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Around the Web (3/18)

March 18, 2013 — Leave a comment

Around the Web

FREE eBook Deal of the Day: Did the Resurrection Happen…Really? (Josh McDowell and Dave Sterrett)
This week’s Daily Family Bible Study from Gary Henry emphasizes that our work is sowing the seed of the kingdom.
Steve Wolfgang has started a blog and the blogosphere will be a better place for it. Here’s an explanatory footnote from last week.
ESVBible.org users: a new version of the site is about to be launched. You can already test-drive the beta version. I use the ESVBible.org site with the ESV GreekTools app nearly every day. Highly recommended.
Dene Ward asks, “Where are the Q-Tips?” and encourages us to be careful how we hear.

It’s hard to appreciate how rapidly the world can change in the span of just 8 years until you see images like this comparing St. Peter’s Square in Rome from 2005 and 2013.

In Around the Web Amazon, app, beta, Bible, Blog, Christ, daily, Dave Sterrett, deal, Dene Ward, eBook, ESV, family, footnote, free, Gary Henry, Greek, hear, Jesus, Josh McDowell, Kindle, kingdom, parable, q-tip, resurrection, seed, site, sow, steve wolfgang, study, tool

"The Kingdom of Heaven is Like a Net"

September 17, 2011 — Leave a comment

Matthew 13:47-50 is one of the many “kingdom of heaven” parables of Jesus.

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind.”

The Bible frequently points our attention to animals that we might better grasp a profound spiritual point. Have you ever imagined what sort of fish could be caught in the “net” of the kingdom of heaven and what practical lessons we might learn as a result?

“The Bad”

The Mudfish: likes dark, muddy places (Col 3:5-8)
The Crawfish: frequently back-paddling (Heb 10:35-39)
The Puffer Fish: routinely puffs itself up (1 Cor 4:6)
The Eel: snakelike and hard to catch (John 8:43-46)
The Siamese Fighting Fish: can’t coexist with others (Gal 5:13-15)
The Snapping Turtle: will snap at or bite anything that comes near (1 Cor 13:4-5)
The Long-Nosed Butterfly Fish: an unusually long snout to poke at others (1 Pet 4:15)
The Jellyfish: no backbone (Eph 4:11-15)

“The Good”

The Sun Perch: lives in the sunniest parts of the stream (1 Thes 5:1-6)
The Rainbow Trout: known for its bright, distinctive streak (Mat 5:14-16)
The Salmon: relentless in its fight to get home (1 Cor 15:58)

“Again, the kingdom of heaven is like a net that was thrown into the sea and gathered fish of every kind. When it was full, men drew it ashore and sat down and sorted the good into containers but threw away the bad. So it will be at the close of the age. The angels will come out and separate the evil from the righteous and throw them into the fiery furnace. In that place there will be weeping and gnashing of teeth.”

For more sermons, visit the Sermons archive.

In Bible, Discipleship Audio, fish, heaven, Jason Hardin, Jesus, kingdom, lessons, mp3, net, outline, parable, pdf, sermon

When God Describes His Church…

August 17, 2011 — Leave a comment

Think with me for a moment about the nature of descriptions.

I might do an adequate job describing the basic features of your house. Without spending much time on your property, I could provide a few sketchy details as to the number of bedrooms, bathrooms, etc. But it would be another thing entirely for you to describe your house. You live there. You might have even designed the house before it was built.

Depending on the nature of our relationship, I might be able to pass along a few details about your spouse to someone you’ve never met—how long you’ve been married, how many children you have, etc. But it would be another thing entirely for you to describe your spouse. You know your spouse unlike any person on the face of the earth.

In the same way, think with me about the church. The Lord’s church. It’s one thing for me to describe my conception of what “church” should be all about. But it’s another thing entirely when God describes his church. When God speaks of his church, he describes it as:

A body (Rom 12:4-5; Eph 1:22-23; Col 1:24)
A bride (2 Cor 11:2; Rev 19:7-8)
A kingdom (Col 1:13-14)
A household (Gal 6:10; Eph 2:19; 1 Pet 4:17)
A temple (Eph 2:19-22)

This sermon uses God’s word to enhance our appreciation of what God means when he describes his church.

For more sermon outlines and recordings, be sure to visit the Sermons archive.

In Bible Audio, Bible, body, bride, church, describe, description, download, God, household, Jason Hardin, kingdom, mp3, outline, pdf, Scripture, sermon, temple, word

The Exit Ramps of Life

October 27, 2010 — Leave a comment

“God asks no man whether he will accept life. That is not the choice. You must take it. The only choice is how.” (Life Thoughts, Henry Ward Beecher)

In October 2010, I preached a series of sermons entitled, “What Happens After We Die?” Our theme verse for the month was David’s prayer in Psalm 39:4, “O LORD, make me know my end and what is the measure of my days; let me know how fleeting I am!”

We will all be in one of four differing spiritual states when we experience physical death. This first lesson of the sermon series emphasizes that what happens after we die depends upon which exit ramp we take out of life on this earth.

Other lessons in the “What Happens After We Die?” series of sermons include:

For more interactive outlines and mp3 recordings, be sure to visit the Sermons archive.

NOTE: Advertisements on the above player are randomly generated by the service provider and do not necessarily imply endorsement of the material advertised. Readers are always encouraged to apply the “Berean test” (Acts 17:11) to all that they see and hear.

In Bible apostasy, Audio, baby, child, Christ, darkness, death, die, domain, evil, exit ramp, fall away, God, Gospel, grace, hereafter, infant, innocence, Jason Hardin, kingdom, Life, mp3, outline, pdf, salvation, sermon, sin

A Matter, Not Just of Doing, But of Being

April 29, 2010 — Leave a comment

Paul Earnhart on Matthew 7:15-20:

Jesus’ analogy from nature—the tree is known by its fruit—drives home the point that kingdom citizenship is not a matter of appearance, but of being. People, like trees, produce the kind of fruit that their nature demands. Therefore, being a Christian is not simply a matter of doing something new, but of being something new. It is the kind of life which begins in the heart, at the center of the personality. That is the reason it is only produced by a new birth (John 3:3-5).

Some have attempted to follow Christ by adding some new dimension to their lives when it is the life itself which must be changed. You can tie grapes on thorns and figs on thistles, but they will not grow there. A wolf may wear wool, but he cannot produce it. The true child of the kingdom is different. As Jesus said, “out of his heart will flow rivers of living water” (John 7:38). Sin in all its manifestations begins in the heart (Matthew 15:19) and it is consequently in the heart and from the heart that a new kind of fruit must be borne.

Invitation to a Spiritual Revolution: Studies in the Sermon on the Mount, (pg. 147-148)

In Discipleship, Pitfalls fruit, heart, Invitation to a Spiritual Revolution, Jesus, kingdom, Matthew 7, Paul Earnhart, sermon on the mount, tree

The Race to Reconciliation

April 12, 2010 — Leave a comment

Good words from Tyler Kenney about kingdom character when relationships are strained:

Jesus sets those who need to confess and those who need to forgive in competition.

His charge to confessors:

“So if you are offering your gift at the altar and there remember that your brother has something against you, leave your gift there before the altar and go. First be reconciled to your brother, and then come and offer your gift.” (Matthew 5:23-24)

His charge to forgivers:

“And whenever you stand praying, forgive, if you have anything against anyone, so that your Father also who is in heaven may forgive you your trespasses.” (Mark 11:25)

Notice in his charge to forgivers that Jesus doesn’t say, “Forgive, if you have anything against anyone and they have asked for forgiveness.” No, the person who is wronged is commanded to forgive his offender regardless of whether he asks for it or not.

Likewise, we don’t see in Jesus’ words to confessors any freedom for them to assume they have already been forgiven and can just forget about confessing.

In both instances, whether offender or offended, Jesus calls us to outdo the other in showing love. We aren’t given any room to justify a broken relationship by somehow shifting the responsibility onto the other person. Jesus has made doubly sure that forgiveness and reconciliation happen by making both parties equally responsible to pursue it.

What a remarkable atmosphere our God has designed for peace and unity among his followers! He truly is a God who loves mercy.

In Bible, Discipleship, Pitfalls Bible, confess, forgive, heal, Jesus, kingdom, Mark 11, Matthew 5, offend, reconciliation, relationship, sermon on the mount, trespass

Is Christ Now Reigning As King In His Kingdom?

December 10, 2008 — Leave a comment

A sermon I presented in the 12/7/08 P.M. assembly at Laurel Canyon.

One of the clearest teachings of the Bible is the fact that Jesus will come again. But is He now reigning as King in His kingdom? Has His kingdom even been established as of yet? And if so, when did it occur? And what constitutes a kingdom, anyway? Ultimately, what does the future hold for the citizen of Christ’s kingdom? This sermon seeks Biblical answers to these important questions.

Interactive PDF
Download the mp3 file
For streaming audio click

This is the third in a series of five sermons on the theory of Premillennialism. (Part 1 | Part 2)

In Bible church, Jason Hardin, Jesus, King, kingdom, premillennialism, sermon

When Disciples Of Christ Get Off Track

July 9, 2008 — Leave a comment

I preached two sermons on Sunday dealing with discipline. When we fail in our individual attention to discipline, our Father calls upon our brothers and sisters to help us get back on track.

One of the many things that struck me as I was preparing…if the church were nothing more than a social organization like the Rotary Club or the YMCA, discipline (especially on the congregational level) would be absurd. But the Lord’s church isn’t like the Kiwanis Club. The Lord himself told us so (John 18:36). It’s our responsibility, therefore, as citizens of his kingdom, to be humble and reverent enough to do things his way—even when it hurts.

When Disciples Of Christ Get Off Track [Part 1] — click for audio
When Disciples Of Christ Get Off Track [Part 2] — click for audio

And as always, more interactive outlines and audio recordings of sermons can be found here.

In Bible Christ, church, Church of Christ, Church of Christ sermon, congregation, discipline, Jason Hardin, Jesus, kingdom, sermon, Sermons, Things Hoped For, withdraw, withdrawal

The Proper Use Of Our Freedom

July 4, 2008 — Leave a comment

One of my favorite scriptures concerning the freedom that is available in Jesus is from Paul’s letter to the Galatian saints. Take a look at Galatians 5:1. Then, Galatians 5:13.

Some simply-stated, yet challengingly-applied marching orders for the citizen of God’s kingdom today:

Stand firm. Remember who you are. Never forget the price which was paid to set you free. Don’t wander away from the ranks of the redeemed by foolishly following the dictates of your fleshly desires.
Do not submit again to a yoke of slavery. Leave your past in the past. Recognize the enticements of the Adversary for what they are — lies. Avoid selfish laziness. Busy yourself in the works of God.
Do not use your freedom as an opportunity for the flesh. Remember, you have been set free from the bondage of sin that you might be a slave of righteousness. Christ has set you free, but that doesn’t mean you are now free to do whatever you choose. Set your mind on the things of the Spirit.
Through love serve one another. Deliberately walk in the footsteps of Jesus the Servant. Esteem others as more important than yourself. Be mindful of your motives. Forsake rivalry and crucify conceit.

“Now the Lord is the Spirit, and where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is freedom” (2 Corinthians 3:17).

In Bible 2 Corinthians, Bible, Christ, Christian, disciple, free, freedom, Galatians, God, holiness, holy, independence, Jesus, kingdom, liberty, love, Paul, Scriptures, self, self-denial, self-will, slavery, Word of God