The Heights Church

James 2 - wk2

"Love Your Neighbor"

James 2:8-13

Dr. Gary Singleton

 

One day Jesus was asked, “Teacher, which is the great commandment in the Law?”  - Matthew 22:36  Jesus answered, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. … You shall love your neighbor as yourself.”  -Matthew 22:37-39 

Love God.  Love others.  Sounds pretty simple – right?  But most of us find it so much easier to love God than it is to love others.  After all, there are some people that we just don’t like.  And there are also people who just don’t like us.  Let’s face it – some people are really hard to love.

But as we continue this Sunday in James 2, James points out that as Christ-followers, we don’t get to choose who we love and who we don’t.  We are bound by the teaching of Jesus.

I hope you will join me this Sunday as we unpack the words of James.  Who is our neighbor?  How do we show love to them?  James will show us that the more you are filled with God’s love, the more you give God’s love to others.

James 2 - wk1

"No Partiality"

James 2:1-7

Dr. Gary Singleton

 

This Sunday we start a sermon series from James, Chapter 2.  In the opening verses of this chapter, James tells us in no uncertain terms - do not show partiality.

So what does James mean?  We're all partial in some ways - right?  We're partial to spending time with friends and family.  We're partial to certain vacation spots, and certain foods.  But this is not what James is referring to.  It's okay to have friends, but we must show all people the same courtesy ... the same kindness ... the same concern.  We are all created by God in His image.  And as Christ-followers, we see people through a different lens - the lens of faith.  That means first and foremost our desire is to point people to Jesus.

When partiality takes root in your heart, it affects the way you treat other people, because showing partiality to one means showing prejudice toward another.  God does not play favorites.  We are all His creation, and His grace is available to all.

I hope you will join me Sunday as we look at what James has to say about showing partiality.  James clearly tells us that we should show partiality to no one, but show favor to everyone.

Parables [Matthew25] - wk3

"Parable of the Sheep/Goats"

Matthew 25:31-46

Dr. Gary Singleton

What is the best sermon you’ve ever heard?  Maybe it was a sermon on forgiveness, or on the undeserved gift of God’s grace.  But I’ll bet there’s not a single person who would tell me that the best sermon they’ve ever heard was on judgment.  Why is that?  No one wants to talk about judgment.  It leaves a bad taste in our mouth.  But this Sunday that’s exactly what we’re going to do.  We’re going to talk about the coming judgment of God.
 
As we wrap up our study of Matthew 25, we come to a metaphor that Jesus uses to describe God’s judgment.  Jesus tells us that when He returns, all the nations will be gathered before Him, and He will separate everyone into two groups – the sheep and the goats … the saved and the lost.  The sheep will reign with Jesus forever, and the goats will be cast into eternal punishment.
 
But this is not just a story of judgment.  It’s also a story of God’s grace.  Those who understand God’s judgment embrace God’s grace.  Our King is coming again to establish His kingdom, and His grace is offered to all who will receive it.
 
I hope you will join me this Sunday as we look at the words of Jesus.  Jesus didn’t shy away from the subject of judgment and neither should we – because unless we understand the judgment of God upon sin, we will never fully grasp the grace of God.

Parables [Matthew25] - wk2

"Parable of the Talents"

Matthew 25:14-30

Bryan Jones

This Sunday we will continue our sermon series from Matthew 25 with a look at the “Parable of the Talents.”  A parable is defined as “a short and simple story that teaches a religious or moral lesson.”  Jesus often used parables to help His listeners grasp difficult truths.  So what is the truth that Jesus is communicating in this parable?
 
“Talent” in this passage refers to money, but it can also refer to our skills, and even our opportunities.  Jesus tells us that a man entrusted various amounts of his wealth to three servants, and each received an amount proportionate to his ability – one received 5 talents, one received 2, and the third received 1 talent. 
 
Now if you’re like me, you immediately think that the five-talent person must be more valued and successful than the one-talent person.   Our society today bases success on what you achieve and on what you acquire.  But Jesus teaches that success is not found in what you get done, but in who you become.   God cares more about your faithfulness than your success.
 

Parables [Matthew25] - wk1

"Parable of the 10 Virgins"

Matthew 25:1-13

Dr. Gary Singleton

This Sunday is Mother’s Day, and beginning this Sunday we will be working our way through the teachings of Jesus in Matthew 25.  This chapter opens with a parable about ten virgins – not a likely text for Mother’s Day, right?  But in this parable there is a very important message for moms … and really for all of us.
 
The parable of the ten virgins is about the kingdom of God, and it is a call to keep the main thing the main thing.  It is a call to live today as if Jesus is coming back today.
 
Moms want so many great things for their kids.  Moms want their kids to be happy, and healthy, and successful in whatever they do.  But in this day of constant busyness and distraction there is a real danger that we can focus on the good things and lose sight of what’s most important.
 
I hope you will join me this Sunday as we celebrate moms and listen as Jesus teaches us how to prepare ourselves and our kids for the most important thing.  Jesus is coming again, and we can’t wait until He returns to get ready.  We need to be ready now.  We need to live today as if Jesus is coming back today.

Forward - wk5

"Forward in Celebration"

Nehemiah 12

Dr. Gary Singleton

 

 

Forward - wk4

"Forward in Worship"

Nehemiah 9

Bryan Jones

If you’ve ever applied for a job, chances are you were asked to provide a resume.  A resume is a brief summary of your skills, abilities, and experience.  It’s a snapshot of who you are and what you have done.
 
This week we continue our sermon series "Forward" from the book of Nehemiah, and we will focus in on chapter 9.  In this chapter one of the priests, Ezra, prays the longest prayer recorded in the Bible.  This prayer is God’s resume.  It tells us exactly who God is and what He has done.  But it is also our resume.  It tells us who we are and what we have done.
 
In John 4:23 we are told that we are to worship God in spirit and truth and our focus this Sunday is on moving forward in worship.  In order to worship God, we must understand who He is, and who we are. 
 
I hope you will join me this Sunday as Nehemiah teaches us what it means to worship God in spirit and truth.  When we get a clear picture of God’s resume and ours, we can begin to move “Forward in Worship.”

 

 

Forward - wk3

"Forward in Unity"

Nehemiah 4

Dr. Gary Singleton

For the past two weeks we have been talking about moving forward in our mission to make disciples, and we are certainly seeing some great progress. But to take huge strides we will need to unite and do this together.

 
We’ve all heard stories about groups of people who worked together to overcome the odds and achieve great victories. Just a few weeks ago we watched Loyola University become the Cinderella team of the NCAA tournament. And who can forget the 13 colonies who stood up against the British Empire and gave birth to the United States of America?
 
We see the same kind of unity with the people of Jerusalem in Nehemiah’s day. As we continue to examine the story of Nehemiah, we come to a place in the story where God’s people had to unite around a common cause. The enemy tried to divide them using threats, and fear, and distractions. But God’s people worked together to overcome their enemy.
 
And just like the people in Nehemiah’s day, that which unites us is far greater than the trivial things that try to divide us. We must work together, with each of us doing our part in working toward our goal of making disciples and growing the kingdom of God.

Forward - wk2

"Forward in Opposition"

Nehemiah 4

Bryan Jones

As we continue our sermon series "Forward" from Nehemiah, we want to talk about some of the things that can cut off the flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  We have seen that the people of God have been scattered, and the walls of Jerusalem are in ruins.  The best and brightest  of God’s people have been taken to Babylon – and that’s where we find Nehemiah.
 
Nehemiah held a high-ranking position as cupbearer for the king.  Even in a foreign land, he was living a comfortable life.  But when Nehemiah heard of the conditions in Jerusalem, he stepped out of his comfort zone in obedience to God’s calling to rebuild the walls.
 
When we choose comfort over obedience, we cut off the flow of the Holy Spirit in our lives.  And even though Nehemiah chose obedience, he still faced opposition.  His enemies hatched a plan to stop the work on the walls.  The people started to lose hope, and fear and distress crept in.  Anger and disappointment followed.  And all of those things can cut off the flow of the Holy Spirit.
 
What situation do you find yourself in today that is cutting off the flow of the Holy Spirit in your life?  Where are you facing fear and distress?  A difficult marriage?  A job transition?  A health issue?
 
Nehemiah puts on a clinic on what to do when faced with opposition and we learn from Nehemiah that we must go “Forward in Opposition.”

Forward - wk1

"Forward in Faith"

Nehemiah 1

Dr. Gary Singleton

Has there ever been a time when you believed God was calling you to make a certain decision? You knew this decision would impact your future – but you didn’t know exactly how everything would turn out. Ultimately you had to make a choice to either ignore what you believed God was telling you to do, or move forward in faith.
 
When God calls us to move forward with Him, He seldom lets us see the outcome of our choice. God asks us to move forward with hope and conviction, and without having all of our questions answered.
 
We see this kind of faith in the story of Nehemiah. The walls that surrounded Jerusalem were in ruins. God’s people were discouraged. They were looking for the promised Messiah, but Jesus wouldn’t come for another 400 years. God’s plan to rescue His people depended on someone stepping forward in faith to rebuild the walls.
 
This Sunday we begin a new sermon series that we are calling “Forward.” We are going to take a look at the story of Nehemiah and how he followed God’s calling and stepped forward in faith.
 
I believe all of us at The Heights are faced with an opportunity to move forward in faith as a church – just like the people of God did in Nehemiah’s day. I hope you will join me Sunday as we learn from Nehemiah that obedience requires us to move forward in faith.