Harmony Christian Church

Your heart is more important than you could ever imagine.  We can so easily give our hearts over to things that are the wrong things, this week, Kent encourages you to give your heart over to Jesus. Jump in with us in Sections 200 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316  to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

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Sermon Notes Slide Key:

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Years ago I had started working out and honestly was just trying to build up muscles.  I was a young buck and wanted to be strong.  I’m not sure it worked, lol.  I was overweight and was really hoping working out would help me.  I struck up this conversation with this guy while we were sitting there.  When you are overweight, there are always people in a gym who want to help you, and this guy was one of those guys.  He asked me what I was doing and so I proceeded to tell him what my workouts were.  He asked me if I was doing any cardio and I told him I did a little bit and he said something that has stuck with me for probably 20 years or more at this point.  He said, 

“You know, I’ve never heard of someone dying from having too small of a bicep, but I’ve heard of lots of people dying from having a weak heart…”

I don’t know who the guy was, all I know is he was a lawyer…

But that statement has stuck with me…

I was thinking lately about this statement again and how it’s not just true physically, but spiritually it’s true as well..

I know lots of people who morally look good on the outside, but their hearts are weak and corrupt.

b

Today, I want us to take a look at our hearts and evaluate if we’ve bitten off on ideas the world says matter more than the ideas Jesus says matter.

Turn your bibles to Luke 20 (SECTION 200)

THE SETUP

Let me set up where we are entering into Jesus’ life as we track Him..

-He is in the last week of His life.

-This is the whole enchilada, the whole game

-He has been confronting leaders and teachers all week

-He’s being tested by them

-Word has spread that He has raised Lazarus from the dead

-Some people are believing in Him, others are not - but many are threatened

The topic of tithing in a church seems to get more people riled up than lots of other issues, tune in today to hear what Jesus had to say on the topic and ways people can slide off into the deep end.  Jump in with us in Sections 138 (compare to 198) of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316  to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

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Sermon Notes Slide Key:

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

One time, early in our relationship.  Jenni and I went up to Colorado to Pikes Peak.  It was beautiful.  We had hiked through the woods and were up on the side of this cliff, it wasn’t particularly treacherous, but it was steep.  Jenni and I had climbed out on this fallen dead tree to get a picture and we were balancing there.  I did what any dumb young buck trying to impress his woman would do in that situation.  I thought, “I’ll just pick her up and put her on the other side of me to show her how strong I am…”  Lol.  I don’t know what I expected her to do, swoon?  So, I put my arm around Jenni and tried to swing her around to the other side of me.  But instead of swinging her around, I ended up loosing my balance and throwing her down the mountain.  I fell off the tree too and jabbed my chest with a stick.  Lol, needless to say, Jenni wasn’t impressed.

I’ve been in several situations in my life where it felt like it was so easy to slip off one side to another.

-Some of you feel that in your relationship with your spouse right now, you have had a rough go of it and you are walking on a tight wire trying not to make him mad.

-Your parents seem to get set off at the slightest thing and you’ve been walking on pins and needles every time you’re in your house, you try not to be there as much as possible because of it.

This past few weeks we’ve been talking about money, possessions, and eternity.

I’ve been thinking about the two edges people slip off into when it comes to tithing.

b

Tithing is the biblical principle where someone who loves God gives 10% of their income back to God.

I know, some of you are like, “oh man, here we go again….”  If you’re worried that all churches care about and talk about is money I would encourage you to stick around and hear me out.  I get having a preconceived idea about something…  

ILLUSTRATION:

Our executive pastor David did this weightless transfo

Finding God's purpose in the things we typically use to seek our pleasure.  Jump in with us to Sections 162 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316  to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

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Sermon Notes Slide Key:

• Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
• All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
• Bold = Slide text
• Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e.  - underlines, italics, etc.)
• “b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
• Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
• [some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Dads are good for certain things, aren’t we?  We’re good for mowing the lawn.  If you want a super cheesy joke, we’ve got ya covered.  I constantly pretend like what my kids say is something else, “I want cheesy potatoes” you want Jesus tomatoes?  They think I’m hilarious ;).  But when my kids were little, the same thing would happen over and over again.  They would fall down and hurt their knee, or they’d accidentally scrape they’re elbow, or they’d cut off a finger.  I’d be right there as super dad, I’d swoop em up into my arms to see if they were ok and then it would happen.

My wife would come around the corner having heard the siren cry of a child and before a word could be spoken, my crying child would do the universal sign for I don’t want you… [reach hands out, hands sprawled outward, head cocked]

man that’s infuriating!  ;)

When you’re a kid, moms are typically the “go-to” when you’re hurt.

b

We all have an allegiance to certain things over others.

Some of you are UK Fans

And others of you are just wrong… lol

If you really wanted to, you could strip someone down to their allegiances and it would tell you what you need to know about that person, wouldn’t it?

Allegiance is about alignment

In a moment, we’re going to look at Jesus confronting the allegiances and alignment of the Pharisees.  We’re going to unpack what He said, and then we’re going to put it away inside of ourselves.

Last week we started this with the reveal from World Vision and looking at the story of the Shrewd manager, do you remember that story?

Jesus told a story about a guy who was a manager for a really rich guy.  This guy couldn’t be trusted at all.  He embezzled and wasted the master's money.  Finally, he knew he was going to be fired so he began making deals with people who owed his master.  

Jesus stops in his story to point out that the people of the world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than we are

What would it be like to go from death to life?  From failure to freedom?  Jesus gave that gift so freely.  Don't miss this message today to be impacted by the life of Jesus.  Jump in with us in Sections 72 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316  to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

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Sermon Notes Slide Key:

• Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
• All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
• Bold = Slide text
• Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e.  - underlines, italics, etc.)
• “b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
• Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
• [some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

Luke 16:1-9

Jesus told his disciples: “There was a rich man whose manager was accused of wasting his possessions. 2 So he called him in and asked him, ‘What is this I hear about you? Give an account of your management, because you cannot be manager any longer.’

3 “The manager said to himself, ‘What shall I do now? My master is taking away my job. I’m not strong enough to dig, and I’m ashamed to beg— 4 I know what I’ll do so that, when I lose my job here, people will welcome me into their houses.’

5 “So he called in each one of his master’s debtors. He asked the first, ‘How much do you owe my master?’

6 “‘Nine hundred gallons[a] of olive oil,’ he replied.

“The manager told him, ‘Take your bill, sit down quickly, and make it four hundred and fifty.’

7 “Then he asked the second, ‘And how much do you owe?’

“‘A thousand bushels[b] of wheat,’ he replied.

“He told him, ‘Take your bill and make it eight hundred.’

8 “The master commended the dishonest manager because he had acted shrewdly. For the people of this world are more shrewd in dealing with their own kind than are the people of the light. 9 I tell you, use worldly wealth to gain friends for yourselves, so that when it is gone, you will be welcomed into eternal dwellings.

Over the years I’ve preached on this passage several times and every time it hits me just how jarring it should be to us.

Jesus sets up this scene, if you really listen, for everyone to be mad at this manager.  He’s the guy who should get what’s coming to him.  

He’s been wasteful, he’s conniving, he’s all around a

So, about 6 months ago I went out for coffee with Josh Moran who is our representative from World Vision.  Honestly, I was a little stand-offish because I didn’t want to get sold something, I try to be cautious about what we add to what we do at Harmony.  I’m sitting there listening to Josh and thinking, “I know how this thing works, you come to make us feel bad about being Americans and then we go in and help kids out…”  But as I listened I realized there was something drastically different about what World Vision was doing with Chosen.  It’s not that other ministries are bad or wrong in how they do this, but what was different about what World Vision does is they don’t just bring help to the poor and under-served.  They bring dignity and hope.  

When I was a kid, I grew up poor - I know some of you know what that’s like.  I can remember going to church with my parents and having to go to the basement to this stuffy room.  There was a guy who worked at JC Penney and he would bring all the returned or stained clothes to the church.  I’ll never forget standing there as a kid with this tall guy dressed nicely as we foraged through the clothes to see if we could find some school clothes that might fit us.  If I’m really honest with you, it was embarrassing.  I’m not sure how my parents felt about it, but I know they worked hard and we couldn’t make ends meet.  I can’t imagine that it left them with much dignity.

So, as I sat there listening to Josh talk about how World Vision was flipping the script and the kids would choose us.  How they are investing in helping people break the cycles of poverty and get clean water.  How they are empowering people with the hope of Jesus.  

You know all month long we’ve been talking about "what is the impact we could make?" What is the way that we could be used to Advance the Kingdom of God?  Last week you took a challenge to identify with the poor.  This week, what if every one of us went out there and took a step to take care of the poor?  To put food on a family's table and earn the right to bring faith into their community.  What if helping could also bring dignity, what if you could be chosen?

This is a literal way you can Advance the Kingdom.  I know for some of you, $39 is a huge ask.  I know for others of you, you spend $39 a week on coffee.  We aren’t asking you to do this because you all need to give more - you are already a crazy generous church.  We are asking you because we believe this investment could literally mean a life is changed.

What if God is just waiting for you to say yes so you can be chosen?  Imagine what it will feel like to have a child look at the picture of you and your family and say, “them, I want them…”

What would it be like to go from death to life?  From failure to freedom?  Jesus gave that gift so freely.  Don't miss this message today to be impacted by the life of Jesus.  Jump in with us in Sections 72 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316  to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

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Sermon Notes Slide Key:

• Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
• All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
• Bold = Slide text
• Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e.  - underlines, italics, etc.)
• “b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
• Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
• [some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to

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ACT I

[Woman dressed in ancient clothes, sits frozen looking at herself in a mirror]

She was what you’d call “a lady of the night.”  Her profession had made her tough and unfeeling.  It was her job to pretend intimacy while maintaining distance.  

He was the first man she’d intentionally tried to get close to in years.  Not in a physical way.  She was just intrigued by His words, by His way with people.  His way with people like her.  She had heard the stories of Him raising a young boy from the dead.  She’d listened to Him speak of a kingdom where people like her were blessed.  

Then He crushed her, not in a bad way, but in a good way…  She was standing in the crowd that day when He said these words…

Matthew 11:28-30

28 “Come to me, all you who are weary and burdened, and I will give you rest. 29 Take my yoke upon you and learn from me, for I am gentle and humble in heart, and you will find rest for your souls. 30 For my yoke is easy and my burden is light.”

She hadn’t been able to get them out of her mind all day long.  All she has known was weariness and burden.  It was like He was speaking straight to her…  Easy and light sounded amazing to her.  She was SO tired, she had never been able to see a way out before, but now, maybe…  just maybe there was a way…

All day long the feeling had been growing in her and now it had swelled to the point that she couldn’t ignore it anymore.  She put her shawl on, she went over the dresser she typically prepared herself for the men she entertained, this time she looked in the silver mirror and saw the potential for new life.  Tonight she would go to a man and give herself, not her body, her true self, the part she had hidden for so long.  

As she looked, she saw it, the tool of her trade, the alabaster jar of perfume she’d use to cover the stench of the men and to make herself seem alluring.  She knew what she had to do.  It had cost her a great deal of money, but it didn’t matt

Have you ever seen something miraculous?  This week Kent delves into how often those who see the miraculous are those who serve.  Jump in with us in Sections 22 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316  to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

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Sermon Notes Slide Key:

• Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
• All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
• Bold = Slide text
• Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e.  - underlines, italics, etc.)
• “b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
• Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
• [some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

My senior year, my grandparents decided they were going to pay to take my entire family, cousins, aunts, uncles, etc. on a cruise to the Bahamas.  Free cruise, how does it get better than that?  Except I was a teenager - like a seriously moody grumpy teenager.  This meant I was going to miss a week and a half of being with my buddies.  It meant I was going to miss going to church camp.   You ever heard don’t look a gift horse in the mouth?  I didn’t just look it in the mouth, I literally shoved my whole head in.  I was full-on teenage angst.  I knew going on that trip would ruin my life.  I knew all the best things in the world were going to happen during that week and a half.  I fought my parents, told my grandparents I didn’t want to go to the Bahamas.  I was SO mad!  (because I’m dumb… :)  

Literally, we are in Florida ready to get on the boat, and I’m still feeling like I’m forced to do something I don’t want to do…

You ever felt that?

-you have protested over and over again that your company doesn’t need to be spending time and resources on that new project and your boss tells you to suck it up and do it anyway?

-your parents force you to do something that everything in you didn’t want to do?

We all know what it’s like to be put in a position where you feel like you HAVE to do something you don’t want to

Did you know Jesus knows what that’s like?  Check this out, in a second we are going to look at a time when Jesus was force to do something He didn’t want to do, I’ll show you something that blew me away, and then we’ll swing it around to what do we do next…

John 2:1-12

On the third day a wedding took place at Cana in Galilee. Jesus’ mother was there, 2 and Jesus and his disciples had also been invited to the wedding. 3 When the wine was gone, Jesus’ mother said to him, “They have no more wine.”

Jewish weddings are not what we are used to.  They had two parts, the betrothal - the husband and the father of the bride would set a price the husband would pay to the family and the bride.  The father would determine if he tho

What was it about Jesus that allowed Him to give Himself away even after an exhausting day?  Today we'll look at two secrets and uncover a way for you to start to get the same kind of impact in your own life.  We'll be in Sections 35 today @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE, text any amount to (859) 459-0316  to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

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Sermon Notes Slide Key:

• Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
• All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
• Bold = Slide text
• Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e.  - underlines, italics, etc.)
• “b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
• Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
• [some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

I get up here and dance around for two services back to back.  My day really starts yesterday going over my sermon at about 5 or 6 pm, getting up early on Sunday and practicing it a couple times, I then meet with some guys and after that I get up and preach the same message twice - both times it has to have the same intensity and the same power to it.  And afterwards, Every single week I experience the same thing, I call it the “Holy Hangover”. My brain is groggy, I can’t function, I’m emotionally drained, spiritually empty, and all together worn out…

Then Monday I have to get up and start the week over again.

We all have something like that, don’t we?  Something that wears us out

-That guy that stops in your office and drones on and on about how the doctor can’t get his medicine right

-The meeting that makes you want to pull your hair out

-That customer that needs you to hold their hand every step of the way and is a never-ending stream of questions?

So, here’s the question I want us to deal with today

How do you keep your tank from getting empty when you are constantly pouring out?

It’s not like this is a unique scenario - 

Jesus encountered severe scenarios that drained Him and was still able to keep giving.  What gives?

Check this out…  Section 35 of the Harmonies

SCRIPTURE:

This is right after Jesus has called Peter, Andrew, James, and John.  He attends synagogue worship with them on a Saturday (the Sabbath).  While Jesus is in the Synagogue in Capernaum, Peter & Andrew's hometown, a demon-possessed man comes in and Jesus casts out the demon.

Mark 1:29

29 As soon as they left the synagogue, they went with James and John to the home of Simon and Andrew.

Capernaum is this beautiful little fishing village right off the sea of Galilee.  Picture something the size of Sadieville or

This week Kent takes us to the result of all of the ministry of Jesus and gives us insight into 3 things these early Christians knew that could make a HUGE difference in our following Jesus.  IT'S EASY TO GIVE, text any amount to (859) 459-0316  to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).

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Sermon Notes Slide Key:

• Sermons always start with “OPENING ILLUSTRATION:” and end with “CLOSING ILLUSTRATION:"
• All scriptures are NIV unless otherwise noted
• Bold = Slide text
• Bold Red = Scriptures (please reflect formatting of scripture on slides, i.e.  - underlines, italics, etc.)
• “b" or “B” on a line by itself = Slide break/New slide
• Bold ALL CAPS WORDS = heading to be ignored
• [some text] = programming notes to be paid attention to

OPENING ILLUSTRATION:

DC - July 4th, Beach Boys at the Capitol.  it was packed - barriers, police everywhere, people packed in.  found a spot on the grass.  The whole time kept thinking, “where are the fireworks gonna be?”  capitol behind the other direction the band shell was blocking your view looking that way. 

the concert ended, dark, the first firework shot up and within seconds, the entire crowd stood up and all started moving out the gate.  stroller full of stuff and a bunch of little kids on bungee cords - I didn’t even think, just took off with the crowd.  Jenni started yelling, “what are you doing?”  I was like “we gotta move or we die!”  Ha

made it out the gate just a few minutes left on the fireworks display, surrounded by 50,000 of my closest friends and my wife not super happy about me just following the rush of the crowd.  :)

You’ve felt the rush of the crowd, haven’t you?

-concert - moved because everyone around you moving?

-video tide pool China thousands of people floated back & forth 

-ran a 5k got stuck in the middle of a crowd - move the pace

all know what it’s like to be in the rush of the crowd…

Today, I want to Flash Forward past the life of Jesus and take you to a crowd rush moment.

b

We will look at what comes out of this moment and see a thing or two we could learn from this event in history.

pentecost. 50 days since Jesus resurrected - Jews call it Shavuot

Shavuot, the second of three pilgrim festivals for the Jewish people.  Celebrated the beginning of the harvest of wheat, the bringing of first fruits, and the giving of the law to Moses.

people from all over the known world in Jerusalem - they had been there 50 days before and seen the whole mix-up with Jesus…

disciples huddled away waiting for Holy Spirit to come

-all of sudden, spirit comes - tongues of fire.  people hear in their own language

“been hitting the sauce a little early…”

Peter stands up in a huge crowd - tells the people aren’t drunk.

Jesus was all about Community, even in our prayer life he taught us to pray in community.  Jump in with us in Section 134 of the Gospel Harmonies @ https://www.harmonychurch.cc/tracking-jesus-timeline/. IT'S EASY TO GIVE at Harmony, text any amount to (859) 459-0316  to get started (or give online @ my.harmonychurch.cc/give ).