Harbor Rock Tabernacle

A challenging aspect of living for the Lord is waiting for, understanding and being content with HIs direction. We tend to want immediate clarity and gratification, but faith, humility, patience, prayer and sacrifice are the means to discernment.  So there are 4 actions we can take to "roll away" the stress and anxiety, requiring that we yield our expectations and what is easiest, while anticipati...

An example of a failure in building a backyard hockey rink has strong parallels to a verse in Proverbs that warns that the beginning of strife is like letting out water...so we need to abandon the quarrel before it happens.  This causes us to humbly examine our emotional reactions to conflict and to walk in the Spirit so He can rule our spirit to have strong and holy relationships.  Video of this...

In pointing us to the example of Jesus Christ, Philippians 2 is very direct in commanding us to "do nothing from selfishness, but in humility regard one another as more important than yourselves". This calls us to confront the seemingly logical justifications we have for being selfish, and to understand that being like Christ and showing love requires joyful sacrifice.  Video of this service is al...

The Holy Spirit is given as a gift to all believers, but how fully do we open up and ask for His ownership and empowering of our lives? 3 of HRT's elders teach how the Spirit fills us to carry out our calling, with streams of living water to refresh and strengthen us, and then to offer the hope, life and healing that only the Lord can give.  Video of this service is also available:  https://www.yo...

Often, we make important decisions based on what we're feeling in the moment, but that can allow hurt and disillusionment to dictate a new reality in our mind. Naomi fell into this thinking after experiencing heartbreaking personal loss, becoming bitter towards the Lord and literally wanting to change her identity. But recognizing His goodness pulled her out of her discouragement and gave her a wo...

A man named Obed-edom was unexpectedly put in the challenging position of housing the Ark of the Covenant after the tragic death of Uzzah. Having the literal presence of the Lord in his living room was a serious, intimidating assignment, but Obed-edom was chosen by the Lord because he trusted the Lord fully, abided in His presence, and set a powerful example of faithfulness to his family.  Video o...

Looking at the significance of world events and changes to our culture, the apostle Paul's statement in Romans 13 that "the day is near" reminds us that Christ can return at any moment.  So as believers, we are called to holiness--casting off anything that at all has the appearance of evil, behaving properly and soberly, and making no provision for the flesh. This prevents the "drift" and "neglect...

Within Christianity, it is possible that we have communicated far too much latitude to be slow and undisciplined about advancing to spiritual maturity. The enemy leverages this to promote spiritual inertia in believers, by distracting and discouraging us, while pushing us to be soft in our convictions and purpose. But 1 Corinthians 9 calls us to action--to run with discipline the race of our faith...

There are times when we feel like the Lord isn't responding to our prayers--even when we're praying what is good and honors Him. That can breed doubt and discontentment, so David affirms in Psalm 4 that we need to have a long view of the Lord's goodness and be confident in His mercy and sufficiency. The promise is that the Lord "sets apart those who are Godly for Himself", and He calls us to analy...

We're all given a name at birth, but our identity is largely formed by our character and choices.  How people view us may not be how we hope they view us.  As believers, we are evaluated by 5 categories:  Our reputation, our spiritual maturity and passion, our example, our love and sacrifice, and our ministry impact.  It's vital that we represent Christ well, since we bear His Name first and forem...

In 1 Samuel, Abigail was a Godly woman who was married to a worthless man named Nabal, who intentionally offended future king David. Rather than letting David sin by killing Nabal, Abigail took wise steps to defuse the situation, protect lives and help David stay in God's will. This calls us to humble sacrifice, especially when we see the Lord's hand and plan. Video of this service is also availab...

Consistency and faithfulness in our faith and life tend to be underrated qualities, but the Lord greatly values them, especially because they dictate how we live. When David sinned with Bathsheeba, his character and behaviour were clearly altered, marked by emotional instability and irrational decisions. The fact that the devil tried to seize on that weakness shows how vital it is for us to ask th...

Jesus' resurrection was verified by hundreds who saw Him alive, but there is another powerful Truth that comes from it: The fact that when we trust Him to save us, He makes us alive, too. This is not an improved adaptation of our old life which was controlled by sin--it is now dead! And as those made alive in Christ, we gratefully make significant choices that show our deep convictions and our new...

There were two groups--the Jewish leaders and Romans--with everything to gain if Jesus stayed dead, and everything to lose if He was actually risen. But even a violent execution, a sealed tomb and extra soldiers could not defeat Jesus, because He has all power and victory over sin and the grave. This proves man's inability and our need for the salvation only He can provide.  Video of this service...

It is historically likely that just one person was with Jesus from arrest to being put in the tomb--a Roman centurion. This harsh, secular leader had his heart changed as he witnessed the events and Jesus' humble reactions. His fresh faith and convictions were confirmed when Jesus died, and then there was no doubt once the tomb was empty.   Video of this service is also available:  https://www.you...

In the week before HIs death, Jesus cleansed the temple of the moneychangers--an event that almost seems out of character. But while He was righteously angry, He was also deeply sad at the callousness of the people as they conveniently bought sacrifices in the temple. This reminds us that when we come to worship, we need to upend pride and careless convictions, and consecrate ourselves.  Video of...

As believers, we hear about the importance of God's Word, but do we love it?  Do we have a strong relationship with it?  As we go deeper into the Word, we find that it makes us uniquely wise, strengthens our faith and gives us distinct advantage in spiritual warfare. When we meditate on it, we will experience it's power in our lives.  Video of this service is also available:  https://www.youtube.c...

The new believers in 1st Century Ephesus were wrestling with false worship & immorality all around them, and were at risk of being deceived. The apostle Paul wrote to them, praying that the eyes of their heart would be enlightened, and that they would live in "the surpassing greatness of God's power". This power gives believers the ability to have deep faith, resist temptation, bear fruit, lea...

There are times when we experience strong, negative emotions due to people and circumstances, including deep insecurity, anger, fear and hurt. These can undermine our faith and do significant damage, but the Lord has given us "divinely powered" weapons for this war against us. So He calls us to "take our thoughts captive", casting our care on Him, understanding Jesus better, and being willing to b...

Like we have seen with the exposure of corruption and secret agendas in our government, our spiritual enemy is trying to advance his evil agenda by creating an internal conflict in us. We are forgiven and delivered from sin's bondage, but we sometimes still allow our flesh to have a place. This grieves and quenches the Holy Spirit. So the Lord gives us a strong, intentional plan to protect our hea...

When Israel finally occupied the Promised Land, the Lord told them to drive out all their enemies, because they defied the Lord and might influence them to worship false gods. But Israel allowed them to persist, holding an ungrateful and careless attitude toward God's commands. So many of our problems, and the reason we often get stuck, is because we refuse to eradicate the enemies of our faith, i...

The Lord offers eternal life to us, and makes abundant life so simple, but somehow we still can feel stuck, lacking in discernment and needing consistency. In Psalm 19, David says the answers are found in the strength of God's Word, which offers 6 traits that refresh our soul and provide strength and stability.  He reminds us that the Word is more precious than gold and sweeter than honey.  Video...

Our emotions and feelings are powerful and can become debilitating if we focus on them and ourselves. So in Psalm 42 & 43, we are called to "speak to our soul", challenging it's doubt of God's faithful provision. We have to identify the root of our despair, knowing that coveting and regret impede us from walking by faith, and live in hope in the Lord by seeking and walking in His wisdom.  Vide...

As believers, it is vital that we have a strong understanding of the cross. Through it, Christ is eternally established as the Victorious King, who has permanently defeated the devil. Because of the cross, we should be ecstatic about our position and also recognize all He is doing. He has given us power and authority, and a unique calling to draw everyone to Himself.  Video of this service is also...

New research is finding that some of our memories may be stored in the cells of the heart, in addition to our brain. So when a person gets a heart transplant, often the donor's preferences, temperament and identity can also be transferred to the recipient. In Ezekiel, the Lord assures us that He gives us a new heart and a new spirit when we trust in Jesus Christ, and that as a new creation, we now...