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Harvest Bible Chapel Pittsburgh North Sermons - Harvest Bible Chapel Pittsburgh North
Introduction: Get a Grip! (1 Corinthians 3:18–23) You are not as wise as YOU THINK YOU ARE. (1 Cor 3:18–20) You are not lacking IN ANYTHING. (1 Cor 3:21–23) John 17:3 - And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 3:18-23What was your big take-away from this passage / message?In what way do you need to “get a grip” on reality in this season of life? What lies about God, yourself, and others are you tempted to believe?What does it look like to be wise according to worldly standards? How do you see yourself falling into worldly wisdom right now?What does Paul mean by “all things are yours”? How should this truth change your thinking and living? BreakoutPray for one another. AUDIO TRANSCRIPT 1 Corinthians chapter 3 verses 18 through 23.As Pastor Jeff admitted in a sermon a few weeks ago, we try to stay up to date on thelatest lingo since we worked with the youth group.Emphasis on try because new and nonsensical words and phrases seem to be invented on adaily basis.New slang always sounds ridiculous to older generations, even though your slang wasn'tthat much better back in the day either.Do you ever wish a certain slang word or phrase stuck around a bit longer than it had thatcaught on a bit more?I know I miss saying things like big whoop or cool beans or I'm disgusted by something.Gag me with a spoon or when someone says something really obvious I say no duh or how about wheneversomeone's annoying me I lift up my hand and say talk to the hand because the face ain'tlistening.Another one of my favorites someone asked you to do something that you really don't wantto do.Yeah let's not and say we did.But you know which phrase I miss the most?It's somewhat said today but not nearly as much as it used to be.Get a grip.Who's ever said that or heard that at some point?Get a grip.You say get a grip when someone is being unreasonable and is in desperate need of a reality check.This person believes something that is not true and this bad belief leads to a bad action.It leads to an overreaction.This person needs to let go of the lies that he or she is believing.This person needs to get a grip on reality.In 1 Corinthians chapter 3 verses 18 through 23 Paul gives the Corinthians a much neededreality check.He tells them to get a grip because they are believing some things that are not true andthese bad beliefs are leading to bad decisions, erratic actions and massive overreactions.They are tearing the church apart with their selfish pride, with their worldly thinkingand their destructive division.The unity and purity of the Corinthian church cannot be promoted and maintained until theyget a grip on some essential truths from God's Word.Yeah we've been studying 1 Corinthians for almost two months now.Now let's be honest.As you read this book, as you listen to these sermons, it's really easy to look down onthe Corinthians, isn't it?It's easy to think, "Oh man, these people are insane.They're just wackos.Go get them Paul.They really need to talk into."What if you are more like the Corinthians than you think?What if you are believing some things that are not true?What if you are making some bad decisions right now?What if you are negatively affecting your family, your coworkers and this church?What if you need to get a grip?All of us, myself included, need to be grabbed by the shoulders and shaken back into realitybecause we all tend to live in a fantasy world of our own making.A fantasy world of lies, excuses and self-justification.You and I need the same exact reminders that Paul gives the Corinthians in this passagethat we're about to read because you know what?We're far more like them than we care to admit.You and I need to get a grip and remember some essential facts from God's Word.So before we get a grip, let's go to the Lord and ask that He would get a grip on us.Please pray for me that I will faithfully proclaim God's Word and I will pray for youthat you will faithfully receive it.Father, it's so easy to come into this room every Sunday and just pretend.Just to go through the motions, to put on a show where I pray against all of those things.I pray against pretending.I pray against stuffing down what we're really dealing with.I pray against hiding our sin.This morning we asked that you would reveal what we struggle with.You would reveal the sins that we need to deal with by your grace.I pray you'd help us to deal with these things in a biblical way.We ask all these things in Jesus' name.Amen.Get a grip.You are not as wise as you think you are.That's the first blank on your outline.Get a grip.You are not as wise as you think you are.Let's read chapter 3 verses 18 through 20.The apostle Paul writes, "Let no one deceive himself.If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a fool that hemay become wise.For the wisdom of this world is folly with God.For it is written, 'He catches the wise in their craftiness.'And again, the Lord knows the thoughts of the wise that they are futile."Have you ever noticed that people who are the most confident tend to be the least competent?The most confident tend to be the least competent.That guy who praises his own handiness and fixes everything at home tends to make a lotof obvious mistakes.He does stuff around his house that no one would hire him to do around their house.That woman who praises her driving tends to be a really bad driver herself.She's looking down at her phone while she's driving.She's applying makeup.She's running red lights.She's not using turn signals when she's going through lanes.That guy who talks a big game in the golf cart tends to have zero game when he's drivingor putting.Or how about that person who says, "Yeah, I'm really calm under pressure."And then when something bad actually happens, they're just totally manic and panicked.And all of these examples overconfidence causes someone to overestimate his or her ability.And that is what Paul is talking about in these verses.A human sense of confidence in yourself makes you incompetent when it comes to spiritualmatters.Those who think they are wise by worldly standards are foolish by heavenly standards.They may appear to be brilliant in the eyes of the world, but what are they in the eyesof God?Stupid, dumb, foolish.When you're impressed with your own wisdom, you become a fool.And that rule is without exception in Scripture.Paul is crystal clear on this.He quotes the book of Job in Psalm 94 when he says, "God catches the wise in their craftinessand again the Lord knows the thoughts of the wise that they are futile."And earlier he says, "The wisdom of this world is folly with God."You cannot outsmart God.You cannot trick Him.If you try, He will beat you at your own game.And again, we see this all throughout Scripture.Here are just two examples that spring to the top of my mind.In the book of Esther, Haman hatches a scheme to kill God's people and to hang his enemyMordecai on gallows that he had specially made.How did that turn out for Haman?Anyone remember?He ends up hung on the gallows that he had made for Mordecai.Yeah, not great as Pastor Jeff said.What about King Absalom?Well, he tried to be king.Didn't really work out for him.He rebelled against his father.He had this long, beautiful hair like Fabio that he really prided himself in.He tried to steal his father's throne.How did that go for him?He ended up caught in a tree branch by his own prided hair with three spears throughhis heart.He ended up as a human pincushion.Both men thought they were smart, but God caught them in their craftiness.They were both competent.Actually, they were confident in their own competence, but they ended up being incompetent.They had their own thoughts and plans that were proven to be useless by God.They were not as wise as they thought they were.Are you confident in your own competence right now?Are you trying to outsmart God?Are you trusting in your own human wisdom?Your own faulty understanding.You know exactly what God thinks about that sin you're indulging in, but you think thatyou can escape the consequences.And without even realizing it, you are bearing the consequences of your repeated and unrepentantdisobedience.You are dulling your conscience.You are pushing down the conviction of the Holy Spirit.You are pushing away faithful friends because you don't want to be found out.You know exactly what God thinks about giving of your time and treasure to the church andthose who are in need.But again, you think those rules don't really apply to you because your schedule is waytoo busy.Your bills are way too high.Your stress is off the chart, so you can't do those things.You know exactly what God thinks about your need to humble yourself and submit to others.But once again, that doesn't really apply to you because you're always right and thoseother people are always wrong.I mean, yeah, sure.Unity and all that jazz is really important, but you're the only one who really knows whatyou're doing.So if you don't get your way, everything's just going to fall apart, right?You know exactly what God thinks about how you should treat fellow believers and handleconflict in the church.But surprise, surprise, once again, you're a special case.You have been too mistreated to talk it out.You have been too hurt to forgive.Please stop elevating your importance because you will be humbled if you don't.Stop thinking that you can outsmart God because you will get caught in a trap of your ownmaking.Stop highlighting your wisdom because you are simply shining a spotlight onto your foolishness.You become a fool by thinking that you're wise.You may be wondering, okay, so how do I actually become wise?Well, Paul gives us a very simple answer in verse 18.Look at that again.He says, "If anyone among you thinks that he is wise in this age, let him become a foolthat he may become wise."You become wise by submitting yourself to what the culture around you thinks is foolish.You willingly swallow the pill that most people willfully spit out in God's face.You passionately believe that God not only knows better than you, he knows what is bestin any and every circumstance.You sit under the authority of God's word rather than standing in authority above it.You care way more about the never-changing commands of God than your ever-changing opinions.You are far more concerned with meeting the needs of others than satisfying your own personalpreferences.Do you know what the greatest threat to harvest Bible Chapel is?It's not ungodly politicians.It's not ungodly public policies.It's not other religions.It's not persecution of Christianity.It's not even social media or secular entertainment.The greatest threat to this church is you.The greatest threat to this church is me.The greatest threat is you and I thinking that we know best.You and I insisting it's my way or the highway.That leads to stiff-arming one another.That leads to division.That leads to disunity.Do you know what the greatest unifier in the church is?A mutual agreement that God knows best and we don't.A mutual submission to the Word of God.A mutual agreement that we will do whatever the Bible says in regards to every subject,every issue, every problem.When a financial issue arises in this church, we deal with it in a biblical way.When gossip is being shared, we deal with it in a biblical way.When disagreement breaks out in a small group, we deal with it in a biblical way.When problems arise with the building project, we deal with it in a biblical way.How does that biblical plan sound to you?Are you on board with that?Are you willing to go down that path and do whatever this book says?Let me warn you, it's not going to be easy.If you are committed to that, you have to lay aside your temptation to show off, to proveyourself.You have to be unwaveringly committed to obeying the Word of God, even when it hurts, evenwhen it's hard, even when it smashes your ego to pieces and it will.You need to stop saying, "I think, I think, I think," it starts declaring the Bible says,the Bible says, the Bible says.As Pastor Jeff said a few weeks ago, what you think doesn't really matter.What God commands is of supreme importance.You need to stop deceiving yourself.You need to get a grip.Get a grip because you're not as wise as you think you are.Please do not resist this reality check because it is so freeing to admit that you don't haveall the answers.What God does.Get a grip.You are not as wise as you think you are.Get a grip.You are not lacking in anything.You are not lacking in anything.We've already seen that this unity and Corinth cannot be solved until all the members ofthe church put aside their pride and stop deceiving themselves.Each person must have an accurate understanding of himself or herself.But that's not enough.Each person must have an accurate understanding of others, especially those who were leaders.Paul talks about this at the beginning of verse 21, "So let no one boast in men."For the third time in this letter, Paul is talking about the favoritism controversy inCorinth.Some think that Paul is the best pastor around.Others believe that Peter is the goat of the apostles.Most believe that Apollos is the MVP of preaching and teaching.At this point in the series, you may be thinking, "Why do we keep talking about this over andover again?I get that this favoritism thing is bad, but why is it such a big deal to Paul?"Well, imagine it with me this way.Imagine that all the seating sections in this church are dedicated to one of the pastorson staff and his specific groupies.On the left side is Pastor Jeff's section.You all sit there.Are you guys the best section?I guess you can prove my point for me.On this section, you sit here because you love Pastor Jeff's conversational preachingstyle.You love his sense of humor.And to show your support, you eat funyons.You wear bright neon shoes.You hold up "I hate Mayo" signs.The middle section is Pastor Rich's section.He's not here right now, so we won't give him a big head today.I guess he has the most people.You sit there because you're enthralled by Pastor Rich's intelligence and his in-depthknowledge of God's word.And to show your support, you tell puns.You drink kombucha and you garden in your spare time.And the right side is my section.For the life of me, I can't figure out why you're all sitting over there.Over lunch, you can decide why you're sitting there and what you would do to celebrate mebecause I have literally no idea.Let me ask you, what's the problem with that seating chart?The church is literally and metaphorically divided.One section is boasting in Pastor Jeff, another is boasting in Pastor Rich, and a third isboasting in me.In that scenario, who is not being boasted in?God, the only one who is worthy of our boasting.God deserves the praise, not the leaders he put into place.Leaders are a window and God is the view that you see through the window.When you are watching a beautiful sunset from inside your house, you don't praise how cleanand efficient the window is that you're glimpsing through.You praise what you're getting a glimpse of.Godly leaders are a blessing, but God is the source of that blessing.Only leaders are a gift, but God is the ultimate giver.You need to have an accurate understanding of yourself.You need to have an accurate understanding of others.You also need to have an accurate understanding of all God has given you in Christ.Paul talks about this at the end of verse 21 and in verse 22.He writes, "For all things are yours, whether Paul or Apollos or Cephas or the world orlife or death or the present or the future, all are yours and you are Christ and Christis God."That statement is absolutely staggering.I could preach a series for an entire year just on that one statement.There is so much to unpack here, so let's just slow it down and take a small bite ata time so we can savor all the flavor in this passage.For all things are yours.Maybe you don't feel like you have very much.When you pull up your bank accounts, your retirement accounts, you're not really happywith the numbers that you see.Your house is way smaller than you would prefer.Your car has way more miles and way more issues than you would like.When you compare yourself to others on social media, it really seems like very little isactually yours.But that couldn't be any further from the truth according to the apostle Paul.The poorest Christian is wealthier than the richest non-Christian.Jeff Bezos may be one of the most successful businessmen in the entire world.As of this morning when I checked, he is worth $235 billion, far more than all of us if wecombined our net worths.Let me ask you, does Jeff Bezos own all things?No.Elon Musk, he owns X, Tesla, and he's even taking on space now, I guess.As of this morning, he has a net worth of $460 billion.Because even Elon Musk owns all things.He's not even close to owning all things.If you have trusted in Christ, you are far better off than either of these men who seemto be so far beyond you.All things are not theirs, but all things are yours.You may be wondering, "Okay, Taylor, I believe you because the Bible says so, but I justdon't get it."Well, let me show you because Paul gives us a detailed list of everything that belongsto you and belongs to me.First up, Paul or Apollos or Cethus.As they already said, all three of these men are gifts to be appreciated by the Corinthians.Each man serves, each man gives something that is unique to the church.And the same can be said for the pastors and elders here.We are here to glorify God by serving you.We are here to obey God by equipping you for the work of the ministry.The pastors and elders at harvest belong to you.We are here for you.And the same is true for every godly leader who pours himself or herself into your lifeand other avenues of life.Why play favorites when all of us are here to bless you and increase your spiritual health?It's like being gifted a house, only utilizing one of the rooms and blocking off the rest.Instead of doing that, enjoy the entire house.The kitchen can do things that your basement cannot.The closet provide a function that your dining room doesn't.Each room has a place and function in the house.In a much greater way, each leader, pastor, and elder in the church has a place or a function.Next up, the world.One day Jesus Christ will return to rule and reign over this earth.And do you know according to Scripture, you will rule and reign along with Him?How's that going to look?How's that going to work?I have no idea, but it sounds awesome.This may be a shock for you to hear, but there are a lot of ungodly people in authorityand power right now.When you notice, a lot of ungodly people are in charge of communities, cities, and countriesacross the face of this planet.And it may seem like they have more power than you do.But again, does the world belong to those ungodly leaders?Does the world belong to you?Yes.But once again, you have far more.All our apostles are seephis the world, life or death.When you trust in Christ's perfect life, His finished work on the cross, and His victoriousresurrection, you are given eternal life.And as Pastor Jeff often says, eternal life isn't just something you'll experience.Someday eternal life is something you experience right now.Jesus makes this clear in John 17.3.And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ, whomyou have sent.You have God as your Father.You have Jesus Christ as your personal friend, both now and forever.You no longer need to fear death because Jesus took the hell that you deserve upon Himself.Death can no longer lead you away from God.It can only lead you closer to God.For a believer, death is a homecoming.The present or the future.Once again, maybe your present doesn't seem very good right now.Maybe your present is a place you don't really want to be.But recognize every gift that you have is from the hand of God.Your friends, your spouse, your kids, your church, the clothes on your back, the foodin your stomach, even the difficult circumstances in your life are used by God to mold you intothe image of Jesus Christ.Every difficulty, every pain, every sickness is used to make you more like Him.God loves you like His own Son.But the Bible tells us that God not spare His own Son, but gave Him up for us all.We also will have to go through hard times.We will also struggle.One day the pain of this world will give way to the glories of heaven.Please know your God is so good to you right now.Because your appreciation of His goodness will exponentially increase in the futurewhen you stand in His presence.Finally, Paul provides a summary statement of what has been given to every Christian.All are yours, and you are Christ, and Christ is God's.Doesn't this statement kind of sound like one of those complex word problems on a mathtest or on the SATs?So break it down, understand it, let's reverse the logic of this text.Because this is an awesome math equation that adds up to an infinite sum.What does God own?I'm going to try that again.What does God own?Who is God's Son?If you were a believer, who do you belong to?Jesus.Therefore, if you belong to Christ, what belongs to you?Everything.I usually hate math, that's math even I can get behind.You own all that God has.You own literally everything.Your net worth cannot be calculated.You and I so often get sidetracked for our desire for more and more and more of whatthis culture has to offer.We get obsessed with accumulating more stuff that we cannot even take with us when we die.You and I lose touch with the spiritual realities of this text.You can lose track of all that has been given to you in Christ.You can grumble.You can complain.You can act ungrateful.There are some Saturdays where Kate and I pull out all the stops for the kids.We have a great breakfast.We go to the park.We go see a movie so they can stuff their face with popcorn, icees, and candy.We come back with them ride bikes.We round out the day with a delicious dinner.But then one of my kids is sulking, walking around upset.And I'll ask Sam or Amy, "What's wrong?"And one of them will respond by saying, "Oh, I'm just having a hard day."And I'm just blown away by that response."How in the world are you having a hard day?"Well, you and mom are being mean to me and you didn't let me have the second pack ofpirate's booty that I wanted.Are you serious?We gave you everything today and you're belly aching about one small thing that you don'teven need.In those moments, I want to give my kids a reality check.I want to give them a loud and clear message.Get a grip.You are so blessed.You are not lacking in anything.And Paul is giving you the same exact reality check.He is shaking you by the shoulders and saying, "You are so blessed.You are not lacking in anything.What do you want that you really need?"The answer is nothing, nothing.You may be struggling with your job or your roles as a stay-at-home mom, but you mustremember that you have been given the greatest calling of all, telling others about whatyou have received in Christ and what they can receive in Christ.You may feel lonely right now.You may feel isolated like no one cares about you.But you must remember that Jesus has gifted you with the Holy Spirit who lives insideof you and he will never leave you or forsake you.You may have a very broken and dysfunctional family or come from a very broken and dysfunctionalfamily, but you must remember that the Lord himself has taken you in and he has givenyou brothers and sisters in Christ who love you.You may not like your house very much.You may think it's the worst house on the block, but you must remember that Jesus himselfis preparing a place for you in heaven.You may not receive the biggest inheritance from your family, but as you read earlierin Romans, you are an heir of God and a fellow heir of Jesus Christ.You may feel cursed right now when life is hard and it's just one thing after another,but you must remember that you have been blessed with every spiritual blessing in the heavenlyplaces.Get a grip.You are not lacking in anything.If you choose to get a grip and remember these essential reminders, you will experiencea sense of joy like you've never known before.You will stop trying to build up more and more stuff and accumulate a kingdom for yourself.You will no longer be envious of what other people have because you are content with whatyou have.You will enjoy true unity in the life of the church because you're no longer in competitionwith other believers.Yes, all things are yours in Christ, but all things are also theirs in Christ.You own what they own and they own what you own.God doesn't play favorites with His children.We're all on the same equal footing.In the body of Christ, we all own all things.For most of this message I've been speaking to Christians, those who are Christ.I know there are people in this room who are not Christians, who are not Christ.I want to talk to you for a minute.First of all, I want to let you know that I'm so glad that you're here.It's my greatest desire that God would get a grip on you so that you can get a grip onthe reality of your situation.No matter how much you think you have, you have nothing that lasts.All things are not yours.But I have great news for you.Jesus offers you all of Himself.He offers you all that belongs to Him.And to receive it, you must let go of the garbage of this culture that you're holdingonto so you can grab ahold of His infinite riches.Come to Him empty-handed.Come to Him asking for forgiveness.Come to Him admitting your need for His grace.Why settle for nothing, both now and forever, if you can have all things for the rest ofeternity?The worship team can now make their way forward.You ever since childhood have had to deal with night terrors.I have very vivid dreams where I think things are not true and see things are not there.And this crazy thinking leads to some crazy behavior.I'll yell things out.I'll walk around the room.I'll even jump on the bed.Then all of a sudden, I'm snapped back to reality.I come to my senses.And every single time I feel so foolish.I think to myself, "How could I have thought those things?How could I have done those things?Why did I act that way?How can I stop this from happening in the future?"Maybe the Holy Spirit has done something similar for you this morning.I hope He has snapped you back to reality so you can stop living in that fantasy world.I pray that He has caused you to come to your senses so you will stop believing the liesof the enemy.Brothers and sisters, let me just say this one final time with all the love and care Ihave in my heart for every single one of you.Get a grip.Get a grip.You are not as wise as you think you are.You are not lacking in anything.Until you get a grip, your relationship with God will not be as strong as it could be.Until you get a grip, harvest Bible chapel will not be as strong in unity and purityas it could be.Let's pray.Father, we come to You, and we all admit that we all struggle with believing things arenot true.We all struggle with an inflated opinion of ourselves.Even when we think very little of ourselves, we are still focused on self.We all admit that we so often complain and grumble about what we don't have, and we failto remember all that you have given us in Christ, which is everything.For those who are discouraged this morning, help them to walk out of here encouraged bythe truth of your word.By those who came in here hard-hearted, may they walk out soft-hearted, Lord.For those who came in with their arms crossed not wanting to listen, may they come out worshipingYou and glorifying You for all that You have done for them and all that You continue todo for them.Lord, we thank You for who You are.We thank You for what You've done, what You are doing, and what You will do.We ask all these things in Jesus' name.Amen.
Harvest Bible Chapel Pittsburgh North Sermons - Harvest Bible Chapel Pittsburgh North
Introduction: We're Not Putting on a Show (1 Corinthians 2:1–5) Because the show will replace God's MESSAGE. (1 Cor 2:1–2) John 17:17 – Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth. Because the show will replace God's METHODS. (1 Cor 2:3–4) Because the show will replace God's MISSION. (1 Cor 2:5) Sermon Notes (PDF): BLANKHint: Highlight blanks above for answers! Small Group DiscussionRead 1 Corinthians 2:1-5What was your big take-away from this passage / message?What are some ways you have seen a church make the Gospel into a show / performance?Why does God prefer to work through weak people instead of strong & talented people (1 Cor 2:3-4)?How can you tell if a “good preacher” is a real Spirit-filled preacher, or a talented man just using his own gifts?BreakoutPray for one another. AUDIO TRANSCRIPT Open those Bibles up to the book of 1 Corinthians. We're going to be in chapter 2.Let's just pause for a moment.And I'm going to ask that you would please pray for me to be faithful to communicate God's Word accurately and clearly.I will pray for you to have a heart open to receive what God said in His Word.Alright? Let's pray.Father, there are so many things that compete for our attention and devotion.Give us a hunger for your Word, because it is through your Word that we know you.So I pray, Father, that our appetites would be for nothing but the bread of your Word.Let us dial into what your teaching is here in this passage, Father. We pray in Jesus' name.Amen.Amen.1 Corinthians chapter 2, are you there?I was today years old when I learned what that phrase meant.How many people have heard that? I was today years old. How many have heard that one? How many of you used that?Some of you are like, I don't know what you're talking about. Well, maybe you're not hip like Justin Cady,knowing all the vernacular of the children.But let me give you an example. I was today years old when I learned that on a box of tic-tacs,do you know when you open it up, there's this little oval in here? Do you know what that's for?That is to serve the tic-tac. Did you know that?Have you been just eating your tic-tac straight from the box like a wolf?Did you know that you're supposed to use this thing to...Ta-da!Maybe you can flick it in your mouth.Never mind.I'm going to give you, in all seriousness, the biggest and most shocking thing.The whole phrase I was today years old means there's something I should have known.I'm just finding out this thing that I should have known my whole life and wow, it changes everything.Well, here's the biggest one of all time.Did you know that you have the ability to take power out of the cross of Jesus Christ?Did you know that? You might be leaving here today saying I was today years old when I learned.I can empty the cross of Jesus Christ of its power. Do you realize you have that ability?The Bible says we do have that ability. Look back at chapter 1 verse 17.We covered this a couple of weeks ago, but very briefly because I knew we would be hitting it hard this week.But chapter 1 verse 17, Paul says, "For Christ did not send me to baptize but to preach the gospel,and not with words of eloquent wisdom lest the cross of Christ be emptied of its power."What? I can take power away from the cross of Christ? That's what he said.How can I take power away from the cross? How can I empty the cross of Christ of power?He tells us right here in verse 17 by relying on eloquent wisdom.Look at chapter 2. We're going to look at the first five verses, but I want us to read it all first.I want us to be very clear what the Lord is saying here.Paul says through inspiration of the Holy Spirit, "And when I came to you, brothers,did not come proclaiming to you the testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom.For I decided to know nothing among you except Jesus Christ and Him crucified.And I was with you in weakness and in fear and much trembling, and my speech and my message were notimplausible words of wisdom but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power.That your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men but in the power of God."See a theme there? Over and over and over he's talking about wisdom.And you're like, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on, hang on, timeout Pastor Jeff, hang on."I thought wisdom was a good thing, right?And we've had whole sermon series on wisdom and there's books in the Bible called wisdom literature.I thought wisdom was a good thing. Why are we poo-pooing wisdom here today, Pastor Jeff?Well, wisdom is one of those words that can have different connotations depending on the context.A lot of words like that, right? Like the word aggressive.Is that a good word or a bad word?Well, depends on where we're using it, right? It's great if you're playing hockey.It's bad if you're in a meeting. See?Or how about the word judge? You hear that word judge, is judging good or bad?Well, depends how you use it. We are commanded to judge to discern.But we are forbidden to judge in the sense of criticizing people like we talked about in the sermon on the Mount.So you see, judge is bad or good depending on the context. And it's the same with wisdom.Because the Bible is clear there is God's wisdom and there is man's wisdom.And the obvious point of this passage, all circles around this idea of not man's worldly, earthly wisdom.That's the point. He says it in verse 1. He says it in verse 4. He says it in verse 5.So to sum up this passage, here's what Paul is saying.He's saying, "I didn't come proclaiming man's wisdom. My message was not in man's wisdom and your faith can't be in man's wisdom."You're like, "What's he saying? What's the problem here? Why is he so adamant about this?"Well, you have to understand something about the Greeks.You have to understand something about the people that lived in Corinth.You see, for them, public speaking was entertainment and competition.Now please dial in here, because if you miss this, you're going to be so confused as we go through these verses.Public speaking was entertainment and competition.They would actually compete for money and prizes and fame with public speaking.So for the Greeks, those in Corinth, public speaking was putting on a show.Public speaking was a performance.Remember, they didn't have TV.They weren't sitting down to entertaining themselves by watching the Judge Judy or whatever.They didn't have the internet where they would sit on their phone and death scroll through countless videos about cats.That's not how they were entertained.They were entertained in the Greek culture by two things, really.Sports, we get that, right? But their other form of entertainment was public speech.And public speech, listen, public speech was evaluated on eloquence.We get that, because how many countless TV programs do we have about judging talent?Right? The Americans got talent and American Idol and The Voice, The Mass Singer, what else is there?All these shows where, you know, so you think you can dance, we're constantly evaluating the talent level of people on these programs.Public speaking was that in Corinth.Now, do you see the issue?Paul came to them with a speech, the Gospel.He came to them with a speech and he came to a culture that evaluates a speech based on the performance of the performer.So if you look at this passage again, I'm going to look at it again, just abbreviating it, but you could substitute this phrase where it talks about wisdom.You could substitute putting on a show. That's what he was talking about here.Paul's saying, "When I came to you, brothers, I did not come proclaiming you the testimony of God by putting on a show."And then down in verse 4, "My speech and my message was not about putting on a show."And then in verse 5, "Your faith might not rest in the show, but the power of God."You see? That was the issue for that culture.And you're like, "Phew! Stinks for that culture because I get a... You know what, Pastor Jeff, it would be absolutely horrible.I mean, that would be terrible if people today turned the Gospel into our show.I mean, could you imagine how tacky it would be if people made church a performance?We don't have to stretch our imagination, do we?What do you see when you go to a lot of churches and Bible conferences, right?Fog machines and lights and how about a man pole dancing and swallowing swords?That happened at a men's conference.And oh, every spring I gag as I see churches promoting this summer at such and such church, summer at the movies.Life lessons according to Toy Story 2.I'm like, "Really? You've preached through the whole Bible and you're out of material and now we're turning to Pixar.Really?We made it into a show.Come to our church. We're dropping Easter eggs out of a helicopter.Oh, you know what the worst is. This could be... And this is personal opinion. This is the worst.The pastors that get on stage dressed up like a character.Have you seen this? Have you seen this nonsense?Pastor Taylor sent me a video for the record making fun of it.He sent me a video of a pastor that got on stage and their whole thing was Indiana Jones.And look, I love Indiana Jones, but the pastor was dressed like Indiana Jones.It was so stupid. He had a whip and he's just standing up there.It was so foolish.I have a... Noa guy who's a pastor, local-ish.We're talking about what's happening in church, what's going on in your ministry right now.And he went on and on and on bragging. He bought an evil-can-evil costume and preached as evil-can-evil.I'm like, "Great. Did you have to spend 20 minutes explaining to the people under 60 who evil-can-evil is?"Like, "Really? That's church?"What are we doing?If you sit these people down that are putting on these performances, these pastors,that are putting on these performances, like, "Why are you doing this?Why are you standing on stage waving a silly whip around like Indiana Jones? What are you doing?"They would say, "Well, that's how I get people to church.""Hey, no need to thank me, Jesus. I have a brilliant plan to fill the seats."And just as sad, churchgoers applaud these gimmicks because they get attention, right?That's why we're sharing these videos. They get attention.Oh, but then we get out to do each other, don't we?He dressed like Indiana Jones next week, harvest."You come to church next week. I'm going to be dressed as Darth Vader."[sighs]Your faith is weak.Won't that be awesome?You're like, "No, Pastor Jeff, that would be stupid."And you're right.We're going to top the other guy, and then we're going to top ourselves, right?Okay, so my thing with Darth Vader, people are clapping and giggling for that.So what am I going to do next week that's better than that, right?Just like one of those Lord of the Ring elves or something, and we'll blast fireworks on stage.What are we doing?This is exactly what Paul's talking about here.This is the principle. Lofty speech, human wisdom, plausible words.It's making the gospel into a show in order to win people.Paul says, "I didn't do that when I came to you in the Harvest Bible Chapel.We're not doing that either."And somebody right now is like, "Oh, Pastor Jeff, come on, what's the big deal?"Lighten up.I mean, if it draws people to church,why wouldn't we apply a little worldly wisdom?Listen, we are not putting on a show.We are not putting on a show.That is a hill that I will die on.You're like, "Well, what's the issue?"Well, let's revisit the text here, and we're going to see it's a much bigger issue than you think.We're not putting on a show.Write some things down. Number one, because the show will replace God's message.That's why the show, the show will replace God's message.Look at the first two verses again.Paul says, "And I, when I came to you, brothers, did not come proclaiming to youthe testimony of God with lofty speech or wisdom, for I decided to know nothing among you."Except Jesus Christ and Him crucified."When I came to you, you can revisit this story."Acts chapter 17, Paul was in Athens and he preached and responds, "Not so great."Then Acts chapter 18, he goes to Corinth.He's alone and he's looking around and he's like, "This place is even worse than Athens."And Paul here is saying, "So when I came to you, did I come with the fancy talk?Did I come like your public speakers putting on a show for you?"He's like, "No, no, no, no, the Gospel isn't about that.I didn't come to you like one of your philosophers.I came to you as a witness of Jesus Christ."And I love this.What is it?He says, "For I decided."It wasn't a whim.It wasn't one of those tweak and go things, last minute change.He goes, "No, no, no, no, no.I made the decision ahead of time that I'm not going into Corinth and I'm not going to try to dazzle them into the kingdom."By the way, do you think Paul could have?Do you think he had the ability to dazzle people with the knowledge that he had?Yeah, he could have.He said, "I will not do that."So what was your plan, Paul?He tells us this was my plan, verse 2, "For I decided to know nothing among you."Except what?Say it.Jesus Christ and say it.Him crucified.That's it.That's all I wanted to know.That's it.The only thing I wanted to know.The only thing I wanted to teach.The only thing I wanted to talk about was Jesus Christ and Him crucified.You're like, "Oh, time out question.Isn't there more to the Bible than that?"I mean, isn't there more to the Bible than that?Nope, there's not.Listen, the cross of Jesus Christ is literally everything.Everything.How is it that a person is saved?How is it that a person can have their sins taken away and the promise of being in glory with their God forever?How does that happen?The cross of Jesus Christ.How do we know that God loves us?How do we know that the God who created us has a love and compassion and He really cares for us?How do we know?The cross of Jesus Christ.How do we know that God is holy, that God is a God of justice?How do we know that God always upholds His Word, always does what He says?How do we know that?The cross of Jesus Christ.How does God feel about sin?How does God feel about our rebellion, our thumbing, our noses at Him and our...How does God feel about our sin?Where do we get our answer? Shout it out.That was the weakest shout it out I've ever heard.Come on, you can even hit the Sunday School Answer here.How do we know how God feels about sin?Where do we look? Tell me.The cross!That tells us.You know, I was really hitting this this week, hard thinking,is there anything that's not finding its foundation in the cross?I couldn't think of anything.And somebody's like, well, how about money?How about money, Pastor Jeff?Does the cross speak to money?Yeah, it does.Why do we give?Because God is a God who expresses His love through giving.And the cross of Jesus Christ tells us why we should be generous givers.Read 2 Corinthians chapter 8.He talks all about that there.So yes, the cross is a foundation even for giving.Oh, okay, okay, Pastor Jeff.Very slick.What about marriage and sexuality?I bet the cross doesn't talk about that.Oh, you got me. No, you didn't.Who did Jesus die for?His bride.Jesus died so that He could have a bride that was spallus.And heaven is described as the marriage supper of the Lamb.And husbands are to conduct themselves in a home in the pattern of Christbecause the purpose of a marriage is to put on a graphic displayof the relationship Jesus has with the church.Husbands represent the self-sacrificing love of Jesus Christ to their wives.Do you see how the cross speaks to marriage?We could do this all day.Fight me.Fight me.Show me something.Show me something that the cross of Jesus Christ doesn't cover.Doesn't explain.Paul says, "I wanted to know nothing.I decided I'm not going to know anything except Christ and Him crucified."Then I'm going to tell you, church,it is absolutely baffling to me when I see all these goofy gimmicks that people are doing in churches.It's absolutely baffling to me when we're dressed up like Indiana Jonesor Evil Can Evil or Super Mario or whatever.It's absolutely baffling to me.I'm like, do you realize the message that we have in the Word of God?Do you know what this message is?The message is God spoke everything into existence.He created us in His image.We rebelled against Him so God in His love came to this earth as a manand demonstrated supernatural abilities proving who He was.And then in the ultimate act of love, He sacrificed Himself on the crossso that we could be forgiven and then they put Him in a tomb and He rose from the dead.And that's not it.Then He flies to heaven and He's making a place because He's going to come backand He's going to take us so that we can be there with Him forever in a place that's so glorious.And like, is there anything better than that?There's the greatest message in the world.And somehow we think it needs bling.We think we need some kind of a gimmick to make Jesus exciting.What are you talking about?That's Paul's point here.It's the greatest message and it always will be in any attempt to put on a show.It's not going to enhance the gospel. It's going to replace the gospel.You know what I mean by that?Take our good friend Indiana Jones.I hope you weren't in that service.But if you were, could you imagine what people were talking aboutwhen they walked out of church that day?Do you think they walked out of church going, you know,after watching the pastor get around and waving his silly little whip around?Do you think people walked out of church going, Jesus Christ is so awesome?Do you think they walked out of church going, oh how wonderful the salvation of Godthat He would so love us?I'll tell you what people said walking out of that church.People walked out going, man I got to find my temple of doom VHS.We've replaced the message of how to be safe from hell with nonsense to entertain people.Well, at harvest Bible Chapel, Bible is our middle name.We are committed to pillar number one, proclaiming the authority of God's word without apology.Why are we so committed to nothing but expository preaching, representing the word?Why are we so committed to that?Like why are you so hard-nosed about that?I'll give you three reasons why.Number one, because it's commanded.God said this is what we were to talk about.So that's what we're going to talk about.It's commanded.Second reason that we're so committed to the word of God is it's literally the only thing that's effective.God said He is watching over His word to perform in Jeremiah 1.God says Isaiah 55, that His word always accomplishes the purposes for which He sends it out.It's effective.Nothing else will change a person.But the Spirit of God working through the word of God.That's it. That's the only way change happens.There's another reason that we're so committed to the word of God is because it's unifying.In John 17, Jesus was praying for us, and Jesus said, "Sanctify them in the truth."Sanctify means set apart.Jesus said, "Regarding His people, regarding us, we are to be set apart in the truth."Like where do we find that?Right there, Jesus said it.As He was praying to His Father, He says, "Your word is truth."So Jesus said, "The thing that must unify us, church, isn't some gimmick or a favorite form of entertainment.The thing that must unify us is the word of God. Get under the word."That's why we're committed to that.And you know what? I got to tell you this personally.This is so freeing for me.This is so freeing.I don't have to wonder what to say to you.See, we don't get in our offices through the week and we're like,"Oh, Pastor Taylor, what do you think we should say this week?Let's come up with some really great thing that's going to really fire people up."We don't have to do that.We just have to share the word of God.It's so freeing. I don't have to think, "How do I top last week's show?"I mean, people were really entertained last week.How do I top that?It's freeing for you, too.It's freeing for you.We talk about witnessing.One of the main obstacles people have about witnessing,I hear this all the time, Pastor Taylor,you've heard it a billion times as well, give or take.But you know what people say about witnessing?They say, "I don't know what to say."I would share my faith, but I'll be honest with you.I don't really know what to say. Yes, you do.You know exactly what to say.What do I say?Try this. Try Paul's technique.Nothing but the cross. How about that?Nothing but the cross. Share that.Do you know about the cross? Share that.You know, when people come to you and they're like,"Well, you know what does the Bible say about politics?"And like, Republicans and Democrats, you're like,"Well, do you know that Jesus Christ died for your sins?Did you know that?"And then they're like, "Well, what does the Bible say about AI?"I mean, AI is kind of scary.What does the Bible say about that?And your response is,"Do you know that God loved you so muchthat He sent His Son to die on the cross for you?That's how much God loves you."And they're like, "Well, does the Bible say anythingabout in vitro fertilization?"And she's like, "No, no, no. All I know is that Jesus died for you."That's all we need to know.We're not putting on a show because the showwill replace God's message of the cross of Christ.Number two, write this one down.We're not putting on a show because the show will replace God's methods.The show will replace God's methods.Look at verses 3 and 4 again.He says, "And I was with you in weakness and in fearand much trembling.And my speech and my message were notin plausible words of wisdom,but in demonstration of the Spirit and of power."Paul reminds them, he didn't come to themlike a boxer going to the ring.Like, "I fired up."Yeah!You see, there's really goofy, like,WWE professional wrestlers.Do you ever see these guys that come to the ring with the fireworks?Yeah!Yeah, and Paul's like, "That's not how I came to you.Like some goofy entertainer."He says, "I came to you. Use the three words, 'weakness,' fear, and trembling."What do you mean?What do you mean by that?Well, you look at how it's used biblically.Trembling is talking about mental anxietyover an important issue.That's when you feel something heavy in your heart and mind.You feel something so heavy that it's like weighing on you.And here's what I mean.Have you ever had the unfortunate business of having to give somebody newsyou didn't want to give them?Unfortunately, in my role, I've had to do that too many times.And it's so heavy on you.You're driving to the person's house because you have to tell them face to facethat there's been a terrible accident and things don't look good,that heaviness that you have while you're heading there.And delivering the message, just...That's what he's talking about.Or the heaviness, like if you have to confront somebody about their sin.Like, it's been brought to my attention that so-and-so is involved in a relationshipthat shouldn't be involved in.Now I gotta go talk to them about that.You see, you don't walk into that like a WWE wrestler, do you?Like, "Hey, guess what? I got news for you.There's been a terrible tragedy!"Like, what's the matter with you?No, that's the heaviness of having to deliver a serious message.That's what he's talking about here.Paul says, "This was my posture when I was with you.Not exactly the celebrity showman that the Corinthians would have preferred."Paul is saying, "I came in weakness because I didn't want to put on a showbecause I didn't want to get in God's way."Why, Paul? Why?Because the show will replace God's methods.You're like, "Well, what is God's method for reaching lost people?What is God's method?"It's the foolishness of preaching from a weak preacher.That's God's method.Did you ever say something like magnanimous, you have this really idealistic convictionand then the word of God kind of changes your mind on that?What I mean is, in past time I've said things like,"Well, you know what? The messenger is insignificant. The message is everything."After my study this week, I'm not so convinced of that anymore.Yeah, look, we established already that the message cannot be replaced.We already talked about that.But you cannot separate gospel content and gospel communication.Because according to this, in 117 that we already talked about at the beginning,you can suppress the power of the gospel message if attention is taken away from thatand put on the speaker.And you're like, "Whoa, whoa, whoa, hang on. Hang on a second, Pastor Jeff.Are you telling me that popular people can't be faithful preachers?"Sure they can.So long as the spotlight isn't on them, you see.You're like, "Well, where's the line? Where's the line?"It's a hard issue. I'm not sure that we can see the line, but I know that God can.And I know that there is a difference between preaching Christ and showing off.And please hear me. You don't need to dress up as Indiana Jones to show off in church.You can dress like Pastor Taylor.You know, you really hurt his feelings by laughing just there.There is nothing wrong with how you're dressed.I'm sorry, Pastor Taylor.Do you know what this thing is for in a tic-tac box?You put the tic-tac in there.Moving right along.You don't need to dress up as Indiana Jones to show off.You can dress like Pastor Taylor, but unlike Pastor Taylor, you can try to make yourself the star.Unlike Pastor Taylor, you can put all the attention on yourself.You know, the message of the cross, you know what the message of the cross is?The message of the cross is about the humiliation of God.And preaching and witnessing require the humiliation of man.If you're sitting here today and you're like, "Well, I'm not really anything special.I'm just a sinner saved by grace."Well, if that's your attitude, then that's exactly why God wants to speak through you.Because you've found nothing to boast of in yourself.And instead, all you can do is exalt Jesus Christ.The power is in the gospel, which is why it must be preached by someonewho isn't going to drown out the gospel message with the sound of tuning their own horn.So we're not putting on a show because the show will replace God's method of preaching through weak men.One more.We're not putting on a show, number three, because the show will replace God's mission.Look at verse 5.He says that your faith might not rest in the wisdom of men, but in the power of God.See here Paul's landing. This is the end game.The results.Here's the bottom line.If you're dazzled by men, your faith is going to be in men.But if you are dazzled over the power of God, if your experience is with the power of God,then your faith is going to be in God.What you win people with is what you win them to.See we're not putting on a show, why?Because if we win people with the show, with entertainment, we've won them to entertainment.And guess why people are going to come to harvest?Because they want entertained.But if we win people with Jesus, we've won them to Jesus.And people are going to come to harvest because they want to know Jesus.Putting on a show replaces God's mission.Instead of making disciples of Jesus, I'm making disciples of me.There's a very pragmatic problem with that too.If the church is replacing God's mission for the show, it leaves the converts vulnerable.Why? Because there's always a more impressive performance.There's always a more charismatic personality out there.There's always a better show somewhere else.And that's why, listen, that's why people bounce around churches.People bounce around churches looking for something more entertaining.They're not going to use the word entertaining.They want something that is going to be more appealing to them.We hear it all the time."Oh Pastor Jeff, we love harvest.We love the people here and we love you.But such and such church has a better playground.We've got little kids and they need better facilities like that with playground and stuff.I had one family.I said, "Oh Pastor Jeff, we love harvest."But he said, "My kid, he had a 12 year old kid.He said, "My kid loves the concert atmosphere at such and such church, so we're going there."I'm like, "First of all, Dad,I seriously doubt the wisdom of leaving the decision of the spiritual direction of the familyin the lap of the most immature member of the family.That's a problem.But is that how we're picking churches who has the best concert?You see, if the faith of the responders is produced by the preacher's show,what if the preacher leaves?What happens when that preacher retires?What are we going to do now?Worse, what if the preacher fails?See, you replace the mission for the showand Paul says you're missing out on God's power.God's power, you're like, "Well, what is the power?What is the power?"You're like, "Oh, I know this one.I know what the power is because I've seen this on TV."Who's that guy that's...He slaps people and heals them?What's his name? Benny Hill?Hen, Benny Hinn.Benny Hill's different.I've seen that show.He slaps the people and they're down.And then he waves at a group of people and they all fall down.That's the power of God, right?Well, back in chapter 1 verse 18 of Pastor Taylor preached on last week,we learned what the power of God is.You know what the power of God is?The gospel.The gospel. Romans 1.16, the gospel is the power of God.You're like, "Well, do we see the power of God at Harvest Bible Chapel?"Yeah.Every time that we have a baptism serviceand you have somebody stepping in to the tubgoing, "I turn from my sin and I receive Jesus Christ, I am born again."You're witnessing the power of God.Every time somebody chooses forgiveness,"I was wronged, I was offended, I want to forgive, I want the relationship restored."Every time that happens, you're seeing the power of God.Every time somebody uses spiritual gifts to minister to others in the church,you're seeing the power of God.You see, the power of God is a changed life.You're the power of the Holy Spirit.That only comes from Jesus.In church, we are doing a major disservice to peopleto replace people experiencing His power with people enjoying my performance.I have no power at all.I can't save anyone.I can't change anyone.Only Jesus Christ can do that through His Spirit.So we're not putting on a showbecause the show will replace God's mission of making disciples of Jesus.The Harvest Bible Chapel, there's no tricks for results herebecause the Gospel just simply points to the bloodied Jesus Christ on the crossand says, "There, right there on the cross is your salvation.There on the cross is your example.There on the cross is your victory.There on the cross is your power."So this is a call for discernment.Look, are you new here?You're a first-time visitor here today?Have you been bouncing around visiting churches?And this is just one of many that you've been checking out.Or maybe you're somebody who's been attending for a while.Maybe you're even a member who's been thinking about moving on.I just want to ask you a couple of questions in light of what God says here.What are you looking for in a church?Wait, wait, maybe that's not the right question.Maybe the better question is what should you be looking for in a church?More fireworks?More pizazz?Or is Jesus what you really want?Are you saying, you know, I want to know the Gospel.I want nothing more than to experience the power of God in my life.Well, wherever you choose to worship,I would encourage you to make your decision based on the right factors.I have no say over what other churches do.I have some say here in a harvest Bible chapel.We're not putting on a show.We buy our heads as the worship team makes their way back up.Father in heaven, we bow before you as people who live in a culturebombarded by entertainment.Bombarded by churches trying to win people through goofy stuff.Father, your word is so clear on that in this passage.That your Gospel doesn't need help.It's just He's proclaimed.Father, I'm sorry for all the times that I thought it was about me.I'm sorry God for all the times that I was trying to factor in some element of creativityor something to really wow people and your Gospel doesn't need that.My efforts will just replace the pure, simple, clear message of the crucified Christ.Father, I pray for all of us that we would have the discernment that only comes from your spirit.That as we are evaluating where we are worshiping and how we are worshiping,we're evaluating the methods that you've laid out in your Word.We're evaluating the mission that you've laid out in your Word.We're evaluating the message that you've given us, Father.Give us discernment.We pray in Jesus' name, amen.
A message from Mark Wittman
A message from Stephen Caldwell on Matthew 6
Episode 4 of the series "The Road to the Ctross"Message from lakeside Bible Chapel worship March 30, 2025
JESUS TRANSFORMS LIVES The Bible Chapel exists to develop followers of Jesus Christ in the South Hills of Pittsburgh, the greater Pittsburgh area, and throughout the world. “develop” - “bring into existence” - unbeliever - salvation To be a follower of Jesus, one must first trust in Jesus as their Lord and Savior.Matthew 16:24-27, Matthew 4:18-22, Matthew 9:9, Matthew 16:15-16, Ephesians 2:8-9, John 3:16 “develop” - “take a step further along” - believer - sanctification An all-in follower of Jesus daily dies to self and lives for Christ.Matthew 16:24-27, Luke 9:23, Galatians 2:20, Matthew 5:11-12, 2 Corinthians 5:10 MEMORIZE Luke 9:23 - And he said to all, “If anyone would come after me, let him deny himself and take up his cross daily and follow me.Galatians 2:20 - I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.--------DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOOREGet Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo.CAREGIVINGDo you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org.GROWTH TRACKWe all have a next step - what's yours? To learn more about our Growth Track and to take your next step, biblechapel.org/connect.
In this message from October 8, 2024 at Fellowship Bible Chapel in Sunbury, OH, Dr. Hixson provides an overview of the spirit of the Antichrist that is intensifying the closer we get to the rapture. https://www.notbyworks.org/ https://nbwministries.myshopify.com/ Spirit of the Antichrist Volume One Audiobook https://linktr.ee/nbwministries https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCCMIahDSgmwkm9PRf9KIWsw https://rumble.com/c/notbyworks https://notbyworks.podbean.com/ http://www.notbyworks.org/Spirit-Of-The-False-Prophet https://www.notbyworks.org/Spirit-Of-The-Antichrist-Volume-One https://www.notbyworks.org/Spirit-Of-The-Antichrist-Volume-two
Not of this World Identity - Pastor Chris Stuffleben -September 15th 2024 Scriptures Is This A Woke Church? Who You Are Colossians 3:1-17, Romans 6:3-4,8-11, 2 Corinthians 5:17 1. Keep seeking the things above... 2. Set your mind... 3. Consider the members... 4. Put them all aside 5. Do not lie 6. Put on the new self Three Momentous Shifts in Western Worldviews chart Classic Marxism chart Marxism 2.0 (Cultural Marxism or social Justice) chart Colossians 3:10-11 Identity Crisis 2 Corinthians 5:14-17, Colossians 3:12-15, There is no victim here! There is no reparations! My identity is not Democrat or Republican. My identiy is Christ! Application Point - Embrace Your Identity! Turning irreligious people into passionate followers of Jesus Christ The mission of Bible Chapel is in the power of the Holy Spirit to make passionate followers of Jesus Christ of the people of Auburn, WA and beyond. auburnbiblechapel.org
A new MP3 sermon from Bible Chapel of Delhi Hills is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Sovereignty of Christ in Creation Subtitle: Systematic Theology Speaker: Ray Sauer Broadcaster: Bible Chapel of Delhi Hills Event: Sunday School Date: 7/14/2024 Length: 35 min.
A new MP3 sermon from Bible Chapel of Delhi Hills is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Sovereignty of Christ in Creation Part 2 Subtitle: Systematic Theology Speaker: Ray Sauer Broadcaster: Bible Chapel of Delhi Hills Event: Sunday Service Date: 7/21/2024 Length: 42 min.
A new MP3 sermon from Bible Chapel of Delhi Hills is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Sovereignty of Christ in Creation Part 2 Subtitle: Systematic Theology Speaker: Ray Sauer Broadcaster: Bible Chapel of Delhi Hills Event: Sunday Service Date: 7/21/2024 Length: 42 min.
A new MP3 sermon from Bible Chapel of Delhi Hills is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Sovereignty of Christ in Creation Subtitle: Systematic Theology Speaker: Ray Sauer Broadcaster: Bible Chapel of Delhi Hills Event: Sunday School Date: 7/14/2024 Length: 35 min.
A new MP3 sermon from Bible Chapel of Delhi Hills is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Sovereignty of Christ in Creation Part 2 Subtitle: Systematic Theology Speaker: Ray Sauer Broadcaster: Bible Chapel of Delhi Hills Event: Sunday Service Date: 7/21/2024 Length: 42 min.
A new MP3 sermon from Bible Chapel of Delhi Hills is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Sovereignty of Christ in Creation Subtitle: Systematic Theology Speaker: Ray Sauer Broadcaster: Bible Chapel of Delhi Hills Event: Sunday School Date: 7/14/2024 Length: 35 min.
The Church - The Work Of The Church Part 2 - Pastor Chris Stuffleben - July 21st 2024 Scriptures Pre-existence, Plan, and Provision John 6:32-33, John 6:35, John 6:40, John 6:54, Matthew 14:33, John 6:26-27, Matthew 3:17, Acts 2:22, John 6:28-29, John 6:30-31, John 6:38-39, Matthew 12:38-39, John 6:32-33, Exodus 16:4, John 6:34-36, John 6:37-40, John 6:41-42, John 6:43-46, John 6:47-51, John 6:52-58, John 6:59-66, John 6:67-71, John 6:26-71, Matthew 11:20-24, Application Point - Share Your Faith! Turning irreligious people into passionate followers of Jesus Christ The mission of Bible Chapel is in the power of the Holy Spirit to make passionate followers of Jesus Christ of the people of Auburn, WA and beyond. auburnbiblechapel.org All music content licensed through CCLI and music video with consent from producer. https://us.ccli.com/ https://www.worshiplyricvideos.com/
The Bible Chapel's calling is not to create unity, it's to maintain and guard our God-given unity.Ephesians 4:1-3, Philippians 1:27 We maintain and guard our unity by daily humbling ourselves before God and one another.Ephesians 4:2, Philippians 2:8, Philippians 2:3-5 We maintain and guard our unity by addressing one another always with gentleness and respect.Ephesians 4:2, 2 Corinthians 10:1, 2 Timothy 2:24-25, Galatians 6:1 We maintain and guard our unity by giving one another the same patient and enduring love that Christ gives us.Ephesians 4:2, Colossians 3:12-13, Ephesians 4:30--------DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOOREGet Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo.CAREGIVINGDo you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org.GROWTH TRACKWe all have a next step - what's yours? To learn more about our Growth Track and to take your next step, biblechapel.org/connect.
This time at Calvary – Bill VanDyke reviews the prophecies contained in Daniel 7. If you enjoyed this sermon like, comment, share, and subscribe! — Stay Connected: Website: https://www.calvarybiblechapel.us Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalvaryBibleChael YouTube: @CalvaryBibleChael Find the audio version of our message on Apple Podcast, Spotify, & more. Additional details on […]
A new MP3 sermon from Bible Chapel of Delhi Hills is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Creation - Part 2 Subtitle: Systematic Theology Speaker: Ty Sauer Broadcaster: Bible Chapel of Delhi Hills Event: Sunday School Date: 6/23/2024 Length: 36 min.
A new MP3 sermon from Bible Chapel of Delhi Hills is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Creation - Part 2 Subtitle: Systematic Theology Speaker: Ty Sauer Broadcaster: Bible Chapel of Delhi Hills Event: Sunday School Date: 6/23/2024 Length: 36 min.
This time at Calvary – JC Schroeder teaches his sermon examining pride in our lives by looking at King Uzziah. If you enjoyed this sermon like, comment, share, and subscribe! — Stay Connected: Website: https://www.calvarybiblechapel.us Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalvaryBibleChael YouTube: @CalvaryBibleChael Find the audio version of our message on Apple Podcast, Spotify, […]
Right in the middle of the book of Revelation, the author writes that it is over. God wins, and Satan loses, and the wicked are judged. How does this come about? Why does this fall in the middle of the book? I offer some interpretive thoughts.
A new MP3 sermon from Bible Chapel of Delhi Hills is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Creation - Part1 Subtitle: Systematic Theology Speaker: Ty Sauer Broadcaster: Bible Chapel of Delhi Hills Event: Sunday School Date: 6/16/2024 Length: 35 min.
A new MP3 sermon from Bible Chapel of Delhi Hills is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Creation - Part1 Subtitle: Systematic Theology Speaker: Ty Sauer Broadcaster: Bible Chapel of Delhi Hills Event: Sunday School Date: 6/16/2024 Length: 35 min.
A new MP3 sermon from Bible Chapel of Delhi Hills is now available on SermonAudio with the following details: Title: Galatians 3 - Justification is Not From the Law Subtitle: Galatians Speaker: Kevin Landis Broadcaster: Bible Chapel of Delhi Hills Event: Sunday - PM Date: 6/16/2024 Bible: Galatians 3:15 Length: 28 min.
We want to celebrate what God has done at TBC over the past 60 years and look forward to what God will do in the next 60 years of our church…and we'll do it through the lens of the two verses that have driven the vision and direction of our church for 60 years. These verses drive our mission statement: The Bible Chapel exists to develop followers of Jesus Christ in the South Hills of Pittsburgh, in the Greater Pittsburgh area, and throughout the World. John 17:17Sanctify them in the truth; your word is truth.Acts 1:8 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._______DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOOREGet Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo.CAREGIVINGDo you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org.GROWTH TRACKWe all have a next step - what's yours? To learn more about our Growth Track and to take your next step, biblechapel.org/connect.
Go to HoriconBaptist.com for more sermons and more information on our church.
We're diving deeper into the Church's primary mission of making disciples with Pastor Gary Campbell, senior pastor of Groton Bible Chapel in Groton, Connecticut.Pastor Gary recently tried a new discipleship method in his Church using “Bury Your Ordinary,” a resource from Pastor Justin Kendrick, and shares it's impact, along with how it's brought him back to the simple answer of how to make disciples - follow the spiritual practices, and let God transform us through them.
Sin – any thought, word, or deed that violates God's perfect law and moral standard. Two categories of sin are: Sins of Commission – The things we know are wrong but do anyway.Sins of Omission – The right things we know we should do but fail to do them.--------DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOOREGet Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo.LIVING GROUNDEDLearn more about how you can grow deeper and embrace the foundational truths of the Christian faith with Living Grounded. Whether you're just starting out in faith or you've been a Christian for years, Living Grounded offers truth, wisdom, and encouragement for every stage. Contact livinggrounded@biblechapel.org to get connected.CAREGIVINGDo you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org.CAMPUS FACEBOOK GROUPSYou're invited to connect with The Bible Chapel family in your campus Facebook Group. Look for Facebook Groups at facebook.com/biblechapel and click on Groups on the left side.FIND AN ENCOURAGER TODAY! JOIN A SMALL GROUPCommunity Groups are our easiest on-ramp to community at The Bible Chapel; these groups use sermon-based questions to dive deeper into weekly messages. Visit biblechapel.org/smallgroups to learn more and sign up!
Scripture is clear, there is one human race created in the image of God.Genesis 1:26-27, Acts 17:24-27 God's eternal plan for redemption and reconciliation of the nations has always been Jesus Christ.Genesis 12:1-3, Acts 2:1-6, Galatians 3:7-9 The root of racism is sin, therefore, the only lasting solution to racism is sin's solution, His name is Jesus Christ.Matthew 12:48-50, Galatians 3:26-29, Ephesians 2:14-16 The Gospel calls believers to cross ethnic lines in pursuit of building a unified Church under Jesus Christ.John 4, Acts 1:8, Acts 8, Acts 13:1-3 Heaven will be composed of believers from every tribe, language, people, and nation.Revelation 5:8-10, 7:9-10--------DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOOREGet Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo.LIVING GROUNDEDLearn more about how you can grow deeper and embrace the foundational truths of the Christian faith with Living Grounded. Whether you're just starting out in faith or you've been a Christian for years, Living Grounded offers truth, wisdom, and encouragement for every stage. Contact livinggrounded@biblechapel.org to get connected.CAREGIVINGDo you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org.CAMPUS FACEBOOK GROUPSYou're invited to connect with The Bible Chapel family in your campus Facebook Group. Look for Facebook Groups at facebook.com/biblechapel and click on Groups on the left side.FIND AN ENCOURAGER TODAY! JOIN A SMALL GROUPCommunity Groups are our easiest on-ramp to community at The Bible Chapel; these groups use sermon-based questions to dive deeper into weekly messages. Visit biblechapel.org/smallgroups to learn more and sign up!
This time at Calvary – Chris Schroeder teaches his sermon examining our priorities. If you enjoyed this sermon like, comment, share, and subscribe! — Stay Connected: Website: https://www.calvarybiblechapel.us Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/CalvaryBibleChael YouTube: @CalvaryBibleChael Find the audio version of our message on Apple Podcast, Spotify, & more. Additional details on our website. […]
At the Great White Throne, Christ will condemn the unbeliever to their second death, body, and soul in hell for eternity.John 5:22, 2 Timothy 4:1, Revelation 20:11-15, Matthew 10:28, Matthew 25:46 At the Bema Seat of Christ, the believer will give a full account of their life before God and be rewarded accordingly.2 Corinthians 5:9-10, Romans 14:10-12, Revelation 19:8The Cross of Christ and Bema Seat of Christ should motivate believers every day to please God.2 Corinthians 5:9,14-15, Romans 15:20--------DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOOREGet Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo.LIVING GROUNDEDLearn more about how you can grow deeper and embrace the foundational truths of the Christian faith with Living Grounded. Whether you're just starting out in faith or you've been a Christian for years, Living Grounded offers truth, wisdom, and encouragement for every stage. Contact livinggrounded@biblechapel.org to get connected.CAREGIVINGDo you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org.CAMPUS FACEBOOK GROUPSYou're invited to connect with The Bible Chapel family in your campus Facebook Group. Look for Facebook Groups at facebook.com/biblechapel and click on Groups on the left side.FIND AN ENCOURAGER TODAY! JOIN A SMALL GROUPCommunity Groups are our easiest on-ramp to community at The Bible Chapel; these groups use sermon-based questions to dive deeper into weekly messages. Visit biblechapel.org/smallgroups to learn more and sign up!
This time at Calvary – Larry Lubinski teaches his sermon titled “Our Pride & the god of A.I.”. Larry leads the YouTube channel @plantedingod . Connect with him there or on his website www.PlantedInGod.com. If you enjoyed this sermon like, comment, share, and subscribe! — Stay Connected: Website: https://www.calvarybiblechapel.us Facebook: […]
Family Fear of God Action Plan DAILY: Pray with your kids (morning/evening/meals); Personal devotions (parent and child) WEEKLY: Family devotions and Church Engagement MONTHLY: Serve the Church--------DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOOREGet Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo.LIVING GROUNDEDLearn more about how you can grow deeper and embrace the foundational truths of the Christian faith with Living Grounded. Whether you're just starting out in faith or you've been a Christian for years, Living Grounded offers truth, wisdom, and encouragement for every stage. Contact livinggrounded@biblechapel.org to get connected.CAREGIVINGDo you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org.CAMPUS FACEBOOK GROUPSYou're invited to connect with The Bible Chapel family in your campus Facebook Group. Look for Facebook Groups at facebook.com/biblechapel and click on Groups on the left side.FIND AN ENCOURAGER TODAY! JOIN A SMALL GROUPCommunity Groups are our easiest on-ramp to community at The Bible Chapel; these groups use sermon-based questions to dive deeper into weekly messages. Visit biblechapel.org/smallgroups to learn more and sign up!
Welcome to the Backyard Conversation Summer series. We are considering the subjects you wanted to be addressed from a biblical perspective. Today, we will consider Marriage and Divorce. This will be emotional for many. You have lived through or are living through the pain of unwanted divorce. Some of you are in very challenging marriages. Our commitment is to always speak the truth in love.Although there are many passages we can use to address marriage and divorce, our primary passage today will be Matthew 19:1-12 where Jesus addressed the topic.--------DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOOREGet Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo.LIVING GROUNDEDLearn more about how you can grow deeper and embrace the foundational truths of the Christian faith with Living Grounded. Whether you're just starting out in faith or you've been a Christian for years, Living Grounded offers truth, wisdom, and encouragement for every stage. Contact livinggrounded@biblechapel.org to get connected.CAREGIVINGDo you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org.CAMPUS FACEBOOK GROUPSYou're invited to connect with The Bible Chapel family in your campus Facebook Group. Look for Facebook Groups at facebook.com/biblechapel and click on Groups on the left side.FIND AN ENCOURAGER TODAY! JOIN A SMALL GROUPCommunity Groups are our easiest on-ramp to community at The Bible Chapel; these groups use sermon-based questions to dive deeper into weekly messages. Visit biblechapel.org/smallgroups to learn more and sign up!
The LGBTQ+ discussion must be addressed from Scripture with truth, love, gentleness, and respect. Jesus demonstrated great compassion to the woman at the well who had had five husbands and was living with a man at the time. He offered her “living water” (John 4:1-45). He healed a Roman Centurion's servant (Matt. 8:5-13). Roman soldiers were known for their cruelty, oppression, abuse, and debauchery. Was this man different? A tax collector, in Jesus' day, was a despised Jewish man who had sided with the Roman government for the purpose of oppressing fellow Jews and living in luxury. Jesus called Matthew, a tax collector, to be one of his disciples (Matt. 9:9-13) and called another chief tax collector down from a tree and had dinner with him and his friends (Luke 19:1-10).Jesus demonstrated perfect compassion and never backed down on the truth. That is also our calling (Eph. 4:15, 1 Pet. 3:15).So, what is the truth about the practice of a same-sex lifestyle? Last time, we considered Genesis 1:27-28, 2:18, and 2:24. In this message, we will continue to consider passages from the Old and New Testament. Remember—truth in love.--------DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOOREGet Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo.LIVING GROUNDEDLearn more about how you can grow deeper and embrace the foundational truths of the Christian faith with Living Grounded. Whether you're just starting out in faith or you've been a Christian for years, Living Grounded offers truth, wisdom, and encouragement for every stage. Contact livinggrounded@biblechapel.org to get connected.CAREGIVINGDo you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org.CAMPUS FACEBOOK GROUPSYou're invited to connect with The Bible Chapel family in your campus Facebook Group. Look for Facebook Groups at facebook.com/biblechapel and click on Groups on the left side.FIND AN ENCOURAGER TODAY! JOIN A SMALL GROUPCommunity Groups are our easiest on-ramp to community at The Bible Chapel; these groups use sermon-based questions to dive deeper into weekly messages. Visit biblechapel.org/smallgroups to learn more and sign up!
Is a same-sex couple in a loving monogamous relationship in line with God's ideal and design? What does Jesus say about a same-sex relationship? Should I attend a same-sex marriage? How do I respond if my child comes out as gay? How does a Christian respond to the LGTBQ+ community? These are real questions that Christians are working through. As always, we must align our thinking, feelings, and actions with the authority of God's Word.This is the first part of a two-part series. In Part 1, we will build a framework for a Christian response and begin to survey Scripture regarding the issue of a same-sex relationship. In Part 2, we will continue to consider Scriptures in the Old and New Testaments that speak directly to the same-sex issue.One thing before we start - this series is not simply a “one-off” in response to the Backyard Conversations series. In several sermon series, we have addressed sexuality and same-sex issues. Our commitment to preach through books of the Bible leads us often to sexual issues.--------DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOOREGet Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo.LIVING GROUNDEDLearn more about how you can grow deeper and embrace the foundational truths of the Christian faith with Living Grounded. Whether you're just starting out in faith or you've been a Christian for years, Living Grounded offers truth, wisdom, and encouragement for every stage. Contact livinggrounded@biblechapel.org to get connected.CAREGIVINGDo you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org.CAMPUS FACEBOOK GROUPSYou're invited to connect with The Bible Chapel family in your campus Facebook Group. Look for Facebook Groups at facebook.com/biblechapel and click on Groups on the left side.FIND AN ENCOURAGER TODAY! JOIN A SMALL GROUPCommunity Groups are our easiest on-ramp to community at The Bible Chapel; these groups use sermon-based questions to dive deeper into weekly messages. Visit biblechapel.org/smallgroups to learn more and sign up!
The Gospel of Mark is a fast-paced, hard-hitting story of Jesus focusing more on what he did than what he said. This should not be surprising because Mark's Gospel is based on Peter's sermons and account of what took place. As we wrap up our study, let's focus on three things Mark teaches us about Jesus.--------DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOOREGet Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo.LIVING GROUNDEDLearn more about how you can grow deeper and embrace the foundational truths of the Christian faith with Living Grounded. Whether you're just starting out in faith or you've been a Christian for years, Living Grounded offers truth, wisdom, and encouragement for every stage. Contact gdevore@biblechapel.org to get connected.CAREGIVINGDo you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org.CAMPUS FACEBOOK GROUPSYou're invited to connect with The Bible Chapel family in your campus Facebook Group. Look for Facebook Groups at facebook.com/biblechapel and click on Groups on the left side.FIND AN ENCOURAGER TODAY! JOIN A SMALL GROUPCommunity Groups are our easiest on-ramp to community at The Bible Chapel; these groups use sermon-based questions to dive deeper into weekly messages. Visit biblechapel.org/smallgroups to learn more and sign up!
Eternal life transformation in Jesus Christ(KANT) Knowledge of JesusAgreement with JesusNeed of JesusTrust in Jesus Unbeliever – The greatest commandment points to your greatest need, to trust in Jesus Christ alone for salvation.John 6:47, Romans 10:9 Believer – The greatest commandment points to our constant great need and responsibility to pursue Jesus.1 Timothy 3:16, 1 Timothy 4:6-10 GODLINESS - εὐσέβειαν (n) – state of proper beliefs/devotion and obedience to God TRAIN – γύμναζε (v) – gymnazo (lemma) – to develop a person's behavior by instruction and practice--------DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOOREGet Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo.LIVING GROUNDEDLearn more about how you can grow deeper and embrace the foundational truths of the Christian faith with Living Grounded. Whether you're just starting out in faith or you've been a Christian for years, Living Grounded offers truth, wisdom, and encouragement for every stage. Contact gdevore@biblechapel.org to get connected.CAREGIVINGDo you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org.CAMPUS FACEBOOK GROUPSYou're invited to connect with The Bible Chapel family in your campus Facebook Group. Look for Facebook Groups at facebook.com/biblechapel and click on Groups on the left side.FIND AN ENCOURAGER TODAY! JOIN A SMALL GROUPCommunity Groups are our easiest on-ramp to community at The Bible Chapel; these groups use sermon-based questions to dive deeper into weekly messages. Visit biblechapel.org/smallgroups to learn more and sign up!
As believers, we have dual citizenship. We are citizens of the United States, and we are citizens of the Kingdom of God.But our citizenship is in heaven, and from it we await a Savior, the Lord Jesus Christ, who will transform our lowly body to be like his glorious body, by the power that enables him even to subject all things to himself.-Philippians 3:20So, how do we deal with this dual citizenship? Citizens of a great country and citizens of a greater eternal Kingdom!Jesus is THE ANSWER and answers all our questions.--------DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOOREGet Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo.LIVING GROUNDEDLearn more about how you can grow deeper and embrace the foundational truths of the Christian faith with Living Grounded. Whether you're just starting out in faith or you've been a Christian for years, Living Grounded offers truth, wisdom, and encouragement for every stage. Contact gdevore@biblechapel.org to get connected.CAREGIVINGDo you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org.CAMPUS FACEBOOK GROUPSYou're invited to connect with The Bible Chapel family in your campus Facebook Group. Look for Facebook Groups at facebook.com/biblechapel and click on Groups on the left side.FIND AN ENCOURAGER TODAY! JOIN A SMALL GROUPCommunity Groups are our easiest on-ramp to community at The Bible Chapel; these groups use sermon-based questions to dive deeper into weekly messages. Visit biblechapel.org/smallgroups to learn more and sign up!
This time at Calvary – Nathan Loudon teaches his sermon titled “In the World But Not Of It”. If you enjoyed this sermon like, comment, share, and subscribe! — Stay Connected: Nathan teaches at the Ezekiel Project School of Evangelism and co-leads the channel: @twoboysandabible3694 Watch Listen
A parent's top priority is to bring their kids to Jesus. No other activity should compromise time in God's Word and His Church.Mark 10:13 Kids, always remember - no one loves you more than Jesus.Mark 10:14,16, Romans 5:8 The kingdom of God consists of humble believers who, with full dependence, have trusted in Jesus Christ alone for salvation.Mark 10:14-15, Luke 18:9-14, Matthew 18:3-4--------DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOOREGet Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo.LIVING GROUNDEDLearn more about how you can grow deeper and embrace the foundational truths of the Christian faith with Living Grounded. Whether you're just starting out in faith or you've been a Christian for years, Living Grounded offers truth, wisdom, and encouragement for every stage. Contact gdevore@biblechapel.org to get connected.CAREGIVINGDo you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org.CAMPUS FACEBOOK GROUPSYou're invited to connect with The Bible Chapel family in your campus Facebook Group. Look for Facebook Groups at facebook.com/biblechapel and click on Groups on the left side.FIND AN ENCOURAGER TODAY! JOIN A SMALL GROUPCommunity Groups are our easiest on-ramp to community at The Bible Chapel; these groups use sermon-based questions to dive deeper into weekly messages. Visit biblechapel.org/smallgroups to learn more and sign up!
The greatest treasure a person can receive is to be declared an eternal child of God through faith in Jesus Christ. The next generation desperately needs to witness men of God who prioritize their relationship with Him, His Word, and His Church. SCRIPTURE THIS WEEK:Mark 10:17-31Romans 3:9-11Ephesians 2:4-5Matthew 6:19-21Romans 5:8Ephesians 1:3John 14:6--------DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOOREGet Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo.LIVING GROUNDEDLearn more about how you can grow deeper and embrace the foundational truths of the Christian faith with Living Grounded. Whether you're just starting out in faith or you've been a Christian for years, Living Grounded offers truth, wisdom, and encouragement for every stage. Contact gdevore@biblechapel.org to get connected.CAREGIVINGDo you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org.CAMPUS FACEBOOK GROUPSYou're invited to connect with The Bible Chapel family in your campus Facebook Group. Look for Facebook Groups at facebook.com/biblechapel and click on Groups on the left side.FIND AN ENCOURAGER TODAY! JOIN A SMALL GROUPCommunity Groups are our easiest on-ramp to community at The Bible Chapel; these groups use sermon-based questions to dive deeper into weekly messages. Visit biblechapel.org/smallgroups to learn more and sign up!
--------DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOOREGet Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo.LIVING GROUNDEDLearn more about how you can grow deeper and embrace the foundational truths of the Christian faith with Living Grounded. Whether you're just starting out in faith or you've been a Christian for years, Living Grounded offers truth, wisdom, and encouragement for every stage. Contact gdevore@biblechapel.org to get connected.CAREGIVINGDo you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org.CAMPUS FACEBOOK GROUPSYou're invited to connect with The Bible Chapel family in your campus Facebook Group. Look for Facebook Groups at facebook.com/biblechapel and click on Groups on the left side.FIND AN ENCOURAGER TODAY! JOIN A SMALL GROUPCommunity Groups are our easiest on-ramp to community at The Bible Chapel; these groups use sermon-based questions to dive deeper into weekly messages. Visit biblechapel.org/smallgroups to learn more and sign up!
It's easy to give God the glory when we are hoisting the championship trophy, but what about when we are fighting for our lives against a deadly disease? In today's passage, we follow Jesus from the mountain to the lowlands. Let's see what we learn about him and about ourselves.--------DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOOREGet Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo.LIVING GROUNDEDLearn more about how you can grow deeper and embrace the foundational truths of the Christian faith with Living Grounded. Whether you're just starting out in faith or you've been a Christian for years, Living Grounded offers truth, wisdom, and encouragement for every stage. Contact gdevore@biblechapel.org to get connected.CAREGIVINGDo you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org.CAMPUS FACEBOOK GROUPSYou're invited to connect with The Bible Chapel family in your campus Facebook Group. Look for Facebook Groups at facebook.com/biblechapel and click on Groups on the left side.FIND AN ENCOURAGER TODAY! JOIN A SMALL GROUPCommunity Groups are our easiest on-ramp to community at The Bible Chapel; these groups use sermon-based questions to dive deeper into weekly messages. Visit biblechapel.org/smallgroups to learn more and sign up!
“Deny Himself”—Destroy the idol of self-centerednessJesus is not asking us to lose our personalities, die as a martyr, or live a life of self-rejection and self-hatred. We are not to live a life of asceticism. He is asking us to turn from the idol of self-centeredness. “Take up his cross and follow me”—Daily SurrenderJesus' audience had seen a person take up their cross too many times. The condemned criminal would carry his own crossbar to the place of crucifixion—a painful, shameful death. Carrying one's cross demonstrated submission to Roman authority that he had rebelled against and a symbol of agreement regarding the charge and verdict. Jesus used “carrying the cross” to mean that each day we are to surrender to God. Save your life, you lose it. Lose your life, you save it.The word for life is not bios by phyuche. Phyuche describes the soul—the part that wills, thinks, feels, and has the power to reason and emote. The word describes our personality with all our hopes and aspirations. God has made us find complete rest and contentment and satisfaction only in him. We are heirs of eternal life forever with God. Gain the whole world and forfeit your soul.The world here is the world system of evil that Satan heads up. The world—with its pursuits, pleasure, purposes, and people—is the place where God is not wanted. Application · Engage in God's Word every day.· Get grounded in the faith.· Find a place to serve.--------DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOOREGet Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo.LIVING GROUNDEDLearn more about how you can grow deeper and embrace the foundational truths of the Christian faith with Living Grounded. Whether you're just starting out in faith or you've been a Christian for years, Living Grounded offers truth, wisdom, and encouragement for every stage. Contact gdevore@biblechapel.org to get connected.CAREGIVINGDo you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org.CAMPUS FACEBOOK GROUPSYou're invited to connect with The Bible Chapel family in your campus Facebook Group. Look for Facebook Groups at facebook.com/biblechapel and click on Groups on the left side.FIND AN ENCOURAGER TODAY! JOIN A SMALL GROUPCommunity Groups are our easiest on-ramp to community at The Bible Chapel; these groups use sermon-based questions to dive deeper into weekly messages. Visit biblechapel.org/smallgroups to learn more and sign up!
Saving Faith: The self-abandoning trust in the person and work of Jesus.Self-righteousness: The self-absorbed belief that I am morally superior. Saving Faith: All about grace.Self-righteousness: All about my works. Saving Faith: All about Jesus.Self-righteousness: All about me. Saving Faith: Compassion.Self-righteousness: Judgmentalism.--------DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOOREGet Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo.LIVING GROUNDEDLearn more about how you can grow deeper and embrace the foundational truths of the Christian faith with Living Grounded. Whether you're just starting out in faith or you've been a Christian for years, Living Grounded offers truth, wisdom, and encouragement for every stage. Contact gdevore@biblechapel.org to get connected.CAREGIVINGDo you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org.CAMPUS FACEBOOK GROUPSYou're invited to connect with The Bible Chapel family in your campus Facebook Group. Look for Facebook Groups at facebook.com/biblechapel and click on Groups on the left side.FIND AN ENCOURAGER TODAY! JOIN A SMALL GROUPCommunity Groups are our easiest on-ramp to community at The Bible Chapel; these groups use sermon-based questions to dive deeper into weekly messages. Visit biblechapel.org/smallgroups to learn more and sign up!
As we continue our study through the Gospel of Mark, turn to Mark 7:24-30. I want to show you from Scripture what a mother of great faith looks like. As we break that down, I believe we will see two characteristics of great faith.Passionate PresencePersistent Prayer--------DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOOREGet Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo.LIVING GROUNDEDLearn more about how you can grow deeper and embrace the foundational truths of the Christian faith with Living Grounded. Whether you're just starting out in faith or you've been a Christian for years, Living Grounded offers truth, wisdom, and encouragement for every stage. Contact gdevore@biblechapel.org to get connected.CAREGIVINGDo you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org.CAMPUS FACEBOOK GROUPSYou're invited to connect with The Bible Chapel family in your campus Facebook Group. Look for Facebook Groups at facebook.com/biblechapel and click on Groups on the left side.FIND AN ENCOURAGER TODAY! JOIN A SMALL GROUPCommunity Groups are our easiest on-ramp to community at The Bible Chapel; these groups use sermon-based questions to dive deeper into weekly messages. Visit biblechapel.org/smallgroups to learn more and sign up!
God's Word is absolute truth and the only standard for morality.John 17:17, Psalm 119:160 God's Word is unchanging, we should never add or subtract from the Word of God.Isaiah 40:8, Proverbs 30:5-6 Did God really say salvation is by grace through faith apart from works?Ephesians 2:8-9 Did God really say Jesus is the exclusive way to Heaven?John 14:6 A person is declared righteous before God not through external works of the flesh but through inward faith in Jesus.Romans 3:9-11, John 3:3, 1 Peter 1:23-24, 2 Cor. 5:21, Phil. 3:9--------DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOOREGet Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo.LIVING GROUNDEDLearn more about how you can grow deeper and embrace the foundational truths of the Christian faith with Living Grounded. Whether you're just starting out in faith or you've been a Christian for years, Living Grounded offers truth, wisdom, and encouragement for every stage. Contact gdevore@biblechapel.org to get connected.CAREGIVINGDo you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org.CAMPUS FACEBOOK GROUPSYou're invited to connect with The Bible Chapel family in your campus Facebook Group. Look for Facebook Groups at facebook.com/biblechapel and click on Groups on the left side.FIND AN ENCOURAGER TODAY! JOIN A SMALL GROUPCommunity Groups are our easiest on-ramp to community at The Bible Chapel; these groups use sermon-based questions to dive deeper into weekly messages. Visit biblechapel.org/smallgroups to learn more and sign up!
σπλαγχνίζομαι – to be affected deeply in one's inner being (bowels), moved with compassionMark 6:34, Matthew 14:14, Luke 15:20, Matthew 20:31-34, Mark 1:40-41, Luke 7:12-15 “Am I living with Christlike compassion for others?” “Does my heart yearn for the lost sheep of this world roaming aimlessly without THE shepherd?” “Do I wake up each day with the mindset of how I can serve myself, or how can I serve others?” Believers operating with Christlike compassion will proactively meet the physical needs of others while pointing them to their spiritual need of Jesus.Mark 6:30-44, 1 John 3:18--------DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOOREGet Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo.LIVING GROUNDEDLearn more about how you can grow deeper and embrace the foundational truths of the Christian faith with Living Grounded. Whether you're just starting out in faith or you've been a Christian for years, Living Grounded offers truth, wisdom, and encouragement for every stage. Contact gdevore@biblechapel.org to get connected.CAREGIVINGDo you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org.CAMPUS FACEBOOK GROUPSYou're invited to connect with The Bible Chapel family in your campus Facebook Group. Look for Facebook Groups at facebook.com/biblechapel and click on Groups on the left side.FIND AN ENCOURAGER TODAY! JOIN A SMALL GROUPCommunity Groups are our easiest on-ramp to community at The Bible Chapel; these groups use sermon-based questions to dive deeper into weekly messages. Visit biblechapel.org/smallgroups to learn more and sign up!
The Nazareth TragedyMany who grew up in close proximity to Jesus ended up rejecting Him.Mark 6:1-6, Matthew 13:58, John 7:5 The Nazareth Challenge Is TBC full of believers who are bold for Jesus or ashamed of Jesus?Are we trying to “fit in” with the world or “stand out” for Christ?Mark 6:11, John 15:18, Matthew 5:10, 2 Timothy 3:12--------DAILY DEVOTIONAL WITH RON MOOREGet Ron's Daily Devotional to your inbox each morning; visit biblechapel.org/devo.LIVING GROUNDEDLearn more about how you can grow deeper and embrace the foundational truths of the Christian faith with Living Grounded. Whether you're just starting out in faith or you've been a Christian for years, Living Grounded offers truth, wisdom, and encouragement for every stage. Contact gdevore@biblechapel.org to get connected.CAREGIVINGDo you have a need we can pray for? Do you need someone to walk alongside you? Do you know of another person who needs care? Let us know at caregiving@biblechapel.org.CAMPUS FACEBOOK GROUPSYou're invited to connect with The Bible Chapel family in your campus Facebook Group. Look for Facebook Groups at facebook.com/biblechapel and click on Groups on the left side.FIND AN ENCOURAGER TODAY! JOIN A SMALL GROUPCommunity Groups are our easiest on-ramp to community at The Bible Chapel; these groups use sermon-based questions to dive deeper into weekly messages. Visit biblechapel.org/smallgroups to learn more and sign up!