The Heights Church

Unique - Community Presence

"Where will you engage, not hide?" - John 17:15-19

The community around us is changing. If you walk through any office, or neighborhood, or school, or shopping mall you will see people of all ethnic backgrounds and belief systems represented. So how do we respond to this changing community? We may be tempted to withdraw and hang out only with people like us - people who look like us, and believe like us, and vote like us. But that’s not God’s plan forHis followers. God wants us to engage, and love, and serve those who need Him the most. This direction is given to us by Jesus Himself as He prays for His followers in John 17. As we listen to the words of Jesus, may we be haunted by this question- Where will you engage your community?

  

Unique - Relationship Driven

"Relationship Driven" - John 13:31-35

On this Mother’s Day, we are continuing to look at the things we value at The Heights. It is these core values that make The Heights unique. One of the things we care deeply about is relationships. We believe Jesus cares deeply about how we treat each other. He expects us to treat each other the way He treats us - with grace and forgiveness. On the night Jesus was betrayed, He gave His disciples a new commandment - to love one another. When we love people like Jesus did, we give them a glimpse of who Jesus is. We show people Jesus by the way we love them.

 

Unique - Biblical Truth

"Biblical Truth" - John 17:13-19

This morning we welcome Bill Bray to The Heights. Bill serves as Teaching Pastor at Charlottesville Community Church in Charlottesville, Virginia, and his passion is to teach the Word of God in such a way that people discover who Jesus really is. This morning Bill will kick off our new sermon series, “Unique.” At The Heights there are five things that we value ... things that are in our DNA. It is these things that make The Heights unique. At the top of our list of values is Biblical Truth. This morning Bill will look at John 17:13-19, and what we believe about biblical truth. In Jesus’ prayer for his disciples, He prayed that God would set them apart for His purposes with the Truth - His Word.

Family Forever wk3

"God's Strategy for Parents" - Mark 10:13-16

Parents - don’t you wish your kids came with a manual? Parenting would be so much easier if we had instructions to follow ... a step-by-step guide for every situation. Unfortunately there is no foolproof guide to parenting. But the good news is that God does have a strategy for us, and it came straight from Jesus. The Gospel of Mark records Jesus’ encounter with some parents and their children. And that brief encounter provides us with God’s strategy for parents. Mom and Dad - you must work together to ruthlessly remove barriers to a childlike faith.

Forever Family wk2

Grace Based Parenting - Dr. Tim Kimmel

This morning we welcome Dr. Tim Kimmel to The Heights.Tim is one of America’s top advocates speaking for the family today. He is the Founder and Executive Director ofFamily Matters, whose goal is to see families transformed by God’s grace into instruments of reformation and restoration. Tim conducts conferences across the country,and has authored a number of books including the award winning Grace Based Parenting. Tim’s philosophy provides a solid grasp of the “big picture” and promotes a character-driven strategy for parenting no matter what your situation. Parenting is the biggest job we will ever do. Dr. Tim Kimmel will provide us with some tools so we can give it our best.

Forever Family wk1

"Marriage" - Mark 10:1-12

This morning we’re going to spend some time talking about marriage. Is traditional marriage becoming a thing of the past? Statistics tell us that half of all marriages end in divorce. Both men and women are waiting longer to get married. But while cultural attitudes may be changing, Jesus paints an entirely different picture of marriage. Mark tells us that the Pharisees asked Jesus to weigh in on the subject of marriage and divorce. Jesus’ response points us to God’s purpose for marriage. Marriage is a picture of Jesus’ relationship to His bride - the church. How do followers of Jesus respond to our culture’s changing views of marriage? He tells us that we are to make marriage a display for God’s grace.

What Are We Celebrating?

Philippians 4:10-20

Over the past 60 years we have had much to celebrate at The Heights, and this morning marks the beginning of an exciting new season. Twelve years ago, on April 4, 2004, we met for the first time in this Worship Center. This morning we celebrate being debt free. But let’s not get confused over what the real celebration is about. Let’s keep the main thing the main thing. We’re celebrating our financial status and our financial sacrifice ... but the main thing is the spread of the gospel. It is imperative that we keep our eyes on sharing Jesus, and taking personal risks to bring the gospel to every relationship.

Easter - The Gospel wk5

"Meant for More" - Romans 6:5-14

 Most of us want to live a life that counts. We want to do something that matters before we exit this world. Well, today is Easter Sunday, and the message of Easter is this: You were meant for more. Jesus’ death, burial, and resurrection make it possible to live a life that really matters. The Apostle Paul tells us that God designed us to die ... to ourselves. It is only in dying to ourselves that we get to live with Jesus now and for all eternity. Let the message of Easter sink deep into your soul. You were meant for more.

The Gospel wk4

"Defending The Gospel" - Galatians 1:18-24

Today is Palm Sunday - the day we celebrate Jesus' triumphal entry into Jerusalem. Jesus entered Jerusalem knowing He would die on a cross for our sins, and then rise again from the dead. And just before He ascended into heaven, He commanded us to: "Go ... and make disciples ..." (Matthew 28:19). Our mission is "Taking personal risks to bring the gospel to every relationship." We are following Jesus' command to go and make disciples. How do we do that? Paul shows us how as he shares the good news of Jesus with the people of Galatia. And just like Paul, you have a "go tell" story.

The Gospel wk3

"Called By God" - Galatians 1:11-17

God has given us a great mission for 2016. We are taking personal risks to bring the gospel to every relationship. But to do that, we need to understand what we mean when we talk about “bringing the gospel.” What exactly is the gospel? To find our answer, we turn to the book of Galatians. The believers in Galatia had become confused on the subject of the gospel. So Paul explained to them that the gospel ... the “good news” ... is not “works righteousness.” It’s not Jesus plus something else. The gospel is “gift righteousness” that we receive. It’s Jesus plus nothing. And Paul calls all of us to do this one thing: Find your faith - don’t settle for someone else’s faith.