Rock Harbor Church

Brandon Holthaus
  • 4.9 (194)
  • CHRISTIANITY
  • UPDATED WEEKLY

The newest sermons from Rock Harbor Church on SermonAudio.

  1. 4D AGO

    The Risk is Worth the Reward: Matthew 9:18-34

    In The Risk Is Worth the Reward, we walk through Matthew 9:18–34 at a turning point in Jesus' ministry. After His formal rejection by the religious establishment, Jesus shifts His strategy. He no longer calls Israel to national repentance. Public signs are reduced to the sign of Jonah. Miracles now require personal faith. He teaches in parables and maintains a policy of silence regarding His Messianic identity until after the resurrection. To associate with Jesus at this stage meant risking expulsion from the synagogue system. Under synagogue discipline—Hezipah, Niddui, or even Cherem—a person could be rebuked, cast out, or permanently cut off from the community. Jairus, the bleeding woman, the two blind men, and the mute man all risked social and spiritual exile to come to Christ. They defied the system to receive life. Their physical afflictions pointed to deeper spiritual need. The world system cannot restore marriages, heal broken consciences, free people from sin, or raise what is dead inside. It declares things irreversible and beyond hope. But Jesus demonstrates resurrection power. Faith in Messiah becomes an act of defiance against a system built on accusation, condemnation, and outward appearance. This message calls believers to refuse the system's verdict of hopelessness. Mercy is found in Christ alone. His authority threatens systems that survive by control and accusation. The risk of following Him may be great—but the reward is life, restoration, and eternal freedom. Hashtags: #TheRiskIsWorthTheReward #Matthew9 #JesusAndTheSystem #FaithOverFear #ResurrectionPower #BiblicalTruth #SynagogueDiscipline #HopeInChrist #DefyTheSystem #GospelOfTheKingdom

    1h 4m

  2. FEB 8

    When the System Rejects and the Savior Restores

    In Matthew 9, Jesus collides head-on with a religious system that knew how to label people but had no power to restore them. Tax collectors, sinners, the sick, the ceremonially unclean, the blind, and the demonized were all considered beyond hope by Pharisaical Judaism. Their suffering was seen as deserved, their condition permanent, and their future sealed. But Jesus does something shocking. He calls Matthew out of a condemned identity. He eats with sinners the system had already judged. He corrects fasting that was rooted in religious performance rather than relationship. He restores a woman who had been isolated for twelve years because her body didn't work. He responds to Jairus, who risks his position and reputation by turning to the very Messiah the establishment rejected. He opens the eyes of blind men who see Him clearly while the religious leaders remain blind. And He delivers a demonized man whom the system could not help and instead accused. Matthew 9 reveals a powerful truth. Religious systems focus on outward conformity but cannot change the heart. They demand performance, enforce masks, and leave people trapped in hopeless cycles of behavior. Jesus does not come to repair that system. He fulfills the Mosaic Law and exposes Pharisaical Judaism as bankrupt, replacing it with a kingdom marked by mercy, restoration, and real transformation from the inside out. The question this passage leaves us with is simple but unsettling. Are we living under a system that teaches us to perform and pretend, or are we following a Savior who restores what religion has rejected? Hashtags #Matthew9 #JesusRestores #RejectedByReligion #GraceOverPerformance #GospelTruth #Kingdo

    1h 1m

  3. FEB 4

    Unlocking the Hebraic Idioms of the Bible: Episode 27

    In this powerful teaching, we will walk through Isaiah 63 and unpacks the rich Hebraic idioms that reveal the Messiah not only as the Suffering Servant of Isaiah 53, but also as the Divine Warrior King who returns in judgment and glory. This message explores: • The prophetic meaning of Edom and Basra • The significance of the Messiah's blood-soaked garments • The Day of the Lord and the Second Coming • How Isaiah 63 connects to Zechariah 14 and Revelation 19 • Why God's judgment passages bring comfort, justice, and hope • How trusting God with justice empowers true forgiveness Isaiah 63 presents a sobering yet hopeful picture of Jesus Christ as the righteous Judge who rescues Israel, defeats evil, and ultimately rights every wrong. This teaching also offers deep pastoral application on forgiveness, justice, discernment, and spiritual maturity in a broken world. We pray this message strengthens your faith, deepens your understanding of Scripture, and encourages you to trust God with both personal injustice and future hope. For more sermons, prophecy teachings, and biblical resources, visit: https://rockharborchurch.net Thank you for listening. Keep looking up, for our redemption draws near.

    1 hr

  4. FEB 1

    The Rejection of the Kosmos | Matthew 9:1–17

    In Matthew 9:1–17, Jesus exposes the Kosmos, the world system built by man and energized by Satan, and shows why it inevitably rejects Him. Even after proving His divine authority by forgiving sins and healing the paralytic, the religious leaders respond with accusation rather than worship. Grace threatens their control. When Jesus calls Matthew, a tax collector condemned by the religious elite, the system reacts with outrage instead of celebration. The Kosmos has no category for mercy, repentance, or redemption. It only knows exclusion and self-righteousness. Jesus then explains that He did not come to patch up Pharisaic Judaism or fit His teaching into a works-based religious mold. Using the imagery of garments and wine, He reveals that His mission cannot be mixed with man-made religion. The Torah is good, but the Pharisaical system had distorted it. He came to fulfill God's Law, not validate their traditions. This passage shows a timeless reality. The world system rejects Jesus because it cannot coexist with grace, and it will always reject those who follow Him as well. #Matthew9 #TheRejectionOfTheKosmos #JesusIsGod #GraceNotWorks #NewWineNewWineskins #Pharisaism #FulfillmentOfTorah #KingdomOfGod #BiblicalChristianity #GospelOfGrace #FollowJesus #FaithOverReligion

    55 min

  5. JAN 28

    Expelling Legion: A Preview of the Second Coming Matthew 8:28–34

    When Jesus crosses into Gentile territory in Matthew 8, He's not just healing a man—He's confronting an occupying force. The demons call themselves "Legion," a Roman military term that mirrors the Gentile domination of Israel during the Times of the Gentiles foretold by Daniel. This encounter is a prophetic preview. The demons recognize Jesus' authority, fear judgment before the appointed time, and beg not to be sent to the Abyss. Their request to enter the pigs exposes their torment and destructive nature, while Jesus' authority over them foreshadows the final overthrow of Gentile power at His return. The townspeople beg Jesus to leave, choosing familiarity over freedom. One man, fully delivered, wants to follow Him—showing the divide between those who benefit from darkness and those rescued from it. This sermon reveals how Matthew 8 points beyond an exorcism to the Second Coming, when the King will return to crush the final empire and establish His everlasting kingdom. Watch and see how this powerful moment previews the end of the Times of the Gentiles and the return of Jesus Christ. #BibleProphecy #EndTimes #SecondComing #JesusIsKing #SpiritualWarfare #TimesOfTheGentiles #BookOfDaniel #Matthew8 #Deliverance #KingdomOfGod #IsraelInProphecy #ReturnOfChristWhen Jesus crosses into Gentile territory in Matthew 8, He's not just healing a man—He's confronting an occupying force. The demons call themselves "Legion," a Roman military term that mirrors the Gentile domination of Israel during the Times of the Gentiles foretold by Daniel.

    1h 4m

  6. JAN 28

    Unlocking the Hebraic Idioms of the Bible: Episode 26

    In this teaching, we walk through key Hebraisms that are often misunderstood and misused in modern theology. One of the most quoted passages, "My thoughts are not your thoughts," is frequently used to suggest that God is unknowable or irrational. But that is not what Scripture is teaching. This message explains the true biblical meaning behind this Hebraism by contrasting human wisdom with divine wisdom. God is not saying that His revelation is unknowable. He is saying that fallen human thinking is corrupted by sin and cannot rightly interpret reality apart from divine revelation. We explore how human autonomy, pride, and resistance to authority lead to spiritual harm, while submission to God's revealed order brings protection, clarity, and maturity. This includes a biblical look at repentance, faith, authority structures, and why God's way of salvation through the Messiah runs counter to human instincts. The teaching also examines the biblical role of the watchman, drawing from Isaiah, Ezekiel, Acts, and the words of Jesus. Scripture calls believers to spiritual vigilance, warning, and preparation, not silence. This message challenges the modern church's tendency toward emotional comfort over truth and explains why warning and preparation are acts of love. Topics covered include Human wisdom versus divine revelation Why God's thoughts are higher and holy The danger of autonomy without authority Repentance as a change of mind Faith that trusts God without full understanding The watchman calling in Scripture Why silence in the church is a serious failure Preparing believers psychologically and spiritually for what is coming

    1h 2m

  7. JAN 11

    The Lord, Legion and Reclaiming Dominion

    In this sermon we explore the encounter between Jesus and Legion not merely as an act of personal deliverance, but as a moment of cosmic warfare and the reclaiming of sacred space. When Jesus crosses the Sea of Galilee into the Decapolis, He deliberately steps into unclean, Gentile territory dominated by death, demons, and defilement. Tombs, pigs, and a legion of unclean spirits all signal hostile spiritual ground.   Legion represents organized spiritual occupation. Jesus confronts a stronghold tied to territory, not just an individual. With a word, He strips the powers of their claim, drives them out, and exposes their impotence. The demons beg, the pigs rush into the sea, and chaos collapses under divine authority.   This passage reveals Jesus as the rightful Lord over the unseen realm, fulfilling the promise that God would reclaim the nations from rebellious powers. What was once dominated by darkness becomes ground for testimony and proclamation. The delivered man becomes the first missionary to the Decapolis, showing that when Messiah reclaims dominion, restoration and witness follow.   This is not just about freedom from demons. It is about the Kingdom of God invading enemy territory and restoring sacred space under the rule of the true King.   Hashtags   #CosmicWarfare #ReclaimingDominion #SacredSpace #JesusAuthority #UnseenRealm #KingdomInvasion #SpiritualStrongholds #Decapolis #DeliveranceAndDominion #ChristVictorious

    1h 3m

  8. JAN 4

    Jesus Tames Leviathan

    When Jesus calmed the storm on the Sea of Galilee, He was not just showing power over weather. He was confronting chaos itself. 🌊 In the Bible, the sea symbolizes evil, judgment, and the demonic realm, and Leviathan pictures the ancient dragon of chaos. When Jesus rebuked the wind and muzzled the waves, He was exercising divine authority over Satan's kingdom, pushing back darkness and advancing the Kingdom of God into enemy territory. ⚔️ Immediately after the storm, He confronts Legion, proving this was spiritual warfare, not random weather. This miracle shows us that Jesus is Yahweh in the flesh, Lord over creation, Lord over the abyss, Lord over Leviathan, Lord over the demonic realm, and Lord over every storm that comes against the Kingdom.

    58 min
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4.9
out of 5
194 Ratings

About

The newest sermons from Rock Harbor Church on SermonAudio.

Information

  • Creator
    Brandon Holthaus
  • Years Active
    2019 - 2026
  • Episodes
    104
  • Rating
    Clean
  • Copyright
    © Rock Harbor Church
  • Show Website
    Rock Harbor Church

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