Harmony Church Sermon Podcast

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

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

1 Samuel 21-22