Harmony Church Sermon Podcast

Did you know the most common command given by God in the Bible is "do not fear?" Do you think the Lord knows something about our proclivity to be anxious and afraid? Fear and worry is a constant in people's lives today, but it doesn't have to be that way. As we look at a song that King David penned during a very scary time in his life, we'll be given some resources for what to do when we are anxious and afraid.

If you were to ask the average person what they want in life, their response would likely be, “I just want to be happy.” Everyone wants to be happy, and yet recent polls and statistics tell us that over 70% Americans say they are unhappy. In this first sermon of our new, Summer series we're going to look at a Psalm (song) for the discouraged. We'll find that there are actually things in life more important than happiness, and by pursuing those things—we may just find happiness along the way.

Laodicea was a vibrant city in the first century. Much like our own American culture, they were driven by hard work, determination, self-will, and a deep desire for progress, innovation and prosperity. As a result, the city became very wealthy and affluent, and didn't need anything from anyone. Unfortunately, this church began to adopt that same attitude of self-sufficiency. In this message we'll explore the dangers of pride and self-sufficiency in the church, and how to rightly place our dependence upon the all-satisfying sufficiency of the person and work of Jesus Christ.

A small church in size and influence compared to those around them, Philadelphia was the first of two churches in Revelation to have no corrections from Jesus. Though they would have faced all the same temptations of culture and compromise, Jesus commended them for keeping His Word and not denying His name. Not only did they know the Word, they aligned their lives to it as they followed Christ, and Jesus told them to hold fast, persevere and finish well, for there would be benefits for them in the future for remaining faithful now. In this sermon we will be encouraged by the example of the Church of Brotherly Love, to know the Bible well and do what it says.

The church at Sardis had a history of faithfulness to the things of God, but in an effort to just get along with everyone and not offend anybody, they became careless over time. Rather than remaining vigilant and contending for the truth, they became a dead church as they lived off the security of the past and allowed for compromise in the present. In this sermon we'll be challenged to continue to be faithful to the Lord and live distinct lives, spending time with Him daily so we can love the people around us while also holding fast to the truth of His Word.

The church of Thyatira was a church zealously committed to love and good deeds. They excelled at serving as the hands and feet of Jesus, extending compassion toward those in need. Yet in time, their love grew without discernment, and in the name of tolerance they began to love the very things Jesus hates. In this message we'll examine what it looks like to be a church that is all love with no truth, and learn how we can guard ourselves from the current cultural temptation of doctrinal and moral compromise.

Smyrna was a wealthy and beautiful city that was very faithful to Rome. While the city was rich, the church at Smyrna was poor, having experienced financial persecution being kicked out of the marketplace by the Roman government for their refusal to worship Caesar. Jesus wrote to commend them on their endurance, but also to encourage and comfort them in the midst of a greater persecution that was coming. They would be called to give up their lives for the sake of the gospel. In this message we will explore the depths of our love for Jesus, our understanding of His grace, and the value we give Him in our lives. Are we willing to pay a price to follow Jesus in light of the price He paid for us on the cross and the promise He gives of eternal life?

Pergamum was a city of excess. The church had good theology, but they had allowed immorality and the sexually charged nature of their culture to influence their lives. God's message to them was clear: repent. May we listen to the warnings to Pergamum, and be a church that holds to theology while also reflecting the holiness of Christ by the way we live.

The church at Ephesus appeared to be excelling on all levels: they were committed to sound doctrine and guarding against false teaching, they sought to do good works in the community around them, they ferociously defended the glory of Christ's name above all other names, and they staunchly defended against moral compromise. On many fronts, they appeared to be the perfect church. Yet for all they were doing well, Jesus had one thing against them: they had left their first love, Jesus Himself. In this message we'll see just how close the church at Ephesus relates to our own hearts, and seek to follow Jesus' exhortations for how to keep our affections rightly placed on Him, so they might not drift away toward lesser things.

What do you mean when you use the word, "hope?" I think most of the time we think of hope in the same way we do luck? There's an element of uncertainty to it. "I hope this will happen, but I'm, not sure." As a matter of fact, what do we say about hope? "Don't get your hopes up!" Christian hope is su much better than that! In Christian hope, we not only want something good to happen, we expect it to happen. That's all because of what Easter represents--the resurrection of Jesus Christ from the dead. If it didn't happen the way the Scripture say, we would be hopeless. In this Easter sermon, we're talking about real, concrete hope from John 20 and what it can mean for you life.

Lee Brown, a home church planter and former Pastor at Harmony Church, presented an excellent question to the church yesterday? Is God pleased when we meet together on Sunday morning?

1 Thessalonians 5:14-15 There are all kind of hurting, struggling people out there. And just like different health issues require different forms of treatment, so do the issues that people deal with. In this final sermon of the series, we'll investigate how we can help those who are struggling. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=t2G8KVzTwfw

1 Thessalonians 4:3-8 Why talk about this topic in a sermon series about relationships? Because sexual immorality always hurts our relationships with others. Our relationships are to be defined by giving, sacrificial love. Sexual immorality is defined by taking and selfish lust. In this sermon we'll see what God says about this topic and how we can overcome immorality through the Gospel. Ultimately, we'll see the purity paves the way to intimacy with God and others.

What if I could tell you the secret to a great marriage or great relationships? What if I told you this secret has been proven time and time again for a couple thousand years? As a matter of fact, this secret has taken dysfunctional relationships and completely transformed them. Would you be interested in hearing it? But, what if I told you there was a catch? The catch is, while the secret is readily available for you to use and apply, it might be the most difficult relational thing you will ever have to do. Still interested? Good. That's what this sermon from Philippians 2 is all about. https://www.bible.com/bible/111/PHP.2.NIV

In the first sermon of a new series we're talking about what love lived-out relationally looks like and how it can transform your relationships.

How big of a deal do you think sin is? How big of a deal do you think YOUR sin is? In this final sermon of the series we're going to look at the tragic end of King Saul's life and see that willful, persistent disobedience to God always leads to chaos and destruction. We'll look at three warning signs from Saul's life that will serve as cautions to us. And ultimately, we'll see the importance of knowing and loving Jesus and living our lives for Him.

1 Samuel 26 When was the last time someone gave you some criticism? How did you respond? Did they do it in a gentle, helpful way or were they rude and abrasive? It is no fun to receive or give criticism and yet it's really important for our lives. In this sermon, we'll take a look at how David confronted Saul and learn some principles for what healthy confrontation should look like in our lives.

Have you ever thought about where you would be were it not for God's grace in your life? I think there are so many times that God has protected us from outside situations and even our own foolishness and sin. In this sermon, we'll look at a situation in David's life where he was tempted to act rashly and foolishly, and God intervened. We'll investigate how we can access God's restraining grace in our own life.

When you have been wronged by someone, it's human nature to want to get back at them. We do that in a variety of ways. Maybe we give them the silent treatment. Maybe we lash out at them or fire off a hurtful text. Maybe we manipulate a situation so that they'll take the fall. Jesus tells us that there is a better way than getting revenge. In this sermon, we look at an opportunity David had to take revenge on his enemy and we'll learn what to do when we are in a similar situation.

1 Samuel 21-22

How does a Christian change for the long haul? How do we make sure those little evidences of growth and development are just a passing fad? In this final sermon of the series, we'll see that life change doesn't happen by trying hard, but by Spirit transformation.

One of the incredible benefits of being a Christian is that God, through the Holy Spirit, gives every believer in Jesus Christ supernatural gifts for which they are to serve. In this sermon we will see that Jesus accomplishes his mission through ordinary Christians like you and me.

It might sound strange to think about God “living in us.” That's what Scripture teaches us about the Holy Spirit. So what does that actually look like on a day to day basis? That's what we'll investigate in this sermon. We'll see that the filling of the Holy Spirit is God's strength given to us to honor him in every situation.

For many Christians, the Holy Spirit is like that weird uncle that you only see every once in a while. In this sermon, we're going to look at some things Jesus said to his disciples about the Holy Spirit on the night before he was crucified. And we'll see that the Holy Spirit makes real in our hearts, what Jesus accomplished on the cross.

The big idea is that communion reminds us of and empowers us in the Gospel. 1 Corinthians 11.

One of the most famous Christmas songs has a wonderful line that says, "Truly He (Jesus) taught us to love one another" and in this sermon we dive into the story of David and Jonathan to see how friendships are taught and practiced in scripture.

In part three of "My Christmas Playlist" we're talking about the song, "It Came Upon a Midnight Clear." The song sounds peaceful and tranquil, but the lyrics reflect the reality that all is not right in the world. It talks about "man at war with man" and "two thousand years of strife." You may not actually be at war with someone, but you certainly know what it's like to have relationships that are strained. Maybe you even feel like someone is out to get you. As we look at King Saul's persecution of the-future-king David, we'll learn what to do when we are mistreated and persecuted, and what God offers us in the midst of it.

In part two of "My Christmas Playlist" we are looking at one of the most famous stories in the Bible--the story of David and Goliath. We're investigating what to do when our faith is shaken and threatened in some way. By looking at how David handled the giant in his life, we learn how to handle the giants we face in our life. And we're using the song, "God Rest Ye Merry Gentleman" as a template to to see how Jesus' birth is the catalyst to give us strength and courage in our trials.

In this first sermon of our "My Christmas Playlist" sermon series, we'll be talking about the song, "In the Bleak Mid-Winter." As we look at a very boring, ordinary time of training in David's life from 1 Samuel 16, we'll see what God uses to train us in the bleak, ordinary, boring moments of our lives.

In the final sermon of this series, we're looking at 2 Corinthians 8-9 to see how the grace of God flows to and through a person who makes generosity a priority in their lives.

This week we dive into Psalm 107:8. Listen along to find out how gratitude can change your life!

As we start a a new series called Thanks and Giving we dive into how gratitude and generosity can change our lives. In this sermon we dive into the story of Zacchaeus, the Chief Tax collector. Our problem is not our lack of gratitude. Our problem is the focus of our gratitude. See how we refocus and how our gratitude turns into generosity.

In the final sermon of this current series, we're looking at the beginning of the end of King Saul's reign over the people of Israel. Saul had so much potential as a servant of the Lord, but he was derailed by disobedience. Disobedience to God--it's something that is a reality for every follower of Jesus. We'll investigate why disobedience is such a serious sin in God's eyes, and how it can be overcome through the Gospel.

In 2018 when a person isn't feeling well but they aren't sure what's wrong—they go to the internet. Sites like Web MD have become popular for medical self-diagnoses. Don't you wish there was a spiritualized version of Web MD? Because we all go through times where we become a little spiritually unhealthy, but we're not exactly sure what the problem is or what to do about it. In today's sermon we'll look at the kingship of Saul, Israel's first king. In doing so, we'll be presented with some questions that will help diagnose just how spiritually healthy we are

Dr. Calvin Brain, missionary in Namibia for 12 years, gives an update about how God is using him and his family while also preaching through John 13-17. Listen along to hear such a power message about us and God.

There are certain themes in the Bible that tend to beat us over the head with their persistence. Idolatry is on of those themes. It especially shows up in the book of 1 Samuel. In this sermon, we'll look at the foolishness of putting thing in our lives in the place where only God should be and we'll investigate how to illuminate and eradicate those idols.

We're continuing our sermon series called, "From Here To There-a roadmap for spiritual growth" by talking about repentance from 1 Samuel 4. Repentance is one of those church words that we throw around a lot and its gotten a bit of a bad wrap. When most people think of repentance we think of God, in anger, twisting our arm until we finally give up. In reality, the biblical idea of repentance is one of freedom and refreshment. In this sermon we'll explore how repentance is the blessing through which all of God's blessings flow.

What comes into your mind when you hear the word "sin?" Maybe for you it conjures up images of an old-school minister preaching a hell-fire and brimstone sermon, trying his hardest to make you feel guilty. Sin simply means to "miss God's target." In this sermon, we are looking at the sad story of a Priest named Eli and his two, evil sons. By looking at their story, we'll investigate why sin is so dangerous for us and how to avoid its destructive effects.

Pastor Dan dives in into the first chapter of 1 Samuel to show and teach Harmony how we can find our roadmap to spiritual growth! Follow along as we all take this journey together as we learn to grow spiritually.

This Sunday, September 9th we want everyone there at church to participate in our fall kick off!