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HERITAGE BAPTIST CHURCH Online Bulletin – EASTER SUNDAY, April 12, 2020

Live Stream Go to our website – www.hbcjc.org

Click on the Live stream Banner

First video will be the live feed beginning at

10:30 am on Sundays

PASTOR’S BIBLE STUDY –Bible Study on Heritage Facebook on

Wednesdays at 6:30 pm - I Peter

FRIDAY NIGHT PRAYER TIME with David Stewart on FB 8:30 pm

If you are self-isolating during this time and have a need, you can

email us for any assistance. The elders have decided to close the

church office, because of the TN “stay at home” order until April

14. You can also leave a message on the church phone and we

will check messages periodically.

Heritage Website: hbcjc.org

Facebook: facebook.com/HeritageBaptist

GIVING- You can give to Heritage from your mobile

device or PC (TITHE.LY/GIVE), or bill pay or by mail.

Also – text to give: Our new text to give phone number:

Heritage Baptist Church

Johnson City: (855) 766-8150

To give through text, please follow these 2 simple steps:

• Text the word “Give” to Heritage’s assigned text giving number

to create your account. This ONLY happens the first time!

• After your account has been created, you can text the amount

of your gift (e.g. 25, 50, 100, etc.) and your donation is complete!

READING THE BIBLE AS GOD’S STORY Find the chronological reading plan on the Heritage website. (hbcjc.org)

Below is this week’s schedule:

7 day:

Sunday –I Sam 18-20;Ps11,59; Monday –I Sam 21-24 Tuesday-Ps 7, 27, 31,

34, 52; Wednesday –Ps 56, 120, 140-142; Thursday –I Sam 25-27; Friday –

Ps 17, 35, 54, 63; Saturday – I Sam 28-31; Ps 18; I Chr 10

5 day:

Monday –I Sam 18-20; Ps 11, 59; Tuesday –I Sam 21-24; Ps 7, 27, 31 ;

Wednesday –Ps 34, 52, 56, 120, 140-142; Thursday –I Sam 25-27; Ps 17, 35,

54, 63; Friday- I Sam 28-31; Ps 18; I Chr 10 STORY TIME WITH ANGELA

Angela will be doing Bible story time and songs with the

children on Wednesdays and Sundays at 4 pm. This will be

on our Heritage Facebook page. Don't miss it!

CG’s ARE STAYING IN TOUCH Some CG’s are meeting virtually each week. If you would like to

join one of these groups, here is the information:

Scalf/Davis – Sundays at 6:30 pm – (Zoom) (Contact Pastor Charlie)

Joel Miller – Thursdays at 8:00 pm – (Zoom) (Contact Pastor Joel) Joey Burker – Sundays at 9:30 am (Webex invite)(Contact Joey at

jburker1@yahoo.com)

David Stewart – Sundays at 6:30 pm – (Zoom) (Contact David Stewart)

Not Meeting today

Don Schenck – Sundays at 9:30 am – (Zoom) (Contact Don Schenck

at schenckdandb@aol.com)

Dave Persinger – Mondays at 7 pm - (Zoom) (Contact Dave at

david.w.persinger@centurylink.com)

Jones/Waldrop – Sundays at 6:00 pm – (Webex invite) (Contact Eric

Jones for an invite at ericasamueljones@gmail.com)

Haley Wherry – Sundays at 9:30 am - (Zoom) (Contact Haley at

haleywherry@me.com)

Fasting and Prayer by Robert English Fasting and prayer is not “unconventional” in the Bible, but it

certainly is in our current world! I suspect that fasting along with

prayer has become an unconventional discipline since the days of

the early church. My unconventional proposal is that we do what

Israel did when faced with crises. Israel fasted & prayed, calling on

the One Who knows no limitations. Please join your church family

in prayer and fasting.

YOUTH BIBLE STUDIES – Sundays and Wednesdays at

7:30 pm – (Zoom) Contact Pastor Joel to join this study

HERITAGE STAFF Reggie Weems, Senior Pastor – reggie.weems@hbcjc.org

Joel Miller, Student Pastor – joel.miller@hbcjc.org

Charlie Scalf, Worship Pastor – charlie.scalf@hbcjc.org

Angela Scalf – Interim Children’s Director –

angela.scalf@hbcjc.org

Ginger Cox, Financial Administrator – ginger.cox@hbcjc.org

Debbie Hamm, Secretary – debbie.hamm@hbcjc.org

ELDERS Reggie Weems – reggie.weems@hbcjc.org

Mike Depew – mike.depew@hbcjc.org

Robert English – robert.english@hbcjc.org

Chris Miller – chris.miller@hbcjc.org

David Stewart – david.stewart@hbcjc.org

Joel Miller – joel.miller@hbcjc.org

Charlie Scalf – charlie.scalf@hbcjc.org

Mitch Tuell – mitch.tuell@hbcjc.org (sabbatical)

DEACON CHAIRMAN Matt Smith – deacon.heritage@hbcjc.org

Happily, Ever After Luke 23:39-43

Today is Easter Sunday, one of the most important days in our Christian calendar; the day on which Jesus defeated sin and its miserable companion, death. What I would like to do is walk three days previous, back to Good Friday when Jesus was crucified. I want us to look at Jesus on the cross and, even more particularly, at one of the two men who died alongside Jesus. The story of the two thieves on the cross is found in three Gospels: Matt 27, Luke 23 & Mk 15 and that’s where this sermon begins - First: It starts with a cross Jesus was crucified with two other men, “one on his right hand and one on his left” (Mark 15:27).

a) We don’t know his past – it could be yours

b) We don’t know his name – It could be yours

Second: It Ends with a Promise 43. “I say to you, today you will be with me in paradise”

Third: It Has a Life-Changing Conversation

The unrepentant thief is like Israel who wanted

salvation from the Romans

The repentant thief is like Israel who recognized Jesus

as the true Savior

a) He fears God. 40a - “Do you not fear God…”

b) He acknowledges his sin. 41a - “we are receiving the

due reward of our deeds…”

c) He accepts his punishment. 41b - “we are receiving the

due reward of our deeds…”

d) He confesses Jesus’s righteousness. 41c - “but this man

has done nothing wrong”

e) He calls Jesus, ‘Jesus.’ 42a - Jesus, = God is salvation

f) He asks Jesus to save him beyond this life. 42b –

“remember me when you come into your kingdom.”

the repentant thief was Jesus’s last friend on earth and

Jesus was the thief’s first friend in heaven

g) Jesus provided him with assurance. 43 – “Truly, I say to

you, today you will be with me in paradise”

If works saved us, we could never be sure we are saved.

Fourth: What It All Says About Jesus Matthew 11:29 - I am gentle [meek] and lowly [accessible] in heart

Conclusion: The problem is that suffering can bring out the best in us, as it did the repentant thief, or the worse in us - v 39 - One of the criminals who were hanged railed at him, saying, “Are you not the Christ? Save yourself and us!” The same clay that softens wax, also hardens clay. And what about you? Community Groups: 1 – How are you doing during this Covid-19 isolation? 2 – How are you ministering during this pandemic? 3 – Have you been able to maintain your daily chronological reading through the Bible? 4 – What have you enjoyed most about it? 5 – What is the most difficult about it? 6 – Let’s read our text together – Luke 23:39-43 7 – Tell me everything you know about the repentant thief on the cross? 8 – Why might God have hidden his past? 9 – What words or phrases indicate the repentant thief is repentant?

10 – What words or phrases indicate that the repentant thief knew Jesus is God? 11 – What words or phrases indicate that the repentant thief trusted Christ as his Savior? 12 – Why would salvation by works diminish any assurance? 13 – How does Jesus describe himself in Matt 11:29? 14 – How are we emulating that description during this pandemic? 15 – How have you seen Covid-19 harden people’s hearts? 16 – Let’s pray for those people? 17 – Let’s pray for people we know who have been furloughed. 18 – Let’s also pray for the church to be the Church!