Harris Creek Baptist Church

Have you ever been in a tough place brought on by your own decisions? Have you wondered how you got there? Was it all at once, or over a period of time? Scott Kedersha teaches us about temptation and sin by examining the adulterous woman in Proverbs 7.KEY TAKEAWAYS-Walk in the way.-As Christians, we want to protect the teachings and the way of the Scriptures.-We should be cautious of anything that distracts or pulls us from the way of Christ.-Don’t fall into the trap of learning a lot about God and the Bible and simply becoming a smarter sinner.-Do not be led astray.-Do your friends lead you more toward sin or God?-Where are you most tempted? What do you think will bring you life outside of God?-We all struggle with sin. All of us. Don’t buy the lie that you are alone and the only one who struggles.-Sin always over promises and under delivers. Always.-Know what’s at stake.-Affairs don’t start in hotel rooms. They start when you decide to keep things from your spouse. They are one thousand small decisions leading to one big decision.-Know where you are tempted. Know your ditches and how the enemy will take you out. Have a death grip on these things.

Think of the closest relationships in your life. How have they changed over time? What about your relationship with God? Has it ever drifted? As we finish our two-week series, Far from the Father, JP teaches us about the sins of the older brother and the Pharisees from Luke 15.KEY TAKEAWAYS-Do you find yourself short-tempered or frustrated when things don’t go your way? Do you find it difficult to celebrate the success of others? Do you enjoy God?-The Pharisees were the most religious people when Jesus walked the earth; and yet, throughout all the gospels, Jesus had the most issues with them and used the strongest language against them.-Jesus brilliantly puts people into stories He tells to teach them the truth they need to hear.-A telltale sign of a Pharisee is they focus on what God hasn’t done.-If you take pharisaical sins lightly they will kill you. They will destroy your life.-Anger is a sign you’ve drifted from the Father.-The opposite of the fruit of the Spirit is anger.-The foundation of most anger is arrogance. It’s thinking you know better than God. It’s what happened to and made the devil the devil.-“Worry is being fearful that God is going to get it wrong and bitterness is believing that He did.” -Tim Keller-Anger is not a personality. You must understand: your bitterness makes you a really miserable person and hard to be around.-Jesus got angry at the Pharisees. He was never mad at the prostitutes and the tax collectors. It was the religious elite. The self-righteous.-The greatest thing you can do when you feel anger toward someone is to come close to them. Pull them in. Sit them down at your table and get to know them.-Your pride will always want to tell someone how awesome you are.-Pride is a sign you’ve drifted from the Father.-God doesn’t need your help.-God came here to serve you.-Yes, use your gifts and talents to serve the church. However, make no mistake, God doesn’t need you.-Are you working for God, or are you working from the knowledge that He has given you everything?-Do you expect to get something in return from God? That’s slave (employee) talk. Not son or daughter talk.-You can’t be grateful for what you feel entitled to.-Envy is a sign you’ve drifted from the Father.-When you think you are owed something you will envy someone with it.-What do you deserve? Do you fully grasp that you have an eternal inheritance coming your way? Make no mistake, as Christ-followers, you will miss out on things here and now.-This life is like the snap of two fingers. It will be over and gone before you know it.-All relationships take work. Good marriages aren’t found, they are forged through hardships.-In your relationship with God, don’t do the same thing(s) over and over and over again expecting the same results. Change things up. Be creative.-God doesn’t move on us. He doesn’t go anywhere. We are the ones that drift. He’s always looking for you.MENTIONED OR RECOMMENDED RESOURCES-Suggested Scripture Study: Luke 15:22-32; Galatians 5:22-23; Psalm 16:11; Nehemiah 8:10; Acts 17:24-25; Mark 10:45; Galatians 4:7-Sermon: The Father’s Response to Rebellion and Repentance-Book: The Prodigal God by Tim Keller

What do you believe about God? Who and what has contributed to that belief? Are you sure you are right? As we start a new series, Far From the Father, JP teaches us about God by examining when Jesus taught about the Father in Luke 15. KEY TAKEAWAYS-“What comes to a person’s mind when they think about God is the most important thing about them.” -AW Tozer-When the gospels talk about “sinner” they are talking about a class of people. When they talk about “tax collectors” they are talking about people who took 85% and used part of the money to oppress the very people (the Jews) they took it from.-Asking your father for your inheritance in Bible times was the equivalent of saying, “Dad, I wish you were dead.”-Sometimes when we aren’t pursuing the Lord it makes all the sense in the world that we are experiencing a storm or a famine in our lives.-When you rebel, God will let you.-God wants you to know that life can be found in Him alone. Not possessions, money, experiences, or anything else. Only Him.-Read Romans chapter 1 for a commentary of what is happening in our culture today.-Do you really want God, or do you just want His stuff?-Most of us superstitiously approach God, trying to say our prayers just right, hoping to get what we want because what we want is not Him.-If you like what you got, keep doing what you are doing. But if you keep doing what you are doing, you are not going to like what you got.-Some of the richest and most “free” people in the world are the most depressed and anxious.-The Bible is brilliant, and the way you will miss the truths it teaches is by thinking you already have them.-Do you ever plan to pray rather than pray?-Do not be deceived: God has seen everything. The darkest perversions of your heart and everything you’ve ever done. He has seen and knows it all.-When you come to ruin, God hurts with you.-God isn’t hurt by you, but He hurts with you. The Son was hurt for you.-The way the world was designed by God is that sin will always have consequences. Eternally, because of Jesus, we are free. But on this earth, sin always has consequences.-God looks at you and He embraces you. He’s not scared of your filth.-Sometimes when you hurt in relationships, it’s good and healthy to create boundaries with those people. However, you need to understand that God doesn’t do that. He radically pursues you.-The number one metaphor for heaven is a party.-When you repent, God restores you.-What someone celebrates tells you a lot about them.-What do you celebrate? If you are a parent, what do you celebrate in your kids’ lives?-What does God celebrate? He celebrates repentance.-Repentance is owning whatever you did and taking the consequences as they come. It’s turning from your sin and turning to God. MENTIONED OR RECOMMENDED RESOURCES-Suggested Scripture Study: Luke 15:1-24; Romans 1-Book: The Prodigal God by Tim Keller

Extraordinary kids often come from extraordinary parents. Not always, but often. Whether you are single or married, have kids or don’t have kids, JP teaches us about the legacy of motherhood, which is really all about discipleship.KEY TAKEAWAYS-Live out your faith, and receive grace.-Faith is caught much more than it’s taught.-One of the worst things you can do as a parent is bring your kids to church “for them” if you aren’t also going for yourself. That type of hypocrisy will drive them away from the faith.-What you bring into your home will spread throughout the home. What are you bringing into your home?-Regardless of your past, you have a home in the church.-Extraordinary kids are the work of extraordinary grace. Parents often make the mistake of taking too much credit when things go well and too much blame when things go poorly.-God will often take your past and make it your platform. He takes your mess and makes it your message.-Let them go, and let them grow.-Set a spark in your kids’ life and surround them with the fire of Scripture, but then let them go and pray.-One of the best things you can do as a parent is to let your kids fail and learn from it.-God’s design is that kids would leave & cleave as they get older. -Other than the gospel, one of the greatest things you can give your young kids is boundaries. As they get older, that changes to boundaries around you.-When your kids are younger, you are the driver. As they get older, you become a road sign (a steady, unemotional reminder of the way to go).-Give the gift that keeps on giving.-You can’t give your kids the Holy Spirit, but you can give them the gospel.-Gospel simply means good news. The good news is that God sent His own Son, Jesus Christ, to live the perfect life you could never live and died the death that you deserve. His death was the perfect payment for your sins.-Good people don’t go to Heaven and bad people don’t go to hell. Forgiven people, people who trust the payment of Jesus Christ for their sins, go to heaven.-Husbands and fathers: ask your wife how you can better serve her. Sit on your hands, listen, and then do what she shares with you.-If you are single, you don’t have to wait to disciple kids. Some of the most influential mothers are not biological.MENTIONED OR RECOMMENDED RESOURCES-Suggested Scripture study: 2 Timothy 1:5-7; Philippians 2:19-23; 2 Timothy 3:13-15; Acts 16:1-3; 2 Timothy 1:6; Proverbs 22:6; Genesis 2:24

Who is the most discontent person you know? What about the most content person you know? What do you think accounts for the difference between the two? As we finish our sermon series, The Shepherd in the Psalm, JP teaches us about how God, The Shepherd, Provides. KEY TAKEAWAYS-The Shepherd provides peace.-Your Shepherd never sleeps or slumbers. He’s always watching over you.-The worst thing about hell might be the fact that you see what you are missing out on forever and ever and ever. It’s eternal FOMO (fear of missing out).-The end of Psalm 23 is like a giant exhale. It’s the reality that the sheep will be with the shepherd forever.-The Shepherd provides contentment.-So often, our biggest enemy is in-between our ears. It’s all the thoughts spinning in our head.-Why do we have a scarce mentality?-The Shepherd is our provision.-It’s not just that the Shepherd provides. That is true, but it’s incomplete. Everything we need is found in Him.-When you meet Jesus someday, will you know Him, or will He be a stranger to you?-If you don’t acknowledge you will spend eternity in heaven or hell, you are simply fooling yourself and being a fool by making this world your home.-The greatest thing you can do every single day for the rest of your life is to live fully surrendered to your Shepherd.-Much sooner than you think you will die and meet God face to face and face judgment.-Make no mistake, one day Jesus is coming back. Don’t be diluted by the things that you see, touch, and feel right now. MENTIONED OR RECOMMENDED RESOURCES-Suggested Scripture Study: Psalm 23:5-6; Psalm 121:1-4; Luke 16:22-23; Psalm 16:5; Luke 12:35-37; Isaiah 53:5-6; Psalm 100:3;-Sermon: The Shepherd Comforts and Protects-Sermon: The Good Shepherd

Have you ever been somewhere and realized you were out of place? What about being out of place in a hard or difficult or dangerous situation? As we continue our series, The Shepherd in the Psalm, JP teaches us about the Shepherd’s presence and comfort as we walk with Him. KEY TAKEAWAYS-In moments of trouble and in dark valleys, who you are with really matters.-In times of trouble, God doesn’t always protect us (in a fallen world and on this side of death), but He does always promise to comfort us.-The Shepherd is with us in dark valleys.-Sheep are closest to their predators when they walk through valleys; however, they are even closer to their shepherd.-You are either entering a valley, in a valley, or preparing for a valley.-When you enter a valley it’s the starting line, not the finish.-Sometimes sheep can’t see the Shepherd, but they follow the sheep who are following the Shepherd.-You must keep going when you are in the valley. Put one foot in front of the other and keep going. Don’t isolate and tap out.-We are protected by the Shepherd’s presence.-We don’t talk enough about the reality that satan and his demons hate us and want to steal, kill, and destroy us.-Make no mistake, satan will absolutely destroy you. You are no match for him. However, he is no match for your Shepherd. He is terrified of your Shepherd.-If dependence is the goal, weakness is the advantage.-If closeness to the Shepherd is the goal, then the valley is the advantage.-Christians talk about our Dad and to our Dad. It’s theology and a relationship.-We are comforted by the Shepherd’s presence.-The rod is used for both protection and correction.-The Word of God is our rod today...it protects and corrects us as we read it and apply it to our lives.-The staff saves and directs.-The Holy Spirit saves us and gives us direction.-When you are looking for protection, proximity is everything.-What would you do if you knew God was with you? From Genesis to Revelation, the Bible goes out of its way to show you that God is with you.-It’s time to stop playing religious games and leaving the Shepherd at church on Sunday. Take Him with you everywhere you go. MENTIONED OR RECOMMENDED RESOURCES-Suggested Scripture study: Psalm 23:4; John 16:33; 1 Peter 5:8; John 10:10; Ephesians 4:27; James 4:7; Ephesians 6:11-12; John 16:7; 1 Samuel 17:37-47-Sermon: The Good Shepherd-Book: A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller

If you had to compare yourself to an animal, what animal would you choose? What about a sheep? When you think about a sheep, what comes to mind? As we start our new series, The Shepherd in the Psalm, JP teaches us about sheep and how God, our Good Shepherd, leads them. KEY TAKEAWAYS-The sheep is the only animal in the animal kingdom without a defense mechanism.-The Scripture compared and calls us, humans, one animal: sheep.-The carrot that the enemy often dangles in front of us is freedom. We think we want it and can handle it, but in reality, it will kill us.-Do you believe that you need to be under the care of someone? Scripture is clear that is how God made us to live.-God, our good Shepherd, is in charge and we are not.-Psalm 23 is one of the most well know and most referenced passages in all of Scripture.-The Shepherd leads us to rest.-Christianity is not an “I have to” faith, but an “I get to” faith.-Sheep won’t rest unless they are free from fear, conflict, parasites & flies (worries & anxiety & things to do), and hunger.-So many Christians have fears that are in exact opposition to God’s Word and His promises to us.-Sheep are self destructive animals.-If dependence is the goal, then your weakness is the advantage.-The Shepherd leads us to restoration.-Sheep are completely fine drinking from water that will kill them. And the reality is, so are we.-You can not and will not grow as a follower of Jesus Christ without the spiritual disciplines.-God delights in taking broken things and making them new.-The person who is least OK is the one who is most committed to making everyone think they are OK.-The Shepherd leads us to Righteousness.-Christ, our Good Shepherd, has our best interests in mind. Always.-When we follow God’s interests for our lives, His reputation is on the line, not ours. We can trust Him.-God doesn’t only show us which way to go, He pays for the times when we go the wrong way.-The greatest apologetic today are believers who trust God in really difficult times.-Our desire for freedom and to be on our own transcends all ages and demographics. Left to ourselves, we will die. MENTIONED OR RECOMMENDED RESOURCES-Suggested Scripture study: Psalm 23:1-3; Proverbs 14:12; Matthew 11:28-30; Psalm 127:2; Jeremiah 2:13-Book: A Shepherd Looks at Psalm 23 by Phillip Keller-Sermon Series: Conflicted

Are you going through any trials right now? Where are you most tempted in life? Living in a broken, sin-filled world, guarantees that you will face trials and temptations. David Marvin teaches through James 1:1-18, showing us how we can walk through the trials and temptations of life in this world.KEY TAKEAWAYS-Scripture doesn’t teach “if” we will face trials, but rather “when” we will face trials. They are guaranteed on this earth.-When you embrace trials as a Christian, God uses them to grow and strengthen your faith.-Don’t make the mistake of walking away from God when trials come.-The Christian life is a process of sanctification, which simply means to become more like Jesus.-God doesn’t create the pain and problems of this world—they are because of us and sin—but He does use them for our ultimate good when we trust and follow Him.-You’ve never had a conversation with someone about needing to be less peaceful or calm. Our default setting is the opposite: anxiety, worry, fear, etc.-If we don’t flee from temptations, they will eventually hook us and turn into sin, which leads to death.-Here is an acronym to fight temptations: TRUTH: T (Triggers), R (Root beliefs), U (Ungodly behavior), T (Truth from God’s Word), H (Helpful future response)-Everything good comes from God. Everything.-At your core, what do you truly believe about God? Not what you know to be true about Him, but what do you really and truly believe to be true about Him?MENTIONED OR RECOMMENDED RESOURCES-Suggested Scripture Study: James 1:1-18

We all want to be free. Free from rules, consequences, sin, and even death. Are there any areas of your life that you aren’t free right now? This Easter, we celebrate the true and ultimate freedom we have in Christ and how He sets us free from death.KEY TAKEAWAYS-Freedom from death foretold.-All throughout the Bible there are “Easter Eggs”...hints and clues and shadows foretelling the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins.-Freedom from death displayed.-We are the prisoner stuck in a cage and unable to free ourselves.-What cage are you sitting in: pride, anxiety, deceit, sexual immorality, control, fear, materialism, etc.?-We are Barabbas.-Freedom from death forever.-Christianity would not be a thing had Christ not resurrected from the dead, appeared to over 500 people, and then person after person and generation after generation told others who eventually told you.-If you were to die today, on a scale of 1 to 10, how certain are you that you would go to heaven?-If God were to ask you why He should let you into heaven, what would you say?-Was God’s anger toward your sin satisfied through the death of Jesus?-You can live forever, free from death, by trusting in Christ’s death on the cross and resurrection three days later.MENTIONED OR RECOMMENDED RESOURCES-Suggested Scripture Study: Genesis 22:14; Exodus 12:12-13; Leviticus 16:8-10; Hebrews 10:1-4; Mark 15:6-11: Mathew 27:16; Galatians 4:6; Matthew 27:26; Acts 2:23-24; Romans 8:1-2; 1 John 5:13; Ephesians 2:8-9-Sermon: Through the Lens of Pontius-Story: Jesus and the Bird Cage