Grace Bible Church - Sermons 1993

Keeping Your Eyes on Jesus - Matthew 14:22-36

Sun, 26 Dec 1993 20:21:25 -0500

Keeping Your Eyes on Jesus - Matthew 14:22-36. When Jesus meets the His disciples in the middle of the Sea of Galilee by walking out to their boat, that was not what they were expecting and were quite afraid. Only Peter shows enough faith to get out of the boat, but sinks when He takes His eyes off Jesus and places them on His circumstances. In this we find an important lesson about faith and trust.

Feeding the Multitude - Matthew 14:13-21

Sun, 12 Dec 1993 20:07:33 -0500

Feeding the Multitude - Matthew 14:13-21. Though Jesus had gone to a lonely place to get away from the crowds, He had compassion on the multitudes that had followed Him. He healed them, taught them, and then miraculously fed over 5,000 with the contents of a young boy's lunch. He used the opportunity to teach His disciples about trusting God to provide.

The Death of John the Baptist - Matthew 14:1-12

Sun, 05 Dec 1993 19:36:23 -0500

The Death of John the Baptist - Matthew 14:1-12. What you believe is very important for there are both temporal and eternal consequences to them. The test of the depth of your belief is how much are you willing to suffer for them. John the Baptist proved the depth of his belief and in doing so became a prime example of faith.

The Tragedy of Unbelief - Matthew 13:53-58

Sun, 28 Nov 1993 22:08:41 -0500

The Tragedy of Unbelief - Matthew 13:53-58. Pastor Scott L. Harris. How important is what you believe? Does it really make that much difference? Many view beliefs as the equivalent of opinions, and everyone has an opinion, and everyone's opinions are just as good and important as everyone else's. Or at least that is th4e view of those who want to reduce your belief (and opinion) to relative unimportance. The truth is that belief is of vital importance because there are consequences to what you believe about Jesus Christ and this morning's text points out the consequences of refusing to believe the truth. There is great tragedy in unbelief.

The Value of the Kingdom - Matthew 13:44-52

Sun, 14 Nov 1993 21:56:05 -0500

The Value of the Kingdom, Matthew 13:44-52. Pastor Scott L. Harris. What do you value the most? If your house is on fire, what would you have saved? In this sermon two parables are examined in which Jesus describes the physical treasure that two different men valued so much that they sold all they had to gain it. Jesus will use that illustration to teach the spiritual truth that there is nothing on earth as valuable as entering into His kingdom.

The Parables of the Kingdom - Matthew 13:24-42

Sun, 07 Nov 1993 21:41:28 -0500

The Parables of the Kingdom, Matthew 13:24-42. Pastor Scott L. Harris. This is the second of Jesus' kingdom parables designed to reveal truth concerning the Kingdom of Heaven to His followers while concealing it from His enemies. It still does that even though we also have the record of Jesus' explanation of it to His disciples.

The Parable of the Sower - Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23

Sun, 17 Oct 1993 22:15:56 -0400

The Parable of the Sower, Matthew 13:3-9, 18-23. Pastor Scott L. Harris. Many have stumbled in interpreting Jesus' parables. Liberal theologians have failed because they presume that by their supposedly superior intellect they can discern what each element of the story means and thus interpret it, but again, without the Holy Spirit you absolutely cannot understand the Scriptures. Conservative theologians have often presented erroneous interpretations too - sometimes due to the same intellectual pride as the liberals, but also many times because of a failure on the opposite end. They isolate the text and fail to do the diligent study they should to understand the context and what the other Scriptures say. In order to keep from stumbling into any of these traps, we will quickly review again the purpose of Matthew's gospel account and the nature of salvation as presented by Him so that we might properly understand the meaning of the parable of the sower.

The Purpose of Parables - Matthew 13:1-17; 34,35

Sun, 10 Oct 1993 22:07:05 -0400

The Purpose of Parables, Matthew 13:1-17; 34,35. Pastor Scott L. Harris. A change has occurred in Jesus’ ministry. Jesus had been presenting Himself as the Messiah and His life and miracles demonstrated that He was the fulfillment of the Old Testament prophecies. However, the Jewish religious leaders had rejected Him, so from this point on, Jesus starts talking about a kingdom they had not been expecting. A spiritual kingdom rather than an earthly one. Jesus also begins to speak in a way that would confuse these proud and self- righteous men while letting the spiritually-minded understand.

Jesus Christ Our Brother, Matthew 12:46-50

Sun, 03 Oct 1993 21:52:05 -0400

Jesus Christ Our Brother, Matthew 12:46-50, Pastor Scott L. Harris - What if you could pick your family? In this passage we find that you can choose to be related to people that are loving, kind, good, patient, gentle, and joyful. If you are willing, you can have Jesus Christ as your brother and be an adopted son or daughter of God.

What Sign Are You Looking For? Matthew 12:38-45

Sun, 19 Sep 1993 20:46:51 -0400

What Sign Are You Looking For? Matthew 12:38-45, Pastor Scott L. Harris. How much does it take to prove a point? Despite Jesus' teaching and many miracles, the Scribes and Pharisees continually asked for more proof that Jesus was the Messiah. Jesus’ answer to their demand shows that they would not be satisfied by anything that Jesus did. Nothing could be done that would bring them to believe in Him.

Exposing the Heart - Matthew 12:33-37

Sun, 12 Sep 1993 10:56:19 -0400

Exposing the Heart, Matthew 12:33-37, Pastor Scott L. Harris. People make a lot of claims about themselves and what they believe. In this passages Jesus shows that what a person says and does reveals the truth about what is really in their hearts & minds.

The Unforgivable Sin - Matthew 12:22-32

Sun, 29 Aug 1993 09:44:34 -0400

The Unforgivable Sin, Matthew 12:22-32, Pastor Scott L. Harris. In this sermon Pastor Harris explains blasphemy against the Holy Spirit which is the only sin that Jesus said was unforgivable. Some people worry that they may have committed this sin. Pastor Harris explains the indications that they have not done so.

The Gentle Servant - Matthew 12:15-21

Sun, 15 Aug 1993 22:23:27 -0400

The Gentle Servant - Matthew 12:15-21, Pastor Scott L. Harris, August 15, 1993. Success for the Christian does not come through attaining positions of worldly power, though God often does put Christians in those positions, for success for the Christian is not in having power, but in being a faithful servant of the omnipotent God. Jesus never attained any position of worldly power. He never sought such a position; instead He was God's gentle servant. He was merciful, meek, chosen of God; quiet, sympathetic and unlimited in whom He would minister to as God's representative. We are to follow His example.

The Lord of the Sabbath - Matthew 12:1-4

Sun, 08 Aug 1993 22:09:01 -0400

The Lord of the Sabbath - Matthew 12:1-4, Pastor Scott L. Harris, August 8, 1993. Legalists are those who try to please God by their own means and methods rather than according to God's directions. They take the Scriptures, interpret them by their own standards, and make out of them a detailed system of what can and cannot be done. They existed in Jesus' time and in our own. In this sermon Pastor Harris looks at Jesus' teaching that shows why the Pharisee's legalistic standards were wrong.

Jesus' Offer of Rest - Matthew 11:25-30

Sun, 01 Aug 1993 12:45:15 -0400

Jesus' Offer of Rest - Matthew 11:25-30, Pastor Scott L. Harris, August 1, 1993. The analogy of a heavy burden on our back is a good description of what life is like apart from Jesus Christ. Even for the Christian, when we are not walking with the Lord as we should and strive to do things in our own power, it can feel like the weight of the world is upon our shoulders. In this sermon Pastor Harris looks at Jesus' offer of rest to those who are burdened and heavy-laden.