Summary of Chad Harvey's Sermon: Your Partner in Persecution

I have been attending Raleigh First Assembly for almost 9 months. The services have focused my attention on the important things and each week I feel myself making spiritual progress. Of course, I haven't been perfect, because I still stress out about the little things, or panic a bit too much. But I am getting better!

The pastor at Raleigh First is Chad Harvey and he is nothing short of sensational. Direct, honest, funny, and "sold out for Jesus Christ". He frames contemporary problems in a fresh, biblical context.

You can download his sermons at:

http://www.raleighfirst.org/

Below is a summary of the most recent service, Your Partner in Persecution.
This sermon references John 15:18-16:11. The outline is what we received in Church and the sentences following that are mine, not Pastor Harvey's.

Why do you have problems?

1. Life is tough.

Romans 8:18-26 confirms it. In a nutshell, what we suffer now is nothing compared to the glory he will reveal to us later. So yes, life is tough now, but the afterlife will be amazing! In verse 24 and 26, "We were given this hope when we were saved. And the Holy Spirit helps us in our weakness." Life is tough, but the Holy Spirit is there to guide you along the path God has chosen for you until we do receive His glory later.

2. The world.

The world is one of the biggest obstacles for Christians. What is popular is generally not consistent with Christian priniples. Your friends will test you, your job will test you, your dog might even test you! Everywhere you look, the world is bombarding you with images that are inconsistent with how God wants you to live. The constant temptation means you must have a strong support group to help you in times of weakness and you must stay close to God. If you lack either of these things, temptation will appear closer and closer in your rearview mirror.

The World is used in three ways.

a. Creation. Psalms 24:1.

b. People in the world. This is supported by the familiar John 3:16 passage.

c. Organized spiritual system that opposes the things of God.

Many people have the more, bigger, and better syndrome. Whatever they have is not big enough, expensive enough, or advanced enough. This drives people to take inventory of their lives: but not spiritually. This constant checklist of things to do, things to buy, or places to go can lead you astray from your personal relationship with Jesus Christ. When you feel the pull of the world, you need to reevaluate your spiritual status. When things cause you anxiety, worry, and stress, think about refocusing your thoughts and time and align them with Christian principles.

Jesus says three astounding things about this world system:

i. The world hates Jesus. John 15:18. "If the world hates you, remember that it hated me first."

ii. The world hates Christians. John 15:19. "The world would love you as one of its own if you belonged to it, but you are no longer part of the world. I chose you to come out of the world, so it hates you."

I love this passage. It just seems to make so much sense. People will like you if they see you as someone with similar values or interests. Therefore, if the world likes you, you must be sending the message that you agree with what it is doing and saying. So why would you want the world to like you? You don't belong to it, and the longer and harder you fight to stay in it, the further away you are from reaching the glory of the afterlife. Friendship with the world is enmity with God (direct quote from CH).

iii. The world hurts Christians. John 15:20. "Do you remember what I told you? 'A slave is not greater than the master.' Since they persecuted me, naturally they will persecute you. And if they had listened to me, they would listen to you."

I think this is a good verse to remember. The Christian life is not always an easy road and nothing says it better than this verse. This does not mean the Christian life cannot be rewarding or enjoyable, but your faith will be tested and people might not like your beliefs and you have to be willing to go to bat for your beliefs to make a difference.

How the Holy Spirit helps us to overcome the world:

a. By witnessing about Jesus. John 15:26.

b. By helping Christians witness about Jesus. John 15:27. You must bear witness. "And you must also testify about me because you have been with me from the beinning of my ministry."

c. By convicting the world. John 16:8. "And when he comes, he will convict the world of its sin, and of Gods righeousness, and of the coming judgement."

d. By always being with us. John 16:7. He has sent the Holy Spirit to be everywhere at one time."

END SUMMARY


Some memorable quotes from Sunday:

"The moment we stop being radical, we lose our edge."

"The world won't always like Chrisitans. It would be bad if they did."

"You must love Jesus Christ more than acceptance from the world."

Remember, we have not been given a spirit of fear!

I hope you were able to get something from this. Feel free to leave comments. Remember, this is only a summary of the service. Please visit Raleigh First's homepage to make your own! By the way, I use the New Living Translation version.

Do you have one foot in the world?