Sermons from Harvest Bible Chapel - Barrie

We’re resuming our series, Great & Amazing, in the Book of Revelation this Sunday with a look at Revelation 6, the opening of the seven seals. As the scene unfolds before John’s eyes, he sees an increasingly desperate and decaying world around him depicted as four horsemen. One stands out from the rest as more hopeful. The others bring destruction and death. By the end of the chapter, the question is asked by unbelievers who are facing the onslaught of God’s wrath, “Who can stand?” And the answer is made clear: only those who belong to the Lamb and who claim his victory. If you want to be better prepared for Sunday, read Revelation 6, but also understand that what we’ll study Sunday parallels Jesus’ prophetic teaching in the Olivet Discourse in Matthew 24-25 (cf. Mark 13; Luke 21).

Series: Great& Amazing — Revelation (Part 2) Todd Dugard Message: 12 – Who Can Stand? Harvest Bible Chapel Text: Revelation 6:1-17 September 11, 2022

Q. Who can stand in the face of…(6:17b)

…violence? (6:3-4)

…economic disparity? (6:5-6)

…disasters and disease? (6:7-8)

…persecution and martyrdom? (6:9-11)

In the past year, 360 million Christians, or 1 in 7 believers around the world, suffered significant persecution for their faith. Every day in 2021, an average of more than 16 believers were killed for following Jesus. With close to 6,000 total martyrs, 2021 saw a 24% increase in Christians killed for the faith. Lifeway Research https://research.lifeway.com/2022/01/28/1-in-7-global-christians-faced-persecution-in-2021/

A. Those who await the vindication of God… (6:12-17)

These severe disruptions point forward to the ultimate escalation soon-to-come, the dissolution of the present sky and earth in connection with the arrival of the new creation of Revelation 21-22. Buist M. Fanning

…having the firm hope of Christ’s victory (6:1-2)

I’m excited to have Leo Klus back with us as we continue the Means of Grace series. Each week God has shown us another picture of how compassionate and loving he is. His love goes far beyond our expectations! This week, we’re pausing in the familiar territory of Luke’s Gospel to consider our worship. The Holy Spirit graciously leads past obstacles to passionate worship so we can experience the fruit of devotion to Christ. Luke 7:36-50 captures the unashamed adoration of a woman whose life is changed when she starts to worship Jesus.

Series: Means of Grace (Summer series)

Message: 9 - We bow down

Text: Luke 7:36-50

Leo Klus

Harvest Bible Chapel

August 28, 2022

Understand the situation

Obstacles to passionate adoration

a. Pride

b. Cynicism

c. Legalism

The fruit of passionate adoration

a. Hunger for God

b. Brokenness before God

c. Affection for God

This Sunday we have a guest speaker, Leo Klus, who is a good friend of Pastor Todd and has served our church well as a consultant in the past. Leo has also served as an executive pastor in three churches in Chicago and London. On Sunday we will look deeper into Mark 4:35-5:20 as we continue our series “Means of Grace”. This is a good time to read through these Bible chapters and become familiar with this Scripture as you prepare for Sunday. Leo expresses that “The Other Side” is central to the heart of Jesus.

Series: Means of Grace (Summer series)

Message: 8 - The other side

Text: Mark 4:35 - 5:20

Leo Klus

Harvest Bible Chapel

August 21, 2022

The other side…

Is central to Jesus’ heart

Is the “realm of hopelessness”

In the lives of Christians, the emphasis of the NT is not on

the influence of demons but on the sin that remains in the

believers life. Nevertheless, we should recognize that sinning

does give a foothold for some kind of demonic influence in

our lives. Thus Paul could say, “Be angry but do not sin; do

not let the sun go down on your anger, and give no

opportunity to the devil” (Eph 4:26). If we have areas of

continuing sin in our lives, then there are weaknesses and

holes in our ‘breastplate of righteousness’, and these are

areas in which we are vulnerable.

Wayne Grudem

Reveals the power and majesty of Jesus

Will respond…one way or the other

One day, Jesus engaged an invalid at the pool of Siloam. He asked him if he wanted to be healed. That seems like a silly question. Who would not want to be healed? Jesus’ question becomes pointed when he tells the man to get up and walk. Leaving any other ideas about how to get healed behind, the man had to trust Jesus. And he did! The ministry of Soul Care is about helping people find healing for their souls. I am excited to look at how to find healing through a surprising means of grace in Hebrews 12:12-17. But take warning! You are going to have to decide. Do you want to be healed, and will you trust Jesus?

Series: Means of Grace (Summer series)

Message: 7 - Do you want to be healed?

Text: Hebrews 12:12-17, John 5:1-18

Roger Freeman

Harvest Bible Chapel

August 14, 2022

Healing is found in life’s trials.

Christianity is not about how to escape from the difficulties of life - it is about how to face the difficulties of life.

Alistair Begg

Healing is found in weakness.

Healing is found in our choices.

Proverbs 4:26-27

Romans 12:2

Straight paths are distinct

Straight paths are difficult

Acts 13:8-10

1 Kings 18:21

Proverbs 4:26-27

“Profane” — not in the abuse of language but, rather, against God (pro is before or against; fanus is temple). It means against the temple; godless. Esau despised his birthright, counting it only worth a pittance.

Dr. J. Vernon McGee

Healing is found in Jesus.

2 Samuel 22:37

2 Samuel 22:20

Psalm 23:3

Isaiah 53:4-5

1 Peter 2:24

Cheryl and I recently spent some vacation days in the area where we used to live in Southern Ontario. It is a county of rolling hills, beautiful farmland on the shores of Lake Erie, and just enough off the beaten path to have a noticeably calmer pace of life compared to what we experience here in Barrie. We remarked that our time there was peaceful, awesome and a means of God’s grace to us for those five days. It was a sabbath rest. As we come together to hear God’s Word on Sunday, we’ll be looking at Hebrews 4:1-13 and the promise of God with respect to rest. As the preacher of Hebrews (it’s a sermon manuscript) said, “Let us therefore strive to enter that rest.” This is something we must give our attention to as Christians. Come ready to hear God’s Word and be challenged about God’s design for us and his insistence that we find our rest in him for now and for eternity.

Series: Means of Grace (Summer series)

Message: 6 - Rest

Text: Hebrews 4:1-13

Todd Dugard

Harvest Bible Chapel

August 7, 2022

God gives me rest as a means of his grace…

…but I will fail to experience it apart from Christ (v. 1)

At the heart of worship is rest—a stopping from all work, all worry, all scheming, all fleeing—to stand amazed and thankful before God and his work. There can be no real worship without true rest.

Mark Buchanan, The Rest of God

(https://www.amazon.ca/Rest-God-Mark-Buchanan/dp/0849918707/ref=sr_1_1?crid=2C5K5ZKQ0SGU4&keywords=the+rest+of+God&qid=1659728703&sprefix=the+rest+of+god%2Caps%2C98&sr=8-1)

…so, I must listen and believe his promise (v. 2-7)

The Lord of the Sabbath message:

https://s3.ca-central-1.amazonaws.com/cdn.harvestbible.ca/sermons/lord-of-the-sabbath/

…awaiting rest’s ultimate fulfillment (v. 8-10)

…while striving to enjoy that grace now (v. 11-13)

Sabbath is when we stop. We slow down. We play, we rest, we dream, we wonder. We cease from that which is necessary and turn to that which gives life. And in the hush that descends, we listen.

Mark Buchanan, The Rest of God

We’re spending the summer talking about the means of grace; the conduits by which God delivers his kind favour to us. Obvious ones include reading the Word, prayer, worship, the Lord’s Table and baptism. Less obvious ones include two that we will look at over the next two Sundays: friendship and rest. Thinking of your friendships, have you considered that God uses these relationships to show you his grace? Not to mention that he will use you to deliver grace to others. On Sunday, we’ll look at the short letter from Paul to Philemon because it gets to the heart of Christian friendship and the delivery of grace through it. On its face, the letter is an appeal from one dear friend to another about the status of a third person known to both. Such a letter could not be written unless a deep, abiding friendship existed. And it is that secondary purpose for the letter—the underlying friendship—that will guide our time in the Word. There’s something for everyone in this message. We all need a primer on how to be the right kind of friend, informed not by the world’s ideas of friendship, but God’s.

Series: Means of Grace (Summer series)

Message: 5 - Friendship

Text: Philemon

Todd Dugard

Harvest Bible Chapel

July 31, 2022

As a Christian, my friendships will serve as a means of grace…

…if they receive the proper time and attention (v. 1-7)

κοινωνία (koinonia) – an association involving close mutual relations and involvement; close association, fellowship

Louw and Nida

…knowing that such relationships can be put on the line(8-20)

Matthew 10:37

I don't need a friend who changes when I change and who nods when I nod; my shadow does that much better.

Plutarch

Proverbs 27:6a

Proverbs 18:24

The significance of friends is found in their quality, not quantity.

Bruce Waltke

John 15:13

…because we are to always assume the best of each other (21-24)

My friendships will serve as a means of grace if they receive the proper time and attention, knowing that such relationships can be put on the line because we are to always assume the best of each other.

Resource:

5 Things Satan doesn't want you to know about friendship

https://evangileqc.com/author/geoffreyjwright/

We’re looking forward to having Pastor Kaj Ballantyne at Harvest this Sunday. Kaj is the lead pastor at Harvest Muskoka, one of the churches we planted in partnership with Harvest Bible Fellowship. Concerning his message, Kaj writes,

If you spend any time around young kids, you see how unafraid they are to ask questions about everything they see around them – from the big questions like, “Why is the sky blue?”, to the repetitive, “Are we there yet?” to the deep heart questions like, “How much do you love me?” If you think about it, questions have this way of drawing us deeper into relationship and so Scripture is full of people approaching God with all sorts of questions. Although God does not promise to answer all our questions, there are some very important questions that God wants us to ask because he wants us to know the answer. In fact, they are questions that God loves us to ask because he knows that the answers are allowing us to daily experience his amazing grace.

His message is titled, “Answering the biggest questions of the Christian life” and will be looking at Romans 8:31-39. I know this will be an impactful time in the Word as it always is when Kaj joins us.

Series: Means of Grace

Message: 4 - Answering the biggest questions of the Christian life

Text: Romans 8:31-39

Kaj Ballantyne

Harvest Bible Chapel

July 24, 2022

I. THE GOAL OF THIS SERMON:

A. Worship

B. Encouragement

C. Boldness

II. HARD QUESTIONS WITH LIFE CHANGING ANSWERS

A. Who can be against us? (v. 31-32)

B. Who can condemn us? (v. 33-34)

C. Who can separate us from the love of Christ? (v. 35-39)

When you visit a bookstore or bookstand you shouldn’t have much trouble finding something to read on the topic of self-improvement. Books on personal improvement are all over the place. Many of us want tips and insights because making a personal change for the better is hard. Thankfully, when we come to Jesus, we find grace through him to grow, mature, leave sin behind, and live in a new empowered way.  Adopting Jesus’ thinking changes us. He helps us live for him and overcome temptation and troubles. We’ll need to dig into 1 Peter 4:1-19 to see how this played out in a culture that was hostile to the gracious changes Jesus brings to a believer's life.

You can read through the passage a few times to have it in mind and you can review 1 Peter’s main themes with this helpful video from the highly commendable Bible Project.

Series: Means of Grace (Summer series)

Message: 3 - He changes me

Text: 1 Peter 4:1-19

Dwayne Francois

Harvest Bible Chapel

July 10, 2022

Romans 12:2

Colossians 3:9

Romans 8:5

2 Corinthians 5:17

Jesus’ thinking motivates me to…

…live for more than my pleasure (v. 1-6)

…love beyond lip service (v. 7-11)

Proverbs 10:12

Oh, I have days I lose the fight

Try my best but just don't get it right

Where I talk a talk that I don't walk

And miss the moments right before my eyes

Somebody with a hurt that I could have helped

Somebody with a hand that I could have held

When I just can't see past myself

Lord, help me be

Little more like mercy, a little more like grace

A little more like kindness, goodness, love, and faith

A little more like patience, a little more like peace

A little more like Jesus, a little less like me

--Lyrics from A little less like Me (Zach Williams)

…last through my fiery trial (v. 12-19)

John 15:18-20

Luke 22:42

Every sincere believer needs the highest reminder of Jesus' grace to help us move through the challenges of being a Christian in a world opposed to Jesus’ way. We can choose to see ourselves as causalities in the clash between the world and the kingdom of God or as people on the winning team receiving grace through Jesus our saviour. Take this to heart, God knows what you go through and uses your unjustified suffering to fulfill his plans. Despite public disapproval, the church continues to take root and grow beside the competing ideas our culture offers because God’s grace gives meaning to any suffering we endure for Jesus. In Christ, you can take the unfair criticism, handle the extra pressure, manage the social rejection, suffer the injustices all because salvation delivers grace to you. No trial can remove the grace of salvation. So, as we study 1 Peter 3:18-22 we will learn to lean fully on our gracious saviour, Jesus Christ.

Series: Means of Grace (Summer series)Message: 2 - Our gracious SaviourText: 1 Peter 3:18-22Dwayne FrancoisHarvest Bible ChapelJuly 3, 2022

Four ways to fully embrace your gracious Saviour…

Let Jesus settle your sin problem (v. 18)

Romans 5:6-9

Let Jesus preach to your enemies (v. 19)

Verse 19 Head Scratchers:When did Jesus go and preach?What did he preach?Who are the spirits in prison?

Competing Ideologies: liberalism, conservatism, socialism, communism, theocracy, agrarianism, totalitarianism, democracy, colonialism, and globalism. (helpfulprofessor.com)

Let Jesus restart your life (v. 20)

Let Jesus handle your appeal to God (v. 21-22)

God has ways of delivering his grace into our lives. Grace, by its very definition, is a gift. There is no earning it and we certainly do not deserve it; God freely dispenses his unmerited favour to those who exercise faith in him. This dispensing happens through what are commonly understood to be the means of grace. The means of grace are the delivery method. The most essential of these are prayer, the preaching and study of the Scriptures, baptism and the Lord’s Table. When we practice these disciplines and observe the ordinances, God’s grace flows to us. Other means of grace include friendship, sabbath rest, witnessing and service, and generosity. Without his grace in our lives, we are entirely lost. For this reason alone, the Christian should access the flow of grace by all means possible.

Series: Means of Grace (Summer series) Message: 1 - Grace to you Text: Galatians 1-3 Todd Dugard Harvest Bible Chapel June 26, 2022

My standing with God is based entirely on his grace (1:3-5)…

Grace is God’s undeserved and unearned favour.

God loves people because of who God is, not because of who we are.—Philip Yancey, What’s So Amazing About Grace? https://www.amazon.ca/Whats-So-Amazing-About-Grace/dp/0310245656/ref=sr_1_1?crid=MS5HC6DAMGPE&keywords=what%27s+so+amazing+about+grace&qid=1656183548&sprefix=what%27s+so+ama%2Caps%2C75&sr=8-1

…but grace is easily compromised by distortions of the gospel (1:6-10)

Where the righteousness of the law rules, the righteousness of grace cannot; and again, where the righteousness of grace reigns, the righteousness of the law cannot; one of them must always give way to the other.—Martin Luther

It would be, as if to say, Christ is a good workman and has indeed started the building, but he has not finished it and for this we need our own moral and religious works.—Martin Luther (paraphrased)

The doctrine of grace can by no means stand with the doctrine of the law. The one must simply be refused and abolished, and the other confirmed and established.—Martin Luther

…and thus, I feel the need to earn God’s favour (1:11-2:14)

Ephesians 2:8-9

The means of grace are God’s appointed instruments by which the Holy Spirit enables believers to receive Christ and the benefits of redemption. Although He could have chosen to reveal Christ immediately to His people, He has determined instead to do so through certain means. God assigned the Word, sacraments, and prayer to be the foremost means by which He communicates Christ and His benefits to believers.—Nick Batzig

The outward and ordinary means whereby Christ communicates to us the benefits of redemption are his ordinances, especially the Word, sacraments and prayer; all which are made effectual to the elect for salvation.—Westminster Shorter Catechism; Q88

…rather than receiving his grace by faith alone (2:15-21)

…in the power of the Spirit and not the flesh (3:1-14)

If we are to grow in grace, we must acknowledge that God has appointed certain means for that growth. We should approach these means with eager anticipation and childlike reliance on the One who adds His blessing to them, and we must rest content in a right use of them, knowing that God has promised to bless them as we use them with repentant and believing hearts.—Nick Batzig

LINKS:

What Is a Means of Grace? https://tabletalkmagazine.com/article/2020/06/what-is-a-means-of-grace/

Means of Grace https://www.ligonier.org/learn/devotionals/means-of-grace

Why the Ordinary Means of Grace Must Be Central in Our Gatherings https://www.9marks.org/article/why-the-ordinary-means-of-grace-must-be-central-in-our-gatherings/

The Ordinary Means of Grace https://ca.thegospelcoalition.org/columns/straight-paths/the-ordinary-means-of-grace/