April 21, 2024 | "Old Stuff That Works: Free Will” | Rev. Vicki Harrison
9:30 AM - Traditional Service
11:15 AM - Praise Service
Summary:
Pastor Vicki Harrison’s sermon, “Free Will,” from the series “Old Stuff That Works,” examines the profound concept of free will as presented in the story of Adam and Eve in Genesis. Pastor Vicki explores the implications of free will in our relationship with God, emphasizing that while free will allows for personal choice, it also opens the possibility for disobedience and its consequences. She articulates that true freedom comes with responsibilities and the ability to choose God’s way, aligning with the belief that God’s Word is rooted in authority and unchangeable truth.
Pastor Vicki encourages the congregation to embrace their freedom responsibly by choosing to follow God, thereby living out New Hope’s mission to make more and better followers of Jesus Christ. This sermon not only reflects on the historical context of free will but also its ongoing relevance in daily Christian life, urging listeners to commit fully to God’s path.
Link to previous related sermon: www.findnewhope.com/message-archive/old-stuff-that-works
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More Sermons in this Series
Explore the challenges and blessings of free will in Pastor Vicki Harrison’s insightful sermon from the 'Old Stuff That Works' series, and discover how choosing God's path offers true freedom.
Explore the challenges and blessings of free will in Pastor Vicki Harrison’s insightful sermon from the 'Old Stuff That Works' series, and discover how choosing God's path offers true freedom.
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Other Sermons from Pastor Vicki
Pastor Vicki Harrison opens Matthew 5:13-16 and shows us that being salt and light isn't something we do — it's who we already are as followers of Jesus.
Jesus opens the most famous sermon in history by calling the poorest people in the room blessed. Pastor Vicki Harrison launches New Hope Church's fall series in Matthew 5, and the Beatitudes turn every rule about who counts upside down.
Rev. Vicki Harrison opened Matthew 12 with a question that would have stunned the room in Jesus' day: "Who is my mother? Who are my brothers?" Jesus points to the people around him and redefines family for good. "The church is not like a family," Vicki said. "The church is a family." On Promotion Sunday and the day before school started back, she showed what that means at New Hope Church — a household of households, led by Jesus, where the mask comes off and we actually learn to love each other. Then the whole church gathered for a family photo and prayed over its teachers.
On Communion Sunday, Rev. Vicki Harrison opens Matthew 26 — the night before the cross, where Jesus takes the oldest meal of God's people and fills it with new meaning. "This is my body… this is my blood of the covenant, poured out for many for the forgiveness of sins." The message walks through what actually happens when we come to the Lord's Table: we experience the grace of Jesus, we come together as one body, all people are welcome, and we return to it again and again. It is not a ritual to observe from a distance — it is grace we receive with open hands.
The water was at the front of the room, and one by one people stepped in to say it out loud: I belong to Jesus. Here's what Pastor Vicki Harrison taught about baptism on Sunday — and why the old really is gone.
James 1:19 is one of those verses that's easy to memorize and hard to live: "Be quick to listen, slow to speak, and slow to become angry." In this message from the Words Matter series, Rev. Vicki Harrison pairs that command with James 3:13-18 — where James contrasts earthly wisdom (bitter jealousy, selfish ambition, disorder) with wisdom from above (pure, peaceable, gentle, full of mercy). The result is a conviction not just about the tongue, but about the heart posture underneath it.
James 3 opens with one of the most arresting images in the New Testament: a small rudder steering a great ship. A tiny spark setting an entire forest ablaze. The tongue. In this message from the Words Matter series, Rev. Vicki Harrison opens James 3 to explore why the words we speak are not a minor issue — they reveal the state of our hearts, they wound or they heal, and they cannot be tamed by willpower alone. Only the gospel reaches deep enough.
Amos 9 brings the Let the Lion Roar series to a close with a hard word and a hopeful one: judgment is real, but God is not finished. Next Sunday, Pastor Vicki Harrison opens the final chapter of Amos with a message about rebuilding, restoration, and the kind of renewal that reaches all the way into the future.
Amos 5 confronts a people who have drifted so far from God that their religious activity has become hollow noise. But the prophet doesn't leave them there — he holds out an Escape Plan. This Father's Day, Pastor Vicki Harrison unpacks what it means to seek the Lord and live.
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Explore the enduring importance of the Old Testament with Rev. Vicki Harrison, as she unpacks its role in understanding God’s nature and its connection to the New Testament.