Where do you go in times of discouragement, desperation or spiritual dryness? There are many things that the world would tell us will help us with those things, all of which lead us to deeper despondency and distance us from the only one who can really satisfy. Maybe you’re feeling that discouragement and despair these days, maybe you’re in that place, struggling to find your way through.

There’s every indication that this is exactly where the Apostle Paul was as he made his way to Corinth. This second missionary journey that he had been on was rife with challenges; he had been imprisoned in Philippi, chased out of Thessalonica and Berea and mocked in Athens. Despite the way the Lord had been working, he was feeling the effects of the challenge of gospel ministry. As we turn our attention to Acts 18:1-17 this Sunday, we’ll see the Lord encourage Paul in a profound way through all the ups and downs of his time there. We’ll consider how we’re seeing God work in our own lives and the way that should encourage and motivate us to mission, just like it did for Paul. As John Calvin put it many years ago, “No one will calmly and quietly submit to bear the cross except those who have learned to seek their happiness beyond this world.”

Series: The Book of Acts

Jordan Coros

Message 49 - I have many in this city who are my people

Harvest Bible Chapel

Text: Acts 18:1-17

May 19, 2024

1 Corinthians 2:3

As I work for the kingdom, am I seeing God work in…

1. …the people? (v. 1-5a)

Romans 16:3–4

Ministry Partners

https://www.harvestbible.ca/ministries/our-ministry-partners/

2. …the challenges? (v. 5b-6)

Mark 16:15

Matthew 5:11

3. …the successes? (v. 7-8)

Take myself as an example. I opposed indulgences and all the papists, but never with force. I simply taught, preached, and wrote God’s Word; otherwise I did nothing.

And while I slept, or drank Wittenberg beer with my friends Philipp and Amsdorf, the Word so greatly weakened the papacy that no prince or emperor ever inflicted such losses upon it. I did nothing; the Word did everything.

Martin Luther

4. …the promises? (v. 9-11)

1 John 4:18

Romans 8:28

5. …the unexpected? (v. 12-17)

To be cast down is often the best thing for us...It is an unspeakable consolation that our Lord Jesus knows this experience.

Charles Spurgeon

Too many people, even Christians, have a mistaken notion that God is distant. It’s “The Big Man in the Sky” idea. Some go so far as to see God as distant and detached. Something that’s know as Deism. But the God of the Bible is anything but. Yes, he is transcendent in the sense that he is “other” than us. Yet he is also immanent; close; personal. In Sunday’s passage, Acts 17:16-34, the Apostle Paul finds himself in Athens in a place called the Aeropagus, meeting with the city’s thinkers and philosophers. He spends considerable time there meeting with them and discussing the gospel of Jesus Christ, and he makes the statement that God is “not far from each one of us.” What a reassuring thing to know! God is close. Even in the depths of our sin and even with the sense that we might have that we are “so far from God,” yet he is right there. We’ll unpack all of that from the passage this Sunday.

Series: The Acts of the Apostles

Todd Dugard

Message: 48 – He is not far from each one of us

Harvest Bible Chapel

Text: Acts 17:16-34

May 12, 2024

So that people who don’t yet know Jesus would come to see just how close

they are to him, I must…

…first, show genuine concern for their spiritual state (v. 16-21)

Provoked; παροξύνομαι: to be upset at someone or something involving severe emotional concern. In some languages the expression must be rendered idiomatically as ‘his heart was eating him’ or ‘his stomach was hot.’

L&N 88.189

Epicureanism – materialists; what is seen is relevant; no afterlife; not atheistic, but gods are not involved with humanity; “if there’s a god, why so much suffering?”; religious skeptics; value happiness and see it stemming from the absence of pain, suffering; “a good life is a pleasurable life.”

Stoicism – believe in divine providence; pantheists; divinity found in all nature, matter; “divine spark” binds everything together; pursue reason, logic; high ethic; believe in self-sufficiency and a universal brotherhood.

…then relate the gospel to their specific situation (v. 22-26)

The gist of the speech is...thoroughly rooted in Old Testament thought throughout. The main theme is God as Creator and the proper worship of this Creator God. The language often has the ring of Greek philosophy, for Paul was attempting to build what bridges he could to reach the Athenian intellectuals.

John B. Polhill

…presenting Jesus as the clear alternative (v. 27-28)

Preach the gospel at all times. Use words if necessary.

Dumb Quote by Someone

Romans 10:14–15

…and not equivocating at all on the error of their ways (v. 29-34)

The big 3 of the gospel:

(1) Everyone must repent;

(2) There is a coming judgment; and

(3) Jesus’ resurrection from the dead secures our salvation.

When the whole world is running towards a cliff, he who is running in the opposite direction appears to have lost his mind.

C. S. Lewis

The Jews of Berea never imagined that they would become the poster children for diligent study of the Scriptures, and that 2000 years later camps, churches, colleges and more would be named after them for that very reason. As we look at Acts 17:10-15 this Sunday, we’ll be inspired and challenged by these who, “were more noble” and who, “received the word with all eagerness.” Oh God, let that be us too! Read the passage ahead of time and come ready to hear, believe, and act upon the Word of God.

Series: The Acts of the Apostles

Todd Dugard

Message: 47 – Examining the Scriptures daily

Harvest Bible Chapel

Text: Acts 17:10-15

May 5, 2024

Love for Christ, love for God’s Word, and love for the church. Remove one, the other two will fall in time. All three together, operating in healthy mutual reinforcement, make a supernatural Christian before whom the devil trembles, however ordinary they may appear otherwise.

Dane Ortlund

How do I receive the Word of God?

Open-mindedly? (v. 10-11a)

noble — a willingness to learn and evaluate something fairly; to be open-minded.

L&N 27.48

Response to the Word:

• I hear and believe and act upon

• I hear and reject the truth and don’t act upon

• I hear and believe but don’t act upon

Acts 17:3

The Christian Scriptures:

 

P75 Manuscript:

Eagerly? (v. 11b)

Diligently? (v. 11c)

Prophecies Fulfilled in Jesus and Israel:

https://bible.org/seriespage/lesson-6-prophecies-fulfilled-jesus-and-israel

Luke 24:44–48

The Bible is alive, it speaks to me; it has feet, it runs after me; it has hands, it lays hold of me...A simple layman armed with Scripture is to be believed above a pope or a cardinal without it.

Martin Luther

Practical ways to be diligent in the study of the Word:

1 – Get a Bible

2 – Use a pen

3 – Subscribe to a reading plan

4 – Use additional resources

harvestbible.ca/resources

Transformationally? (v. 12)

2 Timothy 2:15

Bravely? (v. 13-15)

 

We get excited when the gospel is preached and then we hear of people getting saved, right? The world doesn’t though. We’ll be continuing our series through the book of Acts this Sunday, and in Acts 17 we see a mob of wicked men that was formed with the sole purpose of setting a city in an uproar. They despised seeing the effect of the gospel in people’s lives and saw it as a threat to society. So, they accused the followers of Jesus of having Turned The World Upside Down. The irony is that this world has been upside down since the fall of man when sin entered. The gospel of Jesus Christ has the power to set things right again. Join us as we open the Word and discover what our part can be as we continue to be on mission for the gospel.

Series: The Acts of the Apostles

Patrice Charade

Message: 46 – Turned the world upside down

Harvest Bible Chapel

Text: Acts 17: 1-9

April 28, 2024

I will make a difference in the world for Christ when I…

…proclaim the Saviour confidently (v. 1-3)

2 Corinthians 4:5a

John 14: 6

John 3: 17–18

1 Peter 3: 15

It is no longer enough to teach our children Bible stories; they need doctrine and apologetics. William Lane Craig

…accept the consequences of the gospel (v. 4-5)

1 Peter 3: 15

1 Thessalonians 1: 8a

…remain faithful through disruptions (v. 6-9)

Matthew 5: 11

Acts 1: 8

We’re excited to have Pastor Kaj Ballantyne from Harvest Church Huntsville to open up God’s Word for us. Kaj has a powerful message to share with us from John 21 as we consider the work Jesus has done and is doing for us. Here’s what he has to say about it:

Peter had failed. Not a small failure, but a life-altering choice that would have crushed his heart. And from that point on, each morning for the rest of his life, Peter would wake from his sleep to the sound of a rooster crowing -- a reminder of that failure. And yet when we see Peter in the book of Acts, or read his letters of I & II Peter, we see a Peter who knew he was loved and no longer derailed by the failure, but instead would give his life to the mission of the gospel. How did Peter come to believe this grace-filled truth that his failure wasn’t final? Jesus did a deep work that completely transformed Peter's life. When we find ourselves neck-deep in the mire of our sinful choices, is there any hope? What do we do? More importantly, what does Jesus do?

 

Kaj Ballantyne

Message: Jesus restores the failed and fallen

Harvest Bible Chapel

Text: John 21:1-19

April 21, 2024

1. Jesus pursues me when I wander (v. 1-4)

2. Jesus reminds me of what I’ve forgotten (v. 5-14)

3. Jesus forgives me when I fail (v. 15-17)

4. Jesus calls me to follow him (v. 18-19)

After a brief hiatus for the recent Easter series, we’re back to the Book of Acts from now till mid-June. Our plan is to be done to the end of chapter 19 on June 16 before we head into the summer and our parables series. As we come to Acts 16:25-40 this Sunday, we pick up the story of Paul and Silas’ arrest and imprisonment in Philippi. That one night of incarceration led to the salvation of many and the establishing of a church in that Macedonian city. The jailer, who came to faith in Christ that night, asked, “What must I do to be saved?” and we’ll look at the passage to ask ourselves, “What must I do to see others saved?” That, after all, is our mission as believers.

Series: The Acts of the Apostles (Chapters 11-16)

Todd Dugard

Message: 45 – What must I do to be saved?

Harvest Bible Chapel

Text: Acts 16:25-40

April 14, 2024

When my heart is for those who don’t yet know the Lord…

…I have Christ at the centre of my life (v. 25-30)

Acts 5:41

Psalm 51:17

Though freed, Paul and Silas did not attempt to escape. The miracle served not to deliver them but to deliver the jailer.

John H. Polhill

Meism...

Sees human effort contributing to salvation.

Sees the blessing of God selfishly.

Interprets conflict in my favour.

Gives personal sin a pass.

…I know how to share the gospel (v. 31-32)

5 Gospel Words

God

Sin

Substitution

Believe

Life

https://harvestbible.ca/5-gospel-words/

Faith and works should travel side by side, step answering to step, like the legs of men walking. First faith, and then works; and then faith again, and then works again—until they can scarcely distinguish which is the one and which is the other.

William Booth

…I long to see people respond in faith (v. 33-40)

Over the past two Sundays (and Good Friday) we have been working through the teaching series, “Is Easter Unbelievable?” based on the book of the same name by Rebecca McLaughlin. This apologetics-oriented series has challenged us to consider the evidence for the life, death and resurrection of Jesus Christ. In the final message this Sunday, we’ll hear an impassioned appeal from the Scriptures to take Jesus up on his offer to provide hope for this life and the next by believing the good news that Jesus brought to the world.

Series: Is Easter Unbelievable?

Todd Dugard

Message: 4 – Is Jesus’ offer desirable?

Harvest Bible Chapel

Text: Various Scriptures

April 7, 2024

If you’re offered something that sounds too good to be true, it probably is.

Matthew 11:28–30

Jesus is making you an offer…

…of hope beyond this life (Ecclesiastes 3:11; Revelation 21:1–5a)

sensus divintus

John Calvin

Ecclesiastes 3:11b

There is a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of each man which cannot be satisfied by any created thing but only by God the Creator, made know through Jesus Christ.

Blaise Pascal

…of peace in this life (John 11:3, 21–26; John 14:2–9)

He’s claiming that relationship with him is what it means to be alive. If we are joined to him, not even death can kill us.

Rebecca McLaughlin

Philippians 1:21

God has a wonderful plan for your life: to crucify, to bury, and to resurrect you with Christ so that you have life in him. What could possibly be better than that?

Chad Bird

John 10:10b

John 11:43

Christianity is not the removal of suffering, but the addition of grace to endure suffering triumphantly.

Thomas Watson

Philippians 4:7a

…and of joy at seeing death defeated forever (1 Corinthians 15:26)

Τετέλεσται It is finished.

John 19:30

…so, will you choose life or death? (Luke 23:42–43; Matthew 7:13–14; 1 Corinthians 2:9)

Jesus’ offer is offensively exclusive. He doesn’t say that he’s one way to God; he says he is the only way by which humans can be right with God. But Jesus’ claim is also utterly inclusive because he says that anyone who trusts in him can have eternal life.

Rebecca McLaughlin

There’s only everlasting life with Jesus or eternal, soul-destroying, hope-extinguishing death.

Rebecca McLaughlin

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

Making Sense of God: Finding God in the Modern World

Timothy Keller

https://a.co/d/cjUdb1I

Handbook of Christian Apologetics: Hundreds of Answers to Crucial Questions

Peter Kreeft, Ronald K. Tacelli

https://a.co/d/aXgRGH9

Confronting Jesus: 9 Encounters with the Hero of the Gospels

Rebecca McLaughlin

https://a.co/d/4jl9z8u

Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's Largest Religion

Rebecca McLaughlin

https://a.co/d/fjbZ2GG

The Case For Christ

Lee Strobel

https://a.co/d/1gkkbB3

The Case For Christ Movie

Available to rent from Apple TV

I Believe in the Death of Julius Caesar and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Steve Batemand (article)

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/resurrection-jesus-christ/

SERMON NOTES

Series: Is Easter Unbelievable?

Todd Dugard

Message: 3 - Is Jesus' resurrection credible?

Text: Various Scriptures

Harvest Bible Chapel

March 31, 2024

Luke 24:5b–6a

Science cannot disprove the resurrection because miracles aren’t something that science is equipped to address.

Rebecca McLaughlin

Natural science describes the normal reproducible working of the world of nature. Miracles like the resurrection are inherently abnormal.

Ian Hutchinson

The common assumption that science offers us an alternate hypothesis to faith in God is quite misleading.

Rebecca McLaughlin

You can confidently believe that Jesus was resurrected from the dead because of…

…how that message spread (Acts 1:8)

Christus, the founder of the name, had undergone the death penalty in the reign of Tiberius, by sentence of the procurator Pontius Pilatus, and the pernicious superstition was checked for a moment only to break out once more, not merely in Judea, the home of the disease, but in [Rome] itself, where all things horrible or shameful in the world collect and become fashionable.

Tacitus

The extraordinary spread of Christianity, both numerically and geographically, doesn’t prove that Jesus really rose again. But how can a man born into a subjugated ethnic group in an obscure Roman province who lived poor, died young, who never wrote a book, raised an army, or sat on a throne—has come to be the most impactful human in all human history does require some kind of explanation.

Rebecca McLaughlin

…what that message said (1 Corinthians 15:14)

1 Corinthians 15:19

…what the Romans did (John 19:31-34)

…what the women saw (Luke 24:10-11; John 20:2, 15-16, 18)

Women were thought by educated men to be gullible in religious matters and especially prone to superstitious fantasy and excessive religious practices.

Richard Bauckham

After death [Jesus] rose again and showed the marks of his punishment and how his hands had been pierced. But who saw this? A hysterical female, as you say, and perhaps some other one of those who were deluded by the same sorcery.

Celsus

The historical evidence for the resurrection is as good as for almost any event of ancient history.

Ian Hutchinson

Acts 17: 28

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

Making Sense of God: Finding God in the Modern World

Timothy Keller

https://a.co/d/cjUdb1I

Handbook of Christian Apologetics: Hundreds of Answers to Crucial Questions

Peter Kreeft, Ronald K. Tacelli

https://a.co/d/aXgRGH9

Confronting Jesus: 9 Encounters with the Hero of the Gospels

Rebecca McLaughlin

https://a.co/d/4jl9z8u

Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's Largest Religion

Rebecca McLaughlin

https://a.co/d/fjbZ2GG

The Case For Christ

Lee Strobel

https://a.co/d/1gkkbB3

The Case For Christ Movie

Available to rent from Apple TV

I Believe in the Death of Julius Caesar and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Steve Bateman (article)

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/resurrection-jesus-christ/

Join us in person at 7 George Street or on the livestream at 9 and 11 a.m. as we reflect on the crucifixion of our Saviour, Jesus Christ. Pastor Patrice Charade will continue our special series “Is Easter Unbelievable?” with a look at the question of Jesus’ death. Was it ethical? This will be a quieter, contemplative time of worship meant to help you enter into the spectre of the sacrificial death of Christ. We will also be observing the Lord’s Table as part of our time together. If you are taking in the service on the livestream, have bread or cracker and wine or juice ready.

Series: Is Easter Unbelievable?

Message: 2 - Is Jesus' death ethical?

Patrice Charade

Text: Various Scriptures

Harvest Bible Chapel

March 29, 2024

Know the Jesus, who died…

…a heroic death (Mark 10:45, Phil. 2:8)

…stepping into my mess (Psalm 53:3b, Rom. 3:23, 1 John 1:8a)

…to save me from my sin (Rom. 3:23-24, John 3:16-17, John 3:36)

…showing me his incredible love (John 15:13, 1 John 4:9, Rom. 5:6-8)

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

Making Sense of God: Finding God in the Modern World

Timothy Keller

https://a.co/d/cjUdb1I

Handbook of Christian Apologetics: Hundreds of Answers to Crucial Questions

Peter Kreeft, Ronald K. Tacelli

https://a.co/d/aXgRGH9

Confronting Jesus: 9 Encounters with the Hero of the Gospels

Rebecca McLaughlin

https://a.co/d/4jl9z8u

Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's Largest Religion

Rebecca McLaughlin

https://a.co/d/fjbZ2GG

The Case For Christ

Lee Strobel

https://a.co/d/1gkkbB3

The Case For Christ Movie

Available to rent from Apple TV

I Believe in the Death of Julius Caesar and the Resurrection of Jesus Christ

Steve Batemand (article)

https://www.thegospelcoalition.org/article/resurrection-jesus-christ/

It is an “outrageous claim that, almost two millennia ago, a man who had died an unbelievably horrible death came back to unbelievably wonderful life—and offers to include us in this life, if we will trust in him.” Christians believe that very account of Jesus Christ, and Easter celebrates it. There are many, though, who do not trust him, finding the claim to be too outrageous. Too unbelievable. And that is the question we want to explore and answer this Easter season. Using Rebecca McLaughlin’s short book as our guide, we’ll explore four key questions that are most frequently asked concerning Jesus, his death and resurrection. All of which leads to the critical question of personal faith. We’ll be giving away free copies of the book throughout the series. Invite friends and family to join you in person or online for this impactful series.

Series: Is Easter Unbelievable?

Todd Dugard

Message: 1 – Is Jesus’ life historical?

Harvest Bible Chapel

Text: Various Scriptures

March 24, 2024

Galatians 1:8

1 Timothy 2:5

[This study will] look at the outrageous claim that, almost two millennia ago, a man who had died an unbelievably horrible death came back to unbelievably wonderful life and offers to include us in this life, if we will trust in him.

Rebecca McLaughlin

Consider the Jesus who lived…

…I know his story (Mark 10:45; Luke 24:46-47)

People said that his words alone could stop storms, heal the sick, and even raise the dead. He claimed that he was indeed God’s Son and that he was the much-anticipated Christ.

Rebecca McLaughlin

…I hear the evidence (Matthew 8:26; Mark 8:33; Mark 14:26-31, 66-72)

The reality is that whatever else you may think about Jesus, he certainly did exist...and this view is held by virtually every expert on the planet.

Bart Ehrman

[The Gospels of Matthew, Mark, Luke, and John are] the oldest and best sources we have for knowing about the life of Jesus [and that this is] the view of all serious historians of antiquity of every kind, from committed evangelical Christians to hardcore atheists.

Bart Ehrman

…I acknowledge the sources (John 21:25)

…I need his message (John 6:68)

John 6:53-56

John 6:60

John 20:3

FOR FURTHER STUDY:

Making Sense of God: Finding God in the Modern World

Timothy Keller

https://a.co/d/cjUdb1I

Handbook of Christian Apologetics: Hundreds of Answers to Crucial Questions

Peter Kreeft, Ronald K. Tacelli

https://a.co/d/aXgRGH9

Confronting Jesus: 9 Encounters with the Hero of the Gospels

Rebecca McLaughlin

https://a.co/d/4jl9z8u

Confronting Christianity: 12 Hard Questions for the World's Largest Religion

Rebecca McLaughlin

https://a.co/d/fjbZ2GG