Sunday Sermons

Strive For Unity (Ephesians 4:1-6)

Sun, 05 Jul 2026 15:17:07 GMT

God has done much work to unify Himself to His people and His people to one another. We are to strive for unity as the body of Christ, preserving our relationships to the glory of God. Mature disciples strive for unity Unity is maintained in our day to day Unity is sourced from God

"Stay the Course" (Hebrews 10:32-39)

Sun, 28 Jun 2026 16:00:00 GMT

The author of Hebrews has been challenging his readers not to quit in their Christian walk, but rather to stay the course. He challenges them to look back to how far they’ve come and look ahead to Christ’s return and the rewards that are coming. Don’t quit... Stay the course by looking back Stay the course by looking ahead

"What Happens if We Quit" Hebrews 10:26-31

Sun, 21 Jun 2026 16:00:00 GMT

Quitting is not an option in the Christian life. If we quit, we reveal that we truly did not have a relationship with God. We spurn the precious work of Jesus on the cross and we will face God’s dreadful wrath. If we quit... ...we prove ourselves God’s adversaries ...we desecrate the precious sacrifice of Jesus ...we face the wrath of the living God

Test of Faith ( James 1:1-8)

Sun, 14 Jun 2026 16:15:20 GMT

"The New Heavens and Earth"

Sun, 07 Jun 2026 15:27:20 GMT

Life in a world of sin is hard, discouraging, and tough. That’s why we are given promises of the new creation, our future hope, in Scripture. Until then, we do not lose heart in our hardships and suffering. Rather, in the face of these things we rejoice. We rejoice in our Savior who has overcome. We rejoice in the assurance that we will one day see the glorious new heaven and new earth. We rejoice that there will be no more death, no more sin, no more Satan. We rejoice that we will experience joy, gladness, life, peace, righteousness, and fellowship with our Savior forever.

"Don't Quit" Hebrews 10:19-25

Sun, 31 May 2026 16:40:00 GMT

Because of everything Jesus is and all that Jesus has done for us, don’t quit in your Christian life, draw near, hold fast and spur on. Because of all Christ is and all He’s done... Don’t give up, draw near Don’t give up, hold fast Don’t give up, spur on

"Christ's Finished Work" Hebrews 10:11-18

Sun, 24 May 2026 16:40:00 GMT

Christ’s work is finished. The text tells us after He did His work, He “sat down at the right hand of God”. Because of His finished work, we receive ongoing perfection, internal transformation and unattainable forgiveness. Because Christ’s work is finished... ...we have ongoing perfection ...we have internal transformation ...we have unattainable forgiveness

"Our Imperfection" Hebrews 10:1-10

Sun, 17 May 2026 16:35:00 GMT

We have a major problem, we are totally imperfect! And to make matters worse, any religious system is inadequate to make us perfect. We need a perfect Savior in order to reverse our imperfection and make us perfect.

"The Final Sacrifice" Hebrews 9:23-28

Sun, 10 May 2026 16:35:00 GMT

Jesus’ sacrifice was once for all. It accomplished what no animal sacrifice ever could. Jesus’ sacrifice purified the heavenly tabernacle, it dealt with sin once for all and it gives us an unshakable hope.

"New Covenant Benefits" Hebrews 9:15-22

Sun, 03 May 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Under the New Covenant, believers in Jesus Christ receive great benefits needed to live the Christian life. Jesus is our Mediator, the New Covenant will never change and forgiveness is granted to all who believe!

Unlimited (Hebrew 9:11-14)

Sun, 26 Apr 2026 17:00:00 GMT

The author of Hebrews, having laid out the limitations of the Old Covenant, now turns to the reveal how the New Covenant is unlimited. This limitlessness of the New Covenant goes further, is more valuable and cleanses deeper than we could imagine.

Limited Access (Hebrews 9:1-10)

Sun, 19 Apr 2026 17:00:00 GMT

Under the Old Covenant, worship was limited. The Israelites could only go so far, only do so much and none of their ritual truly cleansed them of sin. But in Christ, we are unlimited in our access to Him.

Out With The Old (Hebrews 8:7-13)

Sun, 12 Apr 2026 17:00:00 GMT

What is the difference between the Old Covenant and the New? Why would we need a “New Covenant?” God made a New Covenant because the Old would not accomplish what He ultimately wanted with His people. It was unfit, unattainable and unenduring.

New Wine (Revelation 19:6-10)

Sun, 05 Apr 2026 15:26:54 GMT

During the last supper, Jesus promised He would not drink of the fruit of the vine again until in His Kingdom. What does this wine point to? It points to the marriage supper of the Lamb where those in Christ will dine with Him in celebration, purification and worship.

The Greater Priesthood (Hebrews 8:1-6)

Sun, 29 Mar 2026 16:00:00 GMT

How is Jesus’ priesthood greater than that of the Levitical priesthood? Now that the author of Hebrews has argued for the superiority of Jesus’ as our Great High Priest, he turns to the superiority of Jesus’ priesthood, showing us how it is greater than the Old Testament covenant.

The Greater Priesthood (Hebrews 7:20-28)

Sun, 22 Mar 2026 16:26:00 GMT

What is it that makes Jesus’ priesthood greater than the Levitical priesthood? In this section of Hebrews 7, the author tells us that Jesus’ priesthood is greater because it was secured by an oath, it is permanent and only Jesus is the perfect priest.

The Priestly Fixer-Upper (Hebrews 7:11-19)

Sun, 15 Mar 2026 16:25:00 GMT

The Levitical priesthood was inadequate to do the ultimate work of opening up a way for us to draw near to God. Because of this, God, through Jesus, changed the priesthood so that we can be brought in to a closer and more intimate relationship with Him.

The Melchizedek Lens (Hebrews 7:1-10)

Sun, 08 Mar 2026 16:25:00 GMT

Who is this mysterious character Melchizedek and how does he point to Christ? Melchizedek was a king of the ancient city of Salem. The Bible speaks of him as a priest superior to the Levitical priests as a way of magnifying Jesus’ superior Priesthood.

Unlimited Forgiveness (Matthew 18:21-35)

Sun, 01 Mar 2026 16:22:39 GMT

Forgiveness is required for those who are believers in Jesus Christ. We are to forgive as our King has forgiven us. Forgive as your King has forgiven you.

God's Unbreakable Promises (Hebrews 6:13-20)

Sun, 22 Feb 2026 17:10:00 GMT

In Hebrews 6:13-20, the author shows us how God’s promises are completely and totally unbreakable. This gives us assurance that God will keep us as His own and never forsake us. God’s promise is binding. God’s promise reflects His unchangeable character. God went to the greatest length to keep His promise.

Pseudo-Christians (Hebrews 6:4-12)

Sun, 15 Feb 2026 17:10:00 GMT

Why does the author of Hebrews challenge his readers in the area of spiritual maturity? The lack of spiritual maturity could be a sign of a deeper problem. The author of Hebrews challenges his readers with the concept of pseudo-Christians, how to tell the difference and how to have an assurance of salvation.

Mature Disciples of Jesus (Hebrews 5:11-6:3)

Sun, 08 Feb 2026 17:30:00 GMT

What does a mature Christian look like? The author of Hebrews diverts from his argument in chapter 5 to address this vital issue of what mature Christians should look like. Four Characteristics of mature believers... 1) Mature believers can teach. 2) Mature believers are discerning. 3) Mature believers move forward. 4) Mature believers depend on God.

Qualifications of Our Great High Priest (Hebrews 5:1-10)

Sun, 01 Feb 2026 17:30:00 GMT

Every Old Testament high priest had to be qualified in order to serve as God’s representatives. The same is true of Jesus. Jesus is qualified in the same way the Old Testament priests were, yet, Jesus exceeds those qualifications, being a greater representative to the Father. How Is Jesus qualified to be our High Priest? 1) Jesus, like the high priests, was called by God. 2) Jesus, like the high priests, was human. 3) Jesus, like the high priests, is the greater representative.

Our Great High Priest (Hebrews 4:14-16)

Sun, 18 Jan 2026 17:01:43 GMT

Good morning, Harvest. It’s always a good morning when we wake up to a new day of life and it’s especially good when we wake up on a Sunday morning to be with our family and it’s very especially good when we have a baptism on a Sunday morning and celebrate the work God has done in the hearts of others. Praise God for His good work! Before we get into the message today, just a reminder to encourage you all to be praying over the vision initiatives for this year. They’re on your bulletin. Take that home. Put it on your fridge or wherever you’ll see it. Let’s keep lifting these things to the Lord, asking Him to move in mighty ways in our church this year. God is so good! Four times in our lives, Heather and I have had to get a lawyer to represent us in court so that we could adopt our precious children. When dealing with legal matters, it’s almost always best to get a lawyer. I know there are times people choose to represent themselves, but quite honestly, that rarely goes in their favor. Representing yourself in court is not recommended. You need someone to represent you. You need an attorney. You’ll get nowhere with the court if you don’t have one. That’s the way it works in the legal system. Believe it or not, it works the same way in the heavenly legal system. You don’t want to show up in the heavenly court room and represent yourself before God. That won’t turn out well. No one can represent themselves in heaven and have a favorable outcome. No one. You need an advocate. This morning, as we continue our study in Hebrews, we’ve come to chapter 4 and we saw last week how Jesus offers us a greater rest. The rest Jesus offers us is greater even than the rest Joshua gave the Israelites when they finally entered the Promised Land. And when we left last week, we saw that the only way to receive God’s rest was to have God’s Word do spiritual surgery on our hearts. We need God’s Word to show us where we still cling to idols in our lives, repent of those, and enter His rest. 2 From there, the author does another one of his brilliant transitions. We’ve seen the author of Hebrews transition from one topic to another and he’s brilliant at it. In fact, this passage, Hebrews 4:14-16 is another transition, another segue, into his next topic. This is why I had George read the last few verses from the passage last time along with our passage today because I wanted you to see that the author of Hebrews ties the last topic and the next topic together. He shows us in these three short verses that we need Jesus as our advocate to enter God’s rest and at the same time, he transitions to talking about Jesus as our great High Priest. Jesus brings us the greater rest than even Joshua did for the Israelites. How does He do that? By being our great high priest. That’s what I want to talk about this morning. Jesus is our great high priest. What makes Him our great high priest? That’s the question I want to ask: “What makes Jesus our great high priest?” So, the flow of the argument looks like this: Jesus is our greater rest. He gives us our greater rest by being our great high priest and there are three things in this passage that makes Him our great high priest. Do you follow that? Maybe I could say it this way, “why should I trust Jesus as my advocate, my great high priest who brings me the rest my soul needs?” That’s what we’re going to look at. Three things, from this passage, that qualifies Jesus to be our great high priest, our advocate, the One who represents us before the Father, who brings us rest. So, if you haven’t done so already, please turn with me to Hebrews chapter 4, as we consider verses 14-16. If you’re using one of the blue Bible provided for you in the seats, you’ll find today’s passage on page 1003. Follow along with me as I read in verse 14. 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. Here’s your first point, what makes Jesus our great high priest? Point one: Jesus has perfect credentials. Notice what it says about Jesus. He is our great high priest. Now, let’s give a definition to that title. What is a high priest? We don’t operate with priests today, not in protestant circles anyway. In the Old Testament, the high priest was the guy over all the priests. Think of him as the supervisor of priests. He oversaw the other priests. He was the only one who could wear the Urim and Thummim, which were small, dice-like stones used to make decisions. This means people went to the high priest to discover the will of God. 3 But most importantly, the high priest was the one who advocated for the people of Israel on the Day or Atonement. Do you remember back in Leviticus we talked about the Day of Atonement? On that day, the high priest entered the Holy of Holies? Remember that? In Leviticus 16, we are told the high priest entered the holy of holies- the inner room in the tabernacle where the ark of the covenant was. It was the white-hot center of the presence of God. Only the high priest could enter the holy of holies and only once a year on the Day of Atonement. He did this to make atonement, that word means “to cover”, it’s reconciliation between sinful man and holy God. The Priest did this for himself and for the people so the whole nation could be declared clean. That was the point of the Day of Atonement. The high priest entered the holy of holies. What our passage in Hebrews tells us is that Jesus went way beyond the earthly Holy of Holies to advocate for us. Jesus entered heaven itself. The text says: Jesus “passed through the heavens”. In other words, He went in to the great holy of holies, the true holy of holies, the heavenly holy of holies. He entered heaven itself. Jesus didn’t represent us in a place made by human hands, the tabernacle or the temple, Jesus went into the very throne room of God and represented us before the face of YHWH. Perhaps think of it like this, Jesus represented us all the way up to the Supreme Court. He advocated on our behalf before the great judge of all. That’s what makes Him our great high priest. But not only that, as if that weren’t enough, Jesus is the “Son of God”. Look at the verse again. 14 Since then we have a great high priest who has passed through the heavens, Jesus, the Son of God, let us hold fast our confession. Now, this is the first time the author has combined the name Jesus and the Son of God. He’s hinted of this before, but now, it’s like a climax, he brings the two together. Jesus is the Son of God. So, what we have here is the human name: “Jesus” and the heavenly title: “Son of God” bringing the dual nature of Jesus together. He is the God-man. He is God in the flesh. Jesus, the Son of God. If you think back, we covered in chapters 1 and 2, how Jesus was greater than the angels. We saw how He was greater in His divinity, He is God and we saw He is greater than angels in His humanity, because of the atoning work that He did. Here, the author brings those two concepts together. Jesus, the Son of God. These are His credentials. This is what makes Jesus the great high priest. So, because of all that, let us hold fast our confession. 4 What does he mean there? This is a challenge, in light of all that Christ is and all that He has done, to hold fast our allegiance to Him. That’s what the word: “confession” means there. It’s our allegiance. It’s what we claim to believe. It’s our commitment to who He is and what He has done for us. The term: “hold fast” is a Greek word that means: “to seize”, “to apprehend”, even “to adhere to”. In other words, we don’t loosely handle our allegiance to Christ, we cleave to it. We adhere to it. We fasten ourselves to it. I had previously head of the David Letterman skit in which a guy in a Velcro suit runs and leaps up onto a mini trampoline and then attaches himself to a Velcro wall and adheres to the wall. Anyone seen that? It’s ridiculous, but funny too. I pulled it up this week on YouTube just to say I’d seen it. That’s the idea here. Attaching ourselves to Jesus. Like a Velcro suit, we run and adhere to Him. We stick to what we believe. We hold fast our confession. If we follow the argument in chapter 4, Jesus gives us a better rest by cutting us open with the Word of God to expose where our hearts are rebellious to Him, we go to Him, through repentance, and because of who He is, our high priest, He is able to advocate for us to the Father and give us that soul-satisfying rest. Why is He able to do that? Because of His credentials. He has passed through the heavens, He’s Jesus, the Son of God, so stick to your allegiance to Him. Jesus has perfect credentials. When you hire an attorney, you want someone who knows what they’re doing, someone who is very good at their job. How do you figure that out? You look at their credentials: their education, their pass successes, their reputation. And when you find a good attorney, you do what they say or you likely won’t achieve a favorable outcome in court. Same with Jesus, He is our great high priest, with perfect credentials, to represent us to the Father, so don’t neglect Him. How do we neglect Him? Remember, the author is writing to those Christians who are discouraged and questioning the Christian life. They’re wondering if they should go back to Judaism, like the Israelites in the wilderness complained and wanted to go back to Egypt. The author is saying: “you have no idea what you would be throwing away if you went back.” Don’t go back. Don’t give up. Hold fast to your confession. And I’m pressing in to you the same encouragement, don’t give in, don’t give up. Now, maybe you are in a place in life where you are so discouraged, you’re actually tempted to give up. Perhaps someone out there is at a place in their Christian life where that’s a reality. My encouragement would be: “don’t give up. Don’t give in.” Christ, the Son of God, went into the heavens for you because He wanted you. Think about that. Heaven and earth would not stop Him from saving and getting you. 5 But also, I know most of you probably aren’t at that point. You’re probably not ready to throw in the towel with your Christian faith, but let me ask you this, have you grown complacent in any area of your life? To be complacent is to be unconcerned with something so there’s no motivation to change it. Have you ever thought: “this is as good as it gets?” “I’ll never get beyond this point.” “I’ll never change in this area?” Every thought anything like that? Have you ever thought: “this is as far as we’ll get in our marriage. We’ll never get beyond this point in our communication. That’s just the way he is, that’s just the way she is. There’s not changing it.” Every thought anything like that? Or what about this: “that person will never accept Jesus. They’ve heard the Gospel over and over and they’ll never accept.” Or how about with God? Have you ever thought: “I’ve prayed about this and God hasn’t answered, it’s just not going to happen.” Perhaps you’ve even dared to think: “He doesn’t care about this area of my life.” Complacency. I don’t know why God chooses not to act or, better said this way: appears to choose not to act. I don’t know why it seems God is not active in some area of your life, but rest assured, God is working. We sing a song during worship sometimes, Waymaker. The Bridge goes like this. Even when I can’t see it, You’re working Even when I don’t feel it You’re working You never stop, You never stop working And that’s the truth. We can’t often see or feel His work, but He is not idle. God is always working in you and for you. He never stops working. Don’t give in to complacency. Don’t think any area of your life, or anyone’s life is hopeless, God is at work. Jesus went into the very presence of God on your behalf don’t grow complacent. Look to the One with perfect credentials. Jesus has perfect credentials, cling to Him. Don’t give up. Don’t give in. Not only that, look at our second point, how is Jesus our great high priest? Jesus understands us. Look at verse 15. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to sympathize with our weaknesses, but one who in every respect has been tempted as we are, yet without sin. This is probably one of the most comforting and hopeful verses in all of scripture. God understands. 6 It’s interesting to think about this, the high priests in the Old Testament understood the people they ministered to. They understood the weakness, their propensity toward sin. They understood temptation, because, they too, were human, just like those they ministered to. A good priest would have been understanding when an Israelite brought in their little lamb to be slaughtered for their sin. The priests had to make sacrifices for their own sins. There was understanding between priest and layman. So, we might be tempted to think: “Jesus, who penetrated heaven because He is divine, can’t understand me and my, mere human, struggles.” But He can. The text tells us right here that He can sympathize with us. That word: “sympathize” means exactly what it says: He has sympathy for us in our weakness. He is compassionate toward us. He understands. Why? Because He has been tempted. Look at the text, “in every respect… as we are…” He has been tempted in every way as we have been. You might think: “I remember when Satan came to test Jesus, He was only tempted in three ways. How is that being tempted in every way that I have been tempted?” That was not the only time Jesus was tempted. Jesus was human, as well as divine, and because He was human, His humanness was tempted all throughout His life just as you and I are tempted all throughout our lives. But let’s dig deeper here. If we just focused on the temptations of Satan, recorded for us in Matthew 4 and Luke 4, we do see three distinct temptations that cover broad categories of temptations. Follow me on this: Jesus was tempted to turn stones into bread and thus to satisfy a longing in His flesh, the longing of hunger. Jesus was taken to the pinnacle of the temple and told to toss Himself down and the angels would catch Him, God would protect Him. In other words, it would have been an abuse of His own power to do this. Finally, Satan tempted Jesus to bow down and worship him and he, Satan, would have given Jesus the kingdoms of the world. Bypass the cross and just take the world’s kingdoms for yourself. In other words, what were these three temptations? The lust of the flesh, the pride of life and the lust of the eyes, 1 John 2:16. For all that is in the world—the desires of the flesh and the desires of the eyes and pride of life—is not from the Father but is from the world. 7 In other words, in just those three temptations, Jesus was faced, in broad terms, with the gamut of temptation. Sinclair Ferguson, a Scottish Theologian and author, said it this way… And since He always withstood that temptation the way we don’t, He knows what it’s like to be tempted to the extremity. When Hebrews says God’s Son was tempted in all points as we are, obviously it doesn’t mean that He experienced every single temptation in every situation of the sum total of Christians who have ever lived. It means there’s no dimension of temptation and testing He didn’t experience to the full. He truly was tempted as we were. Look at the last part of verse 15, “yet without sin”. That’s fascinating. You and I have no idea what that’s like. To be tempted and never give in. This is an essential doctrinal point. Jesus never sinned. He was sinless. 1 Peter 2:21-22 reads… For to this you have been called, because Christ also suffered for you, leaving you an example, so that you might follow in his steps. He committed no sin, neither was deceit found in his mouth. Jesus, Himself, said to His accusers in John 8:46… Which one of you convicts me of sin? If I tell the truth, why do you not believe me? Why is this so important? Because, had Jesus sinned, He would not have been the perfect sacrifice needed for you and me. The whole idea of the Levitical, sacrificial system using a spotless sacrifice, no blemish or deformity, was to symbolize the perfection needed for an atoning sacrifice. Without that, the sacrifice is void. This is why I can’t die for someone else’s sins and you can’t die for someone else’s sins. We have sins of our own that would void any sacrifice on behalf of others. He had to be sinless to be the perfect sacrifice. But let’s go a step beyond that. If Jesus had sinned, if perfect God had rejected Himself and sinned… what in the world? When it’s put that way, it doesn’t make sense, but let’s just go with it. What would have happened? I once asked a professor that question: “what would have happened if Jesus had sinned?” He kinda chucked and said: “I’ll put it this way, the universe would have melted like someone going into a nuclear power plant and turning off the coolant systems.” All creation would have become nothing. Praise God He didn’t sin! 8 It’s vitally important that Jesus never sinned. All of creation hinged on that. All of salvation hinged on that. Jesus sympathizes with us, having experienced temptation like us, yet without sin. What a marvelous, comforting verse. Why is it comforting? Because we have a high priest, one who advocates for us to the Father, who understands us. Isn’t it always a comfort when you speak to someone who’s been there? Someone who knows? Jesus has been there! Jesus understands us. Jesus knows what it’s like to be tempted. If you think: “Nobody knows the sins I struggle with. Nobody knows the temptations I face.” You’re wrong. Jesus knows. He’s been there. He sympathizes with us. He does not excuse our sin. Please hear me on this, Jesus does not excuse sin. Sin is still sin. Rebellion is still rebellion. Evil is still evil. He will, by no means, clear the guilty. But He does sympathize. He says: “I’ve been there. I’ve felt that. I know what it’s like to be tempted.” Do you know what this should do? It should motivate us to share our struggles with Jesus. You know the place in the Lord’s prayer where Jesus says: “forgive our debts…” That word for “debts” means “sins”. That’s an invitation to share your sins with your Savior. Jesus, compassionate toward us who are weak, invites us to share our sins with Him. Tell Him how we’ve failed. You might think: “He knows, He’s omniscient.” Sure, no doubt, but He’s an inviting God. He’s a welcoming God. He wants you to share with Him. Be open. Be specific. Repentance of sin should include naming your sins, naming your temptations, being upfront and honest with God about all of it. And let me say this, if you take the time to do that, if you sit down and repent of your sins and admit the areas in your life where you are tempted, you will sense relational growth between you and God. It’s astonishing. Try it. Take some time this week to do that repent and you’re your sins to God and watch what it does to your relationship with God. Jesus understands us. Last point… Because Jesus is our great high priest who has gone into heaven, is divine and was human and because He sympathizes with us in our weakness, yet without sin… Jesus offers what we truly need. 16 Let us then with confidence draw near to the throne of grace, that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. This is an invitation to draw near. Ring a bell? That was the title of our series through Leviticus. The Israelites were given the prescriptions needed to draw near to YHWH and we are invited to 9 do the same, only, we have a great high priest who has gone into the heavenly holy of holies and thus has secured full, unhindered access for us to the Father. See, even though the Israelites had a high priest who advocated for them with YHWH, there were limitations. The people could only come so far. The high priest was the only one who could go into the white-hot center of God’s presence. But in Christ, He has done all the work to grant us full access to the Father. See, the high priest could never take anyone into the holy of holies with them. But Jesus pierced through the heavens so you and I could have the same access He has. We have full access to the Father. Going back to the Lord’s prayer for a moment, when Jesus taught His disciples to pray, how were they to address God? “Our Father in heaven…” Did you know, that was the first time people were encouraged to address YHWH as Father? In the Old Testament, God is referred to as “Father”, but it wasn’t until Jesus taught His disciples to pray that people were encouraged to refer to God as Father. Christ has granted us full access to draw near with confidence. That word means: “boldness, fearlessness, courage”. We can simply approach God. We can draw near to Him anytime, anywhere, with no sacrificial prerequisite. Any Old Testament Israelite would have been appalled at this idea. Now, hear me, I’m not saying we can approach God irreverently. We talked about this last week, we should always have a reverent awe of our heavenly Father for who He is, but nevertheless, we are invited, the author encourages his readers by saying “Let us then”, come to God! Come to God. Draw near to God. The author writes: …draw near to the throne of grace…” not the throne of judgement. Not the throne of condemnation. The throne of grace. The throne of favor. The throne that invites us. A few years back I had the privilege to meet Dave Harvey, he’s the president of GCC, the Great Commission Collective, the organization we are affiliated with. I talked about GCC a couple weeks back and their passion to plant churches. We want to be a part of that. But I had the great privilege to meet the president of GCC, the top dog you might say. Guess what he did? He gave me his phone number. He gave me his phone number and said: “I want you to contact me if you ever need anything.” Wow! Really? Yes. I have access to the president of GCC anytime. That’s awesome and encouraging that he would do that but friends, that’s nothing compared to the access we have with the Father. We have access to the throne of grace. And what do we find there? that we may receive mercy and find grace to help in time of need. 10 Jesus gives us what we truly need. We receive mercy in the sense that we receive forgiveness of sins and grace when we are tempted because our Lord was also tempted as we are, yet without sin. We are to go to Him anytime to get either forgiveness or help. Jesus says: “Did you mess up? Come to Me. I paid for that. There is forgiveness for that.” Wow! And by the way, there is no sin He won’t forgive. You might think: “You don’t know what I’ve done.” I don’t care what you’ve done. No sin is beyond His forgiveness. I am convinced, had Hitler turned to Christ, he would have received forgiveness. There’s no evidence that he did, but I believe whole-heartedly he would have received forgiveness, had he sought for it. Believe this. One of the things that holds Christians back from becoming the bold men and women God wants them to be is deep down, they don’t really believe they are forgiven. Deep down, their conscious bothers them. It won’t leave them alone and, although they can quell it at times, it comes back and they don’t really believe this. Hear me now, God forgives your sin. It’s was paid for a the cross. You confess it, He forgives it, see 1 John 1:9. If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness. Memorize that verse and quote it to yourself. Get this truth down deep. Deeply believing in God’s forgiveness of your sin will bring you that soul-satisfying rest we talked about last week. But also, there’s this, through our great high priest, we “find grace to help in time of need.” In the moments you are tempted, tempted to sin, tempted to despair, tempted to fear, tempted to rely on your own righteousness rather than Christ’s righteousness, turn to Him for help. He is right there ready to help. So many times, the reason we fail and sin is because we don’t turn to Him. He promises help. 1 Corinthians 10:13 reads… No temptation has overtaken you that is not common to man. God is faithful, and he will not let you be tempted beyond your ability, but with the temptation he will also provide the way of escape, that you may be able to endure it. Make this a practice every day. Turn to Christ for help. Do it till it’s automatic. You sense the temptation, you turn to Christ. You ask your high priest for help. Make that a habitual practice in your life and watch God provide that way of escape that you may able to endure it. Sometimes this comes in just gaining the inner strength to resist. Sometimes God simply gives you the strength you need. Sometimes God brings a verse to mind that you can meditate on or a song that helps you overcome. Sometimes God brings a friend to mind that you can call or text and say: “hey, I need help here!” My small group dudes are there and ready to pray for me, when I need it. I appreciate them. Do you run to Christ for help in time of need? Is there an 11 ongoing conversation with Him in your head? Do you have scripture ready to quote in response to temptation as our Savior did? Do you have friends you can reach out to who will pray for you? The grace to help in time of need is there, take it! Draw near with confidence. Jesus is our great high priest. He has perfect credentials. He understands us and He offers what we truly need. And this is why He went to the cross. You know, a good lawyer will stand in the gap between you and the court. They will go to whatever lengths they need to go to in order to represent you well. They will research and file the right paperwork and stand before the judge fully prepared to argue your case. Jesus left His throne, went to the greatest depths, experienced the most painful events in human history, so He could properly represent you to the Father. When He prayed for the cup to pass from Him, He even experienced the silence of heaven so you and I could be met with grace. So, don’t for a moment, try to represent yourself to the Father. You need an advocate. You need a high priest. You need Jesus. Hold fast your confession and draw near with confidence.

God's Rest for His People (Hebrews 4:1-13)

Sun, 11 Jan 2026 17:01:43 GMT

God offers rest in several ways. There is physical rest, eternal rest and soul-satisfying rest. The author of Hebrews invites us to enter God’s rest for our restless souls. The opportunity for God’s Rest 1-7, The depth of God’s rest 8-11, The entrance into God’s rest 12-13.

Vision Initiatives (Mattthew 28:16-20)

Sun, 04 Jan 2026 18:00:48 GMT

As we look at what Jesus commanded us to do from the Great Commission, Harvest Decatur seeks to put those things into practice through four very specific Initiatives for 2026.

Invitations To Come (Psalms 95)

Sun, 28 Dec 2025 22:31:48 GMT

And The Word Became Flesh (John 1:14)

Sun, 21 Dec 2025 22:31:48 GMT

When John wrote: “And the Word became flesh…” he was communicating an unfathomable truth: God became man. There is so much significance wrapped up in those five words. This message looks at three areas of significance: we have His presence, we realize His love, and we see His example.

Overcoming Unbelief (Hebrews 3:7-19)

Sun, 14 Dec 2025 17:01:43 GMT

Unbelief is the core problem for why we sin and why we fall into harmful sin patterns. How can we overcome unbelief in our lives? In this passage, the author of Hebrews shows us the mistakes Israel made in unbelief and challenges us to believe while it’s still called “today”.

Consider Jesus (Hebrews 3:1-6)

Sun, 07 Dec 2025 17:01:43 GMT

The writer of Hebrews calls us to “consider Jesus”. What does that mean? To consider Jesus is to fix our thoughts on who He is and what He has done for us. To consider Jesus is the way we strive to live the Christian life we are called to live.

Shepherd Leaders

Sun, 30 Nov 2025 17:01:43 GMT

Why Jesus became Human (Hebrews 2:10-18)

Sun, 23 Nov 2025 17:25:14 GMT

Why did Jesus become human? Jesus became human to make us family, to die for our sins and to provide us help when needed.

A Gospel Segue (Hebrews 2:5-9)

Sun, 16 Nov 2025 17:25:14 GMT

The author of Hebrews has explained how Jesus is greater through His loftiness. Now he transitions to show how Jesus is better through His lowliness. But to get there, the author gives us a Gospel segue showing how man was meant to be but how sin marred that original intention and how Jesus will ultimately deliver man and creation.

The Danger of Drifting (Hebrews 2:1-4)

Sun, 09 Nov 2025 17:30:14 GMT

Beware of the danger of drifting from the great salvation we have in Christ. Drifting causes loss in our joy in Christ and drifting neglects the reliability of the Gospel message.

The Son and the Angels (Hebrews 1:5-14)

Sun, 02 Nov 2025 17:30:14 GMT

The author of Hebrews contrasts the Son with the angels by pointing out that Jesus is the Son, He is firstborn, He is King and He is Creator.

Intro to Jesus (Hebrews 1:1-4)

Sun, 26 Oct 2025 13:59:14 GMT

Jesus is the greater revelation than the prophets used formerly because He is God, He did the ultimate work of redemption and He holds the highest status.

Mature Disciples (Leviticus 23-27)

Sun, 19 Oct 2025 16:15:00 GMT

Drawing near to the Lord results in holy living which is expressed in worshipping Jesus, walking with Jesus and working for Jesus.

Raising the Bar (Leviticus 21-22)

Sun, 12 Oct 2025 16:15:00 GMT

God has called us to raise the bar of holiness in our personal and professional lives. We are to live lives that reflect Him but He doesn’t require us to do this in our own strength. He has given us the life of His Son, who lives it in our stead.

Holy Living with a Holy God (Leviticus 17-20)

Sun, 05 Oct 2025 16:15:00 GMT

When God is living among His people, they should, instinctively, become more and more holy as He is holy. This holiness should be present in every area of our lives. We should be holy toward God and holy toward others.

Wiped Clean (Leviticus 16)

Sun, 28 Sep 2025 16:10:52 GMT

Praise the Lord for who He is (Psalm 103)

Sun, 21 Sep 2025 13:43:07 GMT

Be Holy in the 21st Century (Leviticus 11-15)

Sun, 14 Sep 2025 16:19:52 GMT

Not Like the Others (Leviticus 8-10)

Sun, 07 Sep 2025 16:19:52 GMT

Drawing Near (Leviticus 1-7)

Sun, 31 Aug 2025 17:00:00 GMT

Introduction to new Sermon Series "Drawing Near"

Kiss of Betrayal

Sun, 24 Aug 2025 13:43:16 GMT

Kiss of Betrayal (Luke 22:47-48)

Questions Jesus Asked

Sun, 17 Aug 2025 17:00:02 GMT

https://vimeo.com/1110716048

Jesus Does not Want You to be Anxious

Sun, 10 Aug 2025 17:50:03 GMT

Are You Peculiar

Sun, 03 Aug 2025 17:00:01 GMT

What Do You Want Me To Do For You (Matthew 20:29-34)

Sun, 27 Jul 2025 17:00:00 GMT

Do You Believe This

Sun, 20 Jul 2025 17:24:00 GMT

Go Your Way (Daniel 12:1-13)

Sun, 13 Jul 2025 11:36:41 GMT

The Enemy Within (Daniel 11:36-45)

Sun, 06 Jul 2025 13:33:44 GMT

Responding to World Conflict (Daniel 11:1-35)

Sun, 29 Jun 2025 11:29:06 GMT

Behind the Curtain (Daniel 10:1-21)

Sun, 22 Jun 2025 11:38:37 GMT

God's Work and Our Prayers (Daniel 9:20-27)

Sun, 15 Jun 2025 11:10:11 GMT

A Model of Prayer (Daniel 9:1-9)

Sun, 08 Jun 2025 11:36:25 GMT

Not Home Yet (Daniel 8)

Sun, 01 Jun 2025 11:40:59 GMT

The Plan for the End (Daniel 7)

Sun, 25 May 2025 11:31:46 GMT

YHWH Delivers (Daniel 6)

Sun, 18 May 2025 11:32:06 GMT

God's Kind Warnings (Daniel 5)

Sun, 11 May 2025 11:12:53 GMT

A King's Testimony, Part 2

Sun, 04 May 2025 11:01:46 GMT

A King's Testimony

Sun, 27 Apr 2025 11:39:15 GMT

The Surprise of the Women

Sun, 20 Apr 2025 11:49:50 GMT

God Delivers His People

Sun, 13 Apr 2025 11:15:10 GMT

God Reveals God part 2

Sun, 06 Apr 2025 11:15:13 GMT

God Reveals God part 1

Sun, 30 Mar 2025 08:30:40 GMT