Harbor Church Honolulu https://harborhonolulu.org Kakaako Honolulu Hawaii Fri, 14 Feb 2025 23:02:55 +0000 en-US hourly 1 https://harborhonolulu.org/wp-content/uploads/2018/12/cropped-harbor-logo-blue-1-32x32.png Harbor Church Honolulu https://harborhonolulu.org 32 32 Freed To Enjoy Your Spouse https://harborhonolulu.org/2025/02/16/freed-to-enjoy-your-spouse/ Sun, 16 Feb 2025 18:30:55 +0000 https://harborhonolulu.org/?p=90004 Week of February 16
Exodus 20:14

OPENER

  • If you’re married, what do you love most about your spouse? If you’re planning to be married, what do you love most about the future spouse in your imagination?

DISCUSSION

  • Read Exodus 20:14. Our faithful love for our spouse is empowered by God’s faithful love toward us. How have you seen God’s faithfulness in your life lately?
  • Read Matthew 5:27–28. Jesus reminds us that God cares about our hearts even more than our actions. How does our culture encourage lustfulness in our hearts?
  • What are some practical ways Christians can guard our minds against lustful thoughts?
  • Read Matthew 5:29–30. Jesus says sometimes we need radical spiritual surgery to deal with sexual sin. How does God’s view of sin impact your perception of sin?
  • God created sex to enjoy in marriage. How does our enjoyment of God lead to our enjoyment of our spouse?

ACTION STEP

  • Is there any radical spiritual surgery you need to perform this week? Are there parts of your life (that might seem as important as eyes or hands) that need to be removed?
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 Freed to Enjoy Purity (Exodus 20:14) https://harborhonolulu.org/2025/02/16/freed-to-enjoy-purity-exodus-2014/ Sun, 16 Feb 2025 18:00:22 +0000 https://harborhonolulu.org/?p=90061 water drops on white surface“You shall not commit adultery.” (Exodus 20:14) Like the Commandments before and after this one, it seems pretty clear—“You shall not commit adultery.” The definition of adultery is equally clear: Voluntary sexual relations between a married person and someone other than their spouse. So why is that a bad thing? The simplistic answer is Because God […]]]> water drops on white surface ]]> Week of Feb. 16 https://harborhonolulu.org/2025/02/16/mens_challenge_wk_of_feb16/ Sun, 16 Feb 2025 17:00:34 +0000 https://harborhonolulu.org/?p=89720 RENEW YOUR MIND
Identify one thing that causes your mind to think about the wrong things. Amputate it from your life. (Matt. 5:29-30)

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Freed To Make Peace https://harborhonolulu.org/2025/02/10/freed-to-make-peace/ Tue, 11 Feb 2025 06:30:05 +0000 https://harborhonolulu.org/?p=90009 Week of February 9
Exodus 20:13

OPENER

  • What kinds of people do you usually try to avoid? What happens if you are around that kind of person?

DISCUSSION

  • Read Genesis 9:5-6. Why does God value human life? What makes it difficult for us to value people the same way?
  • Read Matthew 5:21–22. Jesus says we’re all guilty in our hearts of murder when we hold on to anger toward our brother or sister. Why is it often difficult to release our anger?
  • Why do you think we tend to overlook or minimize anger?
  • Have you held on to anger toward someone for an extended amount of time? What was the cause of that anger?
  • Jesus is saying that we can’t just dismiss people out of our lives because we don’t value them. Have you every struggled with the temptation to “cancel” someone from your life?
  • Read Matthew 5:23–24. In this passage, Jesus gives us a picture of what it looks like to live out the gospel. What could it look like for you to make peace with people in your life?
  • Jesus says our relationship with others affects our relationship with God. In what ways have you seen your relationship with others affect your relationship with God? How has your view of God been shaped by your relationship with others?

ACTION STEP

  • Who in your life do you need to make peace with this week? How do you need to forgive or ask for forgiveness?
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Week of Feb. 9 https://harborhonolulu.org/2025/02/09/mens_challenge_wk_of_feb9/ Sun, 09 Feb 2025 17:00:10 +0000 https://harborhonolulu.org/?p=89718 EMBRACE YOUR PURPOSE
Create a rough budget of your monthly personal/family expenses. What does it reveal about your current life purpose and priorities? (Matt 6:19-21)

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Week of Feb. 2 https://harborhonolulu.org/2025/02/02/mens_challenge_wk_of_feb2/ Sun, 02 Feb 2025 18:30:19 +0000 https://harborhonolulu.org/?p=89715 EMBRACE YOUR PURPOSE
Create a rough schedule for your average week. What does it reveal about your current life purpose and priorities? (Eph 5:15-16)

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Freed To Bless Your Family https://harborhonolulu.org/2025/02/02/freed-to-bless-your-family/ Sun, 02 Feb 2025 18:30:04 +0000 https://harborhonolulu.org/?p=89988 Week of February 2
Exodus 20:12

OPENER

  • What do you love most about your parents (or the parental figure in your life)?

DISCUSSION

  • Read Exodus 20:12. The first four commandments dealt with our vertical relationship with God. How does that affect our horizontal relationship with our families?
  • How have your parents affected your relationship with God (positively or negatively)? How have they influenced your morals and understanding of God?
  • God promises our days “will be long” when we honor our parents. What wisdom have you received from your parents that led to a more fruitful life?
  • None of us has perfect parents. What’s one disappointment you’ve had with your parents? How have you dealt with that shortcoming or wound? What does it look like to honor our parents while being honest about their shortcomings?
  • What makes it difficult to honor your parents? How can you bring those struggles to God?
  • How have you experienced God as the perfect parent?

ACTION STEP

  • We can bless our parents and families by showing them honor, grace, and gratitude. What’s one tangible step God is leading you to take this week to show gratitude toward your family?
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Freed to Fully Rest (Exodus 20:8-11) https://harborhonolulu.org/2025/02/01/freed-to-fully-rest-exodus-208-11/ Sun, 02 Feb 2025 01:03:38 +0000 https://harborhonolulu.org/?p=89992 man riding motorcycle on green grass field during daytimeIn Genesis 1-2, we read that God created the world in six days, then rested on the seventh day. Did he rest because he was tired? Did speaking the whole world into existence exhaust him? Of course not; God does not get tired! (Isaiah 40:28) So, why did God rest on the seventh day? This […]]]> man riding motorcycle on green grass field during daytime

In Genesis 1-2, we read that God created the world in six days, then rested on the seventh day. Did he rest because he was tired? Did speaking the whole world into existence exhaust him? Of course not; God does not get tired! (Isaiah 40:28)

So, why did God rest on the seventh day? This verse from the 10 Commandments given in Exodus 20, explains why. In creation, God established a pattern for human flourishing. He designed the human body, he formed it from the dust of the ground, and he knew that the body needed rest. Without scheduled rest, the human is inclined to just keep working – day after day, week after week, and month after month. Working until exhausted. 

Why would man work to exhaustion? Could it be that we think it is necessary to keep working because we don’t trust God to care for us – to provide when we are not working? When the Israelites wandered in the wilderness, God provided them with manna for food. He instructed them to only collect enough for one day. If they collected too much, the extra spoiled immediately. However, on the day before the Sabbath, they were instructed to collect enough for two days, as God did not provide manna was on the Sabbath. Furthermore, the Sabbath food didn’t spoil.

Another reason that we might work to exhaustion is that we don’t trust God to provide. Slaves don’t get a weekly rest. Their masters require that they work every day. Do we think that we are slaves? Do we think that we need to keep working and working, or we won’t have our needs met?

More than just giving our bodies a day of rest and trusting God to provide, God also wants us to pause from our work to remember him. We keep the sabbath day holy by putting God first on that day – by worshipping him, by prayer and Bible reading, and by caring for our families and others. Let’s thank God for the gift of rest. We are not slaves, we are God’s children.

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Freed To Fully Rest https://harborhonolulu.org/2025/01/26/freed-to-fully-rest/ Sun, 26 Jan 2025 18:30:10 +0000 https://harborhonolulu.org/?p=89974 Week of January 26
Exodus 20:8-11

OPENER

  • What brings you the most rest and refreshment in life?

DISCUSSION

  • Read Exodus 20:8–11. The word “sabbath” literally means to stop. In what ways can it be difficult for you to stop work and rest?
  • In what ways has a lack of rest affected your life?
  • We can only fully rest if we fully trust God to provide for us even when we’re resting (like God makes plants grow even when a farmer is sleeping). How have you seen God provide for you lately?
  • The sabbath reminds us that God is God, and we are not. What are some areas of your life where you’ve been trying to be God, and rely solely on yourself?
  • When God commands us to take a day off, he also commands to do all our work the other six days. What keeps you from enjoying your work and working hard?
  • Part of the sabbath command involves community (“sons, servants, resident aliens”). How could a day off free you to pursue and enjoy greater community?

ACTION STEP

  • Ideally a sabbath is a 24-hour rest from our work once a week. But taking a few hours to stop and enjoy God is a good start. What step can you take this week to create a sabbath rhythm?
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Freed to Represent God (Exodus 20:7) https://harborhonolulu.org/2025/01/19/freed-to-represent-god-exodus-207/ Sun, 19 Jan 2025 21:00:50 +0000 https://harborhonolulu.org/?p=89961 assorted-color of name cardsDo not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name. (Exodus 20:7) A name used to mean something. In the ancient Hebrew language of the Book of Genesis the name Adam comes from the root word dam which means blood (it can also […]]]> assorted-color of name cards

Do not misuse the name of the Lord your God, because the Lord will not leave anyone unpunished who misuses his name. (Exodus 20:7)

A name used to mean something. In the ancient Hebrew language of the Book of Genesis the name Adam comes from the root word dam which means blood (it can also mean the color red) and the related word adamah which means ground. So when God formed the first man out of the dust of the ground and breathed life into him (the life is in the blood) the Red Man of Dust was born. When Jesus was born he was called Emmanuel which means “God with us” and also called Yeshua (“Jesus” as it came to us from the Greek) which means God saves. So when God says, “You shall not take the name of the Lord your God in vain”, we should pay attention. 

Growing up you may have been told not to cuss using “God d____!” and, yes, boys and girls, you shouldn’t, but that’s not really what Exodus 20:7 is talking about. Just as your last name carries the history and reputation of your ancestors, we as Christians take on the name of Christ, Jesus. We have to represent Him well. In Matthew 7:15 – 23 Jesus has some pretty terrifying words for those who misrepresent Him – “I never knew you, depart from me, you workers of lawlessness.” The whole of chapter 7 is Jesus talking about judgment. Not just our own judgment before God but also Christians judging others – “Judge not, that you be not judged.”

Instead of judgment we are to pray for discernment, which is defined as “perception in the absence of judgment with a view to obtain spiritual guidance and understanding”. Judgment comes from our personal perspective (limited, biased), but discernment is wisdom that comes from God.

So how do we learn to represent God? The same way all children begin to learn – by imitating their parents. It can be pretty unsettling when our children pick up our own bad habits and it should cause us to clean up our act. “Do as I say, not as I do,” is just teaching hypocrisy. The more your child loves you, the more they want to be like you. And learn they will, because they live with you and spend a lot of time with you. 

So if you want to “judge”, by all means judge yourself. Examine your thoughts and emotions, desires and goals, motives and weaknesses, language and actions and invite the Holy Spirit to not just convict you of sin, but to intercede in your prayer life as you lay it all at the foot of the Cross. Live and breathe in the presence of God by reading the Word of God, hearing the teaching of the Word, being transparent and accountable to mature brothers and sisters in the Lord, and don’t waste time trying to impress others. We ‘perform’ for an audience of One – God. The only judgment that matters is God’s. So take the advice of the prophet Micah. “He has shown you, o man, what is good. And what does the Lord require of you? To act justly, to love mercy and to walk humbly with your God.”

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