Harris Creek Baptist Church

SUMMARY We all want to be free. Free from rules, consequences, sin, and even death. Are there any areas of your life that you aren’t free right now? This Easter, we celebrate the true and ultimate freedom we have in Christ and how He sets us free from death. KEY TAKEAWAYS -Freedom from death foretold. -All throughout the Bible there are “Easter Eggs”...hints and clues and shadows foretelling the sacrifice of Jesus for our sins. -Freedom from death displayed. -We are the prisoner stuck in a cage and unable to free ourselves. -What cage are you sitting in: pride, anxiety, deceit, sexual immorality, control, fear, materialism, etc.? -We are Barabbas. -Freedom from death forever. -Christianity would not be a thing had Christ not resurrected from the dead, appeared to over 500 people, and then person after person and generation after generation told others who eventually told you. -If you were to die today, on a scale of 1 to 10, how certain are you that you would go to heaven? -If God were to ask you why He shou

SUMMARY Have you ever made a decision because of someone else? Wanted to do one thing but did something else because of others? As we continue our series Cross Examined, JP teaches us about people pleasing by examining the life of Pontius Pilate, a people pleasing politician. KEY TAKEAWAYS -People pleasing keeps relationships really shallow. -Who knows you? Who really, really knows you? -Keeping secrets until you die is satanic. It’s the opposite of what the Bible calls us to. -You cannot be a servant of Christ and live to please people. -If you make decisions based on what others think of you, you are a people pleaser. -A people pleaser is powerless. -Christians do not determine obedience by the outcome. -The most powerful man in the area (Pilate) was simply a puppet in the hands of the people. -A people pleaser is easily persuaded. -The gospel is controversial. Living for Christ is controversial. If you aren’t anchored in this truth, you will be swept away. -Do you make decisions based on what other peop

SUMMARY Have you ever lost your way before? Maybe you have right now? As we continue our series, Cross Examined, JP examines the life of Peter, teaching us that we are never too far gone for God to rescue us and make good out of our mess.

SUMMARY Have you ever loved someone so much that you always wanted to be with them? What about when hard times came...did your actions match your desire? As we continue our series, Cross Examined, Nate Hilgenkamp teaches us about being a resilient disciple by examining the life Mary Magdalene. KEY TAKEAWAYS -There are two goals with Cross Examined: Focus on the cross of Jesus and learn about Him by examining the lives of people who spent time with Jesus. -A resilient disciple follows Jesus anywhere. -Is your life about the magnification of yourself or of Jesus? -Mary didn’t let anything get in the way of her pursuit of Jesus. What are you prone to prioritize ahead of Jesus? -A resilient disciple sits with Jesus in the unanswered questions. -Life in a fallen world is filled with hard things. When you experience hardship, what do you run to? Things of this world or Jesus? -The Christian life is filled with an “already but not yet” tension. We are already saved by our faith in Jesus, but we are not yet home unt

SUMMARY Have you ever been betrayed before? Betrayal hurts deeply. As we start our new series, Cross Examined, Nate Hilgenkamp teaches us about the worst betrayal of all time as we cross examine the life of Judas. KEY TAKEAWAY -Judas was not the one to betray Jesus, we are the one that betrayed Jesus, and there are three lies we are prone to believe. -Lie #1: We think we can dispose of Jesus. -Judas’ decision to betray Jesus wasn’t a financial decision, it was a faith decision. -In Judas’ mind, he didn’t serve Jesus, but Jesus served him. What about you? Do you serve Jesus, or does Jesus serve you? -How much is Jesus worth to you? -Do you ask what Jesus can do for you, or do you ask what you can do for Jesus? -If this world is all you are living for, following and living for Jesus is inconvenient. -Lie #2: We think we can deceive Jesus. -A person capable of lying is capable of anything. -The biggest problem in Waco is cultural Christianity, and at the heart of cultural Christianity is the belief that we can

SUMMARY When you go shopping, do you go with something specific in mind, or do you go not having any idea what you are looking for? Either option can work for shopping, but when it comes to dating, if you don’t know what you are looking for you won’t know when you’ve found it. This week, JP teaches through 1 Timothy 4:12, showing us how a message on dating is really a message on discipleship. KEY TAKEAWAYS -The more specificity you have when you are looking for something the easier it will be to know when you’ve found it. -You want to be the one that the person you are looking for is looking for. -Most people, if they are being really honest, are looking for someone to make them feel a certain way. The problem is, feelings come and feelings go. -Most marriages fail because people are simply looking to feel a certain way. -Sadly, today in America, the smallest demographic of marriages are happy and committed. The majority are either divorced or living unhappily un-divorced. -The word date or dating is an extr

SUMMARY What does it mean to be in ministry? Do you know someone in ministry? As we continue our series, Ecclesia, Nate Hilgenkamp teaches through Galatians 6:1-5, teaching us that all Christians are in ministry. KEY TAKEAWAYS -There is only one quality needed to be in ministry: the Holy Spirit. If you are a Christian, you are in ministry! -If someone in your life group talks to a “pastor” before you, that should bother you. -As ministers, we restore sinners. -Confessing your sin should be a regular part of your life group meetings. -Make no mistake, sin will destroy your life. -Sin will take you farther than you want to go, keep you longer than you want to stay, and cost you more than you want to pay. -When Christians confess sin, we should remind them of their identity in Christ and that He died for their sins. -As ministers, we carry burdens. -We generally don’t like asking for help; however, that runs completely contrary to the gospel and to living life alongside other Christians. -When you help carry so

SUMMARY Have you ever received a gift that you didn’t use? What about given someone a gift that they didn’t use? As we continue our series, Ecclesia, JP teaches through Romans 12:1-8, teaching us about spiritual gifts and how we can use them faithfully and to the glory of God. KEY TAKEAWAYS -Nothing lacks appreciation like not opening or using a gift from someone. -Spiritual gifts are gifts (talents) the Holy Spirit gives you to build up God’s church and glorify Him. -The church is a people given gifts from and for God. -100% of Christians are given spiritual gifts from God. Only 45% of people in the church are serving (national average). As of today, 35% of people at Harris Creek are serving. -There are four ways to misuse your spiritual gift(s): use the gift for selfish gain, neglect the gift, resent the gift, & covet other gifts. -You have met very few people who have given themselves as a living sacrifice to God. -A surrendered Christian is focused on serving others. -When you say someone is “gifted”

SUMMARY We all have different preferences when it comes to what church should be like. However, more importantly, how close are we to being the church God had in mind? As we continue our series, Ecclesia, JP gives us a peek into the window of a church that met 2,000 years ago. KEY TAKEAWAYS -God’s church is marked by devotion. -What are you willing to miss life group for? -God’s church is marked by biblical teaching. -We are going to teach from the Bible every week, and we expect you to be reading the Bible every day. -When you gather as a life group, do you talk about and counsel each other from the Bible? -God’s church is marked by fellowship. -Does your group have a “fun guy”? Do you have fun together? -God’s church is marked by communion. -When you are with your life group you can take communion together. -God’s church is marked by prayer. -Do you pray when your life group gathers? Never come together without spending time in prayer. Pray big! -God’s church is marked by awe. -Our issue is not our knowled

SUMMARY When you think of a church, what comes to mind? What makes a good church? What is the church? As we start our new series, Ecclesia: A People Not a Place, JP teaches us that when we think about the church, a lot of us think something that Jesus never meant. KEY TAKEAWAYS -It’s easy to take a new convert to Christianity and tell them what the Christian life is all about. It’s very, very difficult to take someone who has been “in the church” for a long time and teach them a different way. -The biggest problem in Waco, in the Bible Belt, is cultural Christianity. -Cultural Christianity is when you think Christianity is for and about you. It’s about your preferences and making sure you are comfortable and like how things are. -Jesus is the one who started the church, and because of that, He gets to determine what the church is, not us. -When Jesus first talked about and used the word “church,” he would’ve been using it more like an army...the idea of “calling out His people;” assembling His people. -The c

SUMMARY What are you most often tempted by? Did 2020 bring new and more temptations into your life? As we wrap up our series, Hindsight is 2020, JP teaches through Matthew 4:1-11, teaching us all about temptation. KEY TAKEAWAYS -There are five main things the enemy uses: despair, disunity, deception, disease, & death. Do you think he was at work in 2020? -We are culpable. The enemy will tempt us, but we always have the option to say no. -Temptation: a proposition to not trust God. -Where and what are you tempted by: fear, laziness/apathy, prejudice, cynicism, materialism, alcoholism, drugs, isolation, anger, despair. -When tempted with His wants, Jesus trusted God’s Word. -Sometimes your greatest temptations come after mountaintop moments. -Where in life do you feel entitled? -Trust yourself the least when you really really want something. -Not all of your desires are from Got. You have desires that you should NOT act on...they are from your flesh and of this world and you should put them to death. -Trust Go

SUMMARY Do you find yourself prone to panic when chaos comes? When the foundations are being destroyed, what will the righteous do? As we continue our Hindsight is 2020 series, Nate Hilgenkamp unpacks Psalm 11 and we'll see David's response to the chaos and confusion around him. While his friends suggest fleeing, he reminds them why he knows that he can stand firm no matter the situation. KEY TAKEAWAYS -The advice of fear. -Our enemy has a plan and a purpose in a crisis. Don’t buy his lies! He’s trying to change how you view God. -Protection provides peace. Find your protection in the Prince of Peace. -Danger is real, and life in a fallen world is hard. But, you need to identify words of faith vs. words of fear in times of crisis and hardship. -Words of fear will always be about you. Words of faith will always be about God. -The answer of faith. -Our situation doesn’t change God’s goodness, closeness, protection, or love for us. -When your protection is in God, the world can’t take it away. -There never has

SUMMARY A lot has changed in the last year, but not everything has changed. In an ever changing world, we need to hang on to never changing truths. As we continue our series, Hindsight is 2020, Shane Pruitt teaches us three things we will never have to regret about Jesus. KEY TAKEAWAY -In an ever changing world, we need to hang on to never changing truths. -Jesus hasn’t changed and neither has our identity in Him. We are still—always!—called to know Him and to make Him known. -COVID-19 has not changed the great commission. -You never have to regret experiencing Jesus’ power. -You won’t understand resurrection and life until you understand Jesus. -The only thing that can overcome death is life, that can overcome the grave is resurrection, the very thing Christ did! -Sin spreads worse than any virus has ever spread. -Sitting inside a church doesn’t make you a Christian. We are not born Christians...we are born sinners in need of a Savior. -Have you ever noticed that when someone else sins we become judges but

SUMMARY Do you have any regrets as you look back on 2020? As we start a new year we are starting a new series: Hindsight is 2020. Jim Underwood teaches through the story of Jesus and the fig tree in Mark 11:11-24, teaching us about bearing fruit through a relationship with Christ. KEY TAKEAWAYS -What if you knew this was the last week of your life? How would you live? Would you do anything differently? -Fruit is a symptom of true, saving faith. -If we belong to God, the fruit of the Spirit should be increasingly evident in our lives over time. -Jesus had the most problems with the Pharisees...the religious people who had a bunch of leaves and no fruit. -Christianity isn’t about checking boxes for God. -We do not earn our way to God through producing fruit. The fruit comes because of our relationship with God. -Bearing fruit is impossible on our own. -No matter who you are and what you’ve done, it’s never too late to put your faith in Christ. -Are you trying to store up for yourself treasures on earth or t

SUMMARY Has 2020 gone like you originally planned? Have you had any missed expectations around Christmas? As we celebrate Christmas, JP teaches through the Christmas story in Luke 2 and Matthew 2, showing us the many missed expectations of the first Christmas ever. KEY TAKEAWAYS -Your greatest disappointments in life come from missed expectations. -Maybe 2020–in the midst of many missed expectations—is helping us return to the basics of Christianity. -There are many similarities between the first Christmas and this one. -The first Christmas was full of missed expectations. -Good people do not go to Heaven, and bad people do not go to hell. -Jesus gave us the vaccine for eternal punishment and separation from Him forever. -When you believe Jesus died on the cross for your sins and God raised Him from the dead, everything changes. -God may not give you what you are asking for, but He has a purpose for it. -There are two types of people: those that are on mission or those that are the mission. MENTIONED OR R

SUMMARY Do you ever look back on financial decisions with regret? Made a choice that you thought would be good but turned out poorly? How did it affect your ability to be generous? As we finish studying the book of Philippians, Nate Hilgenkamp teaches us about generosity and its relationship to the gospel. KEY TAKEAWAYS -Being generous isn’t about the amount of money you have or don’t have, give or don’t give. -“Yet” is never going to come on this side of Christ’s return. -Generosity is at the heart of the gospel. -The most generous moment in human history was 2,000 years ago when Christ went to the cross. -We often think, “How much do I have to give?” whereas God thinks, “What’s the most I can give?” -Generosity pleases God. -God doesn’t want our money, He wants our heart. (It’s not our money anyways...it’s His!) -Money makes a terrible master. -Generous people are happier people. -Our God is generous. -God delights in being generous toward us. It can look different at different times (physical, material,

SUMMARY Do you struggle with discontentment? Or better asked, where do you struggle with discontentment? Where in life are you most often discontent? As we continue studying the book of Philippians, JP teaches us the secret of contentment found in Philippians 4:10-13. KEY TAKEAWAYS -What we need for contentment is available for us at all times. -Contentment is not found in others. -We don’t use people and love stuff, we use stuff and love people. -When you give someone the control of your emotions you have made them your god. -People will let you down consistently until Jesus returns. -Who controls your contentment? What should you do about it? -Contentment is not found in circumstances. -When you make circumstances your god you will be let down time and time again. -God rarely changes our circumstances, rather, He changes us in our circumstances. -What is God teaching you in the midst of circumstances you want to change? -Christians are called to bloom where they are planted (regardless of the circumstance

SUMMARY Do you get stressed easily? 2020 has likely caused most of us to get stressed more than normal. What causes stress in your life? As we continue studying the book of Philippians, JP teaches through Philippians 4:4-9, showing us a 2,000 year old answer to today’s problems and stress. KEY TAKEAWAYS -Pay attention to what you pay attention to. -This world is not our home and we are not home yet. Our citizenship is in heaven! -The behavior (rejoicing and being gentle) that follows belief (the Lord is near). -Joy is an emotion (noun), but rejoicing is a choice (verb). You can choose to rejoice at any point in time. -We typically believe the answer to worry and anxiety is control. Gentleness admits that you aren’t in control and that God is in control. -What do you want to be doing when Jesus comes back? Regardless of what you are actually doing when He does come, you want to be found believing and trusting that He is in fact coming back. -The Bible—written 2,000 years ago—teaches what science is now discov

SUMMARY Have you ever been distracted before? We all have! Where and when are you most prone to be distracted? As we continue studying the book of Philippians, JP teaches us about the dangers of being distracted in our relationship with Christ and our journey toward heaven. KEY TAKEAWAYS -If you have put your faith in Christ you are on your way home. -The mature in faith model the way. -Don’t take advantage of your salvation. You were made for a purpose...don’t simply coast once you’ve accepted Christ as your Savior. -The Christian life is like a marathon. In a marathon, if you want to grow and get faster you surround yourself with fast people. The same is true in the Christian life. -Life is hard. Don’t make the mistake of trying to do it alone...that will only make it harder. -Where in life are you most prone to do whatever you want? To follow your stomach and appetite rather than the ways of Christ and Scripture? -The distracted are destined for destruction. -Are you ever entertained by the things that pu