The Heights Baptist Church

I mentioned back at the start of this series that Psalm 139 is my favorite Psalm. It is the first piece of Scripture I remember being taught, I remember learning and thinking about. My mom and dad adopted me, and my mom used this passage when I was 4-5 years old to explain that God made me and God placed me in a special way into their family. What a blessing for me to be here preaching on it 60 years later. Here are The Heights we encourage with our Bible reading plan to ask the questions as you read: what does this passage teach me about God, what does it teach me about humanity or myself, and what do I need to do considering what I’ve read. The answer to those questions in Psalm 139 is a lot! In Psalm 139 we get to know a lot about God, and it seems David thought this was the best way to get to know ourselves. You best know you by knowing the God who made you.

On this Father’s Day, I am so blessed to be able to say once again, Happy Father’s Day to my dad. How would I describe my dad? I am very proud of my dad. I have 3-4 men who really shaped my life, influenced who I am and how I live. My dad is not only one of those, but the only one who has been there the whole trip. I would describe him this way: Always there. Always help. And that is not just about what he was for me as a kid, but what he has been for me throughout my life. Always there. Always help. And I am going to describe God that way in just a moment, so that puts into perspective how much I think of my dad. Now my dad is not God, but he did make it easy for me to think of God in heaven as Jesus said, my Father.

Behind the scenes of my life and your life is a vast backdrop that is God. Here are my scenes being played out in this area, and your scenes playing out over here. Then another scene from someone else is going on in that arena and another is taking place over there. Sometimes they overlap for a time, but as each one plays out there is the reality of pessimism and hopelessness, but for the panorama of God that is going on behind and within our scenes. In God we see and experience an unobstructed view in all directions. God is everywhere! Moses understood the panorama of God in the process. You see, this psalm is not about Moses nor about life’s circumstances. This psalm is about God! So that is where Moses begins.

You do good, you get good. You do bad, you get bad. It is a rule. It works. It is right and fair. We count on it. It is how we, people of faith, understand God and life. It is very much a part of why we do what we do. We believe God to be just and fair, and so a just and fair God is going bless good and punish bad. And it is a bit of a crisis when the rule doesn’t work. Look with me at Psalm 73.

On this Memorial Weekend we remember those who paid the ultimate sacrifice on the field of battle, and it has grown to including all who have died in uniform. This day was started in 1868 and called Decoration Day. On May 30th of each year communities would decorate the graves of those who died in the Civil War. That evolved to the fallen in all of our nation’s conflicts. 1971 is when Memorial Day became a federal holiday observed the last Monday of May. A day of this kind of remembrance is what the psalms would call a day of lament. As we are doing a series in the Psalms, let’s look at a psalm of national lament, Psalm 79.

Who do you talk to the most? Who is your go to, to process what happened today? Who do you want to share the exciting news with or what they did? As names and faces come to us, I am almost positive not one of us thought of the person we talk to the most. Yourself, a conversation that never ends. And we never choose the conversation. It just happens. That might mean our self-talk is taking us to thoughts and places that we don’t want to go, and we are not doing anything to resist because who do we trust more than our own voice. Today we continue our series in the Psalms and that brings us to Psalm 103. As we read it, hear the Psalmist telling himself what to think.

Today we look at Psalm 109, one of the most challenging Psalms in the Psalms. Psalm 109 is where the Bible doesn’t sound like the Bible. And it is not a mistake that it is here. It is reality. When I introduced the Psalms, I said we will see some statements in Psalms we think, 'Is it okay to say that?' This Psalm isn’t justifying these thoughts but acknowledging the reality of these thoughts and showing us where to go with them. Psalm 109 speaks to the reality of the pain and unfairness we can experience in this world and the desperate desire for justice. Who makes you so angry in our world, your world? Where are you at complete loss for how they continue to get away with it? Let’s read Psalm 109.

What is the last song you shared. We love to share music, don’t we, and it is so easy today to do so. Some of us remember if you wanted to share a song, you had to carry the record over to their house, or get them to come to yours, and play it on a stereo, while dinosaurs roamed up and down the street. Used to be a good bit of effort to share a song. Well, whatever effort is or is not involved, God wants us to share a song. Look at Psalm 96.

Can someone have everything they need? I have moments, and so do you, where everything in life is good. I just enjoyed a moment like that back at Christmas, all our kids and grandkids at Christmas dinner. Perfect moment. I think of a mission trip last year Karen and I went on to Zimbabwe, and another trip with the church to Israel. Oh, and a river cruise for an anniversary. Yeah, I like to travel. And yet some of the most satisfying and full moments are a nice dinner on our deck in the back yard. These are moments I might say, 'I have everything.' But doesn’t it feel like David is talking about something more than a moment, more than a good trip, meal, family time? How is that possible?

We are in a six-month study of the Psalms and currently a 3-week look at Psalm 22, a special passage in the Bible. Psalm 22 is quoted 24 times in the New Testament. It was written 1000 years before Jesus was crucified, 300 years before crucifixion was even invented, and it reads like it was written at the foot of the cross. God knew this would be hard to believe so He told us exactly what to look for and then brought it about. Let’s start in the gospel telling of the crucifixion.

We are still at the beginning of a 6-month study of the Psalms, which currently has us in Psalm 22 which gives us one of the most incredible pictures of our crucified and risen King, Jesus. A picture drawn with incredible accuracy of a moment that would not take place for 1000 years. Last week we got an overview of the whole Psalm, and understood it as being the words of Jesus, the experience of Jesus at the cross. It is verse 1 that gives us the 4th statement of Jesus from the cross, 'My God, my God, why have you forsaken Me?' That feeling of abandonment would lead to a prayer, and we see that prayer in verse 19. Look with me at Psalm 22:19-21.

In two weeks, we celebrate the heart of Christianity: the death, burial and resurrection of Jesus. It is a stunning event, that none of us would have planned that way. Seemingly, an out-of-control moment for an all-powerful God. So that we could see that this was His plan and purpose He told us in advance what it would look like. Psalm 22 was written between 1000-970 B.C. It is not for another 300 years that crucifixion will be invented by the Assyrians. The Romans perfected and would use it on Jesus in 33 A.D. 1000 years after Psalm 22 is written and it reads like David was standing at the foot of the cross. There is another passage like this, Isaiah 53. It is these that show us, it takes more work to not believe, than to believe. We are going to spend 3 weeks in Psalm 22, the most quoted Psalm in the New Testament, 24 times.

We have begun a new series on the Psalms, largest book of the Bible, maybe the most read part of the Bible, an important intersection between theology, life, and feelings. Psalms is where real issues are worked out with a real God. And in this great book, guess what the first word is? Happy. Let’s look at it, Psalm 1.

The 23rd Psalm is a picture Jesus Christ, the Great Shepherd being resurrected from the dead. And this reminds us that just as death had no power over Jesus, it also has no power over us because He is our Great Shepherd.

Today we continue an overview or introduction to the Psalms. The goal of an introduction is to have a feel for the whole. We’re not as much looking at the trees as we are trying to see the forest. If you like getting a feel for what the Psalms are, then last week’s message was for you. If you want content or knowledge about what the Psalms are then today is for you. There is a lot to grasp with the Psalms as it is the largest book in the Bible, covers the most time, and deals with not only intense emotions, but a variety of human issues and deep theology. We are going to see real people dealing with real issues and what the leaves them feeling about God, who works through all this with them.

The Psalms are songs. In the days Old Testament Israelites, the days of Jesus, these Psalms would have been sung. Seems that would really date them. How is it that these songs can be favorites of so many across time and style and culture to this very day. My guess is the Psalms are the #1 go to for so many when they open their Bible. Perhaps because they speak so fluently to the human experience.

We have spent the last two weeks looking at scriptural context for our mission and vision statements, and we have seen the heart of Jesus. He is our King, and this is what He has sent us to be and do in His kingdom. What really excites me about this is how much these statements represent what you already are and do. Let’s look today at the mission and vision alive in you.

Today we continue talking about the mission and vision of The Heights Baptist. Since all churches belong to Jesus, they should have a similar mission even as they are personalizing to their own context. Now mission doesn’t change. It can be tweaked as we did last week but not change. What does change is our vision. Vision is how we are going to currently fulfill the mission. We presented our first vision to the church in 2017, and then another in 2021. 2017 was a ten-year vision, but 2020 so changed things our vision needed an adjustment. 2021 presented a 3-year vision, which now calls for us to set a new vision.

For the next several Sundays we are going to be looking at the mission and the vision of The Heights Baptist Church. Now that excites me, but I can respect, recognize the reality that when some hear that they kind of groan and think, 'That’s not what I needed today'. Or maybe even, 'I don’t care'. Why should you care? And with all you have going on, why should this mean something to you today?

Today’s sermon is about tools you can trust, tools that work: one tool that knows everything about us, all our information, but uses that for us, never against us. Look with me at Acts 9:10-20. We’ve been talking about changes and using the life of Paul as a backdrop looking at the changes God made in his life. In this story we see two things God uses, I referred to them as tools, but that might not be entirely appropriate because these two things are the Church and the Holy Spirit.

We have been looking at the life of Paul and how God makes changes in our life or helps us make the changes we want. So far we have talked about life in Christ as the first step to change, then the confidence we have in change, the purpose we have in change; and today I want to talk about God’s purpose for us in change. What is God doing when we are trying to lose weight, read our Bible more, learn to play an instrument, make this a better relationship? When we are trying to change things; what is God doing? That’s an important question because we want to make sure we are lining up with what God is doing, lest we find ourselves, like Paul, fighting what God is doing.

Today we conclude our 21 days of fasting and prayer. Of course, we never actually conclude fasting and prayer. It is an ongoing opportunity, responsibility, privilege to have access to God. We have access to the living God, the One with all knowledge and power, the Sovereign over space and time. Who am I? Who are you, to have an audience with God? And not just once, and not just on certain things; but always, on everything.

Very few seem to feel they know or have a purpose to life. That is tragic. Purpose provides meaning, strength, endurance, direction. Purpose touches who we are and why. Purpose tells us why hard things are worth it. As a follower of Christ, we don’t have to go on a long philosophical journey looking for purpose. We look to Jesus. Jesus says the purpose of life is to know God and His Son.

This morning I want to look at where does this confidence come from that Paul has that he goes on and he turns the world upside down for the gospel, planting churches all over the known region. Where does that confidence come from for him?

It seems that often the gospel is explained as if it is only for the broken, miserable, desperately needy. Paul was none of this. He had money, position, purpose. He was zealous, loved what he did. He was accomplished in every way important to him. He wasn’t needy. He wasn’t crazy. He wasn’t given to stories of a Messiah, as is evidenced by his desire to kill those who were. But He needed Jesus, received Jesus, and change began.

There is something about this time of year that has many of us evaluating, and some of us will really like where we are and what is happening. Others have some things they really want to be better, want to see changed, and it is wearing them out. Maybe there is even frustration with God. We’ve prayed, gone to church, read our Bible. We’re doing what we know to do, and it is not paying off. We need God to show up and do a God-thing. Maybe there is just something we really need to get right and we’re not sure what to do and we want God to give us a sign. Ever prayed for a sign? Sure. I think we all have. The God who parted the Sea, who rained down fire on Sodom and Gomorrah, who walked on water, and rose from the dead is more likely to whisper. Would you hear it? Turn with me in your Bibles to 1 Kings 19:9-18.

Merry Christmas, Everyone! What a blessing to be celebrating altogether our God and Savior coming into our lives so we could know Him personally. Here in America, we spend two months building up to this night. Here at The Heights, we’ve spent a month building up to after Christmas. Matthew 1-2, Luke 1-2 give us the Christmas story, and in that is a good bit after Christmas, after the birth of Christ. We’ve looked at a story as much as 2 years after His birth, one that was 12 years, another just 8 days, and tonight a matter of minutes.

Merry Christmas everyone! Christmas Day is upon us, and if you have been at The Heights the last couple of weeks you have been looking beyond Christmas Day with me. Each Sunday we have been in those traditional Christmas passages of Matthew 1-2 and Luke 1-2, but we have been looking at the stories God has given us after Christmas, stories that too often we are quick to move beyond: the flight to Egypt where we learned something about God’s will in our lives, or the story of 12 year-old Jesus where religious leaders saw the depth of His knowledge and we saw the depth of His character, a character we’re to strive to be like. And today we come to another story just beyond Christmas, 8 days to be exact. Let’s look at Luke 2:22-33.

Ten days till Christmas. This is when we crank it up – the stress, the travel, the cooking, the shopping. It’s go time. But here at The Heights we’re already thinking after Christmas. There are wonderful, important, passages included in the Christmas passages, Matthew 1-2, Luke 1-2 that are after Christmas, and too often put away in the attic without much attention. So we are looking after Christmas before Christmas. Last week we saw how we follow God’s will. Our after Christmas story today is the furthest removed from Christmas. Like 12 years removed. It is the singular story about Jesus in the Bible prior to the age of 30, and even at 12 we see in Him how we are to live. Let’s read Luke 2:41-51.

There is an after Christmas story, stories we tend to box up and put in the attic too quick. That after Christmas in the Bible has much for our after Christmas. After Christmas is a hard time. Bills. Taking decorations down. The emotional letdown of 2 months of emotional build up. Family, friends moving on. We may have used the two months of buildup to escape life. One day later, life is back in our face, and these stories that follow Christmas have some good direction for us. Our first message today takes us to the harsh and difficult. Can that happen when we are following the Lord? Look with me at Matthew 2:13-18.

I can’t think of a better Sunday to celebrate the Lord’s Supper than a Sunday of Thanksgiving. In all circumstances give thanks. I would guess in this room, watching online, we cover a lot of circumstances from things we are very grateful for to things we are not at all grateful for. But we learned that God is not calling us to be thankful for those circumstances, but in them. That is a big difference. In all circumstances we give thanks that God is good, and in control. In all circumstances, God is working for my good. And God HAS DONE a work in our lives that no circumstance can change or undo.

Our theme in Thessalonians is stay the course, the end is great. And that is an answer to our theme for the year of finding clarity in the chaos: constant political tension, rejection of any kind of biblical worldview, redefining marriage, redefining sex and sexuality, fear of being canceled, waning religious freedom; what are we to do? How do we stay on track? I think Paul gives us some checkpoints, things to make sure we are doing in an overwhelming moment. There are so many things overwhelming, and I say that as we come into the overwhelming season of shopping, cooking, traveling, gathering. Here is what to do in the overwhelmed moments. From politics, to holidays, to culture war, here is a battle plan to stay the course, to find clarity. Let’s read 2 Thessalonians 3.

In 1 Thessalonians 4:13-18 believers were told to be encouraged, to encourage each other with the hope of the rapture. One day we are going to rise to meet the Lord in the air, along with our loved ones who passed away in Christ, and together we will be with Jesus forever. That is our hope. That’s what gets us through days of suffering, pain, death in this world. That is what we hang onto when we are overwhelmed by the evil in the world. Now can you imagine believing that, trusting that; and then you hear you’ve missed it. You missed the rapture, the Lord’s return for you. That’s what the Thessalonians had been told and what Paul is now going to deal with in 2 Thessalonians 2.

'Is this the end', was the question the Thessalonians were asking. Whenever Christians are suffering, confused or frustrated with the state of things, we tend to wonder, 'Is this the end'? Most generations have had their issues that led to that question. Our generation: wars, concerns of bigger wars, pandemics, immorality. Is this the end? As we start into the second letter, remember the background. Acts 17:1-10.

Tuesday night, or Wednesday morning I guess, we will have the results and know something about a new President and government that will carry us into the next chapter in America. I am concerned about several things in this next chapter, but particularly religious freedom and biblical morality. I have, we will vote what we believe gives the best opportunity for that. And Lord willing, we wake up Wednesday. Some will wake up with the belief that everything is going to be okay. Others will wake up sure it is the end of America. What should we do Wednesday? Well, pray, like any day. Thank God that He is on the throne and that this will serve His glory and purposes. While an election always feels to us like it is going to change everything, it changes nothing for God. After prayer, then what? Well, we’ll have to go to school, or work, start taking on that day’s tasks. I want to give you a checklist, a list of things to do between Wednesday and Saturday, before we get back here next Sunday. And this list is given to us by Paul at the close of his first letter to the Thessalonians.

Join us for our YTH Sunday Panel discussion. Dylan Aarum our middle school pastor and Ethan Meadows our high school pastor engage with some of our youth in a panel discussion.

As we look at the state of this world, there could be a lot to be distressed about. There is tension in the Middle East, a worldwide pandemic turned our lives upside down in the matter of weeks, political division starting with our leaders and now people in the church. We can't have a discussion without committing sin calling each other names. The Bible teaches that mankind can't survive without Jesus Christ. We know the only hope for the world is when Jesus Christ comes back and establishes His throne. He will right that which is wrong, fix all of the broken in this sin-sick world. We as saints should look forward to the second coming of Jesus Christ.

What is the rapture? When is it? Why is it? The what is not that hard, and neither is the why, but when has proved a little challenging. Students of this have come to different conclusions. There are reasons for all the views, but only one can be right. Let’s see if we can get close.

Look at what surrounds the call to prayer: humility and repentance. Our repentance may have more impact on America, on Israel, than our requests. Now it is not hard to confess other people’s sins. We can with self-righteousness call out the sins of our nation, or those of Israel. Note the call to humility. There may be many sins plaguing our land that we are not guilty of, but that does not mean we are innocent. This is not just about calling out the sins of the nation, but calling out our own sins as a part of this nation. And how readily we who know the Lord should do this, for we have the security of knowing we have His forgiveness. We are going to do this today with the Lord’s Supper, that which should bring us joyfully to humility as we think on how great God’s love is. To rightly celebrate this moment, it is done in humility and repentance.

Rev. Joel Eguiluz continues this week with 1 Thessalonians 4. Paul is reminding them how they must walk as believers to please God, and as they practice these things, that they continue to grow more and more. Is living to please God truly your goal in life?

Can I be a Christian and be or do ...? To all of these questions I would say, you are asking the wrong question. The question is entirely about self, and when we come to Christ, self-dies. We took off self and put on Christ. It is not even we who live anymore, but Christ who lives in us. See Galatians 2:20. Our desire now is Christ, and all things submitted to Him. We are going to read a passage that speaks so clearly to this question, to the Church today, the believer today, because nothing happening today is new, and God has answered. Look with me at 1 Thessalonians 4:1-8.

Friends that offend, you need them. God isn't calling us to be offensive, but He is calling us to care and yes, some will be offended by that concern. We won't stay the course in following Jesus if we don't have people in our lives who care enough to ask. Are you building those kinds of relationships, giving that kind of permission?

Everyone has a worldview, a way of looking at and interpreting the world. Some of it is made up of who we are and what we do: male, American, pastor. Much of it is made up of what we trustingly listen to: news, Tik Tok, podcasts, friends. It all shapes how we look at relationships, money, God, sex and sexuality, government, people, people groups, really everything. Your worldview is in operation every day on everything. One would think for something so important we would carefully choose our worldview, but I think for most a worldview just happens to them. Let’s not let it just happen. Let’s purposely choose, and I would the Bible, a biblical worldview. You’re not surprised I’d say that, but maybe asking, 'Why the Bible'?

When people don’t like someone, they tend to only hear and see what confirms their dislike. It is an uphill battle to change that mind. Good will be ignored. Motives will be questioned. The culture is saying we are a place of hate, we are a people against. I hope we never show them hate, and while there are things God calls us to be against, He really sends us out there with what we are for. We are for people and the gospel. We are for people meeting God-sized life and love. But to have that opportunity we really need to strive, more than the average, to be the best neighbor, the best co-worker, the best teammate. What’s at stake is not people liking us, but people knowing the gospel and an opportunity to connect with God-sized life and love. And that is what Paul is going to show us today as continue our series in Thessalonians.

What do we do when love is defined as smiling at evil? What do we do when hate is saying anything is wrong? What do we do when an America many of us love seems to be passing into the night? What do we do? I would say we have to answer these questions biblically and strategically, as if the church would even agree on what biblically and strategically looks like. Here is where we need to hear the theme of Thessalonians is staying the course, for the end is great. Our staying the course is the best chance for America to turn from idols to the living God. What does staying the course look like.

I am excited today to begin a 13-message series on 1 and 2 Thessalonians. In a world gone crazy we get clear direction from Thessalonians of what to do in real time. This isn’t advice to consider if this ever happens, but directives in the heat of battle. Thessalonians is going to take the complexity of our time and say, 'Keep it simple, stupid.' Okay, not the stupid part. But we really can overthink and that leads to paralysis. Being canceled, being labeled, being rejected keeps us paralyzed. Thessalonians is going to address that. But not everyone is paralyzed in a chaotic world. Some have directions the church needs to take. In

During this series we have said over and over to follow Jesus means you are making followers of Jesus. If you are not making followers, you’re not following. Why does He need me making His followers? The last time I preached on July 7 we saw God has a process from a person coming to Christ to growing in Christ to being rewarded in Christ that involves the Father, Son, and Spirit. The process is entirely accomplished by God. No part of it is dependent upon us, but God lets us participate. Our focus that day was the blessing of being able to touch eternity, to do things that will last forever. Go tell. Go share. Go encourage. Today I add to that: making disciples is our discipleship. We are most learning, most growing, most experiencing when we are helping someone else do the same.

Order your life so that you are walking with Christ. Have the accountability and community that will encourage you to abide with him. Have rhythms of life that allow for you to be with God so much that it fuels your doing for God. When we understand the love of God we will love others. View hospitality as a primary work for evangelism and discipling in your community. Regularly make time to meet with others and have spiritual conversations.

Order your life so that you are walking with Christ. Have the accountability and community that will encourage you to abide with him. Have rhythms of life that allow for you to be with God so much that it fuels your doing for God. When we understand the love of God we will love others. View hospitality as a primary work for evangelism and discipling in your community. Regularly make time to meet with others and have spiritual conversations.

We want to be a church of people growing in relationship with Jesus and helping others to do the same. What roles do church leaders and church members play in the process?

Each of us is called to be a disciple and make disciples. God has given us the home as a primary place to live out this command. This week we look at how to make disciples in our homes.