Sermons from Harvest Bible Chapel Barrie

There are a ton of reasons why people walk away from God or, as some say, “lose their faith.” Very often it is related to difficulties and trials that they face which end up being too strong for them to bear. In such cases, some people despair and crack under the pressure and may even blame God for their circumstances. The fact that all of us likely know someone like this punctuates the point that we need to have our theology worked out before we face deep waters. We need to be prepared knowing that for a believer, it is possible to go from despairing of life to the worship of God. As we look at 1 Samuel 16:14 to 19:17 on Sunday, we’ll see David in a precarious situation that threatened to shipwreck his relationship with God. The narrative will help us see that we can indeed trust his perfect plan. This message will also prepare us for a look at Psalm 59 next Sunday where David writes a song about the experiences we’ll look at this week.

Series: The Great Exchange

Todd Dugard

Message: 2 – From despair to worship: Part 1

Harvest Bible Chapel

Text: 1 Samuel 16:14-19:17

Sept 22, 2024

To go from despairing of life to the worship of God I must…

…accept that “bad” things happen to “good” people (19:1a)

Why do bad things happen to good people? That only happened once, and he volunteered.

R. C. Sproul

…surround myself with faithful friends (19:1b-7)

Matthew 10:36–37

Biblical friendship exists when two or more people, bound together by a common faith in Jesus Christ, pursue him and his kingdom with intentionality and vulnerability. Rather than serving as an end in itself, biblical friendship serves primarily to bring glory to Christ, who brought us into friendship with the Father. It is indispensable to the work of the gospel in the earth, and an essential element of what God created us for.

Jonathan Holmes, The Company We Keep

…acknowledge the sovereignty of God (19:8-10)

Under divine providence everything ultimately was attributed to him; why not say he did it in the first place?

Walter Kaiser, Hard Sayings of the Bible

God brough redemption and forgiveness to anyone who would believe. It goes against all the normative patterns that we follow like power and strength are better than weakness, winning is better than losing, big is better than small, health is better than sickness, comfortable living is better than suffering, to gain is better than to suffer sacrifice and loss...The message that we proclaim, the message of the gospel, is based in a complete reversal of power and conquest. The cross of Jesus Christ, a symbol of death and shame and weakness and suffering, stands at the heart of our faith.

David Barker

Isaiah 53:10a

Romans 8:18

Romans 8:28

…trust his perfect plan (19:11-17)

Psalm 59:9

There are two kinds of people in the world: those who approach life in prose and those who move through it poetically. You are either one who sees the cold hard facts of life and who meet events and circumstances with rationality, or you are among those who are more emotive, expressing deep feelings—positive and negative—when facing all that life throws at us. While one group may struggle to understand the other, God has fashioned both in us as human beings. We reflect his image in the prose and the poetry. And this is no better illustrated than in the life and times of King David of Israel. In 1 and 2 Samuel we have the bare facts account of his upbringing, his anointing, his exploits, his failures and his passing. And in the Psalms, we have his heart. In words laden with deep emotion—both joy and sorrow—we have the poetic perspective on the same life-altering events. In this 15-part series, we’ll explore the narratives and the songs of David’s life, and in both the prosaic and poetic words we’ll find God at work transforming our lives day by day, taking us from what we were to what we can be in Christ. Just as he did for David.

Series: The Great Exchange: God’s transformational work in our daily lives

Message: 1 - God Works Through the Ordinary

Text: 1 Samuel 16:1-13

Dr. David Barker

September 15, 2024

1. Encounter with God

- Marginalized, ordinary

- Rejection

- Breaks the patterns

2. Ourselves

- Good news

- Heart

- Confidence

- Expectations

3. The world

- Foil

- Shepherd

- Cross

This Poor Man Called: Stories and Songs of David

Dr. David Barker

Volume 1 - https://a.co/d/alLJJxD

Volume 2 - https://a.co/d/dwlHubh

Before we get into our first series on September 15, we’ll launch our new ministry year this Sunday with a single message in Isaiah 43:16-21 where God says to his people, Israel, “Behold, I am doing a new thing,” and that’s what we have in front of us: a new thing for 2024-2025. This will be our 24th ministry year launch, and we’re excited about what is in front of us over the next twelve months.

Single: Ministry Year Launch

Todd Dugard

Message: I am doing a new thing

Harvest Bible Chapel

Text: Isaiah 43:16-21

September 8, 2024

As we launch into a new ministry year, let’s clarify and commit to…

…the power behind it all (v. 16-17)

Prayer Night - Sunday, September 15 at 6 p.m.

…the past we’ve left behind (v. 18)

The past can teach, but it must not bind. The gaze must ever be forward to what God will yet do.

J. Alec Motyer

Let the grand past be overtopped by the more glorious future. Cultivate hope not remembrance.

H. C. Leupold

…the promise we’ve been given (v. 19)

…the people we’re to be (v. 20)

1 Corinthians 3:11

Ephesians 1:7

John 1:12

…the purpose we’re to fulfill (v. 21)

Harvest exists to glorify God by making more and better disciples of Christ who love God and love people.

Our roots go deep into the Protestant Reformation of the sixteenth century...What was God accomplishing back then? I think of it this way. [God] hauled the ship that we call the church into dry dock, scraped away 1,500 years’ worth of encrusted human traditions that were slowing it down, refitted that ship with fresh gospel understandings, and relaunched a seaworthy vessel that is still going strong. But reformation must never stop. Our constant tendency is toward rudderless inconsequentiality, and God is constantly getting us back on course to our true destiny. What then is reformation? Reformation is God renewing in our hearts a passionate clarity about his purpose for us. It is God reawakening in us a love for his truth and his standards. It is God preparing us for the display of his glorious salvation as we reshape every aspect of our lives and our churches to that end.

Raymond C. Ortlund Jr. and R. Kent Hughes

Isaiah: God Saves Sinners

My new ministry year personal commitment: (Check all that apply)

□ Become a follower of Christ and get baptized

□ Commit to regular Sunday worship

□ Give to the mission

□ Become a member

□ Read the Word and pray

□ Join a group

□ Get on a serving team

□ Invite others to meet Jesus

This week as I have been preparing the message, I have found myself humming and singing lines from the Impressions 1960s hit, “People Get Ready” (much to the chagrin of those around me!). It is a great gospel-inspired song about the return of Christ, comparing his return to a train, “picking up passengers coast to coast”, while some are ready, others are not.

The end times and the return of Christ are always captivating topics for Christians. But spend a couple of minutes on YouTube and you will find there is much confusion out there .If you are anything like me, it can be hard to keep all your terms and categories straight (e.g. pre-, mid-, and post-tribulation, amillennial, premillennial, postmillennial etc.). While it is important to understand what Scripture says about these things and to be aware of our times and to have a sense of what may come, these things don’t speak to how we should live as we await Christ’s return. However, if you join us this Sunday, we will be looking at the Parable of the Ten Virgins (Matthew 25:1-13) and what it says about how we can be ready as we wait for Christ’s return.

Series: Simple Stories: How the parables of Jesus change everything

Nathan Hooper

Message: 10 – Ten virgins

Harvest Bible Chapel

Text: Matthew 25:1-13

September 1, 2024

To be ready for Jesus’ coming, I will…

…rest in him (v. 1-5)

Ephesians 2:8–10

Psalm 4:8

Matthew 11: 28–30

The reason why many are still troubled, still seeking, still making little forward progress is because they haven't yet come to the end of themselves. We're still trying to give orders and interfering with God's work within us. The rest he offers is the rest of meekness, the blessed relief which comes when we accept ourselves for what we are and cease to pretend.

A.W. Tozer

…anticipate the Day (v. 6-10)

2 Corinthians 4:16–18

God does not give us everything we want, but He does fulfill His promises, leading us along the best and straightest paths to Himself.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

…know what is at stake (v. 11-13)

Matthew 25:34, 41

This is another sobering reality that Christians must always keep in mind. If something is God’s perfect plan and purpose, it is infinitely glorious. No dimension of the gospel, absolutely no dimension of God’s work, reflects anything less than that infinite glory. If we are embarrassed by the biblical teaching concerning judgement, we are embarrassed by the gospel, embarrassed by Christ and embarrassed by the true and living God.

Albert Mohler

On the day that Jesus returns, our hearts will be exposed. The true nature of who we are before God will come to light. Nothing will be hidden; everything will be revealed. All the things we like and presume to cover up will be made known...Many people will be shocked on the last day to find out that the road they have been on, a road they thought was the narrow road leading to heaven, was actually the broad road that leads to hell.

David Platt

This Sunday, we are happy to have Julian Freeman here again to preach about the parable of the lost treasure in our “Simple Stories” series. For those of you who might have missed Julian the first time he preached, he is a member of our Harvest family who previously served as a pastor for many years. We look forward to hearing what God has laid on his heart as we look at this brief but powerful parable.

Series: Simple Stories: How the parables of Jesus change everything

Julian Freeman

Message: 9 – Hidden treasure

Harvest Bible Chapel

Text: Matthew 13:44

August 25, 2024

I will live like the kingdom is a treasure when I see…

...my poverty.

...my purchase.

Romans 5:6–8

Ephesians 5:25–27

...my place in the story.

James 1:12

1 Peter 5:6

Mark 10:28–30

Matthew 25:23

 

You voted and we’ve preached the “parables” you voted for. Like a couple of your other suggestions, this week’s passage might not actually be parables but metaphor. In Matthew 5:13-16, as part of the amazing Sermon on the Mount, Jesus says that believers are “the salt of the earth” and “the light of the world.” These categorical pronouncements mark our identity as Christians and call us to live out what has been declared to be true about us. That is to say, now that we know who we are, we can set our minds to the mission. Or, to say it another way, with our being established, we can focus on the doing. Whether it is a parable or not, the images of “salt” and “light” are powerful ones for us to consider. So much changes if we understand what Jesus is saying. It's going to be good to get to be together with you to unpack it all on Sunday.

Series: Simple Stories: How the parables of Jesus change everything

Todd Dugard

Message: 8 – Salt and Light

Harvest Bible Chapel

Text: Matthew 5:13-16

August 18, 2024

Don’t let your abilities take you where your character can’t keep you.

If I’m to be a Christian, I’ll know…

…who I am in Christ (v 13a, 14a)

John 8:12

Your life as a Christian should make non-believers question their disbelief in God.

Dietrich Bonhoeffer

…what my relationship to the world is to be (v 13b, 14b, 15)

Identity amnesia always leads to identity replacement. When you forget your identity in Christ, you search for identity in people, places and things.

Paul David Tripp

The glory of the gospel is that when the Church is absolutely different from the world, she invariably attracts it. It is then that the world is made to listen to her message, though it may hate it at first.

D. Martyn Lloyd-Jones

…how I am to make an impact for the Kingdom of God (v 16a)

Christian saltiness is Christian character as depicted in the Beatitudes, committed Christian discipleship exemplified in both deed and word.

John Stott

…and why God gets all the credit (v 16b)

The gospel says you are more sinful and flawed than you ever dared believe, but more accepted and loved than you ever dared hope.

Timothy Keller

I find gardening from scratch to be so fascinating. One small seed turning into something glorious—flowers, vegetables, fruit, trees—blows my mind. It is a picture that resonates with just about everyone. And Jesus used the idea of planting a seed in one of his parables to make a point about the power of God to bring about his kingdom on earth. As we consider what he said in that short parable in Mark 4:30-32, we’ll see that God’s power in our lives is not like the world’s power and often seems insignificant even while it is at work in unseen ways, always resulting in remarkable blessings from his hand. I’m eager, as always, to get at that with you on Sunday.

Series: Simple Stories: How the parables of Jesus change everything

Todd Dugard

Message: 7 – The Seed

Harvest Bible Chapel

Text: Mark 4:30-32

August 11, 2024

God’s power in my life…

…is not like the world’s power (v 30)

…often seems insignificant (v 31)

…is at work in unseen ways (v 32a)

Hebrews 11:1

John 20:29

…always results in the remarkable (v 32b)

Underdogs win all the time. Why, then, are we shocked every time a David beats a Goliath? Why do we automatically assume that someone who is smaller or poorer or less skilled is necessarily at a disadvantage?

Malcolm Gladwell, David and Goliath

The world may underestimate the underdog, but deep down they hold the power to surprise.

Malcolm Gladwell, David and Goliath

Mark 4:27

Hebrews 1:3a

Colossians 1:15–17

I do hope you have been inspired, blessed, encouraged, challenged, and even a bit shocked at what you’ve been hearing in these messages in the parables of Jesus. What a summer of strong preaching it has been here already. I’ll do my best this Sunday to keep that up as we look at Luke 16:1-13 and the parable of the shrewd manager. It’s a weird one in that the principal character does something that is unethical to secure a better outcome for himself. And Jesus commends his shrewdness. It’s puzzling to say the least. What Jesus intends is a primer on the wise use of money, a reoccurring theme from Jesus in Luke’s Gospel. I’m eager to get into it with you on Sunday. If you don’t want to hear a message on money, you should most definitely stay away.

Series: Simple Stories: How the parables of Jesus change everything

Todd Dugard

Message: 6 – The shrewd manager

Harvest Bible Chapel

Text: Luke 16:1-13

August 4, 2024

1 crisis that everyone will face… (v. 1-2)

• Nothing in this life lasts forever

2 possible fixes… (v. 3-8a)

• Foolishly waste your possessions on temporal pleasure

• Wisely invest your possessions in future glory

Shrewd – sharp-witted; have acumen; apply wisdom in a practical way; clever

3 ways to get it right… (v. 8b-9)

• Imitate the shrewdness of the world (v. 8b)

How can we manage our money for eternity?

Diligently earn it

Responsibly save it

Wisely spend it

2016 series: Jesus on Money

https://www.harvestbible.ca/sermons/?wpfc_sermon_series=jesus-on-money

• Bless others with what you have (v. 9a)

• Watch for the eternal ROI (v. 9b)

4 values undergirding it all… (v. 10-13)

• God cares about the small stuff and so should you (v. 10)

• Salvation is authenticated by how you handle money (v. 11)

Wealth has been given to us by God in trust to use in the service of others.

David E. Garland

• Everything you own actually belongs to God (v. 12)

Psalm 24:1

• God won’t compete with money for your affection (v. 13)

One of the temptations of our age has been to pick and choose the parts of the Bible we believe. We allow our experiences, perspectives and ideals to inform what the Word of God says and means to us, and how we live as a result. It’s the prevailing idea behind the “deconstruction” or the “unhitch from the Bible” movements, leading so many to abandon the truth, forgoing the teaching of the Scriptures that the Church has held to for thousands of years to selfishly believe what they want, and what fits into their categories.

At Harvest, we have a high view of the Scriptures as the inspired, inerrant, sufficient, authoritative Word of God. God speaks to us from his Word, and we respond by believing it in faith, and living it out, even when it’s hard. As our summer series, Simple Stories, continues this week, we come to another hard-hitting parable of Jesus, in which he unpacks some of the truths that this world loves to ignore. But for those of us who believe what he says, and are living in light of it, it’s truth that brings hope which transcends this life and brings the utmost comfort and peace in the midst of hardship. The message is clear and urgent. How we respond to the truths of God’s Word and the gospel of Jesus Christ that it proclaims will echo into eternity. How will you respond?

Series: Simple Stories: How the parables of Jesus change everything

Jordan Coros

Message 5 - Rich Man & Lazarus

Harvest Bible Chapel

Text: Luke 16:19-31

July 28, 2024

Do I believe that God’s Word is sufficient…

…to navigate what I can see… (v. 19-21)

1 Timothy 6:17

I don’t always feel His presence, but God’s promises do not depend on my feelings; they rest upon his integrity.

R.C. Sproul

…in light of what I cannot yet see? (v. 22-31)

Hebrews 9:27

This second plea may seem to reflect a concern on the part of the rich man for others, but his family was regarded as an extension of himself. In looking out for his brothers, the rich man is still looking out for his own interest.

David Garland

John 5:46

Luke 24:27

The whole counsel of God concerning all things necessary for His own glory, man’s salvation, faith, and life, is either expressly set down in Scripture, or by good and necessary consequence may be deduced from Scripture: unto which nothing at any time is to be added, whether by new revelations of the Spirit, or traditions of men.

Westminster Confession of Faith, 1646

We’re back to our summer series this week, continuing to look at the parables of Jesus, simple stories that change everything. That’s most certainly the case as we come to one of the most well-known stories in all of Scripture. Even non-believers know this story, whether they know the exact origin of it, or not. If anyone helps someone in need, especially if they don’t know them, then we say that they are a Good Samaritan.

But the familiarity of this story cannot lead us away from the fact that what Jesus says in Luke 10 absolutely rattles the cage of a lawyer who, in seeking to justify himself, questioned Jesus. As commentator Daniel Emery Price wrote, “Self-justifying is a dangerous game to play with God in the flesh. Because he has stories. Scandalous, self-justifying, heart-seeking missile type stories. This is one of them.” The parable of the Good Samaritan is so much more than just being good to people, Jesus assaults our preconceived notions about what the Kingdom looks like, how to receive it, and how to live in light of it.

Series: Simple Stories: How the parables of Jesus change everything

Jordan Coros

Message 4 - The Good Samaritan

Harvest Bible Chapel

Text: Luke 10:25-37

July 21, 2024

The magic of parables is that they give us a glimpse of the transcendent through the lens of ordinary existence.

David Garland

If I’m going to inherit eternal life, I must… (v. 25-28)

Galatians 2:16

There remains a massive difference between answering correctly theologically and living perfectly practically.

Thabiti Anyabwile

…let Jesus be the good Samaritan for me… (v. 29-37a)

Romans 5:8

Don’t first conjure up the character of the good samaritan. First be the fallen man. First experience the compassion of this loving Outsider. Then go and do likewise. This is not a simple morality tale. The centre is not our resolve to be good samaritans. The centre is Christ himself.

Glen Scrivener

…so he can be the good Samaritan through me. (v. 37b)

1 John 4:19

Our love for our neighbour, especially the neighbour who is very different than us, is proof of our love for God. Our theology, no matter how good, becomes irrelevant and idolatrous when it’s not used in service of loving God and neighbour.

Rich Villodas

Galatians 6:10

1. Am I willing to give of my money?

2. Am I willing to give of my time?

3. Am I willing to be interrupted?

4. Am I willing to put myself on the line?

5. Am I eager to show mercy, or eager to limit who deserves mercy?

He shows mercy to us because of his own goodness, while we show mercy to one another because of God’s goodness. He has compassion on us so that we may enjoy him completely, while we have compassion on another that we may completely enjoy him.

Augustine, Christian Instruction