The Heights Church

Spiritual Gifts - wk1

"What is Your Spiritual Gift?"

Bryan Jones

What was the last gift you received?  Maybe you got a tie for Father’s Day a couple of weeks ago.  (Do people even give ties anymore?)  Maybe you got a box of chocolates for Valentine’s Day.  Or maybe you have a stack of gift cards that were given to you as gifts for various occasions.
 
Sometimes we receive a gift that is exactly what we wanted and we can’t wait to use it!  Other times not so much.  Maybe that box of chocolates was milk chocolate and you only like dark.  And there’s always the old “re-gifting” for gifts we can’t really use or don’t really like.
 
Well for the next two Sundays we’re going to be talking about gifts … spiritual gifts, that is.  If you are a follower of Jesus, you have been given a gift, and God intends for you to use that gift to build up the body of Christ.
 
Some of you already know your spiritual gift.  Others are saying, “Wait – I have a gift?”  Yes, you do.  And in order to use your gift you need to know what it is!  We’re going to talk about that on Sunday as we take a look at 1 Corinthians 12.
 
It takes every believer using their gift for the body of Christ to function the way it should.  I encourage you to join me this Sunday to learn more about your spiritual gift – what it is and how you can use it to glorify God and build up the body.

James 3 & 4 - wk4

"Good Plans"

Dr. Gary Singleton

Are you a planner?  Do you keep up with the schedules of every person in your family?  Do you put together a detailed itinerary for every family vacation?   When you see a list, do you have an urge to leave no item unchecked?  If any of this sounds familiar, chances are you’re a planner.
 
Being a planner is a good thing.  We count on the planners in our life to keep us organized and on track.  But being a planner has its drawbacks too. 
 
This Sunday we will wrap up our sermon series in James with a look at making plans.  James has some words of warning to those of us who are making plans without any input from God.  All of us have goals and dreams, and we have a plan of action to move us in that direction.  But James tells us we need to hold those plans in an open hand and not in a closed fist.
 
I hope you will join me Sunday as we learn from James that planning isn’t wrong, as long as we make our plans on our knees.

James 3 & 4 - wk3

"Selfish Desires"

Bryan Jones

Most of us find selfishness in other people to be a real turn off. But if we’re honest, very few of us are naturally selfless. In fact, most of us are unaware of just how selfish we really are. And left undealt with, our selfishness will harm our family and friendships … our character … even our relationship with God.

This Sunday we’re going to see that James pretty much just lays it on the line when it comes to our selfishness. How do you know when you are being driven by selfish ambition instead of love? James tells us to look at a couple of things. How do you respond when you don’t get what you want? What does your prayer life look like? Do you seek to glorify yourself or God?

I hope you will join me Sunday as we learn from James how we can remedy a divided, selfish heart. We will have to fight against selfish ambition as long as we live in this fallen world. But James tells us to live out of our identity in Jesus … to live in the fullness of God. I think we will see that looking away from ourselves and turning toward Jesus is the key to walking in joyful freedom from selfish ambition.

James 3 & 4 - wk2

"Are You Wise?"

Dr. Gary Singleton

Now I’m going to go out on a limb and assume that all of us want to be wise.  In fact, I’ll bet a lot of us believe that we already are!  I mean if people would just listen to you, things would be a lot better – right?
 
But what exactly is wisdom?  Socrates said, “The only true wisdom is in knowing you know nothing.”  A Google search tells us that WikiHow can show us “How to Gain Wisdom in 13 Steps.”  And in Proverbs we learn that “The fear of the Lord is the beginning of wisdom.”  So how can we really know what wisdom is and whether we have it?
 
As we continue this Sunday in James 3, we find that James clearly spells out the difference between a wise person and a fool.  As a matter of fact, he lays it out so clearly that we can use his words as a heart test to discern just how wise we really are.
 
I hope you will join me Sunday as we hear what James has to say about wisdom.  Are you really wise?  Or are you just fooling yourself?

James 3 & 4 - wk1

"Taming the Tongue"

Pierce Vanderslice

Words are one of the most powerful ways we communicate with those around us.  We use words to express our thoughts and our ideas.  We use them to express our emotions … our joy, our sadness, and our fear.  Encouraging words can be life-giving.  Words spoken in anger can destroy a life.
 
You can probably recall some words spoken to you that altered the course of your life.  “You’ll never amount to anything.”  “I don’t love you anymore.”  “I’m sorry, you have cancer.”  Or maybe those words were more like this:  “You can do this – I’ve got your back.”  “I believe in you.”  “You did a great job.”  “You are important to me.”  Our words, both positive and negative, are powerful and lasting.
 
This Sunday we are starting a new sermon series from the book of James.  James is Jesus’ little brother and the leader of the church in Jerusalem, and he has a lot to say about the power of our words.  One study suggests that we speak about 20,000 words every day.  I hope you will join me Sunday as James tells us how we can make those 20,000 words count.

Promises - wk5

"Promise of Community"

Dr. Gary Singleton

This weekend we celebrate Memorial Day – a day of remembering those who gave their lives defending our nation.  America is known as the land of the free and the home of the brave.  Many believe it is the greatest nation in the world, and many have risked everything to pursue the American dream.
 
But what about our faith community – the community of those who follow Jesus?  What are we known for?  What sets us apart and makes others want to be part of our community?
 
This Sunday we will wrap up our sermon series on God’s promises with a look at the promise of community.  Why is community important?  What are we called to do as members of this community?  I hope you will join me this Memorial Day weekend as we see that as followers of Jesus, we are better together.  We are called to be unique … set apart to fulfill a common mission.  We are called to please God and help others by sharing the gospel boldly.

Promises - wk4

"Promise of Living Water"

Bryan Jones

Water.  It’s one of the most important substances in the world.  At least 60% of the human body is made of water and every living cell needs it to continue functioning.  Seventy one percent of the surface of the earth is covered in water.  We use water for cooking, drinking, bathing.  We use it to generate power and to irrigate crops.  We even use it for recreation, like a local Dallas man who recently dove deeper into the ocean than any human ever has before.
 
The element is incredible, and without it, life would cease to exist.  Just like we need physical water to satisfy our physical thirst, Jesus tells us that we need spiritual water to satisfy our spiritual thirst.  Jesus calls this water “living water,” and He has promised that those who drink it will never thirst.
 
But what is this “living water” that Jesus speaks of?  How do we get it?  Why do those of us who know Jesus and follow Jesus still feel thirsty and unsatisfied? 

Promises - wk3

"Promise of Rest"

Dr. Gary Singleton

Moms, if you could choose your own Mother’s Day present, what would you choose?  Flowers?  Jewelry?  Brunch with the fam?  According to parenting.com, what moms really want is a clean house, or a clean car, or just a day without “momming.”  (Hey Dad – pay attention!)

Well this Sunday on Mother’s Day, we’re going to talk about a gift that almost every mom would love to get – REST.    We’ve been talking about God’s promises, and in Matthew 11:28 we find a promise that Jesus made to all who come to Him.  “Come to me, all who labor and are heaven laden, and I will give you rest.”  
 
Mom, are you tired?  Worried?  Anxious?  Does your battery seem to always be in the red?  You will never stop being a mom, and you will never stop being burdened for your kids.  But Jesus promises rest.  

Promises - wk2

"He Always Finishes What He Starts"

Bryan Jones

I think all of us would agree that "Finish what you start." is pretty good advice. But how many of us actually do it? We start out with great enthusiasm. On Monday morning we’re 100% committed to Whole 30, and by Thursday we’ve settled for Half 15. Or we decide to dive in and clean out all of our closets and drawers. We pull everything out and start tossing anything that doesn’t “spark joy.” And a couple of days … or weeks … or months later the pile is still sitting there. Where did all the enthusiasm go?

Well this Sunday we’re going to see that God is so much better at this than we are. We’re talking about some of the promises that God has made to us, and this week I have a promise for you. God ALWAYS finishes what He starts. And He will finish what He started in your life.

Do you feel stuck, spiritually speaking? Are you struggling with things that you thought would be resolved by now? We can claim the promise found in Philippians 1:6 – “… He who began a good work in you will carry it on to completion.”

God is going to finish what He started in your life. You can count on it.

Promises - wk1

"Presence"

Dr. Gary Singleton

Last Sunday we celebrated Easter and the glorious resurrection of our Savior!  Jesus is alive, and He has gone to prepare a place for us in heaven.  What a blessing it is to celebrate the promise of spending eternity in heaven with Jesus!
 
But heaven is not the only thing God has promised us.  According to one account, there are 3,573 promises in the Bible, and all of them are just waiting to be claimed.  But most of us don’t even know what those promises are!
 
This Sunday we are going to begin a sermon series we’re calling “Promises.”  We’re going to take a look at just a few of those 3,573 promises and how we can claim them for ourselves.  We will begin with the promise of God’s presence.  On the cross, Jesus cried out, “My God, my God, why have you forsaken me?”  At that moment, Jesus was separated from God.  And at the moment of Jesus’ death, He opened the door for those who believe in Him to enter into the presence of God.
 
Jesus was forsaken so we do not have to be forsaken.