that chair.

See, you and I are not exempt from that kind of pride and arrogance that the pharaoh exhibited - most of us are just not in a position where we could execute our full will and desires with no consequence to us - but it hides inside.

Be assured of this - either we humble ourselves or God may just humble you…

Humility doesn’t come because you “want to be humble” humility is a result of changing your focus.

My life is about fulfilling His purpose, not mine…

Jesus said it this way…

Seek first the Kingdom of God and all these things will be added to you

The God who parted the seas is the God who is knocking on your heart, waiting for you and me to put down our arrogance and pride - he’s waiting to bring His favor…

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Today Rich Reel is going to share with us a lesson from the book of Mark about a father desperate to find help for his son. GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .

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Today, Pastor David is going to teach us how to Persevere in Faith by keeping our eyes on Jesus. GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .)

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I hate being out of control, my natural tendency is to try and get control back. Today's message we are going to look at ways we all try and get control back spiritually and the way faith offers a better path forward. GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .

OPENING ILLUSTRATION: I HATE being out of control-Riding on the back of a motorcycle with another guy- I do NOT want to be hugging another man for my life-Getting in a plane with a “Hobby” pilot - I prefer to die on the ground from normal things like a heart attack - not from smashing into it at 100 mph -Mowing my side yard on a 30-degree angle, back wheels kicking out, me sitting all sideways trying not to die! I HATE being out of control We’ve all felt this, right -The company you work for got bought out and new ownership - everything’s changed, you feel like the new person, even though most tenure - out of control - Go from no kids to 3 kids in 3 years - never on time, never get your hair done, covered in puke - out of control - As you age, things that used to come to your memory easily totally escape you, names, places, faces - you’re watching control slip through your fingers We’ve all felt being out of control, and we all hate it.

What do you do when you feel out of control? SCRIPTURE: I want to take you to two scriptures this morning…Abraham is still called “Abram” at this point - He is the person that all Jewish people will point back to as their father. But at this point, He’s completely fatherless - he has followed God away from his home to a new land, but he’s worried because he hasn’t had any children yet - he’s getting old and is worried he might never have any kids… Listen

Genesis 15:1-6 After this, the word of the Lord came to Abram in a vision: “Do not be afraid, Abram. I am your shield,[a] your very great reward.[b]” 2 But Abram said, “Sovereign Lord, what can you give me since I remain childless and the one who will inherit[c] my estate is Eliezer of Damascus?” 3 And Abram said, “You have given me no children; so a servant in my household will be my heir.” 4 Then the word of the Lord came to him: “This man will not be your heir, but a son who is your own flesh and blood will be your heir.” 5 He took him outside and said, “Look up at the sky and count the stars—if indeed you can count them.” Then he said to him, “So shall your offspring[d] be.” 6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. Abram is out of control in his life - I don’t know how old he is at this point, but in the next story he’ll be 86 years old and his wife is trying to finagle getting him an offspring by forcing him to sleep with her servant-best guess he’s in his 80’s… Notice, Abram’s response to an out-of-control situation was to trust God 6 Abram believed the Lord, and he credited it to him as righteousness. Let me show you how most of us handle out-of-control situations…

Galatians 3:1-14 You foolish Galatians! Who has bewitched you? Before your very eyes Jesus Christ was clearly portrayed as crucified. 2 I would like to learn just one thing from you: Did you receive the Spirit by the works of the law, or by believing what you heard? 3 Are you so foolish? After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?[a] 4 Have you experienced[b] so much in vain—if it really was in vain? 5 So again I ask, does God give you his Spirit and work miracles among you by the works of the law, or by your believing what you heard? 6 So also Abraham “believed God, and it was credited to him as righteousness.”[c] ILLUSTRATION: Anyone who has EVER tried to teach a kid playing baseball to bat has said these words - Keep your eye on the… Ball. For whatever reason, the Galatians, Paul says, have taken their eye off the ball

“After beginning by means of the Spirit, are you now trying to finish by means of the flesh?”

Listen to what Paul says about those who abandon faith to try and control their circumstances through law - being good

7 Understand, then, that those who have faith are children of Abraham. 8 Scripture foresaw that God would justify the Gentiles by faith, and announced the gospel in advance to Abraham: “All nations will be blessed through you.”[d] 9 So those who rely on faith are blessed along with Abraham, the man of faith.10 For all who rely on the works of the law are under a curse, as it is written: “Cursed is everyone who does not continue to do everything written in the Book of the Law.”[e] 11 Clearly no one who relies on the law is justified before God, because “the righteous will live by faith.”[f] 12 The law is not based on faith; on the contrary, it says, “The person who does these things will live by them.”[g] 13 Christ redeemed us from the curse of the law by becoming a curse for us, for it is written: “Cursed is everyone who is hung on a pole.”[h] 14 He redeemed us in order that the blessing given to Abraham might come to the Gentiles through Christ Jesus, so that by faith we might receive the promise of the Spirit.

Let me see if I can synthesize what Paul is saying here...

Living by the law is trying to get to God through your own effort - no one can do it. Christ died to redeem you from the curse of effort through law. Follow in Abe’s footsteps…

Listen, it’s not that Faith is devoid of effort - it’s just a matter of what you are “efforting” towards Abraham had to still participate in Faith with what God called him to…

-He left his home country

-He had union with his wife

-He had to live every day with patience and waiting I’ve said this before, but I’m going to say it again

What most of us effort towards when we feel out of control spiritually is trying to out good or bad - obeying the law

I’ve said this before, but I’m going to say it again You can’t out good your bad What saved you, the times you’ve seen God work, have not been because you are good, but because He’s good…and you trusted Him… Can I say that again? what saved you and the times you’ve seen God work in your life have not been because of how good you were - but because He’s good and you trusted Him… So, what do you do? You “effort” towards trusting Him, not towards being good what does that look like? It looks like you intentionally choosing to live your life in a posture of expectancy ILLUSTRATION: Have you ever been in a party where someone tells a funny story and you have a story that would KILL on that topic? If you’re like me, you are like a dog on the scent of an escaped convict and you are looking for any chance to jump in and tell your story. That’s what living your life in a posture of expectancy looks like

It means looking for the moments God is going to move-I sometimes work from Starbucks on my sermons - I literally sit in there constantly praying and asking God if there is anything He wants me to say or do Expectancy believes God cares more than we do

Expectancy is looking for the “God” opportunity

Expectancy requires actively engaging Jesus in the prayer of, “what’s next Jesus? CLOSING ILLUSTRATION: The times and places I’ve seen God work the most though were when I have relinquished complete control and instead turned to an attitude of expectancy. I remember when we were expectant with our first child Peter. Our whole worlds were about to change. We would go crazy to get to see him moving around inside of the womb. We got a crib, got a room ready, we prepared for the day, dreamed about names, and a million other things, because we were expectant. What if you relinquished control today, and instead, started to turn to trust and expectancy - expect that God cares more than we do and wants to move? What would change in your life? What would happen to your anxiety level? What would happen to your fear? What would happen to your hope? Today is the day - take one of those Next Step cards and do this today, write out the things that keep you from actually trusting God or fill them out online, give them to him, drop them in the box and we will be praying for you..

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Most of us don't realize the battles that have been fought for the gospel to have made its way to us. Tune in to learn about some of the ways Paul fought for us and to be challenged about what we will give to the next generation! GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .

OPENING ILLUSTRATION: Ever had to fight the same fight twice?-Maybe you beat cancer and then had a recurrence and had to fight it again-or with your kids, you've had the same exact argument about cleaning your room a million times-Or you are for the 10th time having the same coaching conversation with your new salesman trying to get him to JUST do his job Paul gets it, Paul in the book of Galatians is fighting a fight and a battle he’s already won once… He has been describing to the Galatians who he was - the history they already knew - he had been a persecutor of Christians-He had been zealous about the faith of his fathers - the Jewish faith-and he had understood that Christianity seemed to be a perversion of it Paul’s story was amazing, he went from being the guy that dragged Christians out of their home, to being the guy who was leading people to become Christians-he had an incredible conversion story - God blinded his eyes and called him-he told him he would suffer for the call God was placing on his life Paul began preaching to non-Jewish people - the gentiles and as he did, they began to turn to Jesus in droves Paul begins to do ministry in the church at Antioch-he and Barnabas are sent out on their first missionary journey-and when they return, they find out that there have been people coming from Israel to try and tell the gentile Christians that Jesus was not enough for them This is the first time Paul has had to fight for Christians whom he has had a part in leading to know Jesus…

Acts 15:1-2 Certain people came down from Judea to Antioch and were teaching the believers: “Unless you are circumcised, according to the custom taught by Moses, you cannot be saved.” 2 This brought Paul and Barnabas into sharp dispute and debate with them. So Paul and Barnabas were appointed, along with some other believers, to go up to Jerusalem to see the apostles and elders about this question. We talked about this last week a little bit.

There were Jewish Christians coming to the non-Jewish Christians, and they were telling them, "You have to become Jewish to follow Jesus"

And that starts with circumcision… ILLUSTRATION: I’ve had some bad jobs in life - done some things I’d never want to do again… But trust me, if becoming a Christian was dependent upon you getting circumcised, I’d have my work cut out for me… Pun intended! There is a reason Paul and Barnabas get into a sharp dispute with them They are putting up unnecessary barriers to becoming a Christian Paul and Barnabas are offering a completely new way of life and these guys are wanting to drag people into a way of life that doesn’t work…

As a matter of fact, the law was set up to show you how you couldn’t make it work And so Paul, Barnabas, and Titus make their way to Jerusalem to get advice and a ruling from the leaders in Jerusalem… Listen to how Paul describes that encounter from Galatians

Galatians 2:1-2 Then after fourteen years, I went up again to Jerusalem, this time with Barnabas. I took Titus along also. 2 I went in response to a revelation and, meeting privately with those esteemed as leaders, I presented to them the gospel that I preach among the Gentiles. I wanted to be sure I was not running and had not been running my race in vain. Paul wants to make sure the race he has run is not in vain

This is not just something he’s saying - Paul had been an ardent fighter for the law of Moses and had left it behind to follow a new way of life in Jesus

He legitimately wants to know if he walked away from everything for nothing… ILLUSTRATION: Some of you get that, right? I had a friend who when she came to Christ and got baptized immediately had her husband walk out on her — he didn’t want anything to do with Christianity. She was left with 3 kids at home and did not know how she was going to support them… Some of you get what it’s like to have walked away from everything you’ve known and hope you are not running your race in vain. BRING IN FOR A LANDING: back to Jerusalem…

Acts 15:4-9 & 12 4 When they came to Jerusalem, they were welcomed by the church and the apostles and elders, to whom they reported everything God had done through them. 5 Then some of the believers who belonged to the party of the Pharisees stood up and said, “The Gentiles must be circumcised and required to keep the law of Moses.” 6 The apostles and elders met to consider this question. 7 After much discussion, Peter got up and addressed them: “Brothers, you know that some time ago God made a choice among you that the Gentiles might hear from my lips the message of the gospel and believe. 8 God, who knows the heart, showed that he accepted them by giving the Holy Spirit to them, just as he did to us. 9 He did not discriminate between us and them, for he purified their hearts by faith. 12 The whole assembly became silent as they listened to Barnabas and Paul telling about the signs and wonders God had done among the Gentiles through them. Paul argues so successfully and points to the fact that God brought the Spirit upon these people without them obeying all the law - they just needed Jesus. The apostle James will speak up and the apostles will make the judgment that Christians are not beholden to the Jewish law.

And now…Paul is fighting the exact same fight over again for the Galatian church People have come in and have deceived them with false ideas-Paul has had to step back into the ring… “So what?”

I get it, Paul fought for people's faith, but what does that matter to me… ILLUSTRATION: years ago when the movie saving Private Ryan came out, I remember sitting in the movie theater watching it. If you’ve never seen it, the first 15 minutes or so they take you to the beaches of Normandy during WWII. I remember about halfway through it realizing I was gripping the seat as hard as I possibly could. As I watched I became overwhelmed because it hit me, my grandpa and granddad both fought in that war. They had put their lives on the line to try and protect the world and provide freedom to people and they had done it when they were my age at that time… I was in college pulling pranks and staying up WAY too late, and they were putting their lives on the line for something bigger… There are times in your life when you “Grow up” right, usually, it’s not a gradual thing, it’s when you come across a realization… Can I tell you something, Paul fought for the believers of his day to know Jesus deeply. Who is going to fight for people to know Jesus in today’s world? Who is going to be the leaders who step up to make the church a beautiful place of grace for those who are looking? Who’s going to take on gathering together believers to pray for the lost? Who’s going to get so deep into God’s word that you are going to step away from your secular job to start preaching God’s word? Who’s going to be next? It strikes me that so many have gone before us and fought to get the church of Jesus where it is. What are we going to do to Advance the Kingdom for the generations that will follow us?

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There are so many messages about how to gain traction spiritually in life, how do you know what to listen to? Join us as we continue in Galatians and look at what message matters most. When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom! GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .

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Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
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OPENING: Years ago, I was getting ready to go to sleep when my phone rang - this was before “do not disturb” on phones and before “spam” alerts. So, I answered my phone. On the other end was this guy who said, “is this Pastor Kent?” I thought, “oh no, someone’s in trouble,” I said, “it is, how can I help you?” he told me his name and then immediately began to go into a tirade about how Christians are dumb for not believing in science and how he was an atheist who randomly calls Pastors to debate them and tell them how dumb they are. I had two choices at this point, hang up or engage… I of course decided to engage :) I think we talked for an hour. What I found out is this guy had grown up in a conservative Christian household and he had been confronted with a lot of other ideas when he went to school and college and eventually completely flipped on his faith and now sees it as his goal to stop pastors from filling peoples heads with nonsense… He’s not alone, right?

We live in a world that is full of competing messages about what to put your faith in.

On top of that, there are even more messages telling you what living out that faith should look like. I just spent a little time the other thinking about the different versions of spirituality you can find in our world with about a 3-second search on google or turning on the radio station… -It’s a popular thing to meditate now - I’m reading a business leadership book and one of the major points was for people to “meditate” - although he was wouldn’t to tell them what to meditate on-jump on tic tock and get advice about anything spiritual-people who only want a church that will say what they want to hear -some people think good people get into heaven, some people say no one's good enough to get into heaven-Even country music has a version of faith that has you in church on Sunday, in the bar on Friday How do you know what to believe in a world of competing messages?

We live in a world with so many messages about spirituality what do you believe? Here’s where I come back to every time, and it’s what I came back to with that science guy on the phone… The only thing that matters is what you believe about Jesus…

Because if Jesus is really real and did what He said He did, then that changes everything, if He didn’t, then you can believe whatever you want. I think so many of us aren’t settled, really settled, on Jesus, and because of that, we can quickly get sucked into other things Paul saw this with the Galatian church… Listen to what he said to them… Galatians 1:6-7 6 I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting the one who called you to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel— 7 which is really no gospel at all. Evidently some people are throwing you into confusion and are trying to pervert the gospel of Christ. Paul normally starts out his letters by saying nice things to the people he’s writing to - “I thank God every time I think of you…” Not the Galatian churches - this is the only letter he writes where he actually doesn’t say anything nice to them at the beginning… Instead, he starts with

“I am astonished” I am bamboozled at you, I have utterly no words… is the sentiment… I am flabbergasted Paul is taken aback…

ILLUSTRATION: years ago, my son had his tonsils removed… We didn’t know it, but after you get your tonsils removed, you can at times have TERRIBLE breath. Have you ever walked into a room and had a smell hit you? I mean, this thing went up into my brain and was attempting to remove my brain through my nose. It was terrible. Paul, is looking at the Galatians and what’s going on and he’s saying, “something stinks here” He is astonished…What’s he astonished about?

They have deserted the one who called them to live in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel We need to real quick stop and define our terms-you may have heard the word gospel before

Gospel simply means “Good News”bSo, these people are turning to a good news that’s different than living in the grace of Jesus

Do you know what the spirituality was they were turning to? There were people who had come into the church and said, “you can’t be a Christian without first being Jewish…” Do you know how someone becomes Jewish? You get circumcised… not just that, but that you would obey all the Jewish laws…Yup, circumcised - that’s why when Paul said in vs. 7 “[you] are turning to a different gospel—which is really no gospel at all.” All the men shook their heads “yes” [make your eyes real big] This wasn’t good news… It’s because this good news was predicated on the same thing all other religious systems are predicated upon…

“You be good, and you get in!” Every other religious system is about you being good enough - even some of the ways people have talked about Christianity - but that’s not the gospel… The good news isn’t that you can be good enough, the good news is that God was good enough to come after you! The Christ-follower doesn’t do good things because it “gets us into heaven” we do good things because we’ve already gotten in and want to bring heaven down into the hell that exists in our world! That’s why Paul says…

Galatians 1:8-9 8 But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach a gospel other than the one we preached to you, let them be under God’s curse! 9 As we have already said, so now I say again: If anybody is preaching to you a gospel other than what you accepted, let them be under God’s curse! There is only one way, one truth… Jesus is

Paul is so passionate about this, that he tells them anything else is a shot in the dark - and the person should be cursed… CLOSING ILLUSTRATION: years ago Jen and I lived in this trailer out in the country. I heard these dogs on the porch and almost opened the door to try and scare them away, but my wife was smarter than me and looked out the window to see a skunk that had trapped the dogs. I immediately went into action and grabbed our bow (no arrows of course)… In my mind, I was gonna wave it around and scare off the dog - cause of course a skunk would be afraid of me with a bow in my hand waving around like a crazy when a giant german shepherd didn’t phase it at all… I went around the house and saw just how fast a skunk was… Pepe le pew fast. I realized the tool I had wasn’t going to work. finally, I saw some lawn chairs sitting around a fire pit we had. I started lobbing lawn chairs at this skunk to get rid of it. The dogs jumped off and ran away and the skunk stayed under the house. I had just driven it deeper… Our neighbors came over, who owned the house. Barb was her name. Barb's son had a little 36 special revolver, Barb was telling him to shoot it. He shot several times and missed the skunk. Finally, this old woman, Barb, grabbed the gun out of his hand, got down on one knee, and like Annie Oakley, shot the skunk - it just fell over dead. Look, you can listen to all the different voices in this world trying to tell you how to fix yourself and what you should do better… But most of the time, you will just drive the problem deeper inside you… What you need is not to be better, you need someone who knows how to deal with the problem. There are a lot of ideas out there trying to tell you what to believe. I’m telling you, Jesus came to die for you - He took aim at sin and death and He took care of it once and for all. When are you going to make a decision to stop trying to be better, and start making a concerted effort to be His? to live squarely in the good news!

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Have you ever felt like you're locked out with God? What's that all about and how do you get past it? This week, Kent starts unpacking Galatians and helping us see there's a better path than just trying to be better. When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom! GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .

Sermon Notes Slide Key:

Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
[some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to

OPENING ILLUSTRATION: A few weeks ago our family had left to go do something and when we got back, our garage door wouldn’t go up… Now, you need to know something about my wife… You’ve heard the expression leave no rock unturned? My wife leaves no lock unturned. The moment that garage door didn’t go up, my heart sunk, because my wife locks everything. I started checking every door and window in the house and nothing was unlocked. I know what you’re thinking, “Kent, you don’t have a key?” I do have a key, but on our front door the house came with one of those hotel locks you flip the little metal loop over the knob and the door can open like 3 inches. And my wife… leaves no lock unturned! I could get the door open 3 inches. So, after exhausting every solution I could think of, I did what every sane man would do in my situation. I decided it was time for me to show the door who was boss and hopefully do the least amount of damage to my house. I stepped back from the door, put my 300lbs body into it with all my force… and… nothing… It didn’t budge… Who knew those door locks actually work… What do you do when you’re locked on the outside with no way in? I’ll tell you what we did…I started brainstorming how I could keep from having to break a window and then I remembered, I had a hack saw out in our shed. I went out back and got the hacksaw. My entire family standing around me while I cut the lock off completely… WE: We all know what it’s like to be locked out in life…We know what it’s like to feel the desperation of being locked out of a car or a house… What do you do when you feel locked out from God? Maybe you haven’t been living your life right or you used to be pretty good, but what at first was just a slow slip has just led to you feeling like there’s something missing with God What most of us do when we feel locked out from God is we try and be better.bWe think that if we can just get our lives under control that we can fix the problem…

The problem is, that’s not how it works… BIBLE STUDY: Ok, let’s get some terminology out of the way here…

That piece of you that feels locked out from God is called righteousness- doing right things But how do you know what’s “right”

The bible calls this “the law” The law says things like, “lying is bad” “don’t murder people” “don’t take advantage of poor people” “don’t call someone hot who isn’t your wife” ok, I made that last one up - but it’s true, Jesus says if you even look at a woman lustfully, in your heart you’ve already committed adultery with her - you just don’t have the guts to really go through with it - but you would if you could. So here’s the problem

Most of us think, “if I can be good” = “obey the law” Then I’ll be good with God but listen to what Paul says about this idea - he’s been talking about how God has made some promises…

Galatians 3:23-25 23 Before the coming of this faith,[a] we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith. 25 Now that this faith has come, we are no longer under a guardian. Paul says “we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. 24 So the law was our guardian until Christ came that we might be justified by faith.”

Law (being good) doesn’t bring you freedom - it actually locks you up…

But how?

Because all law does is show you that you aren’t and can’t be perfect…And because you can’t be perfect, you end up being locked up…

Paul is saying, God gave us the law as a guardian - it showed us exactly what God thought was right and wrong (good and evil) The law isn’t good or evil - it only shows you what is owed… ILLUSTRATION: You know, I have never once had a year where I haven’t owed taxes or paid in too much. I’m sure there’s some genius out there who can thread that needle perfectly and get their taxes to be a complete 0 at the end of every year. But for most of us, we almost always overpay or end up owing. That’s law… We either go too far and become legalistic or we don’t go far enough and sin. And what Paul is saying to the Galatians is that all the law does is lock you up… You can’t win! So, what do you do? What do I do if I want to get unlocked with God? Paul said something curious at the beginning of that passage I read… did you hear it?

Galatians 3:23 23 Before the coming of this faith,[a] we were held in custody under the law, locked up until the faith that was to come would be revealed. Faith is a funny word - what most of us mean when we talk about it is belief

we mean that we believe something - that we intellectually have decided something… But faith is more than belief, faith has an element of trust - faith moves into your body. ILLUSTRATION: recently, we went back to Kansas and my mother-in-law bought a little 250 Suzuki motorcycle that she wanted brought back to her farm. She asked me to drive it. The wind was blowing 55 mph and gusting even higher than that. Now listen, I believed I could ride that motorcycle back to their house, but I found out pretty quickly that I had pretty little faith when I got on it… How did I know? My body told me…See, my body knew whether I had faith - because my backside was clinched as tight as it would go for the entire time I rode home… I had “little faith” Faith is a belief and trust that moves into your body

-your body will go the way of faith… Paul is saying, the answer is not to try and be better, the answer is to try and get closer to the one who can make you better - have faith and move towards Him Listen, I know some of you are like, “Kent, that sounds like froo froo nothing, I need something to do…” The answer to unlocking a life with God is not to bust down the door but to go to the one who can cut off the locks…

So, let me give you some practical ways to live your life in faith…-what would it look like for you to start leaving an empty chair at business meetings so you could invite Jesus to fill it and leave it as a reminder to let Him speak?-what if when you are tempted to lust you started praying for the woman or man you are objectifying - or go one step further - pull your eyes back and see all the people around you your not thinking about and pray for them-what if you put $10 in your pocket every week and prayed for God to show you someone to give it to? Living in faith is learning to position yourself with God to look for what He has next? CLOSING ILLUSTRATION: Look, following Jesus isn’t hard - but it does take a fundamental shift in your thinking - to shift from you being good enough and doing everything right to you learning to live by faith…

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This week we are talking about baptism and why we need it - if you are interested in getting baptized, you can message us on Facebook or email kent@harmonychurch.cc and we will help you take that step! When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom! GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .

Sermon Notes Slide Key:

Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
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OPENING ILLUSTRATION: So, this happens pretty regularly in my house. I do something dumb, like say, embarrass my poor sweet wife because I’m trying to be funny as an extrovert - I know you’d never believe this, but I like people to like me. I do something embarrassing and she in a gentle kind way says, “Hey, when you did xy&z, I really didn’t like it, I hate being put on the spot like that…” And do you know what I want to do? That’s right, I apologize like a good husband. I tell her “What I’m hearing is that when I overstep the boundaries of what you are comfortable with in social situations it causes embarrassment and makes it feel like I don’t love you. I’m very sorry for that and I will never do it again…” Ha, I wish that’s what I say… You know what I say, I say this…… [be quiet with a stern look on face] Ugh, what’s that about… Here’s what’s crazy, I know she’s right, I knew it the minute I did it that I had valued me being funny over her feelings and yet I did it… Here’s what’s even crazier -

I know she’s right and I don’t want to admit it…

What’s that about? Why is it so hard to face our failings? WE:

Maybe you’ve seen this in yourself before-your failed promises to your kids are almost expected at this point, but you can’t bring yourself to admit that you failed them-your 3-year-old has started yelling words at cars in traffic that make you blush… You know where she heard it, but laugh it off - trying to hide your shame-you gossip about people at work constantly, but when someone calls you on the floor about it, you’re actually mad at them - you know you’re in the wrong, but to get called out like that ticks you off…

What is it about being “found out” that’s so hard for us?

I think, at least part of it, is that when we are “found out” it doesn’t match the image we hold in our minds of ourselves.

The image that we're a “good person”

Honestly, it can be devastating when you really become honest about the sin that lives in you…

TURN: I want to take you into a moment like this for this crowd that has gathered to hear the very first sermon Peter preaches ever.. Peter has been preaching to these people telling them that they saw Jesus - this is 50 days after Jesus was crucified. The rumor has been going through the town that people are seeing this Jesus whom they had killed alive again… Peter says this…

Acts 2:36 36 “Therefore let all Israel be assured of this: God has made this Jesus, whom you crucified, both Lord and Messiah.” I’ve heard preachers say, “we crucified Jesus with our sins” which is true - He died because we all have hidden and not so hidden sin that He died to redeem us from. But these people LITERALLY killed Jesus - they were there shouting “crucify” Him.

And it devastates them… Their sin is exposed - they killed God’s son. Acts 2:37 37 When the people heard this, they were cut to the heart and said to Peter and the other apostles, “Brothers, what shall we do?” What do you do when the darkness in you is exposed?

What most do, is they hide - they run…

They were brave enough to ask what to do rather than run and hide… Listen to what Peter tells them to do…

Acts 2:38-39 38 Peter replied, “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 The promise is for you and your children and for all who are far off—for all whom the Lord our God will call.” You are not alone. All of us have sinned - none of us is the “good person” we thought of ourselves as But Jesus makes a way for us to find that new life Repent - turn from your old life to embrace God’s new lifeGet baptized - for the forgiveness of sins and to receive God's Spirit The promise is yours, the promise that God wants to come and live with you! This is real folks. Look, some of you have believed in Jesus but for some reason have never taken the step of being baptized and obeying Jesus in this - He said, “go and make disciples, baptizing them in the name of the father, son, and holy spirit” Some of you got baptized as an infant, and while it was a beautiful expression of your parent's desire to raise you to know Jesus, it’s not the same as a person being cut to the heart and wanting to make a decision as an adult to follow Jesus… Some of you got baptized and didn’t really know what it meant but now you’re ready to follow Jesus… And some of you, have never taken the step to following Jesus, but you feel it today, you can feel Him calling to you… There is a way to be as good of a person as you’ve always wanted to be… And the good news is it’s not through anything you have to do, other than choosing Jesus! CLOSING ILLUSTRATION: A few years back, we were going to have a baptism service. I had preached on how God could restore you and give you new life and told folks we were going to have a few baptisms. We were singing the invitation song after the sermon and I had this guy come up to me and say, “Kent, I need to be baptized…” I turned and looked at him and I said, “we don’t have clothes for you…” He said, “let’s just do it in my church clothes…” So we got in and baptized him in his church clothes - it was the most amazing thing I’ve ever seen… Look, I don’t have clothes up here for you, but what I have I give you. You can start a new life with Jesus today. It’s time. If you are ready to give up on your sin-ridden life. If you are ready to join Jesus in pursuit of His Kingdom and life in the easy rhythms of life He offers. If you are ready for God’s spirit to come on you and give up the ghost of your old life. Today is the day, come join me in your church clothes and let's baptize you!

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It's EASTER! Today, we look at whether Jesus was just crazy or if His claims are worth taking seriously... Invite someone to watch with you! When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom! GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .

Sermon Notes Slide Key:

Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
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OPENING ILLUSTRATION:Man, one of my favorite things to do in this life is go to an escape room… I had some friends come into town a while back and we went to Countdown games. They lock you in this room with a giant concrete castle and tell you if you don’t escape in an hour you will die. I of course start immediately messing around and making jokes. That is until it starts to get serious, about 45 minutes into it I start freaking out, running around like a chicken with my head cut off because all of the sudden “it counts” TAKE THE TURNIn the past two years, we’ve all gone through a pandemicthat NO one wants to talk about anymore We have sat on the edge of WWIII watching from afar, reading news stories - seeing atrocities in real-time over Twitter-I told some friends when Russia first invaded Ukraine how weird it was to see the war through the eyes of Twitter We’ve lived through crazy price hikes, working from home, wearing masks changing jobs, moving, and a million other things It has felt like, if ever, now was the time it countsbAnd everyone I know is trying to find ways to escape - we take trips (experiences)

we put our kids in crazy amounts of sports
hours spent reading news, swiping through tender, watching TikTok
some of us have even gone to some dark places, trying to escape

The problem is the things we run to for escape are only short-term fixes. They all still leave us in a locked room. How do you find the real fix for what your soul longs for? Jesus found himself in front of a group of people who are looking for a fix - looking to escape-they are financially in a bind - just trying to make it day-to-day-they are oppressed, feel like they are constantly under someone else’s thumb-they are in need… Jesus has just done something incredible - this crowd of 5,000 men - he has miraculously provided food for them - bread and fish they see this as free Chic Filet - they follow him and ask him to give them more bread They want quick solutions but it won’t fix their souls

-giving them food is like just dumping yourself into entertainment or your phone or more stuff to do - it fulfills for a little while but leaves you empty This is where Jesus takes a weird graphic turn - listen to His response to their request for Him to give them bread - because He has said He is the bread of life He says this… John 6:53-54 53 Jesus said to them, “Very truly I tell you, unless you eat the flesh of the Son of Man and drink his blood, you have no life in you. 54 Whoever eats my flesh and drinks my blood has eternal life, and I will raise them up at the last day. ILLUSTRATION: When I was a kid, I can remember watching Dracula, I was sitting on a 1970’s couch. freaked out as Dracula was sucking people's blood. What I didn’t know was my dad was sneaking up behind me right when it was at its scariest, you’re super worried about some woman about to be taken by Dracula, my dad jumps out and is like, “Ah…” I pretty much soiled myself… Jesus turns ghoulish here - I need you to stop hearing this like someone who’s heard it before Picture a real man standing in front of you saying you have to eat my flesh and drink my blood if you want eternal life. He’s making the point that the only eternal fix for your soul is found in Him…

That’s a crazy statement…bIt’s crazy to think someone would be audacious enough to say He could fix that hole in your heart, that deep part of you that knows there has to be something more

That He has the key to escaping the human condition and giving eternal life…

Unless…He can prove it You may not know this, but Easter is specifically the day Christians celebrate not the death of Jesus, but the resurrection of Jesus… Because someone dying, even dying an unjust death is nothing special…

The reason we celebrate is Jesus made claims that He would die and then He would raise Himself from the deadbAnd He did it!

I know that sounds crazy, but did you know there is eyewitness testimony that Jesus was seen alive after His death and at the time of that testimony there were over 500 people who had seen him that you could have asked about Him? Even secular atheist scholars don’t deny this testimony - they think it’s crazy, but they believe the person thought they saw it… There are so many reasons to believe Jesus rose from the dead…

-Not to mention the fact that the eyewitnesses are all clear that women were the first ones to discover Jesus had risen from the dead (which would be unheard of)-or the fact that the men don’t believe it and look like idiots - again if you’re making up a religion, don’t paint yourself as an idiot-or that all the disciples went to their deaths believing that they saw Jesus raised from the dead and they died BECAUSE of that belief… Here’s the deal, what this means is Jesus is only crazy if He’s lying - but if He’s telling the truth - then He is the one who is our escape.

He is the one with the keys to death - that thing that holds you locked in fear Listen to what He says about himself in Rev. Revelation 1:18 I am the Living One; I was dead, and now look, I am alive for ever and ever! And I hold the keys of death and Hades. CLOSING ILLUSTRATION: I’ve never not made it out of an escape room. But I’ve also never made it out of one without asking for help. There’s always the person watching you struggle in that room and any time you want you can say, “Hey clue person, give us a clue…” Man, so many of you have been trying to find life in this world and it’s just not working out. You can’t drink enough, you can’t make enough money, no amount of success, no physical interaction. None of it satisfies. None of it has allowed you to escape - as a matter of fact, it’s left you feeling like a slave to it. Jesus offers true escape, true hope. He can forgive you of your sins and set you free TODAY! -maybe you’re not ready to take that step - I get it, I’m a critic at my core-what if you just gave church a try for the next 3 weeks? Could you try it and see what God can do with you?

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Ever had to make a difficult decision? The people of Jerusalem were faced with a decision that seemed really easy, should they release Jesus, a peaceful suffering servant, or Barabbas, a violent revolutionary. It may seem like an easy decision, but it may be a more difficult decision to make than it first seems. When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom! GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .

Sermon Notes Slide Key:

Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
[some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to

[Intro]

(FAS) - Let’s Make a Deal

We’re in our series called "The Road to Redemption" as we prepare for Easter. Last week we took a look at Jesus as he entered into Jerusalem. Today we’re looking at another story that takes place a bit after that one before Jesus went to the cross. Have you ever thought about the sheer amount of decisions you have to make every day? You have to decide when to wake up, what to wear, what to eat, to wash your hair, to wear deodorant (the answer to that is always yes, btw), and on and on and that is only the start of your day. I’m not a big fan of making decisions, which is unfortunate because my wife also doesn’t like to make decisions. Guess which one of us always chooses where we eat. I’ve found that people generally don’t like making decisions, especially when they don’t feel like they have enough information to make a good one, which is why it’s strange that one of the most popular and longest-running game shows in America is all about making decisions without knowing the outcome, Let’s Make a Deal. Instead of telling you all about it, why don’t we play Let’s Make a Deal right now!(Plays Let’s Make a Deal Game)When the choices are that obvious, it’s easy to make a good decision, right? Well, that’s not entirely the case.

(Linking Statement)

Tonight we’re going to look at a story where a crowd clearly made the wrong decision and how we can make the right one.

[Body]

(Proof 1) - The choice between imprisonment and freedom

(Explanation)

Before we jump into the story, I need to set a few things up. So at this point Jesus has been arrested by the Jewish authorities and they’ve handed him over to the Roman ruler of Jerusalem, Pilate. They asked Pilate to crucify Jesus. The problem was that Pilate didn’t think Jesus was guilty, so he didn’t want to kill him. He was kinda in a hard place. He wanted to find a way to please the Jews by declaring Jesus guilty but not punishing him, and he thought he had the perfect plan. The Jewish festival of Passover was happening in Jerusalem. During Passover, the Romans would release one prisoner who was on death row. This is where our story starts. I’m going to read it here so you can follow along on the screen behind me. Mark 15:6–15 CSBAt the festival Pilate used to release for the people a prisoner whom they requested. There was one named Barabbas, who was in prison with rebels who had committed murder during the rebellion. The crowd came up and began to ask Pilate to do for them as was his custom. Pilate answered them, “Do you want me to release the king of the Jews for you?” For he knew it was because of envy that the chief priests had handed him over. But the chief priests stirred up the crowd so that he would release Barabbas to them instead. Pilate asked them again, “Then what do you want me to do with the one you call the king of the Jews?” Again they shouted, “Crucify him!” Pilate said to them, “Why? What has he done wrong?” But they shouted all the more, “Crucify him!” Wanting to satisfy the crowd, Pilate released Barabbas to them; and after having Jesus flogged, he handed him over to be crucified. So we have these two figures in this story. There’s Jesus, who has only taught people and healed people, and you have this murderous rebel leader Barabbas. These two people and this decision is much more than it seems. During this time the Romans ruled over the Jews in Jerusalem. The Jews were really proud of their kingdom and their way of life, and the Romans were a threat to that way of life. Imagine if the Canadians took over the US and suddenly wanted to ban football and everyone has to play hockey. The Jews really hated the Romans and really wanted their freedom. This led to rebel groups popping up to attack the Romans hoping to win their freedom. In fact, many Jews when they heard about Jesus and how he was the one sent by God to save them, they thought he was going to be a warlord. He was going to be a rebel leader like Barabbas, who was going to lead a rebellion and finally overthrow the Roman empire. He was going to be the one to reinstate God’s kingdom. Unfortunately for them, Jesus did not turn out to be this person. When he arrived and told people that he was going to destroy the temple, that his kingdom was not one of this world, and that the Jews should be humble and submit to the Romans. Is this guy serious? It’s fitting that the other choice is Barabbas, a rebel leader. Exactly the sort of person they thought Jesus was going to be. Barabbas represented this old Kingdom, the old way of life, life how it was. It was a life where the Jews constantly tried and failed to follow the law. It was a kingdom where people were enslaved by sin. Jesus on the other hand was offering something better. His kingdom was a kingdom of real freedom. A kingdom ruled by grace. The problem was to have that kingdom the Jews would have to give up the current one. That’s really the choice facing the crowd that day. Do you want prison or freedom?

(Illustration)

So why would anyone choose prison over freedom? Well, there’s at least one person who did. Roy Murphy had what he would consider a normal childhood in his small rural town. His troubles started around the time he became a teenager. At around 16 years old he had committed his first burglary and at 19 he was serving his first prison sentence. He would continue for the next 14 years being in and out of prison. Like many inmates who do time and are then released, Roy had a rough time of it. He had no permanent address, which makes having a job hard, which is why so many released felons end up back in jail. Life can be tough after getting out. Fortunately for Roy, up to this point in his story, he was over a year and a half out and had no intentions of going back. Things were starting to look up for Roy. He got a job from a kind minister who also owned an inn. He was offered a position doing maintenance at the inn and even a temporary place to stay. Things were really turning around for Roy. Maybe this time he will actually stay out of prison. A few weeks after taking the job, he decided to travel a few towns over to visit his sister. That’s when a terrible ice storm hit and practically froze the area. There was no way he was going to be able to make it back to the inn for his next shift or really any of his shifts for a little while. With funds dwindling, his next full paycheck far away, and since he was going to be missing a lot of work, he figured he had also lost his job. He felt hopeless, again. That’s when he resorted to an option not many people would consider. Then next morning he grabbed his jacket, walked down to the corner gas station, and robbed them. This wasn’t like a typical robbery though. He arrived and calmly asked the lady behind the counter the empty the register. He was unarmed. He even asked the cashier if she would like him to put on the ski mask he brought. She asked him to leave and picked up her phone. He even asked her to call the police. Once she did, he walked out of the store and sat by the curb. Ten minutes later the police arrived and arrested Roy.

(Application)

Roy’s story is unfortunate but even more unfortunate is that it’s not uncommon. Many inmates who receive their freedom have a difficult time adjusting to life on the other side of the bars. Because of this, they may be freed from prison but they don’t ever really feel free. They end up committing crimes to end back up in jail because that’s where they feel most comfortable. That’s really what’s happening here between Barabbas and Jesus. Barabbas is offering a return to the way things were for the Jews, living in bondage to sin but comfortable because it’s what they know. Jesus’ choice was a life of freedom and grace, but that can be scary. It’s different and unfamiliar, so that’s why they chose Barabbas. I’ve seen the same thing happen to people. When they are offered a chance, a real freedom in Christ, they often see a world that is uncomfortable, because Jesus guarantees that following him is going to be uncomfortable. You have to live differently, love your neighbor, serve others, live selflessly, pray for those who persecute you, and those things seem so different from the way they’re living that they choose instead to reject Jesus’ freedom.

(Proof 2) - The choice between which Jesus

(Explanation)

I get it though, doing those things is hard. What if I told you that there was a way that you could still follow Jesus but not have to worry about all that loving others and serving people stuff. You could follow Jesus and live however you want. The trick is that you have to make Jesus into whom you want him to be! This is the other choice the Jews made that day when Pilate asked them whom to release. Back in those days, they did not have last names like you and I have. Instead, they would usually say something else to identify you like you’re Trent of Georgetown or you’re Stephanie of Thomas. Using your hometown or father’s name was how they identified others. See, Barabbas wasn’t really his real name. Bar was the Hebrew word for “of” and “abba” was the Hebrew word for father. This meant that he was likely some sort of rabbi or something. So his “last name” was of a father. What was his first name? Early manuscripts seem to indicate it was Jesus. That’s right, the name Jesus was actually a common name back then, like how John is common today. So here we have Jesus Bar Abba and Jesus King of the Jews. The first Jesus was a murderer and revolutionary and the second Jesus was a humble suffering servant. Does the crowd get to pick which Jesus they want to follow? Well, understanding how the Jews felt about the Romans who were oppressing them, of course, they chose the violent revolutionary! You mean this other Jesus wants me to love the Romans, to submit to them, to pray for them, and even serve them? Absolutely not! This other Jesus wants me to take up arms and kill them! That’s what I want to do so that’s the Jesus I’m going to follow.

(Illustration)

Here’s the good news for all of you. You get to make the same decision today. You can pick which Jesus you want to follow. In case all that loving your neighbor stuff is kind of a bummer, you can follow a Jesus who doesn’t care if you love your neighbor. In fact, maybe your Jesus wants you to hate your neighbor. You can make your Jesus any way you want him! It reminds me of this show that was on MTV when I was growing up. It was called “Made.” The central premise of the show was that they would take a teen who was usually not very popular or they weren’t very happy with who they were and they would make them into someone they wanted to be. For instance, they would take someone dorky and unpopular, like me, and I would say “I want to be made into an athlete!” Then the whole show would focus around the subject who wanted to be made and their experience working with professionals to help them realize their new identity. I would probably meet with some famous football players, they would try in vain to help me become a better athlete. Perhaps there would be a segment where I would be at the gym with a personal trainer and they would have me doing exercises. At the end of the show, they would have some sort of big party or something to show off the person’s progress and see if they actually made it. For me wanting to be an athlete, they would probably have some sort of football game set up where I’d get to play and you’d probably watch someone like Tyler steamroll me and put me in the hospital. That’s how my episode would end. I know this sounds like a really weird show, but it was real. In fact, they shot an episode at a high school in my hometown while I was in high school. I was at a different school, but my wife, Samantha, actually went to the same school as the person in the episode. The kid wanted to be made into a lady’s man and they planned this big dance at for the end of the show. The goal was to get this kid a date to the dance. The film crew even approached Samantha and asked her if she would go with him to this dance. She said no, she didn’t even give them permission to put her in the show, so don’t go trying to find the episode to see what Samantha looked like in High School. I know you’re all disappointed, so I have pictures right here! I’m kidding. Almost ended up on the couch for a month. The kid did not end up becoming a lady’s man, because if he did I’m sure Samantha would have ended up with him instead of me. In fact, if I remember correctly, most of the episodes failed. They couldn’t make these kids into what they couldn’t be.

(Application)

And I have some unfortunate news for all of you. You can’t make the real Jesus into something he isn’t either. Now you can take a fake Jesus, like Jesus bar abba, and he can be whatever you want. The problem with that though is that fake Jesus didn’t die for you. Sure he doesn’t care if you love your neighbors as yourself, but he also doesn’t love you either. He doesn’t care if you lie or steal, but he doesn’t actually see you in your pain. He doesn’t care if you hurt other people, but he doesn’t hear you when you cry out to him. Fake made-up Jesus doesn’t care if you never spend time with him, but he doesn’t really want to spend any time with you either. You can follow a fake Jesus, just like the Jews decided to do on that day, but that fake Jesus is literally nothing in comparison to the real Jesus.

[Outro]

(Central Theme)

Choose Jesus

(Application)

The good news though is that there is a real Jesus who did die for you on the cross. There is a real Jesus who loves you. There is a real Jesus who sees you in your pain. There is a real Jesus who hears you when you cry out to him. There’s a real Jesus who wants to spend time with you. There was a real Jesus who did all of this for you. The real irony of this story is that Jesus the son of the father got to walk free, but Jesus the son of God, who should have walked free, ended up suffering the punishment that was reserved for the other Jesus. In the same way, Jesus the son of God, the Messiah, the Christ, took the punishment reserved for all of us. That is how much he loved us all. When we should have been the ones to die, Jesus loved us enough to die for us. Through his death we now have freedom, but only if we take it. The Jews couldn’t understand that sort of freedom. They were comfortable in the broken world they lived in. They didn’t want the new beautiful world Jesus was creating and rejected him. I’ve seen that happen to people all the time when faced with the opportunity to follow Jesus. They’re comfortable in their broken world. The drugs give me happiness. The hate gives me meaning. The selfishness gives me protection. They’d have to give those things up to follow Jesus, so they don’t. They can’t understand just how good the freedom Christ can give you is. Don’t make that mistake today. If you’ve been holding off on following Jesus, let me tell you that nothing compares to the love of Christ. Absolutely nothing compares to it. Don’t put yourself back into prison because you’re afraid of what real freedom is. Choose Jesus. I know that some of you today have chosen Jesus or at least a kind of Jesus, but your Jesus isn’t the real Jesus. You’ve created a fake Jesus. A Jesus that is ok with you lying, with fighting, with your addictions, with self-harm, with selfishness. Your Jesus is of this political party or that one. He’s ok with you playing on your cell phone during service. He doesn’t care if you don’t worship because you’re afraid it’s weird. He’s ok with your mediocre faith. He’s cool with the sin in your life and he is ok with you not ever spending time with him or reading his word. The funny thing is that if you were to spend some time in scripture you might just encounter the real Jesus. The Jesus who is selfless, who loves others, who prays for his enemies, who is serious about his followers becoming more like him. Maybe the reason that you feel so empty even though you constantly show up here to church and you talk about Jesus all the time is that you have yet to have an experience with the real Jesus. The Jesus who wants you to take your relationship with him seriously. The Jesus who will help you overcome your addictions. The Jesus who wants you to be a truthful person. The Jesus who thinks your worship is beautiful. The Jesus who wants you to take your faith seriously. The Jesus who loves you. The Jesus who died for you. You have to abandon your fake Jesus and choose the real Jesus. Choose Jesus.

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"Hosanna, Hosanna" is what the people cried as Jesus made his entrance into Jerusalem. It looked like a parade, but to Jesus it was a funeral march. He knew that those same cries of "hosanna" would soon turn to "crucify him." This same pattern can even happen to us today. Do you shout "Hosanna," only to later say "crucify him," when it's convenient or is Jesus really Lord Almighty? When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom! GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .

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I grew up in a fairly contemporary and modern church. Our worship center looked a lot like this one. We had the lights like we do in here. Instead of pews, there were chairs. The worship songs we sang were similar to the ones we sing here. It was your standard modern sort of church. When I went off to college, though, I was fortunate enough to be exposed to multiple different ways of having church. There were people at my school from all different backgrounds. One of my roommates actually grew up with the total opposite church experience. He was episcopal. For those that are not familiar, the episcopal church is what we often consider “high church.” This is a church experience that is much more “classical” if that makes sense. It’s the stained glass, wooden pews, hymnals, and stuff. People might consider that “old school.” I was actually invited a few times to attend service with him and it was so wild seeing how they do church. I knew what hymns were and all that stuff, but there was an entirely other level To their services that they called “liturgy.” The liturgy was just the way that they had service. It was always the same. Every week they said the same prayers, said the same words before communion, and there was this call and response part. They would say stuff like, “May the Lord be with you,” and the people would respond, “and also with you.” There was what they called “pew aerobics” where they do things like stand, they may kneel for a part of service, and then stand again, they might sit for a while, but it was just constant movement. Now I am not going to be running off and joining an Episcopal church any time soon. It was cool but it still wasn’t my thing, but there were a few things that they did that I thought were just awesome. One of them is what they call a liturgical calendar. Their entire denomination keeps the same calendar. This means that if you were traveling away from your home church, you could stop by any episcopal church on a Sunday morning and basically have the same service you’d have at home. You’d sing the same hymns, in the same order, with the same prayers, and the sermon would even be based on the same themes and Bible verses. It was crazy to me! The liturgical calendar also has it’s very own seasons. This was the coolest part for me. My roommate would share with us what season we were in. The neat thing is that the seasons come with special emphasis so it tells you how you should prepare your hearts and minds as you live through the year with Christ. For example, near Christmas time is the season of Advent so you’d focus on the coming of Christ and prepare his way in your life. He would remind us of the season and it would help me focus on different aspects of my relationship with Jesus. It was actually really helpful for me. Even though we don’t really use it here at Harmony, I still keep one eye on the liturgical calendar so I can sort of feel how Christ moves in my life throughout the year. Right now, we’re in the season of Lent. Unlike Advent, lent is not what I would call a happy and joyous season. While Easter Sunday is always a celebration and is like a party, Jesus has to die first in order to be resurrected. That is not so fun. The entire point of lent is preparing ourselves to die with Christ on Good Friday. We focus on his death and the reason he had to die. So it’s a pretty rough season where we deny ourselves and focus on our own sinfulness and repentance. That’s what I’m hoping to do over these next two weeks. I’m wanting to help you prepare your heart for Easter but to do that we have to really get ready to die. It’s not necessarily going to be fun or joyous, that’s what Easter is for. Instead, these sermons are going to be a bit rough and convicting, but just know I’m not just trying to beat you up. God has already worked me over as I’m writing this sermon, so if you’re feeling a bit sore after this sermon, I’ve been going through the same thing all week, but it’s important because I want to fully experience what God wants me to have on Easter and to do that we have to get ready.

(Linking Statement)

So we’re going to look at a story of how an entire city prepared for Easter and how they really messed it all up to use as a warning for us to not make the same mistake.

[Body]

(Proof 1) - Do you treat him like a king?

(Explanation)

We’re going to start with a story that happened right at the end of Jesus’ life on Earth. He and his disciples were approaching the town of Jerusalem. This was the capital of the Jewish world. Instead of just strolling right on into the city he decides that he needs to really make an entrance. Jesus knows that his time on earth is running out and he wants to make an important statement about who he is. Also, he needs to still fulfill a prophesy as well. He tells the disciples to go to a village and there they will find a donkey tied up with her colt. They are to bring them back to him and if anyone asks just say, “The Lord has need of them.” They go ahead and do this and brought the donkey and the colt back to Jesus. They laid their coats over the animals and Jesus sat on them. Word had spread that Jesus was entering the town, so a large crowd had gathered to see him. They began taking off their cloaks and spreading them on the road. They were also cutting down palm branches and spreading them before Jesus on the road as well. The entire time the people celebrated the entrance of Jesus and shouted “Hosanna!” which was a cry of praise. This is actually the sort of welcome that a king would receive upon entering a town. This must have been an amazing moment for the disciples. All these people are praising Jesus and treating him like the King that he is. For the disciples, it must have felt like the people finally understood. Jesus is their Lord and King! For Jesus, though, what appeared to be a parade for a king was really a funeral march. He knew what was going to happen to him. In a week’s time, he would be arrested, tried, tortured, and crucified. He would be abandoned by everyone. His own disciples will fall away from him. Even worse, these people who are shouting “Hosanna” and praising him, in just under a week would be shouting “Crucify him” instead. It can be shocking to view it in that way. These people who seem to be affirming that Jesus is their Lord and God can so quickly turn on him and call him a criminal and call for his death. It’s like getting whiplash. How do the hearts of these people change so quickly? First, you have to understand that this isn’t really anything new for Israel or for God. They have constantly struggled to recognize God as their king. That may sound weird, because of course God is our king. There is no one higher or greater than he is. It seems like a pretty simple thing to grasp, and it is, but it’s a totally different thing to say God, or by extension, Jesus, is your king and to treat him as such. That was Israel’s problem. They did a great job at declaring God as their king with their mouths but they failed to do so with their hearts and actions. When you read the Old Testament, you can very clearly see this sort of pattern emerge among God’s people. They praise God and keep his word, but then something draws them away from God. They live apart from God and dishonor him. God sends the Israelites into exile under another country. They cry out to God and turn back to him. God saves them from exile. Then the cycle repeats over and over again. Eventually, God has enough. In Malachi, the very last book of the OT before Matthew, God addresses his priests about this. Look at Malachi 1:6 Malachi 1:6“A son honors his father, and a servant his master. But if I am a father, where is my honor? And if I am a master, where is your fear of me? says the Lord of Armies to you priests, who despise my name.” Yet you ask, “How have we despised your name?” You all play really good lip service to me. You say I am your father and your master, and yet you don’t treat me like that? You don’t fear me or respect me. I am your Lord only in word, but not in your hearts. Jesus mirrors this same sentiment later in the gospels during his ministry. Look at Luke 6:46 Luke 6:46“Why do you call me ‘Lord, Lord,’ and don’t do the things I say? Jesus has just gotten done teaching some of his most important lessons in his ministry. He just finished this amazing sermon and begins to close it with this saying. Just like everything that Israel had done before, they listen to God’s word and hear it, but they always fail to follow it. So Jesus hits them with this. You call me Lord but you still don’t do the things I tell you.

(Illustration)

This lesson is illustrated in our own lives in no better place than with those parents out there with teenagers. You know exactly how this feels, right? I work with teenagers, I have for even longer than I worked here at Harmony, so I know the frustration that Jesus is feeling here just like you do. I’m sure you’ve caught yourself saying something like, “I am your father, and you will listen to me! As long as you live under my roof… It’s my house and my rules… I pay the cell phone bill so I can...” all these things follow the same thought. I am the one who has authority over you! You have to listen to me. Well, if you’ve been there, then you know that your kids actually do not have to listen to you. They constantly push boundaries, disobey you, and disrespect you. I remember the summer after I just graduated High School. I always volunteered at this Summer camp that was put on by the denomination that I grew up in. It was a great week-long summer camp and I usually served in the tech booth. I shot and edited videos and did some other production work for the camp. It was great and I always had an awesome time doing it. Well, this year it turns out that they did not necessarily need me in the video booth. Instead, they needed camp counselors. These are the people who lead the groups of campers and are responsible for them. I had just turned 18 and since I was finally a fully functional adult, that’s not even remotely true, I was not deemed responsible enough by the camp’s insurance to care for a group of ten middle schoolers. I remember having a pretty positive outlook going into the camp that morning. I was like, “Yeah, I’m gonna be their friend and we’re going to have an amazing camp and they’re going to have a life-changing experience.” I’m going to be in their testimony one day. They’ll be like all weepy and stuff talking about how I was so lost without Jesus and then my camp counselor, Mr. Robby, showed me who Jesus was and prayed with me and I have him to thank for being where I am today.” How naïve I was. I got there that morning before the campers and went by the front office to grab my roster for my cabin. I took a look at the names and started trying to memorize them. Then the camp nurse gave me another sheet. “Uh, what’s this,” “That’s the sheet that shows all the medications that the kids need to take.” I’m pretty sure just about every kid I had except a few needed some form of Ritalin or another ADHD medicine. That should have been my first warning. I waited in the cabin and talked to the parents and campers as they were dropped off. Everything was going just great until the last parent left. The chaos began almost immediately. They saw my young beardless face and the glimmer of hope in my eyes and starting at that moment they did everything they could to try and crush my spirit. I constantly fought with them all week over taking showers, making their beds, behaving during service, and on and on. I had one kid who literally would just sneak off after breakfast and do just whatever he wanted all day and show back up for dinner. They didn’t listen to a word I said all week. It was a horrible experience for me and what it really showed was that they didn’t respect me at all. I kept saying that “I am your counselor. You have to listen to me.” But I might as well have been just another kid like them. I never volunteered as a camp counselor again.

(Application)

But that should give us some idea as to how Jesus must have felt in that moment. He knew that all those people cheering for him would simply turn on him. It’s because it’s simply what we do as humans. Our rebel hearts can’t help but tear God down off his throne. How many Christians attend church on Sunday morning and sing songs about how God is so great and awesome and then not even the next day but that evening, they’re caught up looking at porn on their cell phones. How many people who claim that Jesus is their Lord turn around that Monday at work and gossip about others. They nod along and shout “amen” during the sermon but they go off and continue their affair that week. How many of those who glorify God turn around and say things that tear down the very people that bear God’s image, even posting it publicly on Facebook? How many claims God is holy and righteous, but that very week they get around their friends and the things they say would make a sailor blush? You’re really doing exactly what Jesus is saying. Why would you call me Lord but not do anything I say? Clearly, I am not your Lord, at least not in your heart. If I was you would respect me as such, you’d honor me with your actions, you’d do as I say.

(Proof 2) - Is it all Jesus’?

(Explanation)

Hopefully, your desire is that Jesus be your Lord, but how do we do that? How can we avoid what the crowd that day did and turn on Jesus ourselves? How can we keep him as our Lord? The crowd didn’t just change their mind overnight. They started out really excited for Jesus to be in Jerusalem. Maybe he’ll heal people or perform some other crazy miracles like he’s known for. Perhaps he’ll give us a teaching about the Kingdom of Heaven or he may even bless us! Unfortunately, that’s not what happens. It starts with Jesus entering the temple. He sees all these people selling things in the temple, a place that’s supposed to be holy, so he throws them all out. Some of the people go, “Hey, I make my money by selling stuff in the temple. Who does this Jesus guy think he is?” Then he challenges the Pharisees and the other religious elite. This ruffles more feathers, “Wait a minute, I like how they teach. He messing with my traditions!” He even predicts that the temple is going to be destroyed, “What! The temple is a sacred place. What authority is he doing all this on?” Jesus continues all of this and calls religious hypocrites out on their hypocrisy, he fails to denounce the Romans who are occupying and oppressing the Israelites and teaches all these things that threaten to upend the social order of the time. This Jesus guy has gone too far. If only he just stayed in his lane then he’d been ok, but he’s going too far. Now we have to crucify him. Turns out that Jesus can be Lord, just not Lord of everything!

(Illustration)

One of my favorite things about being a pastor is performing weddings. I love weddings. There’s a big party, lots of dancing, good food, and of course there’s the happy couple. Everything is great. Before the big party at the reception, though, you actually have to do the business of actually marrying the couple. There’s the ceremony where the officiant brings the two people and joins them together as one. Now as far as the government is concerned, that happens when the couple files all the paperwork and stuff. At that point the state considers them married. For them to be married before God, they have to make a covenant. That’s why a significant portion of a wedding ceremony is the exchanging of vows. Normally, you can use the vows supplied by the officiant. These are the good ol’ “to have and to hold, forsaking all others, richer and poorer, in sickness and health, till death do us part,” or if you’re like me and Samantha, you can write your own vows. Either way, the point of the vows is that you are giving everything you are to be joining to your spouse. Oddly enough, wedding vows don’t usually include words like ”but, except, unless,” because that would defeat the purpose. Imagine, I take you to be my wife, forsaking all others unless something better comes along, giving all I am to honor you except my words because I may still talk bad about you to my friends, to spend the rest of my days with you, except on Saturdays because Saturdays are for the boys, until death do us part, unless I get kinda tired of this whole thing before then. Those are totally inappropriate vows for a couple to have on their wedding day. That’s not what a marriage is supposed to be like.

(Application)

When two people get married, they’re supposed to give everything of themselves over to the other. There’s a reason why Jesus talks about the church as his bride. We’re supposed to give everything over to him, holding nothing back because he gave everything for us. How could we justify holding anything back, and yet, that is the attitude that led the people of Jerusalem to go from Hosannah to Crucify him. They were so excited for Jesus to come to their town. But then he starts kicking money lenders out of the temple, he battles with the religious elite, says he’s not here to remove the Romans, changing all our traditions, and he’s causing all these problems. When I said you were Lord, but I didn’t mean you were Lord over everything! Jesus says I’m either Lord of all or not at all Lord.

Give it all to Jesus

(Application)

Jesus says the same thing to us today and we have the same response. We decide to follow Jesus, but we try to do it on our own terms. We say, Jesus, you’re Lord. So Jesus says, “I want your time,” and we say, “Yes, Jesus. You are my Lord, I’ll give you my time. I’ll pray and study the Bible and go to church on Sunday mornings.” “I want you to work for me.” “Ok, Jesus. I’ll serve at my church and I’ll even go on a missions trip if that’s what you want.” “I want your family.” “Yes, Jesus, I’ll raise my kids how you say and I’ll treat my spouse how you say I should.” “I want your relationships.” “Ok, Jesus, I’ll try to love my enemies and show my friends who you are.” “I want your money.” “Crucify him!” We all have a limit. We all struggle with giving everything over to Jesus. For you it may not be money, maybe you have no problem giving and being generous, but you have a real hard time behaving like a follower of Christ when you’re around your friends at work. You struggle to trust God with your future and constantly worry about tomorrow. You know Jesus is calling you to go to the next step and serve in the church somewhere, but you've been resisting because that means you’ll have to show up earlier or stay later on Sunday. Maybe for you, it’s simply responding to Jesus’ call at all. You’ve been checking out this whole Christianity thing and you’re not sure. Now’s the time to respond to Jesus’ call. The question he asks all of us today is “am I your Lord?” Is Jesus really your Lord, or are you just saying that? Have you given everything to him or are you still trying to hold back? See, Jesus gave everything he had to us when he died on the cross for us, so He demands that we give everything we are to him in return. He won‘t play second to anything else. He won’t settle for anything less than 100%. Either we fall down at his feet and declare, “You are Lord,” and give him everything we have, or we hold back and shout, ”crucify him.” He’s either Lord of all or not at all Lord, there is no middle ground. Today is the day to give it all to him. In a few moments, you’ll have an opportunity to remember how Jesus gave everything for us when we take communion. You can go to those tables and as you take communion remember how he gave it all for us and think about if there’s anything you still haven’t given to him. If you need help or want to pray with someone, we’ll have some people up here you can pray with. How’s the time to either declare that Jesus is Lord or Crucify him.

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Does it matter what we put into our minds and hearts? How do you determine if what you're listening to is worth listening to? Tune in to get some insight and be challenged. When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom! GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .

Joshua 3:12-1712 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground. Your greatest barrier may be God’s greatest opportunity The Israelites knew they had to get to the other side. they knew that their destiny was over thereBut the Jordan was in their way… What they didn’t know is that God had a way… It wasn’t till their faith made its way into their feet that they found the miracle What is it that’s in your way?What’s the obstacle keeping you from the blessing? Did you see verses 15 & 16?15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away The Jordan river can get a mile wide in some places when it floods… What should have swept them away became the story they toldBBut it took them stepping…BWhat’s keeping you from stepping? What’s keeping you from taking that job, from moving on from that broken relationship, from starting that company, What’s keeping you from finding your blessing in your barrier? [Pause sermon…]Alright, Let’s stop the sermon right there and push pause on it…That’s version one of this sermon, now let me preach it a different way… Joshua 3:12-1712 Now then, choose twelve men from the tribes of Israel, one from each tribe. 13 And as soon as the priests who carry the ark of the Lord—the Lord of all the earth—set foot in the Jordan, its waters flowing downstream will be cut off and stand up in a heap.”14 So when the people broke camp to cross the Jordan, the priests carrying the ark of the covenant went ahead of them. 15 Now the Jordan is at flood stage all during harvest. Yet as soon as the priests who carried the ark reached the Jordan and their feet touched the water’s edge, 16 the water from upstream stopped flowing. It piled up in a heap a great distance away, at a town called Adam in the vicinity of Zarethan, while the water flowing down to the Sea of the Arabah (that is, the Dead Sea) was completely cut off. So the people crossed over opposite Jericho. 17 The priests who carried the ark of the covenant of the Lord stopped in the middle of the Jordan and stood on dry ground, while all Israel passed by until the whole nation had completed the crossing on dry ground. God will carry you through what He has called you to… Listen, the Israelites are not standing on these shores by accident, this is 40 years of God bringing to fruition promises He had made to them And now that they are here, at the crossing, they have to make a decision to step or to stay.bThe water didn’t part because of their bravery, the water parted because God had called them.bGod is always faithful where He calls. The problem for most of us is we are stepping in places God has never called us to step. Our real goal should be to step with God - to follow His lead. Jesus has already told us things that God cares about - places we know we can step and God is already there-caring for the poor-loving our neighbor and enemies-caring for orphans and widows You can step and know God’s got you. [Pause] Did you notice any differences in those two sermons? The first sermon laid the biblical story over your life and said“Your life IS this story”-your barriers are the river, you are the priests who need to step, and if you do that, God will part the waters for you. The second sermon laid out the story of God and said, “there’s something that’s true for all time here…” - put it in your life One of the most interesting things about Christians today is that we all have access to listening to anyone we want at any moment to put God’s word in our heart… That first sermon probably even pumped you up! You were probably looking at your life and thinking, “yes, the barriers in my life are just ready for me to step into” The problem is, that’s not why that story was recorded…The problem is, if you had listened to me on that, you might make a really poor decision… But guess what… That kind of sermon feels good when you’re listening to it. Because it speaks to a deep part of us that says “you’re important and you can do it” It reminds me of something Paul said to Timothy warning him of days ahead…2 Timothy 4:33 For the time will come when people will not put up with sound doctrine. Instead, to suit their own desires, they will gather around them a great number of teachers to say what their itching ears want to hear. So, how do you know if what you are listening to is something worth digesting or not? You need to come to the table thinking critically about the voices you’re letting influence your faith. Even me, you need to check me against the scripture Ask good questions [each of these come up one at a time on the slide]-Is what this person is saying faithful to what the word of God says?-Is what this person is saying the point of the story - the author's intended meaning-Is what this person is saying ignoring other truths in order to make their point? ILLUSTRATION:Do you know how they train people to identify counterfeits? They don’t train them to know what every counterfeit looks like, they train them to know what the actual bill looks like so they can spot a fake. One of the reasons so many of us fall for fakes is because we don’t know the real McCoy… Listen to what the author of Hebrews says:Hebrews 5:12-1312 In fact, though by this time you ought to be teachers, you need someone to teach you the elementary truths of God’s word all over again. You need milk, not solid food! 13 Anyone who lives on milk, being still an infant, is not acquainted with the teaching about righteousness. What if you decided that you’d stop drinking just milk and got into solid food? What if you moved beyond reading devotionals and letting them tell you what to think about God and started inviting God to tell you what He thinks?What if you moved beyond my sermon being the primary way you hear God’s word and you started getting into His word for yourself? When you sit down with Jesus and the word of God and start to invite Him into the conversation - listen, the word apart from the writer of the word will be meaningless. But when you sit down with the author of it. He points stuff out, He walks you into things you’ve never seen before. CLOSING:I’m not the guy who wants to try and tell you there are big bad wolves out there that you need to close ranks and guard yourselves - that’s not really the point of this sermon. But, I need you to know, I used to preach this way. I have manipulated churches into doing things they should have done saying to them things like, “God’s just calling us to walk through the sea, all we have to do is step…” But guess what… God wasn’t calling us, it was Kent trying to fill his ego. It was Kent trying to build a big impressive church. I’m not asking you to judge a preacher's motive, what I’m asking you to judge is the message. I’m asking you to grow up in your faith. Get serious about this, because lives hang in the balance. The world needs to know Jesus and if your faith gets shipwrecked because of some fool like me and you don’t take the message to the next person, we’ve lost it…

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Will God really never give you more than you can handle? Are there problems with this idea? Today, Kent unpacks what the scripture says in a way that you can apply into your own life, right where you are! When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom! GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .

Sermon Notes Slide Key:

Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
[some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to

OPENING ILLUSTRATION: She lost her husband last year, she’s heartbroken, nothing seems right anymore, she tries to find joy, but can the grief is always right there at the door. She’s working two jobs, trying to care for her high school boys the best she can, she’s worn out and feels at the end of her rope… He lost his job due to supply chain issues and was told that for now at least, his position was no longer needed. Pressure at home has left his relationship with his wife in shambles - they are sleeping in different rooms at this point and he’s pretty sure she will ask him to leave any day now. His kids aren’t talking to him because for years he put everything else above them. He’s tired of it all and can’t see any way out. They have experienced more loss in the last year than anyone you’ve ever known. They lost a child, his mother, and her father. Then when it seemed like there couldn’t be any more, their brother and sister-in-law were in a tragic accident, and the whole family was lost. How could life be this unfair? What do you say? That’s the question, right? What do you say? Maybe you’ve heard someone say this one to you when you are in the middle of these kinds of moments… You walk up to the widow, to the jobless guy, to the grief-stricken family and you say this…

“It’s gonna be ok, because… God will never give you more than you can handle" Let’s all take a moment real quick, do me a favor… Can I tell you something… The bible DOESN’T say God will never give you more than you can handle. [mind blown symbol]Actually, I would say this is one of those things that really good Christians - followers of Jesus believe that’s bad… First, let’s talk about where the confusion comes from… What the scripture ACTUALLY says is this…

1 Corinthians 10:12-13 12 So, if you think you are standing firm, be careful that you don’t fall! 13 No temptation has overtaken you except what is common to mankind. And God is faithful; he will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear. But when you are tempted, he will also provide a way out so that you can endure it. What the scripture actually says is that when you are tempted, God is faithful and will provide a way out. Paul’s point is that God is faithful.BOk, Kent, I get it, but

Why is, “God will never give you more than you can handle,” a problem?

ILLUSTRATION: I have to admit something to you, when I was growing up, I watched the movie Jaws and it ruined beaches for me. When I’m out in the ocean with my kids, I’m constantly just watching the waves looking for a giant great white shark shadow to cross through… I was starting to get over it and then we went shark fishing - they only went like 100 feet out past how far out we had been swimming and we were catching TONS of sharks… Under the surface is where the danger lies. God will never give you more than you can handle is kind of like God will not let you be tempted beyond what you can bear - but what’s under the surface is deadly… BENEATH THE SURFACE: When we say, “God will never give you more than you can handle” we are implying that God is the one causing the terrible things in people's lives.

-You are telling the widow that God killed her husband and created this circumstance she now lives in- that the man who has lost his job and is losing his family has God to thank for that circumstance-that the family whose life has been broken by loss is really just cursed by God How many people hate God because they have the idea that God is causing them pain and difficulty in their life? Listen to how Jesus described the Father:

Matthew 7:9-12 9 “Which of you, if your son asks for bread, will give him a stone? 10 Or if he asks for a fish, will give him a snake? 11 If you, then, though you are evil, know how to give good gifts to your children, how much more will your Father in heaven give good gifts to those who ask him! 12 So in everything, do to others what you would have them do to you, for this sums up the Law and the Prophets. What the scripture says about the pain in our life is so much more nuanced - it can’t fit on a bumper sticker… The consequences of sin The choices you make

The choices others make

The fact that there is a spiritual enemy All these play a role in the events of our lives. Actually, if you want to get technical

Jesus’ promise to us was not that he wouldn’t give us more than we can handle, but that more than we could handle was heading straight for us - and that’s why He was giving us Himself. John 16:33bIn this world you will have trouble. But take heart! I have overcome the world.” Jesus looked out through the ages and He saw, His disciples would face trouble…-We’d face loss-We’d face unemployment-we’d face persecution for our faith-we’d face all kinds of trials and temptations And His promise is that you can take heart because He has overcome the world! This is a promise that is fully seated in your relationship with Him CLOSINGILLUSTRATION: When my kids were young I was always trying to get them to do dangerous things :). Because they had this innate fear built into them. So, I was always trying to get them to jump off of things and climb up stuff :) I know, I’m a weirdo. When I was trying to get them to jump off of something into my arms, I would say… “Jump, I’ve got you!” It was my affirmation to them that no matter what happened, my love for them and my resolve to see them through was rock solid. Listen. I know that for some of you it’s disconcerting for me to undo this idea that God will never give you more than you can handle. But it’s such a weak promise anyway because it’s based on you being able to handle things. Jesus knew you and I would go through hard times, and He knew the Father deeply and how Good the Father is and His promise was that we could take heart because Jesus had overcome the world. Why can we take heart? Because His love and resolve to us through is rock solid. So, what can you say when you are in the middle of the storm or after all the damage can be surveyed that is more faithful to who God is that displays trust, but doesn’t damage the image of God, you can stand on this and start saying this. "God is faithful, even in this..."

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Does God cause everything to happen for a reason? This idea has caused a lot of heartache for a lot of people, what if it's not completely the truth? Tune in today to challenge this idea and get a clearer idea of how God's plan works in our lives. When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom! GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .

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OPENING: I was sitting there preparing to work on this sermon and trying to think of all the times I’ve heard someone say this next thing that is a bad thing good Christians believe. I’m pretty sure I’ve heard it thousands of times. And it’s the kind of thing that every time I hear it, I want to stop the person and have a theological conversation, but it’s always in a moment where you can’t really do that. Here’s where it happens… You are in a car wreck and your only car is totaled, you only have liability insurance and you are talking to your friend, telling them how you don’t know what to do and they say… Well, I just have to believe, everything happens for a reason… Or maybe you find out that the company you work for is embezzling money, specifically the insurance premiums they take out of your paycheck. You are lit up about it and telling everyone in your bible study and some well-meaning person says, You know, everything happens for a reason… Now, I know some of you are sitting out there going, But Kent, Everything does happen for a reason… Right? You were taught this growing up, you’ve said it a million times

It helps you to feel better when everything seems senseless The problem with this phrase is there is an underlying message that you may have never thought of, but I guarantee, the people you are saying it to are hearing. The underlying message is that God is the cause of the pain and suffering I’m going through. ILLUSTRATION: I have known people who have adult children who hate God, can’t stand Him because they have gone through terrible horrific things, and end up blaming God for it. Why do you think they blame God? They blame God because

The message they’ve heard all their lives is that God causes terrible things to happen in our lives as part of His plan So, here’s the question does God have a specific plan for your life? And if so, is He forcing that plan onto your life. Some of you, when you heard the question does God have a specific plan for your life immediately thought of a passage out of Jeremiah: Jeremiah 29:11 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. Boom, mic drop Kent! What’s up! That passage, clearly says that God has a plan for our lives This is what we put on cards for people graduating high school, for people entering into the workforce, and people who are going through terrible times of suffering… What’s crazy to me is we never read verse 10 to see whom God is talking to… Jeremiah 29:10-11 10 This is what the Lord says: “When seventy years are completed for Babylon, I will come to you and fulfill my good promise to bring you back to this place. 11 For I know the plans I have for you,” declares the Lord, “plans to prosper you and not to harm you, plans to give you hope and a future. So, if you are a Jewish person who has been exiled into Babylon for 70 years, turns out this passage is actually for you. This passage isn’t for us as a promise, it was a promise to the Jewish people about God’s deliverance for them. But, let’s say, you decide this promise can be applied to us

I want you to notice, the promise of God’s plans in this passage is not to harm you but prosper you, to give you hope, and a future God’s plans are to work good, not evil… “Ok, so are you saying God doesn’t have any plan, that everything is just left up to some cosmic game of chance? The scripture is clear, God does have an ultimate plan

But we are not just actors on God’s stage, reciting the words and actions He’s pre-determined. Quickly, here are two reasons I don’t believe God is dictating every action in human history: 1 Sam 23:7-14 David, before he had become king was cornered in Keilah, the King at the time, Saul, had been told this is where David was and he wanted to hunt him down like a dog. David found out that Saul was after him and he asked the priest if he would ask God if he were to stay, will the people of that town hand him over or not. The priest tells David, Saul will come and the people will turn you over. So, David and his men leave. Listen to what happens:

1 Sam 23:13-14 13 So David and his men, about six hundred in number, left Keilah and kept moving from place to place. When Saul was told that David had escaped from Keilah, he did not go there. 14 David stayed in the wilderness strongholds and in the hills of the Desert of Ziph. Day after day Saul searched for him, but God did not give David into his hands. The future God predicts does not come to passWhy?Because God can see every possible outcome of every potential move we make. God is never surprised by our decisions. But He does not* dictate them.

Listen, Jesus getting close to His own death is looking over Jerusalem and He has this reminiscent tender moment thinking about the people in this community… Listen…

Luke 13:34 34 “Jerusalem, Jerusalem, you who kill the prophets and stone those sent to you, how often I have longed to gather your children together, as a hen gathers her chicks under her wings, and you were not willing. Jesus, who is God, has longed - has willed - that Jerusalem would come to Him for protection, but THEY were not willing. God was willing, but they were not. God, in His grace, allows us to exert our own will on this world. This means, sometimes, things happen, because we live in a fallen world. It means some things happen because people are evil Sometimes bad things happen because mankind has gone our own way God warned Adam and Eve that death would enter the world if they abandoned Him for their own way. CLOSING: That can sound like God is calloused and was just like, “screw you, I’m out…” But that’ not what He did. God knew this was a potential eventuality, remember, he knew that all this could happen. So, God had a plan - this is His ultimate plan. Adam and Eve turn from Him and all mankind has continued to turn from Him, I even think that us thinking God would have a specific plan for our lives reveals just how deep our self-orientation has gone. To think the whole world must revolve around us. So, God looks at this, He calls a man named Abraham because Abraham will be the ancestor to Jesus. He rescues Joseph out of a well, so he can bring Israel to Egypt to save them from Famine, He will bring Moses at 80 years old out of retirement to lead His people out of the slavery Egypt has now put them in. He will call a red-headed shepherd boy to kill a giant and become King. He will work tirelessly to weave this thread throughout all of History to bring one moment in time where a baby will breathe its first breath so that it can die on a cross so He can save us from the brokenness of our relationship with God. God will do whatever it takes to keep His ultimate plan in place - to redeem humanity and bring about the restoration of all things. He would even die for you… If anything has ever drawn you to God, THAT was Him. It’s always been Him…

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People can say pretty dumb things when someone close to you dies, this week, Kent examines one of those things and the idea behind it to help us get a clearer picture of how Christians should view death and how to help you learn to grieve.When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom! GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .

Sermon Notes Slide Key:

Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
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Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
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OPENING ILLUSTRATION: Over the past few years, we have all been dealing with grief at extraordinary rates. I don’t know very many people who have not experienced some kind of loss. I want to pre-warn you, today's sermon is about death and grief and I want to give you permission to be sad and to let yourself grieve today as I talk. We will even keep the lights low in the audience so you don’t have to let anyone see you… I was thinking about the first time I really experienced loss in a meaningful personal way. It was my Grandma Crockett. My grandad had been laying in bed next to her and realized that she was not responding right. I started rubbing her chest hard and calling out for her to wake up. She wouldn’t open her eyes but was breathing. He called the ambulance and the next thing I knew we were all in her room standing over her. She had an aneurysm in the brain - blood leaking out and causing swelling. My family didn’t quite know what to do, and since I was a pastor, I was put in a chair up near her to talk and pray with her. I’ve been in a lot of rooms when people have died, but this was the first one with someone I had loved deeply. Someone who had been in my life for as long as I’d been alive. I remember that night as I watched her take her terrible last breaths and her eyes opened looking at me feeling how wretched the whole thing was. It was the first funeral I had to play any part in as a pastor. And it was terrible… There is a period in your life - a window of sorts, where people will typically experience the grief of the loss of aging grandparents, and I was now in that window. It wouldn’t be too many years later that my Grandpa Wagner would pass away. I was a little more aware at that moment. He had been in the hospital and been dying - as nurses and doctors tell you to go tell him goodbye. And then miraculously he came back from it. Literally, within a day they didn’t know what to do and sent him home because he seemed so strong. I’ll never forget eating a sandwich with him in those days after and telling him, “Grandpa, you’ve been such a good grandpa, thank you. I love you!” Literally, a handful of days after going home and me eating that sandwich with him, he was back in the hospital and within hours slipped from this life with the terrible breathes of death. And this is where I remember people started talking… They probably did with my grandma, but not to me… But with my grandpa, people started saying things…People say dumb things all the time when people die - if you don’t know what to say by the way, just say, “I’m so sorry for your loss” But one of the most insidious things people say that betray’s a bad idea about God is: “God must have needed him more than we did” This sermon series is called,

Bad things Good Christians Believe

because there are things you can believe as a Christian that will literally shape the way you see and experience God. And if you don’t let those things conform to the reality of who God is, you will see a bad picture of God… The Problem: the problem with this idea is that “God must have needed him more than we did.” Is it betrays the same thing that the question, “why is God doing this to me?” The question assumes a God who does terrible things to those He claims to love. That’s literally what you are saying to a person…“Kent, I know you loved your grandpa a lot, but God ripped him from you because He wanted and needed him more than you did?” What? Why does God “Need” him? Why would God cause me this pain because he flippantly needed my grandpa and obviously I didn’t? Now I know, for some of you, this idea has maybe given you comfort. But I need you to see, that this idea actually paints God as a great goblin in the sky, precociously snatching people from life to death just cause He “wants to” This isn’t what the scripture actually says about God…

James 1:16-18 16 Don’t be deceived, my dear brothers and sisters. 17 Every good and perfect gift is from above, coming down from the Father of the heavenly lights, who does not change like shifting shadows. 18 He chose to give us birth through the word of truth, that we might be a kind of first fruits of all he created. God is good! God is the “good” giver… The idea that God does evil in your life does not match up with the God of the bible. Now, some of you may be saying, “Kent, have you ever read the Old Testament? God seems to always be coming against someone there” It’s true, if God has made a covenant with you and you have agreed to hold up a certain end, and you don’t keep up your end of the bargain, then God may make good on the terms of the contract. The covenant of the Old Testament was, “If you do… I will…”The covenant of the New Testament is “I did so you can…” God has taken all the risk His offer and His one commandment is literally Love So, why do good Christians say such bad things? I think most people say things like this because we think if someone’s death was not purposed then death is as terrible as it seems. Can I tell you something? Death is as terrible as it seems Stop trying to escape the pain of it.

If you have ever grieved someone and lived in this pain, you need to hear right now, that It’s ok for you to grieve the loss of a loved one. ILLUSTRATION: I remember struggling with this after my grandpa died. I knew I was supposed to say, “he’s in a better place now”, but it’s not how I felt. I felt like I wanted him here now. God didn’t need him…

I remember thinking, how is it that death feels like the most unnatural thing if it’s natural for us all to die? I was praying about this, and that’s when it hit me.

Death was not the creator's intention. Did you hear me? If you’ve ever felt like something went crazy wrong when a loved one died - you were right, death was not what humans were created for… In Genesis, God told Adam and Eve they could eat from every tree in the Garden - even the tree of life, except for one tree. If they ate from that tree “They would surely die” ILLUSTRATION: ever told a kid not to touch something? If you have and that kid touched that thing - then you have experienced the sin of humankind. In that moment, God spoke this curse over humans - the curse of death

Gen. 3:19 By the sweat of your brow you will eat your food until you return to the ground, since from it you were taken; for dust you are and to dust you will return.” Death entered the world as man turned their back on a relationship with God to try and control their own destiny… Actually, I believe God gave death as a mercy. Because as humans embraced evil, God needed a way to limit the damage we could do with that evil. Death was a means by which to ensure that evil men and women would not endure forever. So, if you are God, what do you do? Your creation has turned their back on you and you have had to pull the nuclear option - keep them from being able to eat from the tree of life and live forever. God allows death to reign in humans - us being subject to the law of good and evil, constantly losing, never being good enough. God waits through the pain of evil in this world, realizing that either He deals with evil ultimately and removes humans or He bears with it so He can bring the ultimate solution. Rather than you paying for the gravity of your sin and your own rebellion to God. He paves the way for His son to come to the earth to pay for your sins and die for you, to buy you back from out beneath the weight of the law of good and evil and to let His sacrifice make a way for you to know God again. God goes through death to set us free from the shackles of death. Jesus knew this, that’s why when His buddy Lazarus had died and Lazarus’ sister Martha is talking to Jesus about it, He tells her this… John 11:25-26 25 Jesus said to her, “I am the resurrection and the life. The one who believes in me will live, even though they die; 26 and whoever lives by believing in me will never die. Do you believe this?” It’s because, for those who love Jesus, physical death is terrible because we lose the loved one's presence - but we know we have not lost the loved one. A Christian never dies, they only translate to the next life. CLOSING ILLUSTRATION: After my dad died, I remember being so struck by the grief - there were days when I would be walking through Walmart and hear a song that reminded me of him that I would just start weeping. I was reading this book, called Room of Marvels where this author imagines going to heaven and talking to a bunch of people that he loved that had died. He is talking to them and asking them questions and he says to one guy, “when you died…” and the person stops him and says, “dead, I’m not dead, I’m more alive than I’ve ever been!” That’s when it hit me. It’s ok to grieve, but grief does not have to be absent of joy. Because when someone knew Jesus, joy is right there with you. Today, some of you need to turn to Jesus to take away the sting of death… to find the resurrection and the life!

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"We have just grown apart..." There are so many relationships that are in this place, what if there was a different way of framing what's going on and for you to find some victory? If your relationships seems like it's at a dead-end, then today's sermon is for you!When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom! GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .

Sermon Notes Slide Key:

Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
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OPENING ILLUSTRATION: I want to play a new game with y’all called, “woo or boo” How it works is I’ll tell say something and you have to either woo or boo it. If you’re watching on Facebook, The thumbs-up is your “woo” and the wow face is your “boo”. For instance, let’s try this

Duke Basketball :) [all boos]

UK Basketball :) [all woo’s] Ok, so, now I want you to know, you can woo or boo on any of these next ones, I’ll give you one example here: Mayonaise is better than miracle whip Now, let’s get a little more serious, are you ready for this? I need to gauge where we are at in our relationships here with some woo or boo…The louder the better

Toothpaste should always be squeezed from the middle
Untucking your sheets at night and sticking a leg out is how a person regulates temperature when they sleep
It doesn’t matter how a towel is folded as long as it gets folded
Toilet paper should always go over not under
Replacing the toilet paper roll is the next person's responsibility - not the person who used the last piece
Socks belong in a hamper, not on the floor
Put the toilet seat down, you live; leave it up… time will tell.

Ha, I can see there is tons of consensus in this room and in your relationships. ME: For Jenni and I, one of us will be like, “where do you want to go out to eat?” the other one will be like, “I don’t care” and then as we proceed to suggest restaurants, it will become apparent just how much they actually DO care about where we go to eat… Ha, you’ve felt this before, right? Listen, no one’s relationship fails over how someone squeezes the toothpaste-what happens is the wonder of the relationship dies out and the toothpaste or the toilet paper becomes one more place where the two realize they don’t fit. So, what do you do? Our culture says, you just give up and try to find someone who you are more compatible with. Now, I need to be cautious and careful here, and so do you, because if you are in an abusive relationship, or your spouse is cheating on you or has abandoned you, what I’m going to talk about here is not for you, you need to make a different decision, but what I’m talking about is someone who is in a fairly normal relationship where two Christians just feel like “It’s just not working, we’re too different” Trust me, you may not be here right now, but you add a few years to your relationship, you add a few kids into the mix, you experience some deaths of loved ones or any tragedy and you will not be far off from this. The natural curve of most relationships is to go from connected to disconnected if there is not intentional intervention. ILLUSTRATION: Everyone presents a fake version, or maybe the best version of ourselves to win people - so they like us. It’s only over time that you learn the things that cause little cuts to your relationship - the things that make you feel too different. I felt this early on in our marriage. Jenni and I got married and very quickly I learned that Jenni didn’t know how to load a dishwasher, she didn’t know how to iron a shirt or a million other things. So, I started sharing with Jenni, “Kent’s patented technique” for things. I’d tell her Kent’s patented technique for ironing, dishwashing, and just about everything. As you can imagine, this went over REALLy well! Ha.

All of a sudden what had been really fun and good started to show its cracks and how little we understood about each other. Our culture says, “find someone who won’t tick you off so much.”What if there was a different way? Can I introduce you to a concept?

Paul has been sharing about salvation in Jesus, he is making the argument that out of Adam’s sin, all mankind was affected. We all live in sin due to the consequences of one man and his abandonment of a relationship with God. Paul’s argument is if death came on the back of one man, couldn’t life come on the back of one man as well… Listen

Romans 5:15-21 15 But the gift is not like the trespass. For if the many died by the trespass of the one man, how much more did God’s grace and the gift that came by the grace of the one man, Jesus Christ, overflow to the many! 16 Nor can the gift of God be compared with the result of one man’s sin: The judgment followed one sin and brought condemnation, but the gift followed many trespasses and brought justification. 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! Paul says that God’s grace overflows to us by the grace of Jesus… I actually did a word study on the word grace - I looked at every use of it in the NT and OT. What struck me about grace was that it’s not just something that we are given, but it’s more akin to something we live in. Paul’s argument, although at first blush might not make this clear, does so pretty eloquently.

You and I live in the results of the selfish actions of Adam - it is literally the atmosphere we were born into Those same selfish urges live inside of you and I

this is why we have SO many fights in our relationship and want someone who is compatible with US -It’s all about me… Paul is saying that God’s grace overflowed to us - created a new atmosphere for those of us in Christ. We now “reign in life” through Christ 17 For if, by the trespass of the one man, death reigned through that one man, how much more will those who receive God’s abundant provision of grace and of the gift of righteousness reign in life through the one man, Jesus Christ! Literally, Grace becomes the air we breathe, it becomes the thing that gets us through the day. It is what rescues us and it is the power by which we enter into relationships. What is this grace? This grace is a God who had NO reason to come for us. He didn’t need to die. He hadn’t done anything wrong, He was not the one who had failed. He was not the one who had gone the wrong way. We were the ones who were incompatible. But what does Grace do? Grace came. Grace comes! Jesus came for us. He came, lived a perfect sinless life, died for us. Rose from the dead to prove he could overcome our sinfulness and bring us into a right relationship with Him and give us a new air to breathe. What if you changed the air you breathe? You stopped breathing the air of this world that says “fight to get your way” and instead you breathed the air of grace that says, “I will fight for YOU!” Here’s a phrase you can start using in your mind to remind yourself of this… When you are feeling infringed on and not getting your way and you want to just fight to get your way, ask yourself: What would grace look like here… CLOSING: Men, I believe it’s your job to go first on this. that’s why Paul says that a husband's method of submitting himself to his wife is to love her like Christ loved the church. You are the initiator - you are to be the leader of your family. And what I mean by that, is it’s your job to make sure your family falls in love with Jesus and gets to heaven. So, start asking yourself, “what would grace look like here” God has called you to reign through his grace. To live in authority and change the atmosphere of your family. For me, one of the things God really spoke to me on this was I used to get so pissed at Jenni for things, my argument would be, “it’s not a big deal, why doesn’t she just change…” I remember thinking that one day and God smacked me across the back of the head and He said, “Kent if it’s not that big of a deal, then why can’t you give on it?” Ugh… Grace would look like me laying down my desires to reach the one whom I love… What about you? Turn to grace today!

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Marriage is TOUGH. So many people are on the edge of giving up, tune in this week to learn a different way and to find hope in the middle of your marriage. Not married? This is a great message to think through in anticipation of getting into a relationship. When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom! GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .

Sermon Notes Slide Key:

Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
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OPENING ILLUSTRATION: My wife and I are madly in love with each other, but I have to tell you, not everything’s perfect. I’m reminded of this almost every single night. See we have this HUGE disagreement. She thinks the sheets should be tucked in at the bottom of the bed, and I think this is an abomination! Everyone knows that your leg is the temperature modulator of the body. I get in bed and I have to do the bicycle kick to get those wretched covers to unleash their grip - I’m pretty sure she’s started using velcro to keep them tucked. Ha, now let me tell you something - I’m using the tuck vs. untuck as an example because honestly, it doesn’t expose too much of me to you. But I want to tell you something you all know Little issues in a marriage get multiplied when big issues of broken communication, broken trust, and lack of care take front and center. What I mean is this. Jen & I can joke and live with the tuck tension in our marriage without resolving it. But

If we allow too many issues, especially the big ones, to remain unresolved, eventually, even the little issues will be multiplied into big issues. You’ve all seen this happen, right? -you used to love his sense of humor, now it drives you nuts he can’t take anything seriously -you’re so tired of everything she does - even the way she chews her food is pretentious -You’re tired of being his doormat, always in 2nd place to his friends, his truck, his hunting - you’ve picked up his socks for years and you're done! Here’s the question…

How do you divorce-proof your marriage?

ILLUSTRATION: Years ago I did a sermon for my youth group using this title. I was talking about how most of my youth group had grown up with pictures of marriage that were less than ideal. It seems strange to teach a bunch of unmarried teens ideas to help them have successful marriages, but I thought, “what if they could learn a better way, now?” So, I started talking and teaching. I was talking about how hard divorce is for them. I talked about parents fighting over which house the kids were going to be at for Christmas. The pain of feeling like your parents divorced because of you, etc. In the middle of preaching, my heart broke, because this poor girl, that everyone else thought “had it all,” got up from her chair, tears streaming from her face, and she ran out of the room… I asked an adult lady from our church to go after her and talk. But I had to ask the question Why is divorce so painful? When most people in our world see it as a quick fix for the long-term problem of marriage. It’s because divorce is never as simplistic as people want to make it out to be-it is ALWAYS hurtful and harmful in some form-and most of the time, the children are the ones who bear the burden of those pains ASIDE: I’m not saying that to make people feel guilty. Actually, I’ve not known a divorced person - even one who was divorced for a really good reason would have preferred it work out differently. Let me point you to something Jesus said that hit me while I was studying for this sermon SCRIPTURE: Jesus has just crossed the Jordan river and is healing lots of people there. Large crowds are following Him. Some Pharisees come out to test him. They ask is it lawful to divorce your wife for any and all reasons? Now, first of all, during Jesus’ time, only the husband could initiate the divorce - which put women at a HUGE disadvantage to be taken advantage of, because a divorced woman had very few options to financially care for herself. There were some in Jewish religious thought who were saying things like, “if your wife burns your toast - that’s reason to divorce her.” So, Jesus’ answer is not just about divorce, but it’s about caring for women… Listen to Jesus’ response:

Matthew 19:4-6 4 “Haven’t you read,” he replied, “that at the beginning the Creator ‘made them male and female,’[a] 5 and said, ‘For this reason a man will leave his father and mother and be united to his wife, and the two will become one flesh’[b]? 6 So they are no longer two, but one flesh. Therefore what God has joined together, let no one separate.” Jesus tells them what we’ve been talking about the last couple of weeks.

Couples are married when they become one flesh - and if God put someone together, who could separate that? The Pharisees think they have him now, He’s fallen into their trap. They think they will get Him to say something against the law of Moses so they ask Him this follow up question:

Matthew 19:7 “Why then,” they asked, “did Moses command that a man give his wife a certificate of divorce and send her away?”

Moses gave men permission to divorce their wife and send her away if she became “displeasing” to her husband I want to hone in on what Jesus says about this..

Matthew 19:88 Jesus replied, “Moses permitted you to divorce your wives because your hearts were hard. But it was not this way from the beginning. Underline: permitted, divorce, because, hearts were hard

Did you see why Moses permitted divorce? Because their hearts were hard...They cared more about their own happiness than the wholeness of their relationship. Can I tell you something that should shock you?

Divorce was never the heart of God

Now, I’ll tell you, biblically, there are a few reasons for divorce…-adultery-abandonment - I would include abuse in this category but in general - it wasn’t God’s heart…Here’s another shocker

God is not after your happiness, God is after your and your spouse's Holiness and wholeness

-divorces have lots of causes, but most end with “not happy” God is not after you having an easy, perfect, no problems marriage, God is after you becoming a Holy individual who is sanctified through marriage.

-until you unlock that in your heart, you will NEVER have a thriving marriage

As long as you hold on to some illusion that marriage is about you being happy instead of being Holy and helping your spouse be holy your heart will always be progressing toward hard-heartedness So, look, here’s the question - How do you un-harden a hard heart? I only know of one way

It REALLY comes down to a relationship with God - Listen

Ezekiel 36:25-27 25 I will sprinkle clean water on you, and you will be clean; I will cleanse you from all your impurities and from all your idols. 26 I will give you a new heart and put a new spirit in you; I will remove from you your heart of stone and give you a heart of flesh. 27 And I will put my Spirit in you and move you to follow my decrees and be careful to keep my laws. Un-hardening your heart only occurs by the power of the spirit of God It is a complete refocusing of your life on God and His person

It is not about what you can do - it’s about what you focus on Once you realize God wants to create holiness in you not happiness you can turn to Him and ask for a new spirit, to have him remove your heart and replace it with a heart of flesh-some of you - even when you were baptized wanted to hold on to pieces of yourself instead of remanding them to Christ-Today is the day to drop those presumptions and recommit to a lifelong relationship with your spouse - to do what’s hard to gain the reward CLOSING: Early on in our marriage, I would focus so much on what Jenni wasn’t giving me… Honestly, I had set myself up in my heart to be a martyr. If I did something good for her, there was a part of me that was like, “there, I showed her how it should be done” if she did something that hurt me, I’d quietly take it and just shut down. Thank God I kept seeking Him and taking it to Him. It seemed the more I prayed to God about Jenni changing, the more God gently said to me, “Kent, let’s work on you…” I realized that my heart was hard in SO many ways. I realized I cared more about getting from Jenni than giving to Jenni. I realized that my job was to make sure my wife loved Jesus, not me.. It took me silently surrendering my heart to God and letting Him replace my heart of stone with a heart of flesh. Some of you today need to turn to Jesus and let Him replace your heart of stone. Aren’t you tired of life being about you and it NEVER working out? Turn to Jesus!

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This is part 2 about the implications of having a biblical theology about sex. This week, Kent covers how we relate to each other and how we relate to our own identity. If you've ever struggled with sexual sin, you need to tune in today! When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom! GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .

Sermon Notes Slide Key:

Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
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OPENING: Previously on: “Kent preaches a sermon on sex” last week, if you were here, we talked about how God created sex to be something that united us to one another in one flesh. We talked about how this is actually the point biblically where you become married.

Genesis 2:23-24 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” 24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. We talked about how even science backs this up - brain scientists have studied what happens to our brains when we have sex. Our brains release a cocktail of hormones that make us feel good and feel connected to one another. If you missed the sermon, you should really grab the podcast and give it a listen… Sermon Part 2What does this mean for us? (The Implications of a biblical concept of sex) Implication 1: The demotion of Sex by the world where God elevates

ILLUSTRATION: About 10 years ago I started to notice a trend when people came to me to get married. Most of them had had more than one sexual partner and all of them (except for one couple) were already living together and already having sex with one another. As a matter of fact, for some of them, they had been in this arrangement for a long time and had been having sex for the majority of their relationship.. This is a complete cultural shift from say 20-30 years ago. My guess is, most of you if you are under 45 - this is how you did it. You didn’t even know there might be reasons to do it any other way… Let’s ignore for a moment the biblical idea that when you’ve had sex with a person, you have united yourself with them. Let’s just think about it rationally. If you have had sex with someone, let’s say after the 3rd or 4th date, or maybe even a couple of months in. You like them, they seem nice. They make you feel good and you decide to have sex. Now your brain is flooding itself with chemicals that are designed to cause you to want to recreate the act and specifically recreate it with that person. You have unintentionally flooded your brain with chemicals that are designed to help you desire and want your spouse. Sex was meant to be God’s gift in the married life It was meant to be the thing that draws a man and woman together and highlights their two fleshes becoming one. But what happens instead? We become roommates who share our beds, a dog, and a washer and dryer set, but nothing else about our lives. We live together “trying out marriage” But you can’t actually make a wise decision-I tell all these people coming in for pre-marital counseling that they are going to experience all kinds of “roommate” issues in their marriage -they keep their money separate, they keep their food separate, they each pay their own bills, etc. And instead of drawing together into a committed relationship

We live with the fear that the other person could leave any time the relationship becomes inconvenient… Where our society has downgraded sex to just a bodily function, we should have elevated it. Sex is the most amazing gift of a God who loves us and wants to help us to continue to desire one another. This is part of the reason the author of Hebrews says in

Hebrews 13:4Marriage should be honored by all, and the marriage bed kept pure, for God will judge the adulterer and all the sexually immoral. The way we handle and think about sex matters Implication 2: The elevation of sexuality where God places it in its proper context ILLUSTRATION: Watch any modern TV sitcom and they will do two things with sex. They will demote it to just an action. You’ll see characters have random sex with people, moving in with each other with no possible consequences to any actions. They will treat it like it’s just a physical desire like hunger. But there is this weird thing that happens where it will simultaneously be elevated to a place of it being all they think about and talk about. There is a subtle message in our world that you are primarily a sexual being. When sex loses its purpose and context it can be elevated to a place it was never meant to hold Here’s the problem with believing you are primarily a sexual being-You will believe your inclinations are natural to who you are - there is no victory over them or changing them-You will believe what you do is your business only - excluding God and His design from the equation-You can begin to confuse your identity with your sexuality - believing that your sexuality/gender/bias’ define WHO you are Your primary identity is not as a sexual creature, but as a spiritual creature with s sexual nature

Genesis 1:26-27 26 Then God said, “Let us make mankind in our image, in our likeness, so that they may rule over the fish in the sea and the birds in the sky, over the livestock and all the wild animals,[a] and over all the creatures that move along the ground.” 27 So God created mankind in his own image, in the image of God he created them; male and female he created them. You were created to reflect God’s image ILLUSTRATION: I have seen this idea free a lot of men from addictions to pornography and help people overcome sexual addiction. If you believe you are just a sexual being primarily, then it feels like you can’t do anything to overcome it. You are stuck. Putting sex and sexuality in its proper context gives you the freedom to let God write a different story with your life - a story as an image-bearer of God! I love Romans 8:29-30 (The Message Version) 29-30 God knew what he was doing from the very beginning. He decided from the outset to shape the lives of those who love him along the same lines as the life of his Son. The Son stands first in the line of humanity he restored. We see the original and intended shape of our lives there in him. After God made that decision of what his children should be like, he followed it up by calling people by name. After he called them by name, he set them on a solid basis with himself. And then, after getting them established, he stayed with them to the end, gloriously completing what he had begun. CLOSING ILLUSTRATION: Some of you know that I didn’t grow up as this good kid who just loved God and did everything right. I tell my kids “I was a bad guy”. I can remember the first time I got drunk and looked at my buddy's dad’s porn stash. I grew up with a mixed-up sense of what sex was. There was a period of time where I thought maybe I was gay because when I saw a girl's butt, I would think “dude, she poops with that”. I was all twisted up because what I knew about sex and sexuality was from the world and it was perverted. It has only been through God’s grace and learning that I have found healing and hope. You can too. The good news is that Jesus died to rescue all of us from what this world had given us. A dysfunctional way of life. Jesus gives us real life. What if today you could have a new life. You could take your story of disfunction to Him and find new life. If that’s you, in a moment, I’m going to pray a prayer and invite you to bow your head and pray with me.

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Our world is hyper-sexualized, why is that? This week, Kent looks at the created order when it comes to sex and helps us explore a theological way of understanding our experience that makes sense of both the science and the spirit.When you give at Harmony, you are investing in life change and are Advancing the Kingdom! GIVE TODAY, text any amount to (859) 459-0316 to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give .

Sermon Notes Slide Key:

Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
Bold = Slide text
Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e. - underlines, italics, etc.)
“b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
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OPENING ILLUSTRATION: When I was in middle school was the first time I had a friend that told me he had had sex. I remember it pretty vividly because none of us knew anything about that world and he told us everything there was to know. He told us that this girl had spent the night and they had sex…. He said, “she slept on the top bunk and slept on the bottom bunk, it was pretty awesome” Ha… For a long time, I thought sex meant you were just sleeping in bunk beds… It’s kind of funny, but I have a feeling that more of us have messed-up ideas about sex than we know. Today, I want to take a stab at what sex is and what it was designed for and I want to do it in a different way Normally, I build an argument in my sermon and then try and give you some kind of answer/resolution. Today, I want to come more direct and break it into two parts. This is my Ted Talk on Sex… Part IThe Creators Intention - Why Sex [Next Week] Part 2What does this mean for us? - The Implications so, let’s jump into this. I know some of you may not believe in a creator - you may believe we just evolved over time to be the way we are, but just for argument's sake, let’s look at what has been the traditional idea of Christianity and Judaism and see how it lines up with our actual science of physicality In the book of Genesis, there is this description of God creating our physical reality

God creates man - Adam the first man- God forms together some clay into the shape of a man and breathes into it- muscles and sinew form, tendons and bones, brain matter fires up and man is born- God sends Adam on this safari to name animals and to allow him to see if there is any kinship between them- but it’s found that none of the animals can end the loneliness of Adam- Genesis 2 tells us the story of what God does next Genesis 2:21-24 21 So the Lord God caused the man to fall into a deep sleep; and while he was sleeping, he took one of the man’s ribs[a] and then closed up the place with flesh. 22 Then the Lord God made a woman from the rib[b] he had taken out of the man, and he brought her to the man. 23 The man said, “This is now bone of my bones and flesh of my flesh; she shall be called ‘woman,’ for she was taken out of man.” 24 That is why a man leaves his father and mother and is united to his wife, and they become one flesh. I want you to notice something, there is no marriage ceremony mentioned here, there is no “vow” taken The created order was that man would leave his family of origin and unite in one flesh with a woman - what we would call a wife Paul will reference this union years later when talking about how careless the Corinthian people were when it came to sex…Listen to his words… They lived in a culture where you could go to a pagan temple and worship, you would pay to have sex with a temple prostitute… he says this

1 Corinthians 6:16 16 Do you not know that he who unites himself with a prostitute is one with her in body? For it is said, “The two will become one flesh.”[b] Paul is making the argument that when you have sex with a person you become one with their body - you enact the biblical idea of marriage This is SIGNIFICANT for us to understand The idea of one flesh occurs when a man and woman have sex. This is what it means to be “married” Marrying means to unite two things into one ILLUSTRATION: Think of a woodworker marrying two pieces of wood together - typically they are creating a union of the two pieces. Or marrying a certain chicken dish with a particular wine. I’m trying to take you back to the original meaning of these things I know this is a lot to take in, your mind may be spinning about the implications of this - especially with the way our culture treats this… What’s interesting is Science knows that our bodies are even created for this kind of union or bond when having sex… When your body reaches the peak in sexual activity your brain releases a concoction of chemical hormones.

Oxytocin - the “bonding” hormone, this is the hormone that mothers and babies release when breastfeeding that causes them to feel a deep connectedness.

Dopamine - the pleasure and learning chemical, your body is creating a reference to where it can find deep pleasureProlactin - this hormone gives you a sense of satisfaction

Serotonin - this hormone produces a good mood Oxytocin is so powerful that, for women, their brains will continue to produce it for a period of time after finishing having sex.

While researching this, I came across this quote that I thought was interesting…

This is at least one secular - non-biblical conclusion: "If you think about it objectively, the idea of risking your life and health to birth what's basically a parasite living in you for nine months, which you then have to raise for the next decade, is a lot of work. Mother Nature may be 'tricking' us to make sure the species doesn't die out," -Kayt Sukel (psychologist). In other words - if you look at it from the outside, it looks like there is some mechanism trying to get us to want to have sex. I would differentiate and include stay in a committed relationship Our world has dissected relationships from sex-Sex is demoted to a purely physical act/urge-but that’s not even what the science says If it was just dopamine, prolactin, and serotonin then we could say what is happening in your body is connecting you to sex alone. But when you add Oxytocin, it means that your body is trying to connect you to sex WITH the person you are having sex with. But our world doesn’t have a framework for this. The Implications of this are huge… CLOSING ILLUSTRATION: What has your sexual history and past been? I know, most of us have grown up in this hyper-sexualized culture that views sex as no more than a bodily function. Not a device for connecting each other. So, most of us have a sexual history, that when we start to put some theology behind it, can make us feel incredibly guilty. Can I leave you today with a passage from the Gospels? Jesus is at a well, thirsty for a drink, in the middle of the hot summer sun when a woman comes up to the well to get water - the time of day alone lets us know that by all religious rights of the day, she would have been an outcast - maybe even considered a prostitute. Jesus asks for a drink and they have this beautiful dialog. Listen to the dialog Jesus has with this woman…John 4:16-1716 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”17 “I have no husband,” she replied. Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.” This woman had, at best, a colorful sexual past. Jesus doesn’t ignore it, but neither does He make it the thrust of his conversation. I actually think He brings it up because it was the thing that brought her shame. I think he brought it up, so He could bring healing to it. Because He had just told her

Vs 10 & 13-14 10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.” 13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.” Jesus was there to bring her healing, not to berate her for her failings. Today, if this sermon has reminded you of some pain from your past, could I just offer you what Jesus offered? I think sometimes He reminds us of our pain, so He can bring healing. He wants to give you living water, not leave you stuck in shame… Come to Him today!--------------------------

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