Palm Sunday | Harvest Church 03-28-2021

0 (1s): Morning, everybody go ahead 1 (4s): And make your way to your seat. If you wouldn't mind. My name is Ron. I want to welcome everybody. Who's in the sanctuary and in the loft and the patio, and also online and for tuning in, we want to welcome you as well. We're doing things a little different today. We're making a change in that. We're having announcements at the beginning of the service rather than in the middle, but because we all love change so much. It's like, yeah, this is, this is good. Right? Human nature. We love change. So you're ready for the announcements. It's always the best part of the service. Remember that? So, all right, we have Easter coming up. So next Sunday, Easter is going to be here on campus. 1 (46s): So what we're going to be doing is we're going to set up in the upper parking lot, which is up the, up the road this direction. And we're going to have a stage built, live worship. We're going to stream it as well. We're going to set up 600 chairs. We would encourage you please invite family, invite friends, neighbors, anybody you can think of. In fact, we have these Easter invite cards that have been made up, print it up and you'll find them distributed in different places around the, the campus. And so go ahead and grab some of those. That's a good way just to hand it and invite somebody to come to the Easter fellowship. And so it's at 10. O'clock just remember that we've got one service. It's going to be at 10 o'clock and it's going to be a family service. 1 (1m 27s): So we will have children's packets available for the little ones, but it's one hour long. They're, you know, they're going to sit with mom and dad, grandma and grandpa, and it's going to be a really fun, fun Easter celebration. We do need some help. We're going to be doing setup actually on Saturday. We're going to set up at nine o'clock on Saturday. If you'd like to be a part of that, just sign up at the info center or on our website. And we will contact you just to confirm that you're on the roster to help set up again. That's going to be Saturday, this coming Saturday at nine o'clock and then clean up, you can either sign up to clean up, or you can just hang out a little bit right after service and you can help us put away chairs and do all that good stuff. 1 (2m 7s): So if you want to be a part of that, that would be super helpful. All right. One of the things that we do at harvest church, we do this about three or four times a year is we offer a program. We call it growth track. So what it is is for those who are new to harvest church, and it helps you get connected to the believers here, the community here at harvest church. And so that growth track is going to be starting up. It's going to start up April 11th and there's actually, it's going to involve four Sundays, Sunday morning. So it's going to start April 11th at, at 11 o'clock. It's going to be in the parsonage up the driveway. And again, it's going to be four sessions and you're going to get to know some other people it's going to be super fun. 1 (2m 48s): But what you're going to learn about there is you're going to learn about a little bit of the history of harvest church. So like what makes us unique from other churches in our community? You're gonna learn about our beliefs, mission, ministries, history, all that kind of stuff. And it's going to also help you to discover your spiritual gifts and find out, you know, where God would have you get plugged in with whether it be here at church or in your community, but it's going to be super fun. So be a part of that, you'll sign up at the info center or online or church app, whatever you want to use. Love to have you be a part of that. We have coming up. It is a youth and kids choir. Okay. So the ages would be second grade through high school. 1 (3m 29s): All right. So we've got a broad age group there. This is a youth and kids choir. So if you are in that age, demographic, we'd love to have you join this group. They're going to start their rehearsals. Let's see. Well, what I have here is the performance of the youth and kids group is going to choir is going to be the end of may. So there's going to be some rehearsals leading up to the end of may. And if you want to be a part of that, or maybe you've got kids that you'd like to be a part of that, just contact Leslie she's our children's ministry director. And you can either go online and send an email to her, or if you know her, just talk to her here on campus. And that would be great as well. Okay. I'm now I'm rereading my notes. 1 (4m 11s): Rehearsals will be on Sundays 10, 20 to 10 50, starting on April 18th. All right. So there you go. Love to have you be a part of that. So one last thing you ready last announcement of the day. I'm sorry about that. So the fifth and sixth graders, they're doing a Passover Seder dinner or it's for the fifth and sixth graders. So if you're a, if you're a student fifth and sixth grader, or maybe you have a child that is, you don't want to miss this. So it's going to be done Sunday, April 11th. It's going to be from three till 6:00 PM in the loft. And it's going to be $5 to pay for all the good stuff. So I'd love to have you sign up fifth and sixth graders, Passover, Seder. If you don't know what a Seder is, Google it. 1 (4m 54s): And then you can figure out what is it? I would encourage it. If you've never been to a Passover Seder, we encourage you to do that. 2 (5m 1s): All right. So here 1 (5m 2s): At harvest church, we support missionaries locally and internationally. And it's a big priority of our church to be involved in sharing the gospel here and abroad. So one of the couples I'm going to invite them up in just a moment, Mike and Sharon, Dutra the name of their ministries be transformed. So what they've done is they created books that go into the prison system, into the jails. So it's predominantly to those who are inmates, those who are incarcerated here and in other countries as well. So I'd like to invite Mike and Sharon to go ahead and come on up. This is Mike and Sharon right here. Let's go. 2 (5m 37s): I'm a warm welcome. All right. So 1 (5m 45s): Love these guys. So we've been, we've been involved in their ministry supporting them for probably 10 years or so a long time, less than that. Okay. But what we still love you even, even though spend less than that. Sorry. Sorry. Okay. 3 (5m 58s): Here we go. 4 (6m 9s): so most, 5 (6m 17s): Wait, wait, wait, wait. No, no, no. That's the wrong language. That's that's next. 4 (6m 21s): That's good by me. 5 (6m 24s): Forgive my beautiful Irish German senior re Senora. I don't want to see senior Rita that's she's not married, but she is. Yeah. And I don't speak Spanish. He does. Thankfully, let's start out with our ministry update and get back on track. We are entering our 10th year as be transformed ministry. And it's only because of God's amazing grace and spirit that he has allowed us to do what we're doing and open the doors for all this to happen to date. We have sent out over 20,000 free books. Last year, we sent out just over 6,000, which is we keeps accelerating every year. 5 (7m 6s): We sent books to prisons, jails, rehabs, and other countries. Our books are now in over 100 us institutions. It's not about the numbers of books, but all about the souls brought closer to Jesus that matters the most to us. And it also matters the most to him. 4 (7m 26s): For example, here's a letter from Matthew, a New Mexico inmate. Hello Sharon. I was recently transferred to a new facility, but in the Santa Fe prison, I just came from the 60 men Bible study where they are still using all three of your books. In fact, they use your new beginnings book as curriculum and their armor of God study. I have been using your books now for a few years to teach from, and I just love everything about them. And so does everyone else, the guys always tell me how easy your books are to understand and how well they explain how to apply the word to our daily lives in the new facility I'm in. 4 (8m 7s): We have a, not a lot of new believers, probably the largest in any facility. I would like to be able to introduce your books to the congregation here after the outcome of the Santa Fe facility. I know in my heart that the guys would be blessed to have the opportunity to share your books. Every facility I end up going to, I feel that God has placed me there to be a Fisher of men. And in order for me to do so, I share your book and teach God's word with it. And from it, you have been a blessing to so many of my brothers here. God bless you, Matthew. 5 (8m 46s): Next week we are going on our first ever be transformed ministry, mission trip to Mexico. Whew. We will be speaking at yeah. I was like, Whoa, we will be, we will see, we will be speaking at three rehabilitation centers, a church. And we will be meeting with three new ministries. One of them was really large and giving them many more books to distribute throughout Mexico. We already have over 1100 Spanish books in Mexico and we are taking more than 200 books with us in our poor Prius. The books are already being used in Tiawana Rosarita beach, Mexico city. And they are being used in the Southern most state of Chiapas. 5 (9m 29s): And more cases of our books will soon be sent there. Chiapas only has a 3% population of Christians and it's a restricted area region. According to the voice of the martyrs, there is a strong MARCE, Marxists and atheist presence there. So pray for the state of Chiapas. 4 (9m 49s): Tijuana is pronounced the Wynonna, Oh, we have 400 books being used in Nigeria. 500 of our books. And 250 Bibles were shipped to Ghana. 60 books are being in used in Uganda and also South Africa has been using our books for over two and a half years. And we just shipped 70 more books to them. This is a note from one of many, from one of the pastors in South Africa named pastor Nizza Monday. He says, I have pastored in these valleys for many years, and it's hard to uproot the Zulu tribes from their cultural beliefs to try to explain the subject of faith or one, God only is close to impossible. 4 (10m 38s): The new beginnings book has simplified some basic Christian trues that I teach with these now and confidence because I also understand it better. I appreciate the book and will teach and teach until the Lord is glorified in my village. 5 (10m 54s): Amen. He didn't say that. 4 (10m 58s): I always forget this part. Remember that in prisons and foreign countries, books will often be shared many, many times. So if you think about it, how impactful can one book be? 5 (11m 12s): Yeah. Our books have been used in a lot of churches. It started out as tying of us, sending them to prisons, but now it's expanded into many, many different churches too. We are now partnering exciting news. This is just last week. We're partnering with a new life ministries in Japan. They are going to print and store 2000 of our books in the next couple of weeks. And we'll distribute our Japanese new beginnings books for free to prisoners. And they are also going to advertise our book. So Christians and churches can purchase them in Japan. Japan again is less than 1% Christian they're totally unreached pretty much. And by God's mighty grace, our books are now being used in eight countries and have been translated into four different languages. 4 (11m 60s): So if you'd like more information about our Facebook page, our web address and ways to give the, we have a table just outside of the loft at the end of the service. 6 (12m 12s): Oh no, no. Mike local Condesa. 4 (12m 22s): We've also had over 20,000 downloads of our new beginnings, eBooks into Iran via the farce. I know, right? That is actually one of the fastest growing underground churches in the world right now. And they get all of their feed from satellite because they're not allowed to have physical material there or else they can be tortured or killed or other things. So anyway, back to the story, Oh, so if you can't, if you don't do Facebook, we've got some ministry update sheets on the 5 (12m 58s): She's blown. At this time, we would not have been able to do any of this work without your continued prayers and support. Hey, she's blonde. Give her a break. 6 (13m 10s): I didn't say that. 5 (13m 13s): Please consider partnering with us to continue this growing ministry, to share the gospel message. We received so much feedback, feedback letters, emails about changed lives. We don't receive any pay from the ministry and we are under a five Oh one C3 for your tax deductible donations. Will you consider helping us continue to reach more people for Christ? Now you're in, 4 (13m 39s): You're going to have a table by the loft. He's right. I missed all of that. So there are a lot of additional stories and pictures on our Facebook page. For those of you who don't do Facebook, we've got a ministry update sheet on the table and we've also got a sign up sheet. If you'd like to receive a quarterly newsletter. And we also have some outreach brochures. If you'd like to take some, you can leave them as tips. You can leave them on a bench anywhere to reach people for Jesus. We really want to thank you so much for your love and your support and your prayers. We appreciate you more than, you know, thank you. God bless you. 6 (14m 18s): 5 (14m 21s): So Mikey, come on back up here. I'm going to pray for you guys. So they actually get along quite well norm normally, so go ahead and stand up here, Mike please. 6 (14m 31s): Yeah. Yeah. 5 (14m 33s): And like Sharon mentioned, they do have a table set up. If you want to meet them, look at their material, support them anyway, feel free to do so. Let's pray for them. Okay. Well we just lift up Mike and Sharon to you, Lord, thank you that they they've just committed themselves to help lead others to you and, and to disciple believers and 1 (14m 52s): Especially those who are incarcerated, who are in positions, where they might not have a lot of purpose or future in their mind. But Lord, thank you that you give them hope. So, Lord, we pray that you'd open many, many more doors for Mike and Sharon's material material. Thank you that you've given them the ability to, to basically write this, these books and, and disciple people and, and have your word go forth through their, through the documents they've created. So Lord bless these two. Bless their marriage. Lord lead them to a good marriage counselor. We pray. Well, we love them. We, we, we just love them or thank you for them in Jesus name. Amen. 1 (15m 33s): That, that, that I'm hi. That last part was a joke. Hey, one thing I forgot to mention earlier, I'm going to add another announcement. Today's family Sunday, which basically means kids are in with, with parents. If your kids are below first grade, we've got some room up them up there for them. We're going to have Passover house over where Steve helped me. We're we're going to have communion. Thank you. We're going to have communion this morning, but best of all, we have donuts today. All right. So if you didn't get your doughnut yet, they're up in the near the info center I saw I got for you here. 1 (16m 17s): Go Jim. 6 (16m 17s): Let's stand and worship. Yeah. crowd with his crowd with the two with, so Jews watched in vain was borrowed for three days. 6 (20m 35s): His body . God has a Rob gray. 7 (22m 25s): Scott. You do lift us up. Thank you for resurrecting us, our hearts for saving us. Thank you. Amazing grace. Thank you. Yeah, let's just give him some things this morning. If you even want to speak it out or just in your heart either way, unless it's so some things from our hearts to him this morning. Thank you for your goodness, Lord. Thank you for your mercy. 7 (23m 39s): sing amazing grace. 7 (27m 15s): One more time. how's the sound I see. 7 (27m 58s): How was the see you more clearly today? You want to know, you want to know the depths of your heart. Give us eyes to see and ears to hear today. I want to see you. I'm like, yeah, let's just wait on his presence. Just open your hearts to him. If you even want to open your hands to just kind of receive anything he wants to pour down this morning and just put yourself in that mode of receiving just from him, your spirit on your sons and daughters today, we stand in need of you Thanksgiving. 7 (29m 28s): yes, my maze. I am confident for me. Yeah. 7 (30m 4s): 8 (35m 11s): You are doing today for the, the celebration for the opportunity to gather as friends, as brothers and sisters in the Lord, we pray God that you would continue to move powerfully in our midst, Lord God, that we would be surprised at what you do. And maybe we're already surprised at what you've done, Lord God, I pray that for every person here all over the campus, watching online and wherever, Lord God, we just pray that you administer powerfully in Jesus name. That lives would be changed 9 (35m 38s): And transformed. Thank you for this for your grace. And for this time in Jesus name, amen. You can be seated. Amen. Amen. I was at a wedding yesterday and manna was at this amazing celebration of this couple. They've been dating for eight years now since high school and Ronin and Brie are now happily married. 8 (35m 57s): They're married. Anyway. I assume they're happily married and 9 (35m 60s): It's only been less than 24 hours. So I bet it's my belief. And I told him this. I said, it actually can get better and better. Marriage can get better and 8 (36m 10s): Better and better as you go along. And so we talked a lot about that. So we're 9 (36m 15s): Celebrating Palm Sunday today, 8 (36m 18s): And it was much like the celebration of the wedding yesterday. It was just so much excitement, anticipation so much going on. 9 (36m 26s): And as Jesus gets ready to enter Jerusalem 8 (36m 29s): For the final time he is met with adoration. 9 (36m 33s): People are laying out their garments 8 (36m 35s): On the road, putting Palm branches down, hence the term Palm Sunday. And this is his triumphant entry where he's coming into Jerusalem for the final time. It's Sunday, but Friday's coming good Friday is when Jesus would go to the cross, he would die for our sins. And it's called good. Because apart from that good work of Christ on the cross, we have no hope. We have absolutely no hope so because God is good. We have hope in Jesus. And so this is kind of how things unfolded. I'll read it, but as he comes in, Jesus immediately begins to take care of business, driving out the money changers, confronting the religious leaders, speaking parables, directing people. 9 (37m 20s): This is why, this is what I know about Jesus. You encounter him and either you're 10 (37m 24s): Off by him or you're kind of 8 (37m 29s): Don't care kind of neutral, or you decide to fall in love with him as really 9 (37m 34s): The three responses. And we see that in represented 8 (37m 38s): In Jesus' life and ministry. As Jesus sent his disciples approached Jerusalem, Matthew 21 verses one through 11, says this. They came to the town of Beth village 9 (37m 47s): Out of olives and Jesus sent two of them on a head go into the village over there. He said, as soon as you enter it, you will see a donkey tied there with its cult beside it, untied them and bring them to me. She, Jesus knew exactly what he was walking into. He knew the plan of the father and he was willingly ready to walk into it. And so he knew what to expect and he knew what to prepare his followers for. He said, if anyone asks what you are doing, just say the Lord needs them and he will immediately 8 (38m 18s): Let you take them. This took place to fulfill the prophecy that said, 9 (38m 24s): Tell the people of Jerusalem, look, your King is coming to you. He is humble writing 8 (38m 29s): Donkey, riding on a donkey's Colt. The two disciples did as Jesus commanded. That's always a good idea by the way, do 9 (38m 36s): What Jesus asked you to do. And things will work out. They brought the donkey and the Colt to him and threw their garments over the Colt. And he sat on it. Most of the crowd spread their garments on the road ahead of him and others cut branches from the trees and spread them on the road. This is the right response to Jesus. By the way, this is the life giving response to Jesus. Like Lord, I will give you everything, including my garments. I will lay them at your feet. I will bow down before you. I will celebrate you and who you are. This is what they were doing. Jesus was in the center of the procession verse nine says, and the people all around him were shouting. They're shouting praise God now. 9 (39m 17s): But just in a moment, in a short amount of time, they're gonna be shouting, crucify him, crucify him. But right now they're saying praise God for the son of David blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord, praise God in highest heaven. I wonder if we do the same thing in one breath, we're praising him in the next work, conflicted and more confused by him and even angry at him. Jesus knew the condition of man's heart going into this while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. He knew that it moments of our life were doubtful and angry and without faith. But then other moments when we're believing him and trusting him, we're saying, praise God for the son of David blessings on the one who comes in the name of the Lord, praise God in highest heaven. 9 (40m 5s): We can get to a place in our life as followers of Jesus Christ, where our faith level is so high. That we're always saying this, that we no longer say Lord, why or God I'm angry or God, I don't understand. We can say those things, but, but with this faith is confidence saying, Lord, I don't understand, but I know you do Lord. I don't know why this is happening, but I know that you do. I don't, I can't figure this one out Lord, but I know that you've got to figure it out to the entire city of Jerusalem was in an uproar. As he entered, 11 (40m 34s): Who is this? They asked, who is this? 9 (40m 37s): Yes. They asked. And the crowds replied. It is Jesus. The prophet from Nazareth in Galilee. 11 (40m 43s): He's the reason that we gather. He's the one, 9 (40m 45s): The reason that the whole world gathers for Easter next week on April 4th, these are the reason. And maybe if you're not in the church or never heard of this person, Jesus, the curiosity of the world is who is this? Jesus. And why are we celebrating him? Why do people gather to celebrate his resurrection? Why do people gather to celebrate his birth? Why did people gather to celebrate him at all? It's our job as believers, as followers of the Lord, Jesus Christ, to give them the answer. And when Jesus radically changes our lives, we're happy to do so. We're happy to do so. I've titled the message today. Faith in Jesus changes everything. Faith in Jesus changes everything. 9 (41m 27s): Unless of course your faith in Jesus hasn't changed anything. Where are you 8 (41m 34s): Today? Where's your faith today? Your walk with Jesus today. Do you know him? Do you follow him? Do you trust him? Because as we can see from the scripture and from hopefully from our own experience, our faith in Jesus has meant to radically shape us and change everything about the way who, the way we are, the way we function, the way we talk, the way we react, the way we live. Paul Paul 9 (42m 2s): Wrote in first Timothy one five, and we've been studying through the book of first Timothy. This letter that Paul wrote to this young pastor in emphasis. Paul writes this letter, this, this information, this anointed revelation to this young man so that the people of God in that church might know how to live their lives. Paul wrote in first Timothy one five. 8 (42m 25s): The purpose of my instruction is that all believers and all ad everywhere that all believers everywhere would be filled with love. That comes from a pure hearts, a clear conscience and genuine faith. 9 (42m 42s): These are things that are reachable they're within our reach by God's grace, because he's good. Not because we are good. He's writing to give instruction so that all believers will be filled with love. I don't know about you, but I, I love so much better now that I know Jesus than I did before, before Jesus, I was pent up and pretty frustrated and pretty angry. And I found fault with just about everybody that I came in contact with. But since meeting Jesus, he has changed my heart. He has changed my life and I still wrestle with those old ideas and thoughts and old man ways. But Jesus has filled my heart with such love that. It's, it's hard to imagine how life was before. 9 (43m 24s): This is, this is God's designed that he would fill us with his love that we would experience his love is unconditional love. And then out of that overflow out of that abundance of revelation that we would share that same love with everybody in our path. This is the design of the gospel's design is that we'd be filled with the love of God and then overflow and share 8 (43m 44s): That love with others. That would be filled with the love that comes from a pure heart who purifies our heart, who purifies our heart. Jesus purifies our heart. We were 9 (43m 54s): Lost and broken and full of sin and Jesus. He washes over us. He went to the cross. The Bible says the wages of sin is death, but the free gift of God is eternal life through Jesus Christ, our Lord. And so Jesus went to the cross to purify 8 (44m 14s): Our fickleness, 9 (44m 17s): To purify us from our sin, 8 (44m 20s): Make us pure of hearts. He said the believers will be filled with love. That comes from a pure heart, a clear conscience and genuine faith. How do, how do we have a clear conscience? We let me just say this. We, 9 (44m 33s): We can have a clear conscience. It's actually possible for us to have a clear conscience. Some of us live our lives with guilty conscience, 24 seven. We don't know how to live in such a way that we get rid of that. First of all, the enemy is a liar and he's going to want to heap, guilt and condemnation upon your life 24 seven. So you've got to recognize, what am I feeling? Is this from the enemy or is this really guilt from the sin in my life? If it's guilt from the sin in your life, if you confess your sins, he is faithful. And just to forgive you and to cleanse you from all unrighteousness, that's the gospel. He loves you and wants to forgive your sin so that your conscience is clear. So then you just get up every morning and you just live for the glorious purposes of God. You live for God's glory. 9 (45m 13s): And then your conscience is clear when you sin. When you misstep, you just bring it to the Lord and say, God, I've sinned there. I don't want to send there. I've missed step. I don't want to miss step there. Would you forgive me? And your conscience can be clear in Jesus' name. Your conscience can be clear and then genuine faith. How's your genuine faith. Sometimes we wrestle with the love with a pure heart, with a clear conscious, because our faith is not genuine. It's not, it hasn't touched every area of our life. We kind of keep it in a box and we say, my faith is for Sunday morning or my faith is for the Bible study or my faith is for whatever it may be. But my faith isn't for my time with my buddies. That's not, that's not where my faith comes in. My faith. Isn't in my activities, my hobbies, my sports, that's my work, my school. 9 (45m 56s): That's not where my faith comes into play. And so we don't have a faith that saturates our whole life. And so we struggle with all these 8 (46m 4s): Things with love, pure hearts and a clear conscience. It's when we have a genuine faith, 9 (46m 11s): I think it's the only kind of real faith that we can have in Jesus, because we either respond to him by deciding we're going to fall in love with him, or we're just kind of irritated by him, or we're just kind of neutral about him. And I just want to encourage you today to decide 8 (46m 26s): To fall in love with him. 9 (46m 28s): That will fix everything. Your, your, your love will be overflowing. You'll have a pure heart, a clear conscience, and then your faith will be genuine. Paul writes in first Timothy chapter three, verses four through 14, through 16. As we wrap up this chapter, getting ready in preparation for Easter, for resurrection Sunday, how many are going to be here for Easter next week? It's going to be really good. As we said, it's going to be up the driveway. We're putting out hundreds of chairs and it's just going to be really, 8 (46m 55s): Really fun. 9 (46m 57s): First Timothy, three 14 through 16. Paul said, I'm writing these things to you now, even though I hope to be with you 8 (47m 4s): Soon 9 (47m 6s): So that if I'm delayed, you will know how people must conduct themselves in the household of God. This is 8 (47m 13s): Sure church of the living God, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth. So what he says carries weight, because this is the church of the living. God, you are the church of the living. God, not this building, 9 (47m 30s): But you personally and us corporately. We're the church of the living. God, we are God's workmanship, his masterpieces, his idea. He is the architect and it is his plan that gathers us so that we might fellowship together so that we might worship together so that we might grow in grace together. It's his idea. It's his plan that we come together. He says that this is the church of the living. God. So we don't gather for just any reason to celebrate just any idea or plan or to, to teach about just anything we're gathered to teach about the living, God, to worship the living, God, to celebrate 8 (48m 9s): The living God. In any case, 9 (48m 13s): Paul wasn't able to be there in person. Paul loved the church. Paul loved to be with the church. He loved planting churches and ministering. So in case Paul wasn't able to be there in person. He wrote this letter to Timothy so that God's people would understand how 8 (48m 27s): To live and function after all, this is the church, 9 (48m 31s): The living God. And so God has given us the Bible. He's given us instruction in the scripture so that we might understand how to live individually because individually we're the church and corporately where the church. And so he's given us instruction, how do we live out our lives? What do we do? How do we make wise choices? How do we make wise decisions in this life? Will Paul through the junction, the anointing of the Holy spirit has given us instruction. He said, this is the church 8 (48m 58s): Of the living. God, 9 (49m 2s): This is God's church. And so things must be done. God's way. This is why we do our best to teach through the scriptures so that we approach every topic and have understanding of everything that God asks us to do. Paul wrote under the inspiration of the Holy spirit under God's spirit giving instruction. So the church would know how to properly express and represent the person of the love, loving and living God he's he's given us instruction. If you ever wondering, how do I please, God just opened up the scripture and just begin to do what the scripture says. Just begin to pray into the scripture. Say, as you read it, just say, Lord, I don't know how to do this stuff. A lot of it, I don't even understand, but God, I want to, when your heart's right and open and available to the Lord, he will show you what you must do. 8 (49m 46s): Paul spells it out for us. He spells it out. You wrote under the inspiration of the Holy spirit. 9 (49m 51s): These are the things. This is, this is the instruction 8 (49m 55s): For the church. 9 (49m 56s): This is God's church. And so our aim is to honor 8 (49m 58s): God in the way we function in the way that we worship and the way that we live, the way that we teach and the way that we lead. He is the architect. He's designed it. If you ever looked at a set of plans, every detail is covered, right? All of the details are in the plans in the blueprints, the architect has made that happen. This is his design, 9 (50m 24s): Always perplexed. I'm always perplexed. When people say that, I, when they say I love God, but I don't like his church. 3 (50m 34s): This is like saying, 9 (50m 35s): I love God. I just don't love God's people. 3 (50m 39s): I just, I love God. I just don't love God's plan. 9 (50m 42s): It's perplexing to me because the church is God's plan filled with God's people, people that he loves and people that we're supposed to love. And so I know that church can be hard sometimes, and we have different difficulties in church, in disagreements with people in church. And it's hard to get along sometimes, but this is still God's design. The church gathered together for corporate worship to build friendships and have fellowship and have community to come together and love each other. And to challenge one another and to encourage one another. This is God's designed. We're not meant to do life alone. I know a gal who for the last, since COVID started for over a year, she's never wants to come in contact with another person she's been holed up in her home and never had a physical contact with anybody for the whole last 12 or 14 months. 9 (51m 35s): It's insanity. It's not how we are designed to live. This is why I sent out a video. I think it came out yesterday, just inviting people to come back to church. Did anybody see that video yet? Just inviting people to come back to church saying, Hey, it's time. It's time to get back to church. We need to, without fear gather, and without fear Jews to beats together as the body of Christ. And so it's my hope that the people of God, not just at harvest church, but on the central coast and not just on the central coast, but in this state and in this country and in this world would begin to gather to shake off that fear and get back to church it's God's idea. 9 (52m 17s): After all, some people are threatened. If I come back to church and I'm so used to being in my pajamas, I made you show up in my pajamas. I said, if you want to show up in your pajamas, just show up in your pajamas, just make sure it's appropriate pajamas. So we may see people show up on Easter Sunday at 10 o'clock next week in their pajamas. Just be okay with it. It's okay. 3 (52m 43s): Okay. 9 (52m 43s): This is the church, which is the pillar. The verse goes on and says in verse 16, which is the pillar and foundation of the truth. Why is the church, the pillar and the foundation of the truth? Because we teach the truth. That's God's designed for the church that we would teach the church, essentially becoming the pillar and the foundation we teach God's word, which is the truth. And because we preach the truth where the pillar and the foundation of that truth, we have this responsibility to teach the word of God that people might understand the Bible and understand that the Bible is truth. And so the church declares and communicates and affirms the Bible's truth. So we teach and we champion this book, the Bible, because it is properly the pillar and foundation it the truth. 9 (53m 26s): And 8 (53m 26s): We as the church, as we declare it, 9 (53m 29s): Not just corporately, but individually, as well as we believe it in champion the Bible and believe the Bible and live the Bible and proclaim the Bible. We are becoming the pillar and the foundation of the truth. If we cease, if we cease to teach the whole counsel of God's word, we cease to be the pillar and the foundation of the truth. If we stop teaching the Bible, we cease to be the pillar and foundation of truth, because the truth is the Bible. And so we teach the Bible. We have to understand as individuals and corporately that the Bible is God's truth. So we have to be careful to call sin sin and truth, truth. 9 (54m 12s): I didn't get saved because somebody danced around the topic of sin. Somebody told me that I'm a C, they said, you're a sinner and you need Jesus. I said, I am. I didn't know. But as I began to understand what sin is, I began to understand, yes, indeed, I am a sinner and I need Jesus. And it was because somebody spoke that message pur with profound clarity, that I was awakened to my desk, 8 (54m 40s): Brittany, for Jesus, I had a desperate need for Jesus and everyone who's ever come to faith in him with a genuine faith has realized the same thing. The wages of sin is death, spiritual deaths. It's, it's a death sentence. The wages of sin is death, but the gift of God is eternal life through Christ Jesus, our Lord. So we have to, in our efforts to be the pillar and the foundation of the truth, we have to proclaim the truth of the word of God, calling sin, sin, and truth, truth. I got saved because I realized he needed a savior. I was desperate for Jesus Jesus. 8 (55m 22s): While I was yet, a sinner died for me and came into my life so that I might know him. And then transformation began to take place. And I'm still in the process. It's a lifelong process of transformations. It's called sanctification. 9 (55m 39s): How can people be confronted with their sin? If we don't talk about 3 (55m 42s): Then verse 16 says, without question, this is the great mystery of our faith. 8 (55m 51s): Well, that question, this is the great mystery of our faith. What's the mystery of our faith. 9 (55m 56s): It's it's, it's curious the whole gospel thing, isn't it. It's interesting and curious and perplexing to think about the gospel. The mystery of faith is the divinely revealed truth about grace redemption and 8 (56m 12s): Goodness in Christ. 9 (56m 15s): It's the divinely revealed truth about grace 8 (56m 18s): Option and forgiveness. Grace is given to us, grace redeems 9 (56m 25s): Us, and we're forgiven in Christ. There's one way to the father and that's through Jesus. There's no other way to receive salvation other than to receive Jesus and to receive his sacrifice. The great mystery is that God loved the world and gave his son to be the savior. The savior of all, who would profess profess that Jesus is Lord. He died for the whole world for God. So loved the world, the whole wide world, every one of us that who so ever nobody's left out of there who's so whoever believes will not perish, but have eternal life. 9 (57m 7s): That's the gospel. And this is the message that we carry as believers. We believe in ourselves initially. And then we share it. We become followers of the Lord, Jesus Christ. And as followers we do what he did. He declared Surewest proclaimed truth about the gospel, about his grace verse 16. Again, without question, this is the great mystery of our faith. Christ was revealed in a human body. This is mind blowing stuff here. 8 (57m 33s): Jesus, 9 (57m 35s): The second member of the Trinity, God, the father, God, the son, God, the Holy spirit, 8 (57m 40s): Fully God. He gave up and put on 9 (57m 49s): Being fully God and fully man. He took on the human condition without sin, not the sin condition, but took on the human body and limitations of a human body of Galatians four, four, and five says. But when the right time came, God sent his son born of a woman, subject to the law. God sent him to buy freedom for us who were slaves to the law so that he could adopt us as his very own children. When the time was right in the history of mankind, Jesus put on flesh and was born 8 (58m 29s): To a young, poor couple born in a barn. The manger in the lowliest of fashion, the humblest of fashion, he was born flipping 9 (58m 50s): Two, five through eight says you must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had though. He was God. He did not think of equality with God as something to clean to. Instead he gave up his divine privileges. He took the humble position of a slave. He was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminal's death on the cross. The reason he was born is so that he could die. He was born to die for and for you, 3 (59m 26s): The 9 (59m 26s): Reason that you were born as such, you might know him and help others to know him. That's the reason you were born. If you ever wondered why you were born, you were born to know him and that you might help others to know him. That's boiled down. That's essentially what we're here to do as believers in Jesus Christ. So everything else is secondary and tertiary. Everything else is, is second to that. To that reality, that we're, we're born to know Jesus and to help others know Jesus, 3 (59m 52s): Jesus 9 (59m 53s): Was born to die so that we might know him and help others to know him. Verse 16 continues. He was vindicated by the spirits. Jesus. He was vindicated by the spirit. The spirit rested upon Jesus at his baptism. Remember in Luke three 21 through 22, it says one day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. Jesus got baptized as a modeling baptism for us. And then he said, go and make disciples of all nations, baptizing them in the name of the father, the son and the Holy spirit. So if you haven't been baptized and you know, Jesus, it's time to get baptized. We've got a baptism happening on Easter. So if you haven't been baptized and you know, Jesus, there is no excuse for not being baptized. 9 (1h 0m 34s): You say, well, it's gonna mess up my hair. For those of us who have hair, right? It's going to mess up my clothes. I don't want to get wet in front of everybody. Jesus humbled himself. 3 (1h 0m 49s): He 9 (1h 0m 50s): Model baptism for us. And then he was baptized. Baptism is a public declaration of I'm a follower of Jesus. It's like the marriage yesterday. They declared Ronin and Bree declared in front of family and friends, front of the whole world in front of God. We love each other. We're committed to one another. We're going to be married together till death do us part. That's what baptism is. We're saying I'm a follower of Jesus. I love Jesus. I want to serve him all the days of my life. And this is my public declaration. If you haven't been baptized, you need to get baptized. It's time. One day when the crowds were being baptized, Jesus himself was baptized. As he was praying, the heavens opened and the Holy spirit imagined the scene. 9 (1h 1m 31s): The Holy spirit and bodily form descended on him like a dove and a voice from heaven said, you are my dearly loved son. 3 (1h 1m 37s): You bring me great joy. The spirit 9 (1h 1m 41s): Rested upon him at his baptism. And then the spirit raised him from the dead. We read about that. Romans eight 11. It says the spirit of God who raised Jesus from the dead 3 (1h 1m 51s): Lives in you. 9 (1h 1m 53s): And just as God raised Christ Jesus from the dead, he will give life to your mortal bodies by the same spirit living within you. The spirit that raised Christ from the dead lives in you. So you've got power in you. God's power in you. Listen. If there was any doubt about who Jesus was and I promise you, there was doubt swirling about Jesus, where, who is this guy? That's coming into Jerusalem? Who is he? Why the celebration, who is this guy? If there was any, 8 (1h 2m 20s): The Holy spirit vindicated him and demonstrated his divinity. If you get God got a chance, he will demonstrate to you his divinity, the realness of who he is. If you just open up a little bit and God will show himself faithful, he can verse 16, continue to see, was seen by angels. Angels have always participated in God's redemptive plan. From the beginning 9 (1h 2m 51s): After his resurrection angels were present to roll away the stone and to give instruction to his followers. Angels are with us. There are angels in our presence. Even now the Bible talks about guardian angel angels that walk with us and protect us. 8 (1h 3m 8s): There are angels in our midst spiritual beings who are there to serve us and to help us serve God and to serve God's needs. And so we see angels throughout the Bible, old and new Testament. Angels are still real today. It was early on Sunday morning, Matthew 28, one through six as the new day was daunting. 9 (1h 3m 28s): Mary Magdalene and the other Mary went out to visit the tomb. Suddenly there was a great earthquake for an angel of the Lord, came down from heaven, rolled aside 8 (1h 3m 38s): And sat on it. His face shown like lightning and his clothing was as white as snow. The guards shook with fear when they saw him and they fell into a dead faint. I can't even imagine just the glory, 9 (1h 3m 54s): But imagine if that's the glory of the angelic. 8 (1h 3m 57s): The imagine with me, the glory of Jesus. Imagine with me the glory of the living King of Kings, we will see him and we will know him. Verse five. Then the angel spoke to the woman. Don't be afraid. He said, I, I know you're looking for Jesus who was crucified. He isn't here. 9 (1h 4m 19s): He is risen from the dead, just as he 8 (1h 4m 21s): Said would happen. Remember his triumphal entry, go into Jerusalem, do this, this and this. They did this, this and this. 9 (1h 4m 29s): Jesus knew. Jesus knew they, the angelic hosts, God knows ahead of time. What's going to happen. 8 (1h 4m 39s): You're looking for Jesus. He was crucified. He isn't here. He's risen from the dead, just as he said, what happened comes see where his body was lying. And now go quickly and tell his disciples that he has risen from the dead. And he is going ahead of you to Galilee. You will see him there. Remember what I have told you? So angelic hosts were presence 3 (1h 5m 2s): We're told 8 (1h 5m 2s): In Philippians two, that Jesus, his name is going to be elevated. And he's given this highest honor. It says, therefore, God elevated him Jesus to the place of highest honor 9 (1h 5m 14s): And gave him the name above every above. All other names that at the name of Jesus, every they should bow in heaven and on earth and under the earth. And every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord to the glory of God. The father, see, this is our, this is our purpose that we might know Jesus and declare, declare that he is Jesus Christ, the Lord to glory, to the glory of God. The father, every knee will bow. I wonder if there's an area in our life right now that we need to bow our knee to Jesus. Like I maybe there's you bowed to him in every other area, but there's this, this one area. This one area we'll call it of sin of maybe disagreement with God, an area where you just flat don't want to bow your knee. 9 (1h 6m 2s): I just want to say that if you will, and now your knee in that area, God will meet you in that place. And he will minister to you in that place. Often we don't do it because 3 (1h 6m 13s): We're fearful. We're fearful 9 (1h 6m 16s): Of what God may ask or require of us. God has not given us a spirit of fear, but of power and love and of sound mind. There shouldn't be anything in our lives as followers of Jesus. We're followers of Jesus. There shouldn't be any area of our life where we're not, we're not willing to say yes, Lord, we bow our knee to you. Yes, Lord. 3 (1h 6m 38s): Yeah. 9 (1h 6m 39s): Says that. In verse 16, he was announced to the nations that Jesus was announced to the nations in Colossians one 23, Paul declared the good news. And I'll add about the good news has been preached all over the world. And I, Paul, I've been appointed by God to proclaim it. And since then, since the first century, the gospel has been proclaimed all over the world. Just this morning, we heard about Mike and Sharon Dutcher who are they're ministering through their, their, their ministry tools to eight different nations right now, eight different countries. And people have, have worked to see the whole wide world Angela's and that's why we send missionaries out. 9 (1h 7m 20s): And that's why we're participating in the great commission, because we want to see the whole world, come to know Jesus, Paul Paul got it. He said the good news has been preached all over the world. And I I've been appointed by God to proclaim at verse 16. You see what's believed in throughout the whole world, throughout the world and taken to heaven in glory. So this message of Jesus Christ 3 (1h 7m 44s): Has 9 (1h 7m 45s): Been spread to the whole world. And now it's at our feet. Now it's in our hands. Now it's our responsibility for this generation. For this nation. It is our responsibility to proclaim the truth. Listen, you don't want to go to your grave. Having never led anybody to Jesus. You just don't want to do that. In fact, you want to go to your grave. Having led dozens of people to Jesus, because those, the people will hopefully lead dozens of people, of people to Jesus. You want to make it your life goal to lead 8 (1h 8m 16s): People to Jesus. The message of Christ has been spreading rapidly all over the globe since his life, death, resurrection and Ascension. And he will return you guys ready for that. Are you really though? He is he's he's going to return, ready to judge the living and the dead. He's coming back to judge our actions and the way that we lived our life. Are you ready for that? Because faith in Jesus has meant to change everything. So if there's areas of your life, where your faith in Jesus, hasn't changed you and hasn't changed your priorities in your perspective, then it's time to revisit your faith and say, God, I want my faith to be genuine through and through like every part of my life, reflecting who you are and what you've called me to do nothing held back. 8 (1h 9m 5s): No fear, no worries, no doubts. Just I'm all in with you. We once a month on the fourth, Sunday family, Sunday, we celebrate communion. The Lord's table, where we celebrate what Jesus did on the cross for us was 2000 years ago. And people to this day are still celebrating all over the globe. The church of God is celebrating first Corinthians 1123. Did everybody get elements? By the way, if you did not get elements, then raise your hand. And we have people who will get you elements. So there we go, Jim, in the middle here you got, there we go. We'll give it a moment. 3 (1h 9m 48s): Worship team. Come on out 8 (1h 9m 55s): On the patio. Also, if you had, if you didn't get your elements, raise your hand and somebody will get those to you in the lofts. Also there. So 3 (1h 10m 8s): If you're at home 8 (1h 10m 10s): On the fourth, Sunday of every month, as I said, we take communion. So family Sunday. So if it's the fourth, Sunday of the month and you're watching from home, just show up, prepared to take communion, get away for some juice and be ready to take communion with us. And God will be glorified. It says in first Corinthians 1123 through 26 for I pass on to you. What I received from the Lord himself on the night when he was betrayed, the Lord, Jesus took some bread gave thanks to God for it. Then he broke it in pieces and said, this is my body, which has given for you 3 (1h 10m 46s): Do this 8 (1h 10m 47s): In remembrance of me. Let's go ahead and take the wafer a little tricky to get to that for 3 (1h 10m 55s): There it is. Thank you, Jesus. And then if you've had it 8 (1h 11m 4s): As you've had the wafer, go ahead and peel open the next level and we'll get to the juice here. This is COVID communion right here. Oh, fit. There we go. In the same way. He took the cup of wine after supper saying this cup is the new covenant between God and his people and agreement confirmed with my blood. Do this in remembrance of me. As often as you drink it for every time you eat this bread and drink this cup, you are announcing the Lord's death until he comes again. Let's take the juice. Thank you, Lord. 8 (1h 11m 45s): We're so grateful. We're so humbled Lord, by your kindness, God, your, your birth, your triumphant entry, your triumphal entry, Lord God. We're so thankful for good Friday where you died in for a Sunday, Easter Sunday, where you resurrected from the dead Lord. We're so thankful. We love you. Jesus. I pray that if there somebody here who needs you, that they would reach out to you. Bible says, if you confess with your mouth, that Jesus is Lord and believe in your heart, that God raised him from the dead. You will be saved. So believe in who he is. Welcome him into your life. Say, Jesus, I need, you need you in my life. 8 (1h 12m 25s): I need you to forgive me. I need you to love me as you with your whole heart, declare that truth. God comes into your life and he loves you for gives you and adopts you into his family. So don't wait to do that, to make that decision. Lord, thank you for what you're doing. As we get ready to worship some more prayer that we worship in spirit and in truth, be glorified. And we ask in Jesus name, amen. Let's go and stand up and worship some more. 7 (1h 12m 58s): where are these? Where are these? 7 (1h 13m 20s): worthy? 7 (1h 14m 40s): yes, you are a hope. 7 (1h 20m 27s): You're our foundation. You're the rock that we stand upon. Lord. We thingy that we can rest in you. We can trust in you. We put our hope in you when everything else is shifting around us, God, you are steadfast and secure. So thank you for the hope that we have in you. Jesus. I pray that you would be with us this week. You would strengthen our hearts. Scott, look forward to celebrating Easter together next week, but you just keep everyone healthy and just prepare our hearts for just an awesome celebration. Next week. We love you, Lord. We give you this day in Jesus name. 7 (1h 21m 8s): Amen. Amen church. So glad you're doing this today. If there's anyone who would like some prayer this morning, we always have folks available. So just head on down toward the front, we would love to pray with you this morning. Otherwise have a wonderful day and pass the peace and love of Jesus around to each other. And we will see you on Easter. Sunday, 10:00 AM up at the top of the Hill, right here. Have a great day.