Being Edifying - 1 Corinthians 14.  Pastor Scott L. Harris. Grace Bible Church, Wappingers Falls, NY.  In this sermon Pastor Harris puts 1 Corinthians 14 back into its context of correcting the false spirituality of the Corinthians. True spirituality is demonstrated in love (1 Cor. 13) and in using spiritual gifts for their intended purpose of the common good of the church. That is why throughout this chapter Paul shows the superiority of prophesy as compared to tongues as a mark of true spirituality.

Hope & Change, November 9, 2008. In this Sermon Pastor Harris contrasts the "hope and change" offered by politicians to the true hope we have in God, an absolute confidence that He can and will keep His promises, and the change that He is making in the believer and that He will bring about upon the earth upon His return. Placing your hope in men or a government is ultimately futile. Our only true hope can be in God alone.

Being Loving - 1 Corinthians 13. While love is a beautiful thing, the description of love in this chapter is actually a correction to a church that had become very unloving. Biblical love is the mark of true spirituality. If the love is lacking, then so is the claimed spirituality and piety. The spiritual gifts will either cease or be done away, but love will abide forever. 

Being Unified in the Body - 1 Corinthians 12:12-31, October 19, 2008. In this sermon Pastor Harris explains the nature of the church, the body of Christ, how a person is made part of the body, the responsibilities a believer has to that body and the basis and necessity of unity within that body. He also points out the errors of Pentecostal theology that contradict key verses within this chapter.  

Being Spiritual - 1 Corinthians 12. A brief overview and historical background of 1 Corinthians with an exposition of 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 with an emphasis on the first three verses which sets the theme for Paul's discussion in chapters 12-14 of true spirituality and correction of their false spirituality.

Pentecostal & Charismatic Overview & History  The historical and theological backgrounds of these movements given in a brief manner. Includes a short bibliography for further reading.

The Ministry of the Holy Spirit, September 28, 2008 - In this sermon Pastor Harris gives a brief overview of the ministry of the Holy Spirit and then concludes with how to discern between the leading of the Holy Spirit in your life and following your own desires.

The Christian & Politics - Selected Scriptures, September 14, 2008. This sermon gives some basic Biblical principles and precepts by which we can and should evaluate all candidates for any office for any election. Pastor Harris also corrects some widely held misconceptions about separation of church and state in the United States.

Of Every Tribe & Nation - Conforming Culture to Christ - September 7, 2008. In this sermon Pastor Harris presents the Biblical cure for prejudice, bigotry, racism and multiculturalism. A Christian’s identity is to be so bound to Christ that giving primary identification to anything other that Christ is wrong, and that includes ethnic heritage or cultural background. The Christian is to change culture, not be conformed to it. This sermon is NOT politically correct. Read it at the risk of having your own prejudice exposed for the sin that it is. 

This past Monday, April 16, was a hard day for a lot of people. Far worse than the storm that had ravaged the Atlantic Coast and New England were the murders of 32 people and wounding of others at Virginia Polytechnic University. Disaster occurred on Monday morning, but tare many other disasters that have occurred. Disasters happen both on large scales and on individual levels. Where do they come from? What do they mean? How should we respond to them? Those are the questions that I will deal with in today's sermon.

Jesus Christ: The First Fruits  - 1 Corinthians 15:20-28,  Pastor Scott L. Harris, Grace Bible Church, April 8, 2007

We celebrate the resurrection of the Lord Jesus Christ and the guarantee it brings of all of God’s promises. These include not only the future resurrection of all those who belong to Him, but also all the promises concerning Jesus’ future reign and His vanquishing of all His enemies including death.  If Jesus had not risen from the dead, there would be no hope, but sine He did then every believer can look forward to the fulfillment of all God's promises with complete confidence.

What Type of Fool Are You?

Today is April 1, a day commonly referred to as "April Fool’s Day." It is a day that by popular custom is full of practical jokes and trying to dupe the gullible. While Scripture does not speak about "April Fools Day," it does speak quite a bit about different types of fools. Today I want to talk to you about these different types of fools and what our response should be to them. The Ignorant Fool, The Educated Fool, The Apathetic Fool and the Wise Fool. Three of these are deadly in a very real sense, and the last describes the kind of person we should be.

Introduction

What is man? That may seem like a simple question, but the answer to it will have a lot of ramifications including determining what value he may or may not have. The basis for racism, genocide, abortion, infanticide, euthanasia and host of other evils are all related to a wrong understanding of man and his value. The answer to the question is not found in man himself, but in the God who created him. In this sermon Pastor Harris those issues by showing what Scripture says about man, how sin affected him and how salvation in Jesus Christ can restore him.

The Proper Pattern of Prayer, Pt. 1 - Matthew 6:9-10

Pastor Scott L. Harris                             Grace Bible Church, NY                            January 28, 2007

Introduction

It has been well said that the church cannot go forward unless it is on its knees. When we properly understand that we can accomplish nothing for the kingdom of God unless it by the Holy Spirit working through us, then we also then understand the absolute necessity of prayer. Martyn Lloyd-Jones said that prayer is "beyond any question the highest activity of the human soul."

The tragedy is that most people learn to pray in ways that are in direct violation of the what the Scriptures say about prayer. The best way to learn to pray is to follow what Jesus taught His disciples concerning prayer in Matthew 6:5-12. This sermon focuses on the first half of what is commonly known as "The Lord's Prayer.

The Proper Purpose & Practice of Prayer

Matt. 6:5-15

Introduction

Prayer. It is very elementary in its essence. Its most simple definition is "talking to God." Yet prayer is also one of the most complex subjects that can be discussed.

How can a human talk with the creator of the universe? How does an insignificant human address the creator of the universe? How can God hear all those prayers at once? How does prayer work? God is sovereign and does not change, yet prayer somehow moves Him to do things differently? How does God know what to do? One farmer prays for rain because his crops are getting dry, and another farmer prays for a sunny day because he just cut his field of hay and rain would ruin his crop. How come some prayers are answered quickly, others after a long delay, and some get a "pocket veto." Why are some people so good at praying and others not? What is a good prayer? What should we pray for?

A Foundation for Prayer

Revelation 2:1-7

Introduction

This morning I will begin a series on a topic that I hope will be helpful to all of us in increasing our intimacy with our Lord. We will be spending the better part of the next couple of months talking about prayer.

This morning will be an introduction to the subject in that it will be dealing with the basic motivation that should cause us to pray. A basic motivation that causes us to want to live the Christian life. Without this motivation, the Christian life will not only become prayerless, it will also become frustrating, painful, and full of guilt which will result in depression. With this motivation the Christian life is prayerful, satisfying and joyful in all circumstances.

This morning we are going to talk about the motivation that comes with a deep and abiding love. Turn to Revelation 2:1-7 where we will find not only the importance of loving the Lord Jesus Christ, but also how to regain that love if it has diminished over the years.

Our Hope in Our Eternal God

Psalm 90

Today is New Year’s Eve. Tomorrow begins 2007. I admit that I always have mixed emotions this time of year as I reflect back on the old year and consider what changes I need to make in the new one. There are so many things I am glad are behind me, but there is also the anticipation of so many possibilities of the future. There is a certain sense of truth to the idea that the celebration tonight is as much about the survival of the old year as it is the arrival of the new one.

Since this is the time of year that is natural for us to be reflective as we plan for the future, I want to challenge you to do that in a way that keeps the proper perspective. If it has been a hard year, and it has been for many of us, it is easy to become bit melancholy or even depressed if you do not get your eyes up off the problems and gain a more balanced perspective that also includes the good things that happened and a hope for the future. If it has been a good year, and it was for many people, it is easy to become nonchalant and then fail to properly plan for the future. What keeps us balanced is having a proper understanding of and relationship with our God. Psalm 90 can help us do just that. Please turn there with me.

The Word Became Flesh

John 1:1-14

Tomorrow is Christmas, the day that we celebrate the birth of our savior, the Lord Jesus Christ. There is much about that story that we can understand. Most of us can understand the birth of a baby. Many of you are parents and remember well the experience of the birth of your own children. Or you may be an aunt, uncle or have younger siblings and understand the birth of a niece, nephew, brother or sister. We can understand the joy that would have been present at the birth of Jesus.

The Necessity of the Resurrection

1 Corinthians 15

He is Risen! Happy Resurrection Sunday to each of you. How wonderful it is to gather together this morning to celebrate the hope we have because of the resurrection of our Lord and Savior Jesus Christ from the dead. I know that this day is more commonly called "Easter Sunday" - but "Easter," according to Webster, refers to a "feast that commemorates Christ's resurrection," and I am not here to celebrate eating, but the resurrection itself! Those of you who know me know that I enjoy eating, and a good meal can satisfy my stomach, but only the hope I have in the Lord Jesus Christ can satisfy my soul, and what a wonderful hope we have because of the resurrection. This morning we read from the Gospel of Luke the story of Jesus Resurrection. Please now turn to 1 Corinthians 15 as we consider the eternal importance of the most significant event that has ever happened in human history.

For the last few weeks I have been speaking to you about the importance of being sanctified. Those of us who profess to be Christians should have lives that match that profession. Jesus Christ has purchased us for Himself with His own blood. We are now separated from the world and set apart unto Him.

This is my third message on Sanctification. A subject very foundational to the Christian life, and yet one sadly neglected by most Christians. The word "sanctification" has the same root as the word, "holy." It means to "be set apart" and in the context of the Scriptures it means to "be set apart unto God.

We are taking a break from our study of the Gospel of John in order to deal with several important topics. We are in the midst of a short series on sanctification. Last week I talked about having a sanctified mind. This week I want to talk about having a sanctified body.

We are taking a short break from our study of the Gospel of John to bo back and examine a few basic issues in the Christian life. A couple of weeks ago we looked at the basics of Christian Conduct from 1 Thessalonians 5:12f. For the next three weeks we are going to be looking at the basics of sanctification in mind, body and life.

We are taking a short break from our study through the Gospel of John to examine a few topics that are on my heart. Last week we dealt with the reality of eternal Hell, but this morning we will be looking at the wonderful subject of Heaven. Before we do so, I want to stress the point from last week that if we believe there is a heaven, then we must also believe there is a hell and that the duration of both is the same. Jesus made this very clear in Matthew 25 when He describes both in the same passage with the same words. There will be those He will send away to eternal punishment and those He will invite into eternal life. In addition, Hell was not made man, but for the devil and his angels (Mt. 25:41). Humans go because the do not know God or obey the gospel of the Lord Jesus Christ (2 Thess. 1:8). Only those that place their faith in Jesus Christ as the substitute payment for their own sins have their names written in the Lamb's book of life, and whoever does not have their name written in that book of life will be cast into the eternal lake of fire.

We will be taking a break from out study of John for the next several weeks. This week and next I want to deal with the eternal destiny of the human soul. Heaven and Hell are both real places and we should understand clearly what God has revealed about them.

The Declaration of Independence states that one of the reasons for the formation of this country, this society we call "America" was to be able to engage in the "pursuit of happiness." And Americans are certainly engaged in that pursuit. Of course everyone seems to have their own twist to what will make them happy. For some it is money, others power, prestige or fame. Some just want a simple life without care, while others want to live in the fast pace life of the Rat Race. Some look for happiness within themselves, and others outside themselves. Some search for it in the accomplishments of man, others in the natural environment. And yet, with all this pursuing of this elusive state of happiness, there are so few who find it.