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Authentic Jesus: Driving consumers out of the Church

May 6, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Christ Cleaning the TempleIntro:

  • consumer: efforts are expended for their own benefit exclusively.
  • passover required of every Jewish male 12 and older
  • everybody who was anybody would have been at the temple for this 7 days feast
  • courtyard would’ve been crowded, noisy, smelly, etc.

1. Consumer Church: not a new problem (v 13-14)

  • people coming not to worship but for what we can get
  • we bring the disease of selfishness or “church for me” into the doors of church.
  • Church is not about meeting the felt needs of people

2. Consumer Church: born of convenience (v 13-14)

  • so much that begins as an effort to help people ends up being something selfish and self serving
  • they get you into the place where they can get you, and they get you
  • scholars believe the money changers charged as much as 12% for changing the funds
  • become over saturated with truth but don’t squeeze the sponge by working for Christ

3. Consumer Church: angers the Lord (v 15)

  • whip means literally ropes, likely ship cords used to tie the animals
  • Christ’s anger was righteous, Ephesians 4 (“be angry and do not sin”)
  • meekness is anger under control
  • purpose of anger is bring change but not so much or so long so that the relationship can continue
  • 5 consumeristic things that anger Pastor James righteously: 1. Things in the church that have a very high cost; 2. Passive, weak worship and prayer – no indifference in the Lord’s house; 3. Convenience attendance; 4. Critical non-participants; 5. One strike and you’re out (James 2:13)

4. Consumer Church: exits through decisive action (v 16-17)

  • Authentic Jesus is also a warrior (Rev 2)
  • all slippage, moves to the left, happen slowly over a long period of time. All moves to the right happen in a single, large push. One time, strong decision.
  • God for me is a benefit/by product of me making Jesus Christ my Lord

5. Consumer Church: avoided through gospel centrality (v 18-22)

  • Vertical church

 

Conclusion:

From a message preached by Pastor James MacDonald at Harvest Bible Chapel. Watch or listen to the complete message here.

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Jesus Christ The Glory of God: Believe Him

April 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Intro:

  • Memory Verse: John 20:31
  • Point of miracles: Glory to God; Faith increased for us
  • What miracles don’t mean: 1. Not symbolic surprises; 2. Does not mean miracles on demand; 3. Back then, but not now.
  • “Maybe the greatest rationalism of all is the recognition that rationalism is not conclusive.”
  • You can understand the Bible yourself. Most passages are easy to understand, some are difficult, and very few are hard to understand.

1. Miracles flow from what we have (v 1-6)

  • God sets us the assets ahead of time (makes me think of Psalm 90)
  • Weddings were week long affairs in the Jewish culture. Every possible dollar was spent on the wedding. Every person they knew was invited.
  • Jesus is 30 years old when this passage starts.
  • Jesus and his disciples were invited
  • The bible does not condemn the partaking of wine; drunkenness is sin
  • 3 parts water, 1 part wine
  • it literally means “the wine failed”
  • in the era the grooms parents paid for the wedding
  • the culture of the day was honor-shame; it’s different from our truth culture; what people thought of the family means everything
  • the brides family could sue the grooms family for running out of wine, for shaming the brides family.
  • Mary seems to have some hostess responsibility at this wedding.
  • Jesus calls her “woman”, again it’s a cultural reference, it’s affectionate. Jesus esteemed women highly throughout the Gospels.
  • “The Hour” – John 4:21, John 5:25-28, all the Gospel He used the word Hour to describe the time between the Last Supper and the Garden of Gethsemane.Jesus knows the first time he does a miracle in public that the clock on his “Hour” has started
  • There was no way Jesus was telling his mom “no.”
  • 6 stone water jars (Lev 33) were used for purification not drinking, this would’ve enraged the religious leaders by going around their religious practices.
  • Matthew 11 – Jesus came eating and drinking, He was not a fuddy-duddy
  • To get the miracle the people had to do something, the stone pitchers were crazy heavy, and even heavier when filled with water.  They had to be moved.
  • What do I have: time, ability, love, prayer, some level of resource

2. Miracles flow through active faith (v 7-9)

  • the servants were active – strength, water pots, water, etc.
  • do what I can and trust God to do the rest.
  • Hebrews 11: shows person and act before receiving the miracle.
  • Footprints vs. Butt prints
  • As you wait for the miracle: do everything you’re capable of doing?; do everything you’re counseled to do?; removed all impediments to prayer (confession)?: praying in faith?; praying with God’s glory as the motive?

3. Miracles flow to the glory of Jesus (v 9b-11a)

  • stone jars are filled to the brim; God gives abundantly and quality
  • sign – a distinguishing mark by which something is known
  • it means He is the Christ, it confirms everything in John’s prologue.
  • Why do I want this miracle? What am I really after? This should be sifting our motives.

4. Miracles flow from a deeper faith (v 11b-12)

  • Faith is believing the Word of God and acting upon it no matter what circumstances are or how I feel about it.

 

Conclusion:

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Authentic Jesus: The Lamb of God, Follow Him

April 22, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Text: John 1:35-51

Intro:

  • 2,000+ pastors and worship leaders at Harvest U
  • the two disciples of John the Baptist is Andrew and John the gospel writer
  • looked is really gazed intently

Examining the text: 4 Disciples, 4 Personalities, 4 Paths, 4 Appeals

A.

  • Disciple: Andrew (v 40)
  • Personality: Phlegmatic – steady, emotionally stable, realist – teachers and accountants, John 6:8-9
  • Path: came to faith through a preacher (John 1:37)
  • Appeal: Invitation – John 1:38 – Jesus asked him what he wants and then told him to come and see.
  • Andrew was martyred by Nero on an X shaped cross
  • Phlegmatic’s are very loyal people

B.

  • Disciple: Peter (Cephas)
  • Personality: Sanguine – people, persuasion, party, very outgoing, emotional, impulsive (John 13:8-9, John 13:37-39)
  • Path: Called by his brother
  • Appeal: Foundation – Changed his name
  • Leader in the church through Acts 15
  • Jesus calls him Rock, a very kind expression from Christ
  • Peter martyred upside down
  • Peter’s wife also martyred, last thing he said to her is “Remember Jesus”

C.

  • Disciple: Philip
  • Personality: Choleric – dominate, decisive, leader, like a challenge (John 6:5-7)
  • Path: Direct, 1 verse 18 words, significantly shorter than the other 3
  • Appeal: Exhortation

D.

  • Disciple: Nathaniel (possibly Bartholomew, certainly one of the 70 disciples, may not have been 1 of the 12 disciples)
  • Personality: Melancholy, sincere, detailed, creative, emotional, precise; musicians, artists, actors, etc.
  • Path: Conversation, Christ took the time Nathaniel needed, Jesus saw what he could not have seen if he were only a man (re: fig tree)
  • Appeal: Affirmation
  • Bethsaida means “house of fishing”
  • guile: No cunning, no treachery

Extracting the Principles:

1. Jesus makes us differently

  • Need to embrace the differences
  • Every opinion is not a matter of right and wrong, every action is not the same as if I did it. We look through the lens of our own personality.
  • Stop looking at people and judging people based upon what their actions mean if I do them. My lens is bad.

2. Jesus knows us intimately.

  • John 1:3 – Jesus makes us for His purposes
  • Our temperament affects how we see opportunities.  We see relationships, money, time differently.

3. Jesus draws us individually.

4. Jesus deals with us personally.

Conclusion:

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Authentic Jesus: Jesus Christ the Son of God: Recognize Him

April 21, 2012 By Leave a Comment

John the BaptistIntro:

  • John mentions “seen”, “revealed”, “looked upon” a number of times in these short verses. He is not taking about seeing with his eyes but recognizing in his spirit. God is the only one who will open my eyes.
  • There is a kind of seeing that is not with your eyes.
  • 20,592 at Easter service, 254 new decisions for Jesus Christ

1. Jesus is full of grace and truth (v 13-18)

  • You cannot save yourself and your mom cannot make sure you are saved, salvation is from the Word
  • The Greeks and Stoics used The Word to refer to an unknown God 6 centuries before Christ. They saw the source of order and called Him “The Word.”
  • Plato taught that God was unknowable and distant, unreachable
  • Glory is anything that emanates God’s essence
  • Nothing He did with grace diminished truth, and nothing He did with truth diminished grace
  • John the Baptist bore witness that Christ is eternal
  • Gal 3:24 “law is a taskmaster”
  • The power of Jesus Christ is in the combination of grace and truth. Jesus melded these perfectly.
  • Jesus Christ is the only God we will ever see
  • My life is grace upon grace; Pastor James pictures waves [of grace] washing over the shores of my life. Think about Light, life, location, love, etc.

1A. I am graced to know Him

2. Jesus is the Christ (v 19-28)

  • John the Baptist appears publicly about 26 BC; about 4 years before Christ
  • Matthew 3 – John the Baptist is very confrontational with the religious leaders of his day
  • John the Baptist confessed openly he was not the Christ – the Messiah
  • Malachi 4:5 says Elijah will come before the Day of the Lord; that is why the religious leaders immediately go to the “Are you Elijah?” question after asking John if he was the Christ.
  • John the Baptist is the fulfillment of many OT prophecies, but he did not know he was the fulfillment in “real time.” God was using his life. John knew his purpose in life was to make straight the Way of the Lord.
  • John did not have a low view of himself, but instead had a high view of Christ.

2A. I am His unworthy messenger

  • Matthew 11:11 – John was tops among people, but he understood who to compare himself too. Stop congratulating myself because I’m better than those around me, compare myelf to the real standard – Jesus Christ himself.

3. Jesus is the Lamb of God (v 29-31)

  • The next day

3A. I am under His forgiveness

  • If we’re truly forgiven by God we are: blessed, without condemnation, tender hearted, give grace to others (forgiven people forgive), most significant thing about me

4. Jesus is the Son of God (v 32-34)

  • John did not know Jesus ahead of time, but he he knew the sign ahead of time of the dove landing on a person and remaining

4A I have Hs Spirit in me

  • If I have Christ, I will always have the Spirit

Conclusion:

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Authentic Jesus: Authentic Arrival: Jesus Christ the Word of God – Receive Him

April 7, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Intro:

  • John does not have as much overlap with the other three gospels as they do with themselves
  • For: people all over the world, all centuries, it’s for us
  • By: written by John; Higher Criticism isn’t certain that John was written by John himself; Irenaeus  said the Gospel of John in Ephesus; his authorship was questioned because of the lack of early manuscripts – it is now the best manuscript evidence in the new testament.
  • Subject: John 20:30-31 – these are written so you believe that Jesus is the Son of God and that by believing you may have life through His name.
  • First 18 verses are the prologue; longest one in scripture

1. Who is Jesus Christ?

  • Who Jesus is not: 1. Liberal cause Jesus; 2. Evangelical cause Jesus; 3. Angry Jesus; 4. Liar Jesus; 5. Loser Jesus
    We are not assuming we have Jesus right, we will let the Word of God speak and shape out thinking.

1A. The Word is God (John 1:1)

  • Jesus = Word – John 1:14
  • Jehovah Witness – Word is “a god”
  • Morminism – “we can all be gods”

1B. The Word is eternal (John 1:2)

1C. The Word is creator (John 1:3)

1D. The Word is life (John 1:4)

  • “life” is used 37 times in the Gospel of John
  • John 5:24

1E. The Word is light (John 1:5)

2. Responding to Jesus Christ!

  • Pascal needed Christ to make his world work
  • challenge: respond to Jesus Christ and his claims

2A. Witness about Jesus passionately (John 1:6-8)

  • believe – used 97 times in the gospel

2B. Recognize Jesus personally (John 1:9-11)

2C. Receive Jesus publicly (John 1:12-13)

Conclusion:

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Big God, Small Me: Bigger than my suffering

March 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Intro:

1. God’s children seem to suffer most (2 Cor 11:23-33)
* “Truth and time walk hand in hand.”
* 2 Tim 3:12, Heb 12,
* The Root of Righteousness “It is doubtful that God can use a person greatly until He has wounded them deeply.” – AW Towzer
* Isaac Watts – Am I a solider of the cross?

2. Suffering mitigates pride over revelation (2 Cor 12:1-6)
* One of the reasons God allows his children to suffer is because we have his Word
* “Absolute truth in the hands of absolute sinners can be absolutely brutal”

3. Seasonal suffering is called a trial (James 1:2-5)
* Trial – tempory, painful circumstance allowed by God to refine my conduct and character

4. Lasting suffering is called a thorn (2 Cor 12:7-9)
* We do not know Paul’s thorn and it really doesn’t matter
* 1 Cor 4:6 – learn not to exceed what is written
* Allowed by God, sent by Satan; many examples in the OT & NT
* harass is like a boxing punch – a constant jab
* God wants his children in a continual state of brokenness
* Pray for James in his “I can handle that” pridefulness

5. When God is bigger than my trial (2 Cor 9-10)

5A. Bathe in the Word to experience Christ’s presence (v 9a)

5B. Boast in your thorn to experience Christ’s power (v 9b)

5C. Be content in your thorn to experience Christ’s purpose (v 10)

Conclusion:
* what was your thorn? How did you deal with it?

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Big God, Small Me: Bigger than my selfishness

March 26, 2012 By Leave a Comment

harvestbible.org/goodfriday2012

W&K, G&C, R&C

Intro:
* I wouldn’t do it because I am a selfish person. I don’t want to risk the relational impact to me by getting in between these two in an effort to bring them back together.
* Paul is writing Philemon from a prison cell
* Philemon is a sincere follower of Christ living in Asia minor.
* Onesemus is a runaway slave

How to bring two people together

1. Make it an appeal instead of a requirement (v 8-9)
* Beware the brutality of rightness
* You can be right, but be wrong in the way you are right
* pleading is used frequently, begging, pleading, etc.
* love wouldn’t deny a problem, it appeals to you.
* love pleads, law demands, love waits, law pressures, love prays, law destroys

2. Start with the more wounded person (v 10)
* the person who gave up the most, or hurt the most
* maybe it’s not just that we are selfish, but we are afraid of losing the identity of anger/pride/etc. you don’t want to let it go because you don’t want to own your part in it.

3. Elevate the person over the issue (v 10)
* the reason why we get estranged from people is because we elevate the issue over people
* the centerpiece of the gospel is that people come before the issue; Godwin God’s economy issues do not trump people

4. Focus on the present without negating the past (v 11)
* Onesemus means profitable or gainful; this is a play on words in the original language
* one of the greatest gifts you can give a person is to put them on a new page; God is working on the, while He is working on me; don’t be a record keeper of wrongs, be wise, but help people become what God is making us.
* Excuses given for viewing others negatively: 1. Fool me once… (protecting myself from you); 2. Priding myself on seeing the negative/evil in people; 3. It’s just the way I am; 4. cynical – “I’ve never met the person I can despair of when I rightly discern what lies in me apart from God’s grace.” – Oswald Chambers
* if you want to be used by God, sometimes the means you get used by people

5. Paint the picture of a better future (v 12-16)
* I don’t want you to be faithful because you have to, but because you want to.

6. Pay what you can as leverage to reconcile (v 17-20)

7. Express your intent to follow through and do it (v 21-22)

Conclusion:

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Big God, Small Me: Bigger than my disagreement

March 25, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Intro1 Cor 16 – Men be at the church at 9PM for a prayer meeting “act like men”
* Paul was a great theologian but he was a relational genius
* Disagreement – sometimes good people can disagree, we cannot get on the same page, not opposition, but unable to get on the same page

1. Disagreement is inevitable (Acts 15:36-41)

* Col 4 says Mark was Barnabus’ cousin

* Pamphylia is furthest west part of the missionary journey

* “thought it best” means kept on insisting – he was adamant

* Was it Paul’s fault for failing to extend the grace Barnabus has modeled in Acts 9?

* Gal 2 tells the story of how Barnabus was confronted by Paul because he was wrong for wanting to use his gift of encouragement in every scenario.

* How much damage is done by particular gifts used in isolation?

* 1 Cor 12 & 13 go together – spiritual gifts used in love

2. If it’s you, choose temporary separation instead of destruction (Acts 15:36-41)

* Fixers stand down, avoiders stand up. Fixers need to give avoiders time to sort out their thoughts.

* They got with someone else, rather than alone. Disguise, Divide, Destroy is the devils plan.

* “I hear a lot of the things I say at the same time you do.” – Pastor James

* In time the issue was no issue at all, 2 Tim 4 shows at the end of Paul’s life that relationship was the most important

* Gospel belief without Gospel behavior is not orthodoxy.

* Don’t judge before the Time, it’s not over until Christ returns. Pray and wait on God.

3. If it’s not xxx, and you are on good terms with both, put xxx in the middle and make xxx work it out. (Phil 8-22)

3A. Make it an xxx instead of xxx (Phil 8-9)

3B. Xxx with the more xxx person (Phil 10)

3C. Make it about the xxx, not the xxx (Phil 10)

3D. Focus on the xxx, without negating the xxx (Phil 11)

3E. Paint the xxx of a better xxx (Phil 12-16)

3F. Pay what you can as xxx to xxx (Phil 17-20)

3G. Express your xxx to follow through and xxx it (Phil 21-22)

Conclusion

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Big God, Small Me: Bigger than my opposition

March 4, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Text: Acts 15

Intro:

  • Paul’s ministry effectiveness does not mean lack of opposition.
  • the fruit comes after perseverance, but this message is about being in the perseverance

 

1. Locate a plurality of authority (v 1-6)

  • “Come down” refers to the elevation, not from a northern city or something like that
  • What do you do when you cannot get a matter settled? When you’re just beating a dead horse.
  • Children to parents, wives to husbands, husbands to SG leaders, etc. There is a path you can follow during an impasse. The goal is to remove the heat but add light.
  • It is possible for a person to be loud, certain, and wrong.
  • All authority is not equal – all believers are equal, but not I the context of authority/leadership.
  • If you don’t respect other people’s opinion more than your own, you will find It very difficult when you have an impasse.
  • Some turn to authority without plurality. “I think I am going to get a second opinion.” this applies to authority as well. Plurality will ensure wisdom. Far too many decisions are made during a season of opposition.

2. Listen for God’s heart in the matter (v 7-12)

  • Start with what you know and what you have in common, rather than focusing exclusively on what we disagree over.
  • Different people same Gospel
  • Embrace more of what we have in common, rather than exclusively focus on the disagreement. God’s heart is that we would focus on all that we would have in common, not on some point on which we disagree. Don’t be technically right, but behaviorally wrong.
  • 5 things when we get the letter of the law but miss the heart: 1. homosexuality; 2. divorce; 3. Unborn children have a right to life; 4. Sexual immorality; 5. The Bible must be obeyed

3. Look to scripture for confirmation (v 13-18)

  • In a season of opposition, we need to get back to the scriptures.
  • If if not Biblical it’s not God’s will.

4. Learn to compromise where you can (v 19-21)

  • trouble = frustrate or pile on
  • We can’t make you do this, but we appeal to you to do this willing
  • where you can compromise: matters of personal preference; consequences of self discovery is not devastating; pressing for change is destroying the relationship.

5. List your agreement in writing (v 22-35)

Conclusion:

 

Watch this Week’s Message:

Bigger Than My Opposition from Harvest Bible Chapel on Vimeo.

 

Video on 316 recent baptisms at Harvest Bible Chapel

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Big God, Small Me: Bigger than my expectations

February 28, 2012 By Leave a Comment

Intro:

The Ministry Pattern

1. Communication – at the end of the day, the Lord wants me to speak the Gospel, not just live it.

2. Opposition – every time the gospel goes out, there is opposition from the enemy

3. Perseverance – Don’t give up

4. Fruit – a great part

5. Glory – our life brining glory to God, perseverance and fruit bring glory to God, proving to be Jesus disciples

1. The pattern in Cyprus (Acts 13:4-12)
* Saul and Barnabas were called out of normal worship, submit our sense of what we believe God wants us to do to the local body of believers to confirm.
* they preached the Word upon landing, they didn’t start with work or fun – building relationships – they started simply preaching the Word
* Elymas was probably a slight of hand type of guy
* the gospel is simple, but not easy. The power of the message is in the urgency and it’s simplicity

2. The pattern in Antioch (Acts 13:13-48)
* Paul spoke because the most effective communicators need to speak – “it’s not about the messenger, it’s about the Message.”
* if you can get with Jesus Christ, you can get free from everything
* Contradict – use factual information against Paul
* Adhominm attacks – “you’re an idiot”
* it always gets personal when the factual attack fails
* in all perseverance we need to remember that it is God who changes a person’s heart and not my preaching

3. The pattern in Iconium (Acts 14:1-7)

4. The pattern in Lystra (Acts 14:8-23)
* wrong elevation of a messenger is very dangerous
* the goodness of God should lead me to repentance

5. The pattern in me
* persevere, otherwise you don’t get to fruit and glory

Conclusion:

Watch this week’s message:

Bigger Than My Expectations from Harvest Bible Chapel on Vimeo.

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