Blessed In Our Mourning

The Harbor

Blessed In Our Mourning

October 15, 2023 • Jeff Maness • 2 Corinthians 1:3–11, Psalm 34:18, Psalm 56:8, Psalm 103:10, Matthew 5:4

The second Beatitude in Jesus' Sermon on the Mount is: "God blesses those who mourn, for they will be comforted." (Matthew 5:4 NLT) The Greek word for mourn here is Penthéō, and it means, "To grieve over a death; to grieve over a personal hope that dies. A manifested grief so severe it takes possession of a person and cannot be hid." Have you felt this way? Are you grieving now?

In this message, Senior Pastor Jeff Maness teaches that God doesn’t always stop what causes our mourning, but He does always want to comfort us in it. Watch and see the ways God comforts us in our mourning, and find out why He doesn't just fix the cause of it.

Blessed are the Persecuted

November 26, 2023 • Todd Nettleton • Matthew 5:10–11, Acts 5:41

“Blessed are those who are persecuted for righteousness’ sake, for theirs is the kingdom of heaven. Blessed are you when others revile you and persecute you and utter all kinds of evil against you falsely on my account.” —Matthew 5:10-11 This is not a blessing for which we often pray, but Jesus knew persecution would come to many who follow Him. Persecution is real, and it is happening today around the world. Watch/listen as Todd Nettleton, from The Voice of the Martyrs, tells stories of real life people experiencing imprisonment or worse because of their faith in Jesus. Todd's message will give you hope and stretch you in ways you didn't expect.

Blessed are the Peacemakers

November 19, 2023 • Chris Taylor • Matthew 5:9, 2 Corinthians 5:18–21, Romans 12:15–21

God blesses those who work for peace, for they will be called the children of God. —Matthew 5:9 This beatitude is not talking about those who live in a peaceful manner, but those who bring about real, lasting peace, those who work to bring people to Jesus so that they can live in peace with God. As Christians, we are called to bring peace to the world. Watch this message by Director of Worship Arts Chris Taylor to see how and why we should bring peace to the world.

I Want to See God!

November 12, 2023 • Jeff Maness • Philippians 3:12–21, Matthew 5:8, Leviticus 20:8

God blesses those whose hearts are pure, for they will see God. —Matthew 5:8 Everyone wants to see God, and if you are in Christ, you will see Him in heaven. But those that are pure in heart will see God now, here on Earth. So how do I make my heart pure? The answer is: you can't. A pure heart is received from Jesus, not achieved for Jesus. It's not based on what you do. Our hearts are made pure only by shed blood of Jesus, by accepting His sacrifice for our sin. But just because only God can give us a pure heart, does not mean there aren't expectations to live a pure life. Watch/listen to "I Want to See God!" to find out what those expectations are and see how we live up to them.