Harvest Bible Chapel

Getting Jesus Right | Pastor Jeff Bucknam

Have you ever misunderstood someone so completely that you walked away with the exact opposite of what they meant? It happens with Jesus more than you might think.
In the Gospel of John, we watch it happen in real time. A religious leader hears Jesus talk about being born again and thinks he's describing a literal second birth. Temple officials hear Jesus talk about raising the temple in three days and think he's making wild architectural promises. Over and over, people listen to Jesus — and completely miss him.
So what does it actually look like to get Jesus right?
That's the question Pastor Jeff Bucknam opens up today in John 3:22–36, the next stop in our series Believe! The Gospel of John. In this passage, John the Baptist steps into the frame — and unlike the religious leaders, unlike Nicodemus — John actually gets it. And watching how he responds to Jesus reveals three marks of someone who truly understands who Jesus is: they recognize that everything they have is a gift from God, they willingly lay down their own popularity for his purposes, and they treat his words not as suggestions — but as the very words of God himself.
This one is going to challenge the way you think about contentment, ambition, and what genuine belief actually looks like in practice. Let's get into it.
Executive Producer: Dave PutnamSpeaker: Pastor Jeff BucknamSound design, mixing, and editing: Bryan TrippGraphic Design: Wesley CassfordSocial Media: Bryan SpahrProducer: Sherri Smith
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You Must Be Born Again | Pastor Jeff Bucknam

You've seen it at football games. Maybe you've held up the sign yourself. John 3:16 is arguably the most famous verse in the Bible — but here's a question most people never stop to ask: what's the context? It starts with the word "for," which means it's explaining something. But what? Today we're going back to that conversation — a secret, late-night meeting between Jesus and one of the most powerful religious leaders in all of Israel. A man named Nicodemus. Educated, respected, devout. And Jesus looks at him and says something that stops him cold: "You must be born again." Not "keep trying harder." Not "you're almost there." Born. Again. This is the conversation that gives us John 3:16 — and when you understand what leads up to it, that verse hits completely differently. We're in the Gospel of John, chapter 3, verses 1 through 21. And today we're going to see that spiritual rebirth isn't self-improvement. It isn't religious achievement. It's something that has to happen to you — from above. We'll look at why it's needed, how it actually happens, and what it looks like when it does. Let's get into it.
Executive Producer: Dave PutnamSpeaker: Pastor Jeff BucknamSound design, mixing, and editing: Bryan TrippGraphic Design: Wesley CassfordSocial Media: Bryan SpahrProducer: Sherri Smith
WE INVITE YOU TO CONNECT WITH US:• Website: https://www.harvestbible.org/
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Temple Turnover | Pastor Jeff Bucknam

Most of us grew up hearing that the God of the Old Testament is harsh and demanding — while Jesus is gentle, meek, and mild. But what do we do with a Jesus who braids a whip, flips tables, and drives merchants out of the Temple? Turns out, the gentle Jesus we've imagined may be a little too tame. In this message from John 2, Pastor Jeff Bucknam takes us to one of the most dramatic moments in Jesus' ministry — the Temple Turnover — and shows us three things that rile Jesus up: perfunctory worship, unauthorized authority, and bogus belief. It's a passage that raises a pointed question for every one of us: Is my faith the real thing? This is "Temple Turnover" from our series Believe! — The Gospel of John. Let's get into it.
Executive Producer: Flavius HerloSpeaker: Pastor Jeff BucknamSound design, mixing, and editing: Bryan TrippGraphic Design: Wesley CassfordSocial Media: Bryan SpahrProducer: Dave Putnam
WE INVITE YOU TO CONNECT WITH US:• Website: https://www.harvestbible.org/
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Cabernet at Cana | Pastor Tommy Creutz

This week in our series, Believe! The Gospel of John, we find ourselves at a wedding in Cana — and things are about to go sideways. The wine has run out, the host is about to be humiliated, and there's nothing anyone can do about it. It's into that moment that Jesus steps in, and what happens next is more than a miracle. It's a window into who He is. In John 2:1–11, we'll look at a problem no one could fix, a command no one fully understood, and a provision no one saw coming. Join us as we open God's Word and see what this first miracle of Jesus reveals about His glory — and about the kind of Savior He truly is.
Executive Producer: Flavius HerloSpeaker: Pastor Tommy CreutzSound design, mixing, and editing: Bryan TrippGraphic Design: Wesley CassfordSocial Media: Bryan SpahrProducer: Dave Putnam
WE INVITE YOU TO CONNECT WITH US:• Website: https://www.harvestbible.org/
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Come and See, then Pass It On | Pastor Jeff Bucknam

Have you ever hidden from an opportunity to share your faith? Like, literally hidden? Pastor Jeff Bucknam has, and he's not afraid to admit it. From a Mormon girl he didn't know how to talk to, to ducking out at a Teen Jam, he describes himself as having "a checkered history with personal evangelism." If that resonates with you, you're in the right place.
This week in our series Believe! The Gospel of John, we're in John 1:35–51—a passage about how the very first followers of Jesus found him, and then couldn't stop telling other people about it. Pastor Jeff walks us through four invitation cycles in this text and lands on a surprising conclusion: the key to sharing your faith isn't guilt, and it isn't technique. It's a delight. When you've genuinely come and seen that Jesus is good, passing it on starts to feel less like a duty—and a lot more like telling a friend about the best restaurant you've ever been to.
So if evangelism has ever made you want to hide—this one's for you.
Executive Producer: Flavius HerloSpeaker: Pastor Jeff BucknamSound design, mixing, and editing: Bryan TrippGraphic Design: Wesley CassfordSocial Media: Bryan SpahrProducer: Dave Putnam
WE INVITE YOU TO CONNECT WITH US:• Website: https://www.harvestbible.org/
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It's Not Me. It's Him. | Pastor Jeff Bucknam

We all know someone who has a quote on their wall. Maybe it's Churchill, maybe it's C.S. Lewis, maybe it's that one about smiling while you still have teeth. Those little phrases are supposed to orient us — to remind us who we are and what we're here for.
But what if the most important thing you could put on your wall wasn't about you at all?
In John chapter 1, we meet John the Baptist — a man so compelling that crowds were flooding out of Jerusalem to hear him speak. Religious authorities sent a formal delegation to interrogate him. The whole country was buzzing. And when they asked him, "Who are you?" — he had every opportunity to lean into the hype.
He didn't.
Instead, he said something that sounds almost countercultural today: I am not the one you're looking for. I'm just a voice. He's the one.
In a world that tells us to build our brand, grow our platform, and make a name for ourselves, John the Baptist modeled something radically different. His entire identity was wrapped up not in who he was, but in who Jesus is.
Today, Pastor Jeff Bucknam walks us through John 1:19–34 with a message titled "It's Not Me. It's Him."
Let's listen in.
Executive Producer: Flavius HerloSpeaker: Pastor Jeff BucknamSound design, mixing, and editing: Bryan TrippGraphic Design: Wesley CassfordSocial Media: Bryan SpahrProducer: Dave Putnam
WE INVITE YOU TO CONNECT WITH US:• Website: https://www.harvestbible.org/
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Children, Glory, and Grace | Pastor Jeff Bucknam

On this episode of the podcast, we continue our series through the Gospel of John called Believe! with a message from John 1:12–18 titled “Children, Glory, and Grace.”
Every day we’re surrounded by voices telling us who we are and what really matters—messages about success, power, image, and security. Over time, those messages can distort our sense of identity and leave our spiritual bearings a little off. But the opening chapter of John’s Gospel gives us something better: a clear reminder of what is true for those who believe in Jesus.
In this passage, we discover three astonishing realities of the Christian life: we have become children of God, we have seen His glory in Jesus Christ, and we have received grace upon grace from His fullness.
Join us as we explore how the eternal Word who made all things became flesh and dwelt among us—and what that means for our identity, our relationship with God, and the overflowing grace available to us in Christ.
Executive Producer: Flavius HerloSpeaker: Pastor Jeff BucknamSound design, mixing, and editing: Bryan TrippGraphic Design: Wesley CassfordSocial Media: Bryan SpahrProducer: Dave Putnam
WE INVITE YOU TO CONNECT WITH US:• Website: https://www.harvestbible.org/
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Introducing the Eternal God Jesus Christ | Pastor Jeff Bucknam

Who is Jesus—really? When Jesus calmed the wind and the waves, the disciples asked, “Who then is this?” Every Gospel answers that question. But John doesn’t start with a manger or a genealogy. He takes us back before creation itself. In this message from John 1:1–13, we begin our yearlong journey through the Gospel of John by seeing that Jesus is far grander than we think—eternal, Creator, fully God and fully with God. We’ll also see the sobering reality that some reject Him—and the stunning promise that those who receive Him are given the right to become children of God. Join us as we begin the series Believe! The Gospel of John and consider what it really means to believe.
Executive Producer: Flavius HerloSpeaker: Pastor Jeff BucknamSound design, mixing, and editing: Bryan TrippGraphic Design: Wesley CassfordSocial Media: Bryan SpahrProducer: Dave Putnam
WE INVITE YOU TO CONNECT WITH US:• Website: https://www.harvestbible.org/
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A King Who Will Never Fall | Pastor Jeff Thompson

Welcome to the weekly sermon podcast from Harvest Bible Chapel in Chicago. We’re glad you’re joining us.
We’re continuing our series, Rise and Fall of a King. In 2 Samuel 7:1–17, we come to a defining moment in the life of David—and in the story of redemption. David wants to build a house for God. But instead, God reveals a better plan, makes a greater promise, and points to a greater King.
In a world where every leader eventually fails, and every kingdom fades, this passage reminds us that God’s purposes cannot be shaken—and His promised King will never fall.
Open your Bible with us to 2 Samuel 7 and let’s see how God’s better plan leads us to a better King.
Executive Producer: Flavius HerloSpeaker: Pastor Jeff ThompsonSound design, mixing, and editing: Bryan TrippGraphic Design: Wesley CassfordSocial Media: Bryan SpahrProducer: Dave Putnam
WE INVITE YOU TO CONNECT WITH US:• Website: https://www.harvestbible.org/
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A Broken Legacy | Pastor Tommy Creutz

Every legacy tells a story—but not every story is one we intended to write.
In this message, A Broken Legacy, we trace a sobering arc through the life of David’s family—where unchecked sin, delayed confrontation, and spiritual passivity quietly take root and eventually bear devastating fruit. From David’s refusal to act, to the rise of Absalom, to a cost far greater than anyone imagined, this passage confronts us with an uncomfortable question: What happens when godly responsibility is ignored?
As we walk through 2 Samuel 13, 15, and 18, this sermon invites us to examine our own lives, the influence we’re shaping, and the legacy we’re leaving behind.
Executive Producer: Flavius HerloSpeaker: Pastor Tommy CreutzSound design, mixing, and editing: Bryan TrippGraphic Design: Wesley CassfordSocial Media: Bryan SpahrProducer: Dave Putnam
WE INVITE YOU TO CONNECT WITH US:• Website: https://www.harvestbible.org/
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