Harris Creek Baptist Church

Latest Episodes:

Gossip Feb 13, 2022

Show notes

Have you ever talked about someone who wasn’t present? Have you ever found out people talked about you when you weren’t present? As we continue our series, 7 Deadly Sins of Suburbia, Nate Hilgenkamp teaches about gossip by teaching through the book of Proverbs.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

-Gossip is sharing unhelpful or unnecessary information about someone who isn’t present.

-Gossip is in the same list of sins as murder and hating God.

-Gossip is enjoyable.

-TMZ made $126 million in 2021…they’ve literally made an industry out of gossip.

-Neuroscience has shown that the reward center of our brain lights up in response to gossip in a similar way as it does to romantic interest or eating chocolate.

-We enjoy gossip because it makes us feel better than others.

-Gossip also makes us feel important because someone trusts us to tell us something.

-When someone gossips to you, they are really saying, “I’m OK talking about people behind their back.”

-We enjoy gossip because it’s easy. It’s a lot harder to ask intentional questions of others or share specific struggles in your own life.

-Gossip is divisive.

-As adults it’s easy to see gossip in middle and high schoolers, but the reality is, it’s rampant and divisive in adults too.

-It’s been said that gossip is the devil’s telephone.

-God hates gossip because He loves you.

-Before being crucified, Jesus prayed specifically for us, today, that we would be perfectly unified with other Christians the way He and the Father are perfectly unified.

-Gossip can be put out.

-The only way a fire can continue is by adding fuel. The same is true of gossip. Are you adding fuel or putting it out?

-Even if you don’t share gossip, you have a part to play when you listen or permit it to happen.

-We talk to people not about people.

-On Harris Creek staff, we practice the “24-hour rule.” If someone says something to you about someone else, you give that person 24-hours to go tell the person they gossiped about, and if they don’t, you go with them to talk to the person together.

-These phrases are almost never going to have helpful things behind them: “Don’t tell them I told you, but;” “This doesn’t leave this room;” & “Just between you and me.”

-Venting is simply calling gossip by a different name.

-If something doesn’t honor God or encourage others, just don’t say it.

-If you are afraid your phone might record what you are saying about someone, don’t say it in the first place.

-God hears every word you speak. Your words matter.

MENTIONED OR RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

-Proverbs 18:8, 16:28, 26:20; Romans 1:29-30; Genesis 3:4-5; John 17:20-23; Ephesians 4:29; Matthew 12:36-37

-Sermon: Comparison

Comparison Feb 06, 2022

Show notes

Where in life are you prone to compare your life to others? What happens in your mind and heart when you compare to others? Is it helpful? Hurtful? As we continue our series, 7 Deadly Sins of Suburbia, Nate Hilgenkamp teaches us about the sin of comparison by studying Luke 18:9-14.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

-It’s been well said that comparison is the thief of all joy.

-A parable is a story told in order to emphasize a single point of truth.

-Comparison views life as a competition.

-Some of you have an exhausting life because you are always comparing yourself to and competing with other people.

-Where do you find your worth and value in life? Your salary? Social media likes and comments? How much playing time your kid gets? Your neighborhood?

-If you really want to succeed and you can’t celebrate when other people succeed, you struggle with comparison.

-The sin of comparison is not new or exclusive to Suburbia. It shows up as early as Genesis 4 when Cain kills Abel. There are many examples of comparison all throughout the Scriptures.

-There are typically two different buckets of comparison: materialistic (“I want what they have”) and moralistic (“I’m better than they are”).

-When you pray, who is the focus of your prayer? You or God?

-Comparison crushes relationships.

-When your life is a competition, it makes everyone else your competitor and you isolate yourself, both of which kill your relationships.

-Comparison is killed by humility.

-How do you become humble? Compare yourself to God.

-When you compare yourself to a righteous, holy, & perfect God, there is no other option than to be humble before Him.

-Your job isn’t to compare to other people or Christians. Your job is to pick up your cross and follow Jesus every day.

-If you are too busy focusing on someone else’s life you won’t be able to live your own life.

MENTIONED OR RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

-Suggested Scripture study: Luke 18:9-14; Exodus 20:17; Genesis 4; Luke 9:46; Isaiah 6:5; Hebrews 10:14-18; John 21:17-25

-Sermon: Apathy

Apathy Jan 30, 2022

Show notes

Have you ever received a medical diagnosis saying you’d get worse if you don’t make changes? What about other areas of your life…things aren’t going well and they’ll only get worse if something doesn’t change? As we continue our series, 7 Deadly Sins of Suburbia, JP teaches us about apathy by studying Hebrews 5 & 6.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

-People do not drift toward holiness. Apart from grace-driven effort, people do not gravitate toward godliness, prayer, obedience to Scripture, faith, and delight in the Lord. We drift toward compromise and call it tolerance; we drift toward disobedience and call it freedom; we drift toward superstition and call it faith. We cherish the indiscipline of lost self-control and call it relaxation; we slouch toward prayerlessness and delude ourselves into thinking we have escaped legalism; we slide toward godlessness and convince ourselves we have been liberated. - D.A. Carson

-The church will be at the height of its heresy when you call obedience legalism. - AW Tozer

-If you go through life doing only what you feel like, you will only grow dysfunctional. You will not grow as a disciple of Christ by only following your feelings.

-You could get to heaven and live a completely spiritually impotent life while on earth.

-So many Christians are not living the Christian life. They are not a threat to the enemy, and they are simply drifting toward death.

-The Bible teaches the exact opposite of apathy and comfort. It teaches to embrace hardships and challenges and discipline.

-Apathy: A resistance to spiritual growth.

-No Christian is exempt from living out the call of 2 Timothy 2:2: The things you have heard from me in the presence of many witnesses, entrust to faithful people who will teach others also.

-We fight apathy by growing as a healthy disciple.

-Disciples make other disciples, and all Christians are disciples. A “disciple making disciple” is redundant.

-May we never be a people that is more American than we are Christian.

-You don’t go to the gym to be entertained, you go to workout (to change). Similarly, you don’t go to church to be entertained, you go to be changed. To become more like Jesus.

-We fight apathy with a steady diet of God’s Word.

-At some point, Christians must outgrow a diet of only devotionals. They must learn to read and study the Bible on their own.

-If reading your Bible is hard, that doesn’t make it wrong or bad. Going to the gym is also hard…you go to grow, and you only grow when it’s hard.

-If you take pictures of a tree one year apart, you won’t see much of a difference. If you take pictures of a tree 20-years apart, there will be a huge difference. Mostly, in a way you can’t even see: deep, strong roots that are the foundation and strength of the tree and it’s growth.

-There has never been a person of faith—let alone great faith—who doesn’t pray.

-We fight apathy by exercising our faith.

-As you exercise your faith, sin will become more and more repulsive to you. You won’t stop sinning on this side of death, but it will become less attractive.

-We don’t work for our salvation, we work from our salvation.

-If you drift toward apathy, one of two things will be true: you will die and go to hell (you were never a Christian to begin with), or, you will get to the end of your life and realize you completely wasted if.

MENTIONED OR RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

-Suggested Scripture study: Hebrews 5:11-6:8; 1 Timothy 4:7-8; 2 Timothy 2:2

-Sermon: Entitlement

Entitlement Jan 23, 2022

Show notes

Has there ever been a time in your life when you were frustrated or complained because something didn’t make sense to you? Because you didn’t get what you wanted? As we continue our series, 7 Deadly Sins of Suburbia, JP teaches us about the sin of entitlement by studying Luke 14:1-14.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

-What are things we feel entitled to? Comfort, health, time, food, money, safety, salvation, love…what is it for you?

-Want to know a sure fire way to know what you feel entitled to? What do you complain about? Whatever you complain about, that’s what you are entitled about.

-Don’t fall victim to a counterfeit version of Christianity and be OK with it.

-Should Christians ever take the best seat?

-Entitlement is focusing on what you deserve.

-As Christians, we are to use whatever God has entrusted us with to serve others.

-Discomfort kills entitlement. There is no comfortable solution to entitlement.

-Entitlement is the air we breathe. It impacts everything about us.

-For entitled people, it rarely feels like things are going their way.

-Entitlement leads to disappointment.

-Every disappointment you’ve ever experienced comes from your expectations.

-Entitled people are perpetually frustrated.

-You cannot be thankful for what you feel entitled to.

-Christians in America have a lot to be thankful for, and on the whole, we are terrible at being grateful for most of it.

-Want to grow in gratitude? Ask God to take away anything you aren’t grateful for.

-Grateful people always win. Entitled people always lose.

-We change entitlement by changing our perspective.

-What is your role in “the party” that is life? The host, or the guest? Make no mistake, as a Christian, it’s always the host.

-We are masters at manipulating the rules or the system in our favor.

-The Christian (or biblical) worldview says life on this world is a limited amount of time to serve as many people as you can serve before spending forever in heaven with God.

-All we actually deserve is hell. However, an infinitely good God gave us everything we need to be with Him through Christ.

-If something is true, even if no one around you lives or acts like it, it is still true.

-The gospel kills entitlement.

-Practicing gratitude kills entitlement.

-Ask people near you this week: am I a grateful person? Does gratitude mark my life?

-Ask God what you are entitled to.

MENTIONED OR RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

-Suggested Scripture study: Luke 14:7-14; Philippians 2:3; 1 Peter 5:5; James 4:10; Luke 13:30; Mark 10:45; Philippians 2:6-8

-Sermon: Busyness

Busyness Jan 09, 2022

Show notes

Do you ever feel like your life is busy? What causes it to be that way? As we start a new series, The Seven Sins of Suburbia, JP addresses the sin of busyness by examining Mary and Martha in Luke 10.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

-Busyness is the enemy of encouragement.

-What all could you put in the blank: Busyness is the enemy of ________.

-Here’s a secret: you will always have a lot to do. There will always be more to do than you have time for.

-How much do you like yourself and your life when you are busy?

-Jesus had friends. Have you ever considered that?

-Minister or ministry simply means to render aid to those in need. All Christian’s, regardless of where they work and get a paycheck, are called to ministry.

-Busyness is the enemy of focus.

-What is the work that only you can do? What are the things that only you can do?

-Don’t let the many things distract you from the one thing.

-You are the only one who is in charge of your relationship with Jesus.

-Busyness breeds a victim mentality. You are either for me or against me when I’m busy.

-Busyness is the enemy of empathy.

-People become distractions to your list of things to do when you are busy.

-Nobody cares how busy you are. No one.

-This is not an admonition to single moms. If you are a single mom, we are here for you! Let us know how we can help and serve you.

-The world will not crumble if you slow down and stop.

-Busyness is the enemy of peace and joy.

-The greatest antidote to “What if…” is to answer the question.

-If busy frustrates you, you have set yourself up for a life of frustration.

-When something comes at you that you didn’t expect, margin is a great thing. But more than margin, prioritization will help you more.

-There are things that won’t get done. Choose them carefully.

-“I have so much to do today that I will spend three hours in prayer in order to get it all done.” -Martin Luther

-If you want to see your kids go to an Ivy League school or play professional sports, but you don’t disciple them or teach them the Bible, that is a really, really bad trade.

-What you say no to will tell other people what is most important to you. People will remember what you say no to.

-Three of the big rocks we want you to prioritize at Harris Creek are attending corporate worship, serving, and meeting consistently with your Life Group.

-What are your personal big rocks? Your non-negotiables in life?

MENTIONED OR RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

-Suggested Scripture study: Luke 10:38-42

December 26, 2021 Dec 26, 2021

Show notes

God's Promise to You Dec 24, 2021

Show notes

God's Promise To Mary Dec 19, 2021

Show notes

When things disrupt your life, how are you prone to respond? What comes out of you when you are squeezed? As we continue our series, a Critical Christmas, Rich Bartel teaches us about the story of Mary and how she responded when God disrupted her life.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

-When God comes in and disrupts your life, how do you respond?

-Mary, the mother of Jesus, was a simple, ordinary woman in need of a savior just like us.

-Humility isn’t self-denigration, but rather an honest self-appraisal.

-Mary responds with humility.

-Mary acknowledged who her Master was and she humbly and gladly responded to His plan for her life.

-Mary was submitted to God’s Word.

-Mary embodied the truths Scripture calls us to live by.

-You will never meet a mature, kind, discerning, wise, and loving Christian who hasn’t spent time reading, knowing, and meditating on God’s Word.

-Mary responds with worship.

-Life isn’t a matter of trying to not be shaken, but rather, what comes out of you when you are shaken.

-Make no mistake: if you are a Christian, God will disrupt your life. How will you respond when He does?

MENTIONED OR RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

-Suggested Scripture study: Luke 1:28-56; Psalm 34:2; Isaiah 45:21; 1 Samuel 1:11; Psalm 126:3; Psalm 111:9

-Sermon: God’s Promise to Zechariah

God's Promise to Zechariah Dec 12, 2021

Show notes

Have you ever been let down before? Had someone say they’d do something and then they didn’t do it? As we start a new sermon series, a Critical Christmas, Nate Hilgenkamp teaches through Luke 1:10-20 and examines the story of Zechariah, answering the question of whether or not God can be trusted.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

-God makes promises to His people.

-God often talks about what He will do in the future, which requires a specific response from us: faith.

-What circumstance causes you to doubt and question God the most?

-God’s people often question God’s promises.

-Do you struggle to trust God with your future because you’ve forgotten what He’s done in the past because you are so consumed with your present circumstances?

-God fulfills His promises.

-This is how we often question God: “How because I am _______?”

-The answer to Moses’ and Zechariah’s question is the same answer to our questions: God is. He is who He says He is.

-God does what He promises.

-There are over 300 prophecies in the Old Testament that come true during Jesus’ time on earth. Multiple of which were completely out of His control.

-We have more in common with Zechariah than we think.

-As Christians, we are waiting for Christ to return. Are you ready for it?

-The story of Christmas tells us that God can be trusted.

MENTIONED OR RECOMMENDED RESOURCES

-Suggested Scripture study: Luke 1:10-20; Malachi 4:5-6; Philippians 4:19; John 4:14, 14:2-3; Hebrews 11:1; Genesis 17:15-17; Exodus 3:11-14; Revelation 19:6-9

2021 Year in Review Dec 05, 2021

Show notes

Have you ever crossed the finish line in a race before? Or, what about crossing a starting line to begin a race? As 2021 comes to a close, JP looks back as we cross one finish line and looks ahead to what God has in store as we start a new race in the days ahead.

KEY TAKEAWAYS

-We refuse to make “the deal” with you: show up, pay up, and sit quietly as we entertain you and don’t ask too much of you.

-We are committed to complete transparency with you. We will err on the side of telling you too much too soon.

-We try every week to tear down the proverbial curtain between church members and church staff. We are a kingdom of priests, each and every one of us (not just the church staff).

-At the end of 2018, we refinanced the loan on our property. It was a $6.1 million loan. We had a goal of raising $7 million in 7-years.

-On average, we take in 25% of our annual budget in the month of December.

-As of Wednesday, December 1, 2021, we are debt free!

-We are committed to putting to death perception management. It’s one of the great evils within the church, and especially in America.

-In 2021, 43% of covenant members gave to the mission of Harris Creek.

-Your spiritual growth and your generosity will be aligned.

-In 2021, 1 in 10 undergraduate students at Baylor were in a Harris Creek Life Group.

-The Becoming Something podcast was listened to over 1.5 million times in 2021.

-161 people were baptized in 2021.

-As we finish our journey of paying off our debt, we are ready to begin a new journey. Debt is not sinful, but it is limiting.

-There are 1,181 kids in the foster system in McLennan county. This is symptomatic of the church not being the church.

-We are going to build a house to help house foster children who are sleeping in CPS offices.

-In the days ahead we want to plant churches, reach the nations, and continue helping everyone follow Jesus by engaging the lost, equipping the saints, and empowering members for service.

-We simply want to make disciples. That’s it.

-Let’s not make the mistake by forsaking our first love like Ephesus did. Let’s finish well. Let’s pray God would increase our faith and that we’d love Him more at the end of today than we did when we woke up.

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