The Unshakeable Harness: Anchoring Faith in God’s Promises

• Self-Examination and Assurance [00:42:20 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor introduces the concept of examining oneself to see if one is in the faith, addressing fears of being a 'fake' Christian or having defective faith.
• Orthodoxy (Correct Belief) [00:45:45 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that 'being in the faith' requires holding to specific, essential truths about God (Trinity, Incarnation, Salvation) rather than a generic belief in a deity.
• Trust and Obedience [00:49:17 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains that faith involves trusting God's character and methods (like discipline or loving enemies) even when they are counter-intuitive, comparing it to trusting a doctor's prescription.
• Affection for God [00:51:11 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor asserts that true faith includes a deep desire for God, described as 'treasuring Christ above all things' and finding joy in Him, rather than just intellectual assent.
• The Nature of Faith [00:51:11 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor defines faith not as a mechanical event but as an affection of the heart involving knowing, trusting, and loving God, citing 1 Peter and John Piper.
• Corporate vs. Individual Faith [00:53:31 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor argues that because Paul uses plural pronouns ('y'all'), believers must examine not just their individual hearts but also their church's institutional faithfulness and preaching of the gospel.
• Self-Examination Quiz [00:55:53 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor outlines a four-part diagnostic test for believers: believing core tenets, recognizing sin as the greatest problem, prioritizing God's word over personal desire, and loving Christ.
• Assurance vs. Faith [01:04:35 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor distinguishes between the essence of faith and the feeling of assurance, using the analogy of a roller coaster harness to explain that one can have true faith even without unwavering emotional certainty.
• Assurance and Faith [01:04:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses a roller coaster analogy to explain that assurance can fluctuate while faith remains, urging believers to trust in the 'harness' of God's promises rather than their feelings.
• Hypocrisy and Inconsistency [01:06:29 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor addresses the Corinthian church's focus on testing Paul rather than themselves, highlighting the universal problem of Christians who do not live according to their convictions.
• Self-Examination vs. Christ-Examination [01:16:11 ▶️ 📄]
  > Citing Robert Murray McShane, the pastor argues that self-judgment leads to despair, whereas looking to Christ's heart and faithfulness breeds hope and actual assurance.
• The Lord's Supper [01:18:44 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor connects the sermon's theme to the upcoming communion, warning against treating it as a mere meal and urging self-examination to ensure participants are in the faith.
• The Lord's Supper / Communion [01:18:57 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor contrasts the Corinthian church's misuse of communion (treating it like a barbecue) with the biblical requirement for self-examination and proper reverence.
• Self-Examination and Faith [01:19:38 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor outlines the criteria for partaking: being in the faith, having made a public profession, and not clinging to unrepentant sin, while encouraging those with doubts or struggles to come.
• Remembrance of Christ's Sacrifice [01:20:15 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor explains the theological significance of the bread and cup as representing Christ's body and blood shed for the forgiveness of sins, rooted in historical reality.

• Sermon Illustration [00:33:24 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares an anecdote about Jay Crestar, pastor at First Presbyterian of Stanley, who was called out of a 20-30 year vocation to preach, attended seminary, and has seen his congregation grow by 22 new members.
• Sermon Illustration [00:46:48 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses an analogy of knowing a specific person named 'Michael' to illustrate that 'faith' has specific content; knowing 'a' Michael is not the same as knowing 'the' Michael who played for the Bulls, just as generic belief in God is not the same as biblical faith.
• Sermon Illustration [00:49:45 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor compares trusting God to trusting a doctor: a patient takes a prescription for a drug they don't understand how it works, trusting the doctor's expertise, just as believers trust God's commands (like loving enemies) even if they don't see the immediate result.
• Sermon Illustration [00:51:25 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of receiving life-saving medicine when dying to illustrate the joy and desire inherent in true faith; one would be overjoyed to receive it, not bored, indicating that faith is an 'affection of the heart.'
• Sermon Illustration [00:51:11 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses an analogy of filling a prescription but never swallowing the pill to illustrate faith without trust, and a scenario of receiving life-saving medicine when dying to illustrate the joy of faith.
• Sermon Illustration [01:04:35 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor shares a personal anecdote about his own reluctance to ride roller coasters, using the safety harness as an analogy for God's promises, which hold true even when feelings of safety (assurance) fluctuate.
• Sermon Illustration [00:58:55 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor describes a medical scenario where a doctor runs lab tests to distinguish between virus, bacteria, or allergies to prescribe the correct medicine, illustrating how to interpret the results of spiritual self-examination.
• Sermon Illustration [01:04:50 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor compares the Christian life to a roller coaster, where God's promises are the 'harness' that holds the rider safe even when they feel unsafe or jostled by doubt.
• Sermon Illustration [01:09:23 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references the 1999 movie 'The Big Kahuna,' where a character notes that a man sees his true soul reflected in his wife's eyes, causing him to 'throw up' because his reality doesn't match her image of him.
• Sermon Illustration [01:14:29 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses the analogy of holding a toddler's hand while crossing a busy street; the child's safety is not due to their own strength but the father's grip, illustrating that Christ's strength holds the believer.
• Sermon Illustration [01:18:57 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor recounts the historical context of the Corinthian church treating the Lord's Supper like a 'barbecue,' where some got drunk and others went hungry, contrasting this with the spiritual nature of the meal.
• Sermon Illustration [01:18:57 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor uses an analogy of a 'barbecue' to describe how the Corinthian church misused the Lord's Supper by overeating and getting drunk, leaving others without food.
• Sermon Illustration [01:20:15 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor references Harvard's 'family style' serving method as an analogy for how the congregation should share the bread and cup together, holding onto them until everyone is served.

• Pastoral Charge [00:11:20 ▶️ 📄]
  > Stand for worship
• Pastoral Charge [00:17:00 ▶️ 📄]
  > Confess sin aloud
• Pastoral Charge [00:17:38 ▶️ 📄]
  > Silently search heart and confess sin
• Pastoral Charge [00:19:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > Stand for singing
• Pastoral Charge [00:25:05 ▶️ 📄]
  > Recite Proverbs 1:7 together
• Pastoral Charge [00:55:06 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor commands the congregation to actively nominate and select church officers (elders/session members) who demonstrate deep trust and love for Christ.
• Pastoral Charge [01:01:49 ▶️ 📄]
  > The pastor invites those who realize they do not have faith to pray to the Lord for a heart that trusts Him.
• Pastoral Charge [01:18:03 ▶️ 📄]
  > To continuously look to Christ in all circumstances.
• Pastoral Charge [01:19:41 ▶️ 📄]
  > To come forward and partake in the Lord's Supper if they profess faith in Christ, regardless of current struggles or doubts.
• Pastoral Charge [01:18:47 ▶️ 📄]
  > Elders to come forward for communion service
• Pastoral Charge [01:26:38 ▶️ 📄]
  > Congregation to stand for closing song

[00:00:43] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:00:43] Testing, testing, testing. You can hear me? I can't hear me. Testing, testing, testing, testing, testing, testing, testing, testing, testing. Oh, there you go. I can sort of hear myself. Yeah. Testing, testing, testing, testing, testing. Ivy Jo. Ivy Jo. Ivy Jo.

[00:01:09] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:01:09] Good morning. Welcome to Harbor. You know, it's funny because usually I'm swarmed with people wanting to make announcements.
[00:08:03] So I think I've got a couple that I'm aware of, a couple folks have mentioned, but I'm going to call your attention to it in the bulletin.
[00:08:10] We're really glad to have you here, whether you're a member or you're a visitor.
[00:08:14] So glad to see you, and hopefully can catch up with you after the service.
[00:08:17] So I'll call your attention to the announcements page, which is inside your bulletin.
[00:08:22] And a couple of things.
[00:08:23] At the top, we typically are talking about things that are going on this week, so I want to hit those first and then call out maybe a couple more that are upcoming.
[00:08:30] So this week, is it our final one for the season, our family ministry night potluck, or do we have more coming?

[00:08:42] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_03]
[00:08:42] It's our final regular family ministry night, and June 3rd, mark your calendars for our end-of-the-year bash.

[00:08:49] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:08:49] Awesome, awesome.
[00:08:50] But this is a potluck, right, this week?
[00:08:52] It is a potluck.
[00:08:52] Potluck, so you can sign up for that online.
[00:08:55] Men of the Church, Tyler, I think we're meeting at your house on Thursday from 7 to 9, is that right?
[00:09:00] It is.
[00:09:00] Or do I need to ask Savannah?
[00:09:02] Savannah, are we good to meet at your house on Thursday?
[00:09:03] She says yes, so that's good.
[00:09:06] Hey, so the ladies of Harbor Church, there's a location change for the event, I think, at 12 noon on Saturday.
[00:09:15] I know there's a wedding here at 4.30 on Saturday as well, but it's at Victory Lanes.
[00:09:19] If you are interested in going bowling and lunch and fellowship, let Linda Moore in the back, Linda, raise your hand.
[00:09:26] No, their phone number's here as well.
[00:09:29] And then I'll call out one other thing for this week.
[00:09:31] our officer nomination forms for deacon and elder. If you've been praying about this and this has been on your heart to nominate someone, please take a moment to see the forms in the lobby if
[00:09:42] you want to do it manually, or you can go online to Church Center and do your nominations through that. I'll call out two coming ups. Vacation Bible School. It is going to be here before you know it.
[00:09:53] We're almost two months away, less than two months away. July 6th through the 10th, and we are still in need of all types of volunteers. So if you are interested in serving in any capacity, can you
[00:10:03] reach out to Carrie Brown or Jennifer Donovan? And I don't see any of those folks here yet, but you can, we'll point them out if you have questions about it later. The last thing, men's Bible study on Tuesday the 26th. It's going to be at Don Deal's house and it is at 7 p.m. So
[00:10:21] if you have more questions, Jim right here can help you with that. So I think that's it. Anybody

[00:10:27] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:10:27] got anything I missed? Thank you. As the Lord calls us to worship this morning, the call to worship is from Psalm 139. I just want to begin with just a little thought. Before you woke up
[00:10:48] this morning, the Lord was thinking about you. You were on His mind this morning and on His heart.
[00:10:59] He wasn't just thinking about you in general. He was thinking about you with a heart filled with love. And it's that God who calls you to worship him this morning. What a wonderful, blessed privilege. Would you stand with me as the Lord calls us to worship from Psalm 139?
[00:11:20] I'll read the regular text if you respond by reading the bold and underlined.
[00:11:25] How precious to me are your thoughts, O God. How vast is the sum of them. If I would count them, they are more than the sand. I awake and I am still with you. Search me, O God, and know my heart.
[00:11:44] Try me and know my thoughts, and see if there be any grievous way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting. Let's pray. O Lord God, we invite you this morning to search us. A terrifying request
[00:12:02] for the holy of holies. But we ask you to do this great work in us, not just as the holy God, but as the faithful God, the covenant-keeping God, the God whose love endures forever.
[00:12:19] And so we ask this morning, dear Lord, that you would meet with us, that you would meet us in our worship, that you would meet us in our prayers, that we would hear your voice in the preached word.
[00:12:34] Oh, Lord God, this world is dry and weary and there is no water here.
[00:12:41] So we ask that you would revive us according to your word, that you would refresh us this morning with your presence.
[00:12:50] And Lord, we pray now the prayer that you taught us to pray together so long ago.
[00:12:55] Our Father, who art in heaven, hallowed be thy name.
[00:13:00] Thy kingdom come, thy will be done on earth as it is in heaven.
[00:13:05] Give us this day our daily bread And forgive us our debts As we forgive our debtors And lead us not into temptation But deliver us from evil For thine is the kingdom And the power and the glory forever
[00:13:20] Amen Let's continue to stand and sing together

[00:13:23] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:13:23] With confidence we now draw nigh So let's sing together this morning

[00:13:29] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:13:29] Arise my soul, arise Shake off your guilty fears The bleeding sacrifice In my behalf appears Before the throne my surety stands My name is written on his head He ever lives above for me to intercede.
[00:14:16] His all-redeeming love, His precious blood to plead.
[00:14:25] His blood atoned for every race, His blood atoned for every race, And sprinkles now the throne of grace I've pleaded wounds He paid Received on Calvary They pour intellectual prayers They strongly plead for me
[00:14:58] Forgive Him, O forgive, they cry Forgive him, O forgive, they cry, nor let that ransomed sinner die.
[00:15:16] My God is reconciled, his pardoning voice I hear.
[00:15:24] He owns me for his child, I can no longer fear.
[00:15:32] With confidence I now draw nigh, with confidence I now draw nigh, and Father, Abba, Father.
[00:15:46] You may be seated.

[00:16:00] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:16:00] You know, there are a lot of times where we feel like the best way forward is to hide, to hide the thoughts that we don't want people to know that we think, to hide our past, to just hide our personality, because what if somebody doesn't like what they
[00:16:20] see? But this morning, God invites us to come to him uncovered, without hiding. The Lord God is able to see us without our hiding and still by the blood of Christ forgive. And so each week
[00:16:45] here at Harbor, we confess our sins together because the Lord invites us to come to him without hiding. Let's confess our sin out loud together. Make me understand, Lord, where I have gone wrong. Make me recognize my transgression and my sin. Search me and try me, and then enable me
[00:17:11] to search and try myself with fairness over and over. Remove whatever might make me blind or narrow or distracted. Light up and awaken my conscience. Bring it all together that I may understand when you contend with me and with your people and with these nations. Amen. Take a moment now.
[00:17:38] Let the Lord search you and confess your sin before him in the quiet of this moment.
[00:17:59] Father, we confess to you that one of the last things we ever want to do is search ourselves because, Lord, what we find when we do, we don't like.
[00:18:13] There are so many shadows in our hearts that we would rather keep hidden, so many sins we don't want to bring to the light.
[00:18:24] But, Lord, as we hear these sweet babbling babies, we're reminded that we come to you like children, just needy, throwing ourselves at our father's feet, saying, oh, Lord, please forgive. And so, Lord, as you confront us with your word this
[00:18:42] morning, as we examine ourselves, Lord, let us come to you without hiding, knowing that you will cover our sins with the righteous blood of Christ. We ask that you would forgive us in his name. Amen.
[00:19:00] When you come before the Lord and you confess your sin and you uncover your sins before Him, He assures you from His own Word that you are truly and really forgiven.
[00:19:13] Hear this assurance from Psalm 19, verses 12 and 13.
[00:19:17] Who can discern His errors?
[00:19:21] Declare me innocent from hidden faults.
[00:19:25] Keep back your servant from presumptuous sins.
[00:19:29] Let them not have dominion over me.
[00:19:32] then I shall be blameless and innocent of great transgression. Amen.
[00:19:41] Would you stand with me as we continue to sing together?

[00:20:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:20:38] Here I behold my Savior's toast of sacred tree.
[00:21:34] My lips for the judgment all strike.
[00:21:58] Where wits and reason hold this good.
[00:22:11] We're going to confess our faith together from a historic creed

[00:22:51] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:22:51] that Christians have been saying since nearly the beginning.
[00:22:56] What unifies the church is not institutional power.
[00:23:01] It is the confession of who Christ is.
[00:23:04] That's what unites all Christians together, whether in different ages, different stages, different tongues, different nationalities, races, whatever.
[00:23:13] And so, brothers and sisters, let's confess our faith together as one body.
[00:23:18] We believe in one God, the Father Almighty, maker of heaven and earth, of all things visible and invisible, And in one Lord Jesus Christ, the only begotten Son of God, begotten of his Father before all ages, God of God, light of light, Mary God of very God, begotten, not made, being of one substance with the Father, by whom all things were made,
[00:23:47] who for us and for our salvation, he came down from heaven and was incarnate by the Holy Spirit of the Virgin Mary and was made man.
[00:23:58] He was crucified for us under Pontius Pilate.
[00:24:01] He suffered and was buried.
[00:24:03] And the third day he rose again according to the scriptures.
[00:24:08] He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of the Father.
[00:24:12] and he shall come again with glory to judge both the living and the dead, whose kingdom shall have no end.
[00:24:20] And we believe in the Holy Spirit, the Lord, the giver of life, who proceeds from the Father and the Son, who with the Father and the Son is worshipped and glorified, who spoke by the prophets.
[00:24:33] And we believe in one holy Catholic and apostolic church.
[00:24:37] We acknowledge one baptism for the remission of sins.
[00:24:41] we look for the resurrection of the dead and to life of the world to come. Amen. We need to stand firm in our confession. And one good way to do that is to memorize scripture, to be ready
[00:24:55] to have an answer to the hope that we have. And so I encourage you, if you haven't done already, try to memorize this. See if you can even say it without looking. Let's recite together Proverbs
[00:25:05] 1-7. The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom. Bulls despise wisdom and instruction.

[00:25:46] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:25:46] This morning we're going to read from Colossians chapter 1, verses 9 through 14.

[00:27:46] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:27:46] This is God's holy and inspired word.
[00:27:49] And so from the day we heard, we have not ceased to pray for you, asking that you may be filled with the knowledge of His will in all spiritual wisdom and understanding so as to walk in a manner worthy of the Lord,
[00:28:05] fully pleasing in Him, bearing fruit in every good work and increasing in the knowledge of God, being strengthened with all power according to His glorious might for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father
[00:28:21] who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
[00:28:27] He has delivered us from the domain of darkness and transferred us to the kingdom of his beloved son in whom we have redemption and forgiveness of sins.
[00:28:40] Because of this great truth, we have the privilege of being able to pray to God.
[00:28:45] So I'd ask one of our elders, Clark Moore, would come up and lead us in prayer.

[00:28:52] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_00]
[00:28:52] Let's go to the Lord in prayer.
[00:28:53] heavenly father we are uh just humbled to be here as michael said to be able to come in your presence and lift prayer requests for our congregation and for those around us lord and um over the last
[00:29:09] several years we've been asked to kind of put people upon our heart who don't know you that are in our lives whether family whether friends co-workers and lord um you know who those folks are we're going to take a moment here of silent prayer and just lift them to you right now lord
[00:29:24] as we want them to know you, and Lord, we just pray for them right this moment.
[00:29:39] Heavenly Father, we have a lot of prayer requests.
[00:29:43] We have some praises as well, but we just want to lift them to you, Lord, and we know that you know these, so my saying them out loud doesn't bring them closer to you.
[00:29:53] You know what they are, but it does help us to kind of focus and think about those in our congregation that are in need.
[00:29:58] So, Lord, we want to pray for Ken Cross and his speedy recovery and progress from skin cancer.
[00:30:03] And Lord, this has been taking a toll on him.
[00:30:07] And I know Lynn has been sick as well.
[00:30:09] So we just pray for them, Lord, that you would encourage them in this moment.
[00:30:13] Lord, we thank you for his ministry, which I think he's been away from for a little bit.
[00:30:17] And Lord, we just pray for continued healing and, Lord, recovery for Ken.
[00:30:23] Father God, we are so thankful for Tim Colvard and just the praise for the good report from the surgeon about his ear.
[00:30:30] We know he needs to kind of continue to kind of keep an eye on that.
[00:30:33] and mom and dad do as well, but I pray, God, that the first reports are really good and that the graft is taken and the healing is underway. Lord, we do praise you for Kent's complete healing
[00:30:44] and end of his chemo. Father God, we pray for Jennifer Roy's daughter, Emma. You know the needs there, Lord, and we lift them to you now. We pray for several of those who are healing. We pray for
[00:30:56] Rick's wilderman sister, Jean, as she recovers from pneumonia and sepsis, praying she might be able to go home from rehab soon. We pray for Marty's friend Dorothy, who is also recovering from a car accident on Valentine's Day or right after Valentine's Day, and pray for her recovery
[00:31:12] as she's been discharged to go home. Father God, we continue to lift you, Bennett Mitchell and Ryan and Emily, and pray God that you would continue to make the seizures less frequent for Bennett. Lord, just protect him even now. Lord, we pray for Lindsay Colvard's sister,
[00:31:29] Crystal McGowan's father, and Janice Carrera's uncle, who are all battling cancer right now.
[00:31:34] Lord God, we thank you for an upcoming wedding. We pray for Anthony and Brianna and their wedding coming up this weekend. We just lift them to you. And Lord, all the preparations and all the things
[00:31:45] that have to happen, Lord, help them not to lose sight of the joy and excitement of that special time. We just pray, Lord, that you'd be with them now and help them in this week. With the final
[00:31:56] days of prep coming, we just pray your hand with them and guide them into their new life together as one. Lord, we are honored to be able to support a number of missionaries here at Harbor, and we
[00:32:07] want to lift you one of those today. We pray for David and Estelle Abernathy with Wycliffe Bible Translators. As you know, they've struggled with some health concerns lately, and he is semi-retired, but he's still trying to get in about 10 hours a week, but they've been struggling
[00:32:22] with a lot of medical appointments being back and forth from Wycliffe to Charlotte for a doctor's appointments for both he and Estelle. So we pray God that you would help him find the balance. We
[00:32:32] pray God for healing for them, but that he would be able to continue the work of translating the word for those around the world and all the work that he does to help leaders prepare to study
[00:32:44] that word with folks from a different part of our globe, Lord. We pray for Estelle and the loss of our older sister. Her death happened recently, and we pray God for comfort there. Lord, and we
[00:32:55] praise you for the fact that their son Michael is finishing his dissertation and hopefully getting his doctoral degree in musical arts here within the next several months. So we just continue to lift them to you. They are a treasure to our church. We can count on them faithfully to
[00:33:10] come to our missions conference every year, but we pray God that you would just encourage them and equip them now to continue in their ministry and pray for their health. Father God, we lift you our local government here in Mooresville, Iredell County. We just pray, God, that you would
[00:33:24] be with our leaders. Lord, help them most importantly to know Jesus, and from that, lead us in a way that's righteous. Lord, we just pray for your hand in all of those meetings, decisions that
[00:33:36] affect us in our local community. Father God, I had the joy yesterday of getting to spend some time with Jay Crestar, the pastor at First Presbyterian of Stanley, and to hear encouraging words about his ministry. Lord, you called him out of a vocation of 20, 30 years and said, hey, you need
[00:33:54] to go preach. And you put him through seminary. He is leading a congregation in Stanley. He shared that they picked up about 22 new members over the last couple years. And Lord, we're just so thankful
[00:34:05] for that. We thank you for his ministry. We pray, God, that you would be with them in their service this morning and continue to draw people in that community to the light that comes from that church
[00:34:15] because of you. Father God, we lift to you the elderly in our church. Help them to know that we love them. We are so thankful for the wisdom that they share with us. I pray, God, that you
[00:34:27] would help those of us who can help and encourage and strengthen and provide in ways for them, Lord, as you call us to do, that we would be able to do so. Lord, we are terribly busy on things that
[00:34:41] just aren't always the most important things. And Father, there is nothing more important than reaching out on your behalf to those around us. So God, I pray that you might prick our hearts and slow us down this week for opportunities to share, to reach out to those in need,
[00:34:58] our neighbors, co-workers, friends that we may not have connected with, to share a good word, share the gospel maybe even, Lord, I pray. But if not, planting seeds to share.
[00:35:09] But Lord, help us to make time in our busy schedules to do those things.
[00:35:13] And Father God, again, we were at a Presbytery meeting yesterday, so we heard a lot of good words about how church planning in the Carolinas is a priority for all of the Presbyteries in North and South Carolina,
[00:35:25] and we are encouraged by that.
[00:35:27] And Father God, we have a heart for that here at Harbor.
[00:35:30] And so, Lord, as we've put information out to seek someone who might be willing to come and help us in that desire to church plant.
[00:35:40] We pray, God, your hand in all of it, Lord.
[00:35:42] We do not want to go out in front of you.
[00:35:45] We want to follow you and take your lead.
[00:35:47] But, Lord, we pray, God, that you might make it clear to us our vision to help plant a church in a place that needs to hear your word faithfully each week.
[00:35:56] Lord, there's so many details, and you know all of those, and I'm going to lift those to you just with that, Lord.
[00:36:01] Thank you for your knowledge and your hand and your planning.
[00:36:05] Lord, we are so thankful again to be able to come and worship you.
[00:36:08] Let us not take this for granted, because not everybody in the world can do this.
[00:36:11] So help us to have softened hearts, attentive minds, open ears to hear the message and the preaching that's coming this morning.
[00:36:19] Lord, we ask this in everything, in Christ's name, amen.

[00:36:28] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:36:28] As the deacons prepare for taking up of tithes and offerings, I was reading this week a story of a pastor who was talking to a businessman.
[00:36:36] man. He was in the early stages of building his business, and he was sharing the gospel with this man. And the man said, yes, I believe that God created the world, that Jesus was real, that he
[00:36:49] really died for my sins. He said, but I really have a bone to pick with Christianity. He said, now, it doesn't matter to me right now because my business isn't making much money, but I plan
[00:37:01] on making a lot of money, and I don't want to do that tithing thing. Now, what might be wrong with that man's thinking? Fundamentally, he's thinking about money, and he's thinking about giving to the Lord with this problem. It's all mine. Everything I have is mine. Everything I got,
[00:37:26] I deserved. It's mine. It's just for me. When we come to worship the Lord by giving tithes and offerings, the Lord gives us one requirement. Give with joy, a cheerful heart. The only way you can do that is to realize that every blessing you've ever received comes from God. None of it's
[00:37:52] mine. It's all his, from him to me. And so if you're a visitor with us this morning, we want you to know we don't expect anything from you. We're really glad that you're here. Give of your
[00:38:06] time, give of your attention, give of your prayers, and if you so choose this morning, give with joy.

[00:38:14] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_04]
[00:38:14] All right, we get to sing again this morning. This song is only two verses. It's fast, so I'm going to remind you, and it's on the screen. It's to the tune of All Glory, Laud, and Honor.
[00:38:28] All glory, laud, and honor. Just so you guys know, because if you bobble this first verse, you only have one more verse to sing. So I want us to all come out strong out of the gate for two

[00:38:38] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[00:38:38] verses. Tis not that I did choose thee, for, Lord, that could not be. This heart would still refuse thee, hast not thou chosen me? Thou from the sin that stained me, hast cleansed and set me
[00:39:06] free. Of old thou hast ordained me that I should live to thee. T'was sovereign mercy called me and taught my opening mind. The world had else enthralled me to heavenly glories blind.
[00:39:34] My heart holds none before Thee, for Thy rich grace I thirst.
[00:39:43] This knowing, if I love Thee, Thou must have loved me first.

[00:39:54] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_02]
[00:39:54] Let's pray.
[00:39:57] O Lord our God, You are the giver of every blessing.
[00:40:05] Every day of life You have given us is a gift.
[00:40:10] Every meal we have sat down with and eaten is a gift.
[00:40:16] Every time we worked hard and received a paycheck, that was a gift from you, oh God.
[00:40:22] Everything we own, everything we have received, nothing comes to us except by your gracious hand.
[00:40:29] And so, Father, we pause for just a moment to remember how blessed we are.
[00:40:36] And on top of all these things, You gave us your Son.
[00:40:43] You gave us your love, a gift we could never deserve.
[00:40:50] So, Father, we pray that you take these gifts, these offerings that have been given today, and you would use them not to build up Harbor's kingdom, but to build up the kingdom of Christ.
[00:41:05] Lord, I pray that through what has been given this morning, many would come to know Christ, and we look forward to that day when we will be able to look back from eternity and see how you use every sacrifice for your good
[00:41:22] and for your glory. We ask these things in Jesus' name. Amen. Would you stand with me as we praise

[00:41:30] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_06]
[00:41:30] God for his blessing by singing the doxology? Amen. You may be seated. Are you a Christian,

[00:42:20] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[00:42:20] a real Christian? Now, maybe you're not bothered by that question at all because you know your Savior, you have got absolute assurance. Or perhaps you're not bothered because you know you're not a Christian at all. Maybe you've never thought about it before because, well, you just assume you go to
[00:42:42] church, and so if you go to church, you must be a Christian. Perhaps you live under the shadow of that question like death. That question terrifies you. Well, I thought I was a Christian, but what
[00:42:59] if something's wrong? What if I'm fooling myself? What if somehow I'm defective or I've done too much wrong or something? How can we evaluate our faith? See, as Paul is finishing up his letter to
[00:43:14] the Corinthians, he calls the Corinthians to see, to interpret what they see, and then to find the truth behind it all. So we're going to be looking at 2 Corinthians chapter 13, just verses 5 through
[00:43:29] seven. This is God's holy and inspired word. Examine yourselves to see whether you are in the faith. Test yourselves, or do you not realize this about yourselves that Jesus Christ is in you, unless indeed you fail to meet that test? I hope you will find out that we have not failed the test,
[00:43:49] but we pray to God that you may not do wrong, not that we may appear to have met the test, but that you may do what is right, though we may seem to have failed.
[00:44:02] Let's pray together.
[00:44:04] Lord God, you know exactly what every single individual here needs to hear, including myself.
[00:44:13] And so, Lord God, as much as I am clearly describing and explaining your word, Lord, help us to hear it, myself included, as the very word of God itself.
[00:44:24] Lord, as if you are speaking right to us.
[00:44:27] Lord, I pray that you would help us have ears to hear.
[00:44:31] Lord, I pray that you would give us hearts that are receptive.
[00:44:35] And Lord God, please help me to humbly, Lord, explain your word faithfully.
[00:44:41] Lord, I pray that if I speak presumptuously, Lord, keep me from it.
[00:44:46] Lord, may my words be forgotten, but may your words be ever true.
[00:44:50] In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
[00:44:52] So we've got to see first.
[00:44:55] Paul gives two commands at the beginning.
[00:44:57] Examine and test.
[00:44:59] There's not really much difference between the two words.
[00:45:02] They roughly mean the same thing as you would expect.
[00:45:05] To learn the nature or character of something or someone by thorough investigation.
[00:45:13] See into something or look into something.
[00:45:15] So verse 5 says we are to test yourselves to see whether you are in the faith.
[00:45:22] So the subject is you.
[00:45:24] You're under the microscope.
[00:45:25] and also you're the one looking through the microscope, right?
[00:45:30] This is a self-examination.
[00:45:33] And the criteria is whether you're in the faith or perhaps you're not in the faith or you're out of the faith, something like that.
[00:45:42] So what exactly does that phrase mean?
[00:45:45] What is the meaning of this test?
[00:45:46] Well, I got three aspects to faith and then we got, of course, a quiz at the end.
[00:45:52] The first, in the faith could mean our beliefs match the truths about God. So Paul uses the same expression in the faith in Colossians 1, verse 23, when he says, continue in the faith, there's that phrase, stable and
[00:46:12] steadfast, not shifting from the hope of the gospel that you heard. In other words, you heard the gospel, gave you hope, don't shift away from it. In other words, don't reject the truths that you heard. Faith has content. Notice this is not a faith or a general faith or just any faith at
[00:46:33] all. It's the faith. There's specificity. This is faith in the God who has revealed himself clearly in his word. You see, it's important to not just get the right name, but also the right qualities
[00:46:48] if you're going to understand who somebody is, right? Like, for example, if I say, do you know Michael? And you say, yes, he played for the Bulls in the 90s. I'm like, no, no, no, Pastor Michael,
[00:47:00] the small white guy who can't play basketball, right? Now, imagine how ridiculous it would be if you responded with, well, as, you know, as we know, we know Michael in each in our own ways,
[00:47:12] you know, like you just got to know the Michael in your own life. No, that's ridiculous. There's They're specific Michaels with specific characteristics and traits.
[00:47:22] Mormonism, Islam, and Jehovah's Witnesses talk about God all the time, but they're fundamentally talking about completely different understandings of who God is.
[00:47:31] Did God have a billion spirit babies, or does God not beget it all?
[00:47:36] So if somebody, if you're in a conversation and somebody mentions that they believe in God, a good question would be, which one?
[00:47:44] Well, is it the one in the Bible, or is it the one from some other source, or maybe just generally from the culture, it really does matter.
[00:47:54] So by being in the faith, you need to know some essential truths about this God whom you are having faith in.
[00:48:04] Here's just a few with some scripture verses tied to it so you know I'm not just throwing these out there.
[00:48:10] God reveals himself as Trinity, Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, Matthew 28, 20.
[00:48:14] Jesus came in the flesh, 1 John 4, 2.
[00:48:17] you are actually a sinner.
[00:48:20] Jeremiah 17, Romans 3.
[00:48:23] That Jesus is the only way of salvation.
[00:48:26] John 14, 6.
[00:48:27] That Christ will one day judge the world and put all things right.
[00:48:31] Revelation 21 and 22.
[00:48:33] See, without these essential truths, you can't rightly say that you know the God that you worship.
[00:48:41] Or that you're trusting in the real one, the saving one, or some other deity who just happens to have the same name.
[00:48:48] And this is important stuff, right?
[00:48:51] But simply knowing things about God does not mean that you are completely in the faith.
[00:48:58] How do I know that?
[00:48:59] Because James 2.19 says the demons know that God is one.
[00:49:03] The demons have pretty good theology, and they shudder.
[00:49:08] It brings them no comfort to know about the Trinity or that what Jesus came to do.
[00:49:14] So here's the second part to faith.
[00:49:17] Being in the faith means that not just you know what your beliefs match who God is, but also you find God to be trustworthy.
[00:49:26] This is what faith is all about.
[00:49:28] You have confidence, not in yourself, but in God.
[00:49:32] Hebrews 11, verse 1.
[00:49:34] Faith is the assurance of things hoped for.
[00:49:38] You don't see it yet, but you're hoping for it.
[00:49:40] A conviction of things not seen.
[00:49:44] You ever go to the doctor?
[00:49:45] I'm sure you have.
[00:49:47] Do you trust your doctor?
[00:49:48] Most of you probably do, right?
[00:49:50] You go to the doctor with a problem.
[00:49:52] And what does he do or she does?
[00:49:54] They write a prescription of a drug you can't pronounce, nor do you know how it works, right?
[00:50:01] And then what you do is then you go to the pharmacy, you get it, and then you take it, right?
[00:50:06] You have complete trust in the doctor, even though you have no idea.
[00:50:10] We don't even know how Tylenol works.
[00:50:12] Do you believe that, right?
[00:50:13] Medical people, amen, right?
[00:50:15] we don't actually know how it works when we take it all the time. Same thing is true with God, right? For example, God says, love your enemies. Will that actually work? I don't feel like it'll
[00:50:30] work. Maybe I don't want it to be true. But do I trust God's way instead of my way? That's the test of faith. Or Hebrews 12, verse 7, it says that God disciplines us out of love. Well, when
[00:50:46] I feel through trials and circumstances God's discipline. Do I believe that God is acting capriciously or wicked, or do I trust that God knows best for me? Faith without trust is like filling a prescription and never swallowing the pill. So being in the faith means your beliefs
[00:51:11] match who God is, and it also means you find God trustworthy. I think there's another dimension to this. Being in the faith also means that you actually desire God. Part of counting God as trustworthy is that you actually love Him. If you were dying and somebody gave you life-saving
[00:51:32] medicine, would you be happy or bored with it? No, of course you'd be happy with it, right?
[00:51:38] You'd be overjoyed. You thought you only had a few weeks to live, and now you've got your whole life ahead of you. See, faith is not a mechanical event. It's an affection of the heart. Listen to
[00:51:53] how Peter describes it. 1 Peter 1, 8-9. Though you do not now see him, you believe in him. There's your faith, right? Your faith. And rejoice with joy that's inexpressible. It's such joyous joy, you can't even express it, right? I love how John Piper says it this way. He says,
[00:52:16] an essential element of saving faith is treasuring Christ above all things. It changes what we love.
[00:52:27] We have a new relationship to God when we are saved and a new relationship to sin when we're saved. The Puritan writer William Fenner writes this. He says, the main work of grace is the
[00:52:39] ruling of the affections aright. It takes our affections off of the things that are here on earth and lifts them up to the things that are in heaven. When grace converts a man, it does not
[00:52:53] take away the affections, but it rules the affections. So there's your three, okay? But I want to add another, it's not a fourth test, it's more of another dimension on top of this that we
[00:53:09] as Americans might miss a little bit. You see, Paul was a Southerner. You didn't know this, but he's a Southerner, right? See, if you read Greek, you would see it clearly, okay? So Paul is, I believe, addressing individuals, but the pronouns that he used are plural, right? Y'all.
[00:53:31] So let me southern fry verse 5, right?
[00:53:36] He says, examine y'all's selves to see if y'all are in the faith.
[00:53:42] Do you see how it brings a different dimension?
[00:53:44] Because it's one thing to examine our own hearts and lives, right?
[00:53:47] But we also have to examine our community's beliefs too, right?
[00:53:52] Our church.
[00:53:55] There has to be some kind of institutional faithfulness happening, not just individual faithfulness. So listen, I know you love being here at Harbor, but let's say you move. You have to go find a church somewhere, okay? What is the most critical
[00:54:11] thing you must find? It is not a youth group. It is not great music. It is not dynamic small groups.
[00:54:20] It is not children's things or all the rest. Here's what's most critical. Do they preach the gospel? Do they take Scripture seriously? And not only that, does it operate in how they do ministry? Like, yes, you can say all those things, but do they actually use it in the way that they
[00:54:38] operate? Clark just mentioned officer nominations. We're taking nominations for officers. We don't have to nominate anybody this year, right? There's no rule that you have to nominate anybody.
[00:54:52] But it just made me think, as I was processing through this text, choose men that will fight tooth and nail to keep the church in the faith.
[00:55:06] Do that.
[00:55:08] Choose men who trust in Christ alone and want to see the church trust in Christ alone.
[00:55:13] Choose men who joyously love Christ.
[00:55:17] I'll tell you, I believe that your session and your act in it, they fit the bill.
[00:55:23] keep at it, Harbor. You've chosen good men. By God's grace alone, keep doing it. So let's look at the test then of faith, right? The test to see whether us or our church is in the faith
[00:55:37] is to see if you know, trust, and love Christ. That's the test. So here's your quiz. Number one, do you believe to be true the core tenets of Christianity, right? That there is a God,
[00:55:53] He is Trinity.
[00:55:54] You're a sinner.
[00:55:55] You're saved by Christ alone.
[00:55:57] And does your church preach and teach this too?
[00:56:00] So do you believe that?
[00:56:01] Number two, do you believe that sin is the greatest problem in your life?
[00:56:05] And the corollary with that is, do you believe that Christ is your greatest hope?
[00:56:12] Not just an add-on or an apartment or not just an anomaly in your life.
[00:56:18] Do you believe that sin is the greatest problem and Christ is the greatest solution?
[00:56:24] Do you believe God's word over your own opinion or desire?
[00:56:29] Like when the rubber meets the road, when you actually have to make a hard choice, what wins?
[00:56:36] What I want or what Christ wants?
[00:56:40] Elders who are listening to this, you know that we've been in hard situations.
[00:56:44] We've had to make hard decisions.
[00:56:46] And what's the one thing that we ask every single time without fail?
[00:56:51] What does Christ want us to do, right?
[00:56:53] What does Christ want us to do?
[00:56:55] because I'll tell you what Michael wants to do.
[00:56:58] Michael wants to cut and run.
[00:57:00] Michael doesn't want to do hard things.
[00:57:02] What does Christ want?
[00:57:04] Here's the fourth question.
[00:57:06] Do you love Christ?
[00:57:09] Is he your affection?
[00:57:13] So do you believe the truths, right?
[00:57:15] Do you know the greatest problem, the greatest solution?
[00:57:18] Do you believe God's word over your own?
[00:57:20] And do you love him?
[00:57:22] Now, this is not a fun little quiz you fill out when you're in the waiting room with the magazine, you've probably done those before, right? This is not just a test, this is the test. This is the test that determines the entire shape of your life.
[00:57:40] Here's the danger. If you fail the test, if there's something wrong in this test, Matthew 7, 22, Jesus says, many will say to me, the day of judgment, many will say to me, Lord, Lord,
[00:57:55] did we not prophesy in your name and and cast out demons in your name and and do mighty works in your name in other words there are going to be people who do miracles in the name of Christ
[00:58:10] and here's what's going to happen they fail the faith test there's something wrong there and so what does Jesus say he says then I will declare to them on that day I never knew you depart from me
[00:58:26] you workers of lawlessness. Self-deception is damning, so examination is essential.
[00:58:40] So you run the test, right? And then you got the results in hand. And now what? I wish Kent was here. I don't see Kent, but Kent was a doctor in radiology. I was thinking about x-rays, right?
[00:58:55] Because, I mean, I can kind of read a paragraph. I'm an English major, but you get like an x-ray, you know how to read it, right? Most of you, if you had an x-ray thing, you'd have no idea where
[00:59:06] the break is or what you're looking at, right? So you need to know how to interpret the results.
[00:59:11] You need to have that skill, right? So we've seen, and now we've got to interpret.
[00:59:17] So I want you to imagine for a moment a person who has congestion, snot's going everywhere, right and and so they come to a good doctor right and what is a good doctor going to do
[00:59:30] he or she is going to run some lab tests right and then those tests are going to come back and and that good doctor is going to be able to identify if this is a virus or bacteria or
[00:59:41] perhaps maybe it's allergies or something else i don't know because and he or she knows that that there are some medicines that work for bacteria that do not work for viruses and some that work for viruses and not for bacteria, and neither of them are going to work for allergies,
[00:59:56] right? So here's how I'll apply this. Let me make this clear. The meaning of this text remains the same. The meaning of the text does not change, but the application can hit differently depending on
[01:00:10] the situation that we're in. And Paul, as a very good doctor of the soul, covers the broad spectrum of issues that may arise in a church based on this simple text. So I want to show you how the
[01:00:26] results of your testing could be interpreted correctly by this text. This text is going to help us to read our situation. So I'll give you three results, possible results. So let's say result number one, you took the test and you know you didn't pass the test and you're not bothered.
[01:00:47] Like, I didn't pass it, I don't believe, stuff about God, I know it, and I don't care, right?
[01:00:54] And Paul says this is a possible reality.
[01:00:57] Verse 5 says, unless indeed you fail to test it.
[01:01:00] Maybe you do fail to pass the test, right?
[01:01:04] Some will fail this test.
[01:01:08] Be bothered by that.
[01:01:12] Only faith in Christ matters.
[01:01:15] So if that is you, you need to run to Christ.
[01:01:18] there is no hope outside of that you are not guaranteed heaven you're not guaranteed your prayers answered because you're a nice person that's not how this works i just read to you jesus's own words he says there's some who cast out demons you ever cast out a demon i ain't cast
[01:01:34] out a demon there are some who cast out demons in jesus name and jesus says i don't know you i don't know who you are only faith in christ matters so run to him and listen you can ask the
[01:01:49] Lord to give you a heart that would want to trust him. That's not cheating. It doesn't have to come from you. You can actually ask that. So I invite you, if that's where you are, pray. So that's
[01:02:01] result number one. Result number two, maybe you're worried that you don't pass a test because you lack great conviction. So like you answered yes to all the questions, but then you're concerned and like, but do I love enough? Do I believe enough? Do I know enough? I've never been to
[01:02:22] seminary. I haven't done Sunday school for years and years. Perhaps it's not enough. You know, in college and in seminary, there are two kinds of classes, typically, right? There's the graded classes, and then there's what? Pass-fail, right? So once you have faith, there can be gradations
[01:02:43] of that faith. So Romans chapter 12 verse 3 says, Paul says that there can be measures or degrees of faith as God assigned. So you can have a weak faith, you can have a strong faith. It's sort of
[01:02:57] like if you're going to go swimming, some of you, you know, it's like kids pool swimming stuff going on all this summer, right? So, you know, your kids, some of your kids are only going to go halfway.
[01:03:08] Most of your kids are going to go all the way in, right? You might just put your feet in, right? So gradations of getting wet this summer. Paul's test here is not graded, it's pass-fail. Are you in the
[01:03:22] faith or are you out of the faith? That's it. So it's not a question of how much are you in the pool. The question is, are you wet or are you dry? Let me ask you this, what do you call a Christian
[01:03:37] whose hope is in Christ but has great doubts, who has many worries, who has many fears? What do you call that Christian? Christian. You call that person precious to the Lord. See, Paul sees the
[01:03:55] Corinthians and he says in verse 5, do you not realize this about yourselves? In other words, don't you see? It's obvious to me that Jesus Christ is in you. Kevin DeYoung puts it this way.
[01:04:11] He says, Paul challenged the Corinthians to examine themselves because he already expected them to pass the test. He already sees it. He just wants them to see it. There's a difference between faith and assurance. So assurance is that feeling of certainty about those gospel promises.
[01:04:35] So think of it this way, like a roller coaster. I don't like roller coasters.
[01:04:39] This analogy, this illustration is going to be thrown back in my face by certain family members, but I'm going to go there anywhere. All right. So you get into a roller coaster, what I like to
[01:04:50] call the box of death. And so there is inherent danger in it, right? There's inherent danger, right? And so there's the gospel promises that are the harness, okay? So I know that the harness is holding me in, but my feeling about how safe I am is different, right? So some people get in,
[01:05:14] they don't care. They're like, oh, this is fine and great, and I am having a religious moment at the time, right? Westminster Confession of Faith, chapter 18, says that infallible or unwavering assurance does not belong to the essence of faith. In other words, you don't have
[01:05:31] to have infallible assurance in order to actually have faith. Assurance can go up and down, but a true believer may wait long and conflict with many difficulties before he has that infallible assurance. So because that's true, we must throw yourself on the reality of Christ and his promises,
[01:05:55] not trusting in the feelings that come and go. In the same way that if I was forced to go onto a roller coaster, the only way I'm getting through this is to remember, okay, there's a harness here.
[01:06:07] I don't feel safe, but I know there's a harness here, right? I don't feel like I'm saved, but I know God's promises. I don't feel like I measure up, but here is what Jesus says.
[01:06:24] I need to remember the harness is safe even when I'm jostled in my faith.
[01:06:29] Result number three, you pass the test, but your life is inconsistent. You notice in 2 Corinthians, or notice in the Corinthians that they're not examining themselves, but they've been examining Paul. Did you catch that, right? Paul says in verse 7, he says, though we may seem to have failed
[01:06:51] the test. It implies the Corinthians have been testing Paul and his fellow companions. And to them, it seems like Paul has failed. And we've seen this throughout the entire letter, right?
[01:07:04] They've been putting Paul through the test of their own devices. You know, he doesn't speak well, he doesn't have a good stature, he doesn't look as polished as all these super apostles, right?
[01:07:15] You ever known anybody who's more interested in your flaws than their own flaws? That's the Corinthian church. So here's what Paul hopes in verses six through seven, that the Corinthians will see that he doesn't actually fail the real test, which is the test of being in the faith.
[01:07:36] But even if we seem to, even if you think that we're just pitiable, which we're not, then even if that's true, Corinthians, y'all ought to do what's right.
[01:07:50] And conversely, not do what's wrong.
[01:07:54] Now, he doesn't spell out what the right thing or the wrong thing is to do, but we can take a few guesses if you just look at the context of the letter, right?
[01:08:00] In chapter 12, verse 21, they're supposed to discipline those who fail to repent.
[01:08:06] In other places, they're supposed to reject the super apostles.
[01:08:10] They're supposed to reject the false gospel.
[01:08:12] They're supposed to be faithful, right?
[01:08:15] And so here's the point.
[01:08:18] The Corinthians are indeed in the faith.
[01:08:22] And so Paul says, let your lives match that faith.
[01:08:26] Do you ever know a Christian who doesn't live completely by their convictions?
[01:08:31] If you don't, just turn to your neighbor to the left and turn to your neighbor to the right.
[01:08:34] There you go.
[01:08:35] Two examples.
[01:08:38] See, even the world knows this problem, right?
[01:08:40] You ever had a conversation with an unbeliever, and what's one of the first things they will probably say?
[01:08:45] Well, I know Christians are all hypocrites, right?
[01:08:50] Because they expect Christians to act like Christians, and Christians don't always act like Christians.
[01:08:56] So here's the next test, right?
[01:09:01] How can you say you believe and trust and love Christ when you live so differently from the truth that you proclaim?
[01:09:09] How can you say that?
[01:09:12] You start to peel back the layers of your soul, and every single one of us feels the sting of this test, myself included.
[01:09:23] It was one of my favorite artsy movies.
[01:09:26] It's a movie from 1999.
[01:09:28] It's based on a play called The Big Kahuna.
[01:09:31] It's Big Kahuna.
[01:09:32] It's about three salesmen.
[01:09:34] I think they're industrial lubricant salesmen.
[01:09:36] And they basically, the whole movie just takes place in this little, I guess, hotel room where they're supposed to be selling these things.
[01:09:43] And it's a movie about expressions about God, about character, things like that.
[01:09:48] And so one of the characters, Phil, he talks about marriage.
[01:09:54] And I've always been struck by this.
[01:09:56] He says, about marriage, he says, a man doesn't know what his soul looks like until he gazes into the eyes of the woman that he's married to.
[01:10:06] And then, if he's any kind of decent human being, he spends the next couple of days throwing up.
[01:10:14] Because no man, no honest man can stand that image.
[01:10:21] And what he's getting at is that when you look into the eyes of someone who truly knows you and loves you and even has respect for you, you know what's being reflected back.
[01:10:33] Because you know deep down that your soul does not match the image that they have of you. Who can stand before that? How can you come to church and confess your faith before a holy and mighty God and not throw up for days at all the inconsistencies
[01:10:51] and contradictions in your life? And Paul knew this. He felt it viscerally. He says in Romans chapter 7, he says, I live in a body of death. You can say throw up, but it's analogous, right?
[01:11:08] Why?
[01:11:08] Because what I want to do, which is please God, I don't do.
[01:11:12] And what I don't want to do, which is displease God, I do.
[01:11:16] This is my body of death.
[01:11:18] I don't match what my faith ought to be.
[01:11:21] So after examining and interpreting the results, where can we find faith at all in ourselves?
[01:11:29] Real faith.
[01:11:31] That's where we have to find it.
[01:11:34] So let me just summarize this just so we can get a handle on what's going on here.
[01:11:38] verses five through seven. So Paul tells the church clearly, listen, you think we failed the test, but we have not, despite your fakey test. You should take the test, Corinth, but I'm telling you, I don't think you failed this test either. Good? All right. So if that's true, you need to
[01:12:01] act consistently with the faith that you're in. How do you do it? There is one word here that makes all the difference. It is an enormous, colossal, titanic word that will change everything, and it's the word in verse 7, pray. Listen to what Paul does. He says, but we pray to God
[01:12:23] that you may not do wrong. Paul's expectation of the Corinthians to change is not because of his great ability to guilt them or flatter them. He says, God will do it. That's why I pray.
[01:12:38] because if your heart is going to change, it's going to come from Almighty God and not from me.
[01:12:45] Here's the facts.
[01:12:48] God causes us to have faith in the first place.
[01:12:52] Colossians 1, verse 12, we read earlier, we ought to give thanks to the Father who did what?
[01:13:00] He qualified you, meaning He made you sufficient.
[01:13:04] He made you adequate.
[01:13:08] He made you pass the test.
[01:13:12] He qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in light.
[01:13:18] He did that, not you.
[01:13:21] You passed the test because Christ died for your failures.
[01:13:25] As the test is being handed up, Jesus wrote his name on your F paper and then scribbled out his name and wrote your name on his A paper.
[01:13:36] That's the gospel.
[01:13:37] So if faith comes from God, will it not also be repaired?
[01:13:43] strengthened, confirmed, and sanctified by God too? Yes. Yes and amen. Look again at verse 5.
[01:13:54] Paul doesn't make this exactly parallel, right? He could have said, you know, test yourselves, or do you not realize about the selves that you have passed the test? He could have said it that way, but he doesn't. What does he say? He says that Christ is already in y'all. He's already in
[01:14:12] y'all this song that we sang during the offering, right? If I love Christ, you know what? That's evidence that he must have loved me first. That's what Paul is talking about here. This is really,
[01:14:29] really good news. You ever tried, how about this? You ever tried to hold a toddler's hand like crossing traffic? It's amazing. If it's across the living room, it doesn't matter, but somehow in traffic they get all antsy, right?
[01:14:42] And so a toddler's hands are soft and fragile and weak, right?
[01:14:46] And you try to cross the street and they start throwing a tantrum, wandering, pulling in all directions, right?
[01:14:53] Hanging and all the rest, right?
[01:14:55] So what keeps a child safely crossing the street?
[01:15:00] It's not her strength, it's her father's strength.
[01:15:04] It's his hand that holds on.
[01:15:06] what keeps you from failing the test of faith it's not your ability but it is christ's strength through you what powerful words we find you know the words romans 8 38 and 39 neither death nor
[01:15:21] life nor angels nor rulers nor things present nor things to come nor powers nor height nor depth nor anything in all creation can what we'll be able to separate us from the love of god in christ
[01:15:34] Jesus our Lord, including your stupidity, including your doubts and your unfaithfulness.
[01:15:40] This is the beauty of the gospel. So here's the solution to your faith problem. Whether you need Christ or you think you don't, whether you are confident in your faith or not at all, whether
[01:15:56] you're consistent in your faith or not at all, the solution is all the same. The solution is Christ.
[01:16:04] A 19th century Presbyterian minister, Robert Murray McShane, he writes this in a letter.
[01:16:11] He just puts it better than I ever could.
[01:16:13] He says, if you are judged as you are in yourself.
[01:16:17] In other words, if you're to look at yourself, you just sort of judge yourself, right?
[01:16:21] He says, if you do that, you will be lost.
[01:16:24] That's what it looks like when you stare into the eyes of your kids, your spouse, somebody who loves you, respects you, right?
[01:16:30] You look at that, you see yourself in the mirror, and you think, nope, lost.
[01:16:35] To be saved, you need to know the heart of God and of Christ.
[01:16:39] If you only knew that heart as it is, you would lay your weary head on his bosom.
[01:16:49] Do not take up your time so much with studying your own heart as with studying Christ's heart.
[01:16:56] For every one look you look at yourself, take ten looks at Christ.
[01:17:01] So I encourage you this morning and this week, take an honest look at yourself.
[01:17:07] That's important.
[01:17:09] You should evaluate your motivations.
[01:17:11] You should evaluate your desires.
[01:17:13] You should evaluate your actions and what you believe and what you know.
[01:17:16] And however long you took, let's say you took an hour to do that, spend 10 hours looking at Christ, investigating him and his faithfulness.
[01:17:28] That's what breeds hope and life and joy and actual assurance.
[01:17:35] So when you have no hope in this world, look to Christ.
[01:17:39] When you are riding high in the faith and you are happy to be in the Lord, keep looking at Christ.
[01:17:45] When sins and sorrows weigh you down so much that you can barely lift your head, you can't even pray, look to Christ.
[01:17:52] When you find yourself walking contrary to what Jesus has called you to, repent, fight, and look to Christ.
[01:18:03] May you today, and this week, and forevermore, look to Christ.
[01:18:09] Let's pray.
[01:18:12] Lord, we long to see Jesus.
[01:18:17] We want to see Him.
[01:18:18] We want to see Him in our hearts.
[01:18:20] To behold Him by faith.
[01:18:23] And I'm very grateful that, in many ways, this is what this meal does.
[01:18:27] Lord, this meal helps us to behold Christ in a spiritual manner, such to feed our faith.
[01:18:33] So, Lord God, I pray, please, you would help us to look to Christ.
[01:18:37] Lord, I pray, please, that you would help us to trust him and his promises.
[01:18:41] In Christ's name we pray. Amen.
[01:18:44] I ask the elders to make their way forward.
[01:18:47] In 1 Corinthians, Paul, in dealing with the same church, Corinth, just an iteration before, had a problem.
[01:18:57] the Corinthian church, they were not treating the Lord's Supper as a spiritual meal. They were treating it as a barbecue, right? So you just load your plate up as much as you can, right? Because
[01:19:09] it might not last. And so people were eating all the bread, and they were drinking all the wine, getting drunk even. Can you imagine that, right? And leaving some without any at all. Paul says,
[01:19:20] what you're eating, whatever it is, whatever you want to call it, don't call it the Lord's Supper, He says, because you're not examining yourselves.
[01:19:29] You're not examining what this is, nor are you examining yourselves.
[01:19:32] And so the same test that Paul gives us in 2 Corinthians, he gives in 1 Corinthians.
[01:19:38] Are you in the faith?
[01:19:41] If you are in the faith, come and eat.
[01:19:45] Have you made a public profession of faith in Christ?
[01:19:47] Come and eat.
[01:19:49] Even if you have doubts.
[01:19:51] Even if you are struggling.
[01:19:52] but if that's not who you are or if you are clinging to a particular sin and you do not want to let go and you refuse to let go let these things pass you by
[01:20:03] because this meal is to feed our faith upon Christ and know his freedom and his love it was on a night when Jesus was betrayed he took the bread he broke it and he said this is my body given for you
[01:20:15] eat of it all of you in remembrance of me here at Harvard we like to serve family style so you want to hold on to your bread until everybody's been served we'll all eat together and i'd like to observe a little bit of silence for some people if that's
[01:20:28] new to you it may feel a little awkward but just enjoy the quiet break open a bible pray um look to christ in these few moments prince of him same manner after the supper jesus took the cup he
[01:23:06] blessed and he said this is my blood in the new covenant shed for many for the forgiveness their sins. We are washed because of what Christ accomplished on the cross, and he was raised from the dead so we can know for sure, historically, rooted in reality and truth, that our sins are
[01:23:25] paid for. Now, here at Harvard, we like to serve wine and grape juice. The outermost ring is wine, all the inner rings are juice. Just like the bread, if you want to hold on to your cup until
[01:23:40] everybody's been served. The blood of Christ was shed for you. Let's drink in remembrance of him.
[01:26:04] Let's pray together. Father God, we thank you for your love. Christ, we thank you for accomplishing salvation for us. And Holy Spirit, we thank you for applying all the Father ordered and the Son accomplished to us, to our hearts, to regenerate us, to give us life and faith and a new destiny.
[01:26:27] Lord, we pray that you would rise within our hearts a greater trust, faith, love, and hope.
[01:26:35] We ask these things in Christ's name.
[01:26:37] Amen.
[01:26:38] Would you please stand as we sing our closing song together?

[01:26:40] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_05]
[01:26:40] Before we close, don't forget we've got coffee and snacks

[01:30:04] [SPEAKER SPEAKER_01]
[01:30:04] in the room to the right.
[01:30:05] Sunday school starts at a quarter after the hour.
[01:30:09] If you're in need of prayer, somebody to talk with, there'll be an elder and a women's care team representative up here.
[01:30:14] They'd love to pray with you and for you.
[01:30:17] Receive the Lord's blessing.
[01:30:18] as you go out into the world, from Colossians chapter 1.
[01:30:22] May you be strengthened with all power, according to his glorious might, for all endurance and patience with joy, giving thanks to the Father who has qualified you to share in the inheritance of the saints in life.