The Heights Church

Get In The Game - wk1

"Why I Serve"

Luke 17:7-10

Dr. Gary Singleton

 

If you are a Christ-follower, then you are a servant.  Being a Christian leads as naturally to serving as being a fireman leads to putting out fires.  “Servant” is your identity in Christ, and it is your calling as a Christ-follower.  It is who you are and what you do.

With that in mind, we will spend the next three weeks in a sermon series we're calling "Get In The Game."  We're going to be talking about serving, and this Sundaywe will look at a parable told by Jesus in Luke 17.   In this parable, Jesus identifies Himself as the Master and us as the servants. Jesus assumes that we all serve, and that our service leads to the growth of the Kingdom of God here on earth.

Where are you serving the Kingdom of God?  Join me Sunday as we learn from Jesus that we are all servants by nature and by calling.  Will you get in the game and find your place to serve?

Wind & Waves - wk3

"Navigating Change"

1 Kings 19:19-21

Bryan Jones

 

This Sunday we are wrapping up our three-week sermon series called “Wind and Waves.”  We have been looking at the life of the prophet Elijah, and learning from him how to look beyond the circumstances we face.
 
As I prayed about this sermon series months ago, God led me to talk about change.  Elijah found himself in a constant state of change.  Some of the changes were good.  Some were not.  As we come to 1 Kings 19, Elijah is about to retire and a new prophet is about to step up and take his place.  And not only that, God has told Elijah that his time on earth is almost done.  Big changes were on the horizon for Elijah.  But before he moved on, Elijah had a few bucket list items to cross off.  He made a few stops on his way out, and in the places he visits there are some keys to navigating change well.
 
Like Elijah, our lives are full of change, and it’s easy to get caught up in everything that’s in front of us.  I hope you’ll join me Sunday as we learn from Elijah how to find peace in times of change.

Wind & Waves - wk2

"Benefits of Change"

1 Kings 17:8-24

Bryan Jones

 

Are you in a season of disappointment, change or pain? Has it been a week, a year or decade of confusion? We all face tough times, but we don’t have to let it be wasted. This Sunday we are going to look at something a lot of people don’t talk about – the benefits of pain and disappointment.

Did you know God can shape us through difficult times? God used Elijah to show us how we can look to God, even when it doesn’t make sense. It’s a fact of life that the wind and waves will come, but in 1 Kings 17 Elijah learned that there were amazing things that can come out of seasons of disappointment, change and pain. Is God trying to get you to look beyond your circumstance? Maybe he wants you to look past the wind and waves in front of you. Will you bring your sorrow before the Lord? Will you let God shape you?

I hope you will join me this Sunday as we talk about the benefits of pain and disappointment.

Wind & Waves - wk1

"Dissapointment"

1 Kings 17:1-7

Bryan Jones

 

What tough circumstances are you facing today?  Maybe a child has run away – spiritually or physically.  Maybe you’re faced with a job situation that just won’t seem to change.  Chances are good that all of us are facing something – and it’s easy to focus on our circumstances and let them start to bring us down.  Remember when Peter stepped out of the boat to walk on water to Jesus?  As long as he focused his attention on Jesus, he was fine.  But as soon as he turned his attention to the wind and waves, he started to drown.
 
So for the next three weeks we’re going to talk about some of the wind and waves that we find ourselves facing – things like pain, and disappointment, and change.  We’re going to look at these circumstances through the life of Elijah – someone who experienced all of these things.
 
Where are you struggling to understand your circumstances?  Where are you being battered by the wind and waves?  Join me Sunday as we look at the life of Elijah and see that God is in those moments working in ways that you can’t see.  He hasn’t forgotten you.  God’s way is not pain free – but He is up to something.

All Are Tested

"All Are Tested"

Judges 3:1-6

Dr. Gary Singleton

 

Being tested is a normal part of the human experience. Everything and everyone gets tested. Students are tested in school to see how well they retain knowledge. Marriages, and friendships, and relationships of all kinds are tested. Even new products are tested before they are released to the market.

But testing is also found in scripture. God added testing to life’s experience from the very beginning. Adam and Eve were tested in the Garden of Eden. God placed the Tree of the Knowledge of Good & Evil in the center of the Garden and then allowed Satan to use it to test them.

This Sunday we are going to look at another clear example of God testing His people. The children of Israel had entered the Promised Land after forty years of wandering in the wilderness, but they had disobeyed God’s command to destroy all the inhabitants of the land. As we look at this story found in the book of Judges, we will see that God left those inhabitants in the land to test His children.

I hope you will join me Sunday as we see that all of us are tested, and not all of us pass. But failure does not have to be final.

James 2 - wk4

"Show My Faith By My Works"

James 2:20-26

Dr. Gary Singleton

 

Have you ever had something that turned out to be useless?  A flashlight is a great thing to have when the power goes out.  But if it doesn’t have any batteries, it’s useless!  Your car is probably one of the most useful things that you own.  You count on it to get you everywhere you need to go.  But if you can’t find your keys, it’s useless!
 
This Sunday we will wrap up our sermon series from James 2, and James tells us that it is possible to have authentic faith … a faith that saves us from hell and gets us into heaven … and that same faith can be completely useless.  How is that possible?
 
In James 2:20, James makes this statement:  “… faith apart from works is useless.”  What “works” is he talking about?  He’s talking about sanctification – the ongoing work of being made more like Jesus.  It’s not enough just to believe in Jesus.  We have to follow Him.
 
I hope you will join me Sunday as we wrap up our time in James.  Faith without works is useless, but faith with works transforms you and the world around you.

James 2 - wk3

"Faith & Works"

James 2:14-19

Bryan Jones

 

For the past two weeks, Gary has been teaching from James chapter 2, and we have learned about showing no partiality and loving our neighbor. This Sunday we will continue in the second chapter of James with a look at faith and works. James tells us there are three kinds of faith, but only one leads to life in Christ.

The first kind of faith that James describes is dead faith. Dead faith is intellectual faith with no action to back it up. The second kind of faith is demonic faith. Like dead faith, demonic faith is also intellectual – but demonic faith also contains emotion. The last kind of faith that James describes is dynamic faith, and it is this kind of faith that leads to life in Christ. When we have dynamic faith, it results in action … in works. Genuine biblical faith will always produce works. When we have this kind of faith, our love for God starts to transfer into a love for people.

I hope you will join me this Sunday as we explore these three kinds of faith. What kind of faith do you have?

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.