Podcast
Harvest Sermons
Hosted by Harvest Vineyard Church of Ames · EN
All the sermons from our services at Harvest Vineyard Church in Ames, IA. If you want to learn more about Harvest, visit us online at Harvestvc.org or download our mobile app.
293episodes
Episodes
Newest firstAll episodes
Proverbs | Wise with Our Parenting
5d ago00:41:21Tap to summarizeDrawing from the book of Proverbs and its broader biblical context, this sermon explores what it means to parent wisely as an act of faith rather than control. The central argument is that wise parenting is not a formula that guarantees outcomes, but a spirit-dependent, community-supported process of forming children in the fear of the Lord while trusting God with the results. The sermon challenges the cultural tendency to treat children as projects to be optimized and calls parents and the broader church community to embrace open-handed stewardship of the children God has entrusted to them. Discipline is reframed through the Hebrew concept of musar, meaning formative coaching and training rather than mere punishment. Jesus is presented as the embodiment of God's wisdom and the model for how adults relate to children. The sermon also emphasizes that the whole church, not just individual families, is called to participate in forming the next generation.
Transcribe →
Proverbs | Wise with Our Anger
2w ago00:35:13Tap to summarizeDrawing from the book of Proverbs and broader biblical teaching, this sermon explores what it means to live skillfully with anger. The central argument is that anger, even when it feels justified, is not something kingdom people are meant to hold onto. Rather than practicing mere anger management, believers are called to the active, Spirit-empowered work of overlooking offense, which means seeing past the wrong done to the person or situation beyond it, and entrusting justice to God. The sermon grounds this call in humility, arguing that our anger is often proportional to our inflated sense of personal innocence. When we understand how deeply we ourselves have been forgiven, we are freed to extend that same forgiveness to others. The alternative to anger is not passivity but the fruit of the Spirit, and those who choose this path become living signposts of the kingdom of God breaking into the world.
Transcribe →
Proverbs | Wise with Our Relationships
3w ago00:40:24Tap to summarizePastor Maggie Davis continues a sermon series through the book of Proverbs, focusing on what it means to be wise in relationships. She begins by establishing that human beings were created for relationship, reflecting the image of a triune God. The sermon identifies four patterns that damage relationships -- gossip, deceit, fueling conflict, and wrong influences -- and then turns to the positive qualities that build wise relationships: love expressed through humility, honesty, and joy. Davis emphasizes that wise relationships are not achieved through self-effort or behavior management, but are formed through a deepening friendship with Jesus. She argues that the security found in relationship with Christ is the foundation from which all other healthy relationships flow, using the image of a cup placed under a fountain to illustrate how receiving from Jesus naturally overflows into our relationships with others.
Transcribe →
Proverbs | Wise with Our Wealth
4w ago00:41:22Tap to summarizeThis sermon explores biblical wisdom regarding wealth and possessions through Proverbs 30 and the prayer of Agur. The message challenges the cultural narrative that wealth brings ultimate satisfaction and calls believers to be counter-formed by God's truth. The sermon emphasizes that money itself isn't evil, but mammon—wealth as a rival deity—demands allegiance and promises security apart from God. Two powerful counter-cultural practices are presented: contentment (living free from the lie that having more makes us more) and generosity (giving to God and the poor as acts of worship and spiritual warfare). The message stresses that we cannot manipulate God's goodness through giving, but rather give because God has already been generous to us. True abundance is found not in accumulation but in dependence on God and generous stewardship of His resources.
Transcribe →
Proverbs | Wise with Our Words
Jul 1200:43:24Tap to summarizeThis sermon explores the profound power of human speech through the lens of the book of Proverbs. The message emphasizes that our words are never neutral—they either cooperate with God's kingdom by bringing life, healing, and encouragement, or they align with darkness through deception, gossip, and condemnation. The sermon stresses that wise speech flows from "the fear of the Lord" and that as image-bearers of God, our words have the power to shape reality around us. Just as God spoke creation into existence, our words can cultivate gardens or deserts in relationships, workplaces, and communities. The good news is that through the Holy Spirit, our tongues can be retrained to reflect Jesus, who is the Word made flesh and wisdom personified. Rather than merely avoiding verbal sin, Christians are called to release an explosion of blessing, hope, and healing through their everyday words.
Transcribe →
Proverbs | The Fear of the Lord is the Beginning of Wisdom
Jul 500:35:42Tap to summarizeThis sermon introduces a seven-week summer series on the book of Proverbs, emphasizing that wisdom is not merely intellectual knowledge but "skill in living." Pastor Kent Prescott challenges the congregation to understand that the fear of the Lord—properly understood as awe, reverence, and respect rather than terror—is the beginning of wisdom. He presents the vision that the church should produce generation after generation of wise men and women who can mentor younger believers. The message clarifies that Proverbs offers observations about wise living rather than promises or prophecies, and encourages believers to live "with the grain of the universe"—in alignment with God's created order. The sermon concludes with practical invitations to engage with Proverbs over the coming weeks and to examine whether one is on the path to becoming a wise person who blesses their family and city.
Transcribe →
Different Now | Communion
Jun 2800:30:16Tap to summarizeThis sermon explores the rich theology and practice of communion through 1 Corinthians 11:17-34, where Paul addresses the Corinthian church's misuse of the Lord's Supper. The message traces the historical development of communion theology from the early church through the Reformation, acknowledging that faithful Christians have understood this practice differently throughout history. Rather than insisting on one correct interpretation, the sermon presents communion as simultaneously a common meal that unites believers, a memorial of Christ's sacrifice, a thanksgiving celebration, a practice that transcends time connecting past and future, and ultimately a mystery where Christ is present in ways beyond our full understanding. The sermon challenges believers to approach communion with humility, examining their hearts for unforgiveness while recognizing the sacred nature of this meal that the global church has practiced for two millennia.
Transcribe →
Different Now | Fully Capable, Fully Called
Jun 2100:33:59Tap to summarizeThis sermon addresses one of the more challenging passages in Scripture—1 Corinthians 11—regarding gender roles, head coverings, and women's place in church leadership. Pastor Julie Van Hove explores the cultural context of Paul's instructions to the Corinthian church, distinguishing between timeless truths and cultural practices. The central message affirms that men and women are "interdependent partners, fully capable and fully called" in Christ. Paul's concern was not establishing hierarchy but preventing secondary cultural issues from hindering the gospel. The sermon emphasizes that Jesus elevated women as partners in ministry, breaking cultural norms, and that the early church included women in leadership roles of praying and prophesying. The passage's use of "head" is better understood as "source" rather than "authority," pointing to mutual interdependence rather than subordination. The church is called to gift-based rather than gender-based ministry, recognizing and releasing the Holy Spirit's gifts in all believers regardless of age, gender, ethnicity, or background.
Transcribe →
Different Now | A Love Supreme
Jun 1400:34:54Tap to summarizeThis sermon explores how Christians can faithfully follow Jesus while living in a culture that doesn't share their values. Through 1 Corinthians 10, the Apostle Paul addresses the Corinthian church's question about meat sacrificed to idols, but the underlying issue is more universal: How do we maintain deep connection with non-believers while remaining distinctly formed by the gospel? Paul doesn't provide a simple rulebook but instead offers a framework centered on love and God's glory. He establishes two absolutes—flee from sexual immorality and idolatry—while leaving room for Spirit-led discernment in gray areas. The central principle is found in verse 31: "Whatever you eat or drink or whatever you do, do it all for the glory of God." This framework requires asking three key questions: Is it loving? Does it bring glory to God? Is it worth copying? Paul demonstrates that glorifying God and experiencing joy are not in competition; rather, we were made to glorify God, and when we do, we function as intended. The sermon concludes by pointing to Jesus as the ultimate example of living within this framework, who gave up everything out of love and for the joy set before Him.
Transcribe →
Different Now | Humble Enough to Stand
Jun 700:34:50Tap to summarizeThis sermon from 1 Corinthians 10:1-13 addresses the danger of confusing spiritual privilege with spiritual maturity. Pastor Jason warns the Corinthian believers—and contemporary Christians—against trusting in their knowledge, experiences, or religious practices while neglecting humility and dependence on God. Using Israel's wilderness failures as cautionary examples, Paul demonstrates how God's people can possess every spiritual blessing yet still fall into idolatry, sexual immorality, and grumbling. The sermon emphasizes that we live between two ages—the present evil age and the age to come inaugurated by Christ—and calls believers to embrace poverty of spirit rather than self-reliance. The message concludes with hope: God is faithful and provides a way through temptation by the power of the Holy Spirit and the sympathetic presence of Jesus who was tempted yet remained sinless.
Transcribe →