Highlands Baptist Church Sermons (Centennial, CO)

As Jesus breathes his last breath in Luke 23:44–56, his death is marked by signs that prove its profound significance: darkness covers the land, and the temple curtain is torn. Jesus, the Light of the World, enters into the darkness of sin and death so that we might enter into the light and life of God. His final cry is not one of defeat, but one of trust in the Father and triumph over evil. His d...

Luke 23:26-43 describes the crucifixion of Jesus, focusing on his suffering, the reactions of those around him, and the interaction with a repentant thief. It highlights Jesus's forgiveness of his executioners, the mocking of the crowd and soldiers, and the promise of paradise to the thief who confessed faith in him.  As Jesus is being crucified, he tells the crowd not to weep for him, but for the...

In Acts 28:1-16, Paul concludes a long and tumultuous voyage to Rome, the heart of the Roman Empire. Along the way Paul experiences trial and suffering in the form of shipwreck and snake bite. Despite these difficulties, that are both real and painful, God brings Paul safely to Rome where the gospel continues to advance. The various difficulties Paul endured along the way opened the door for gospe...

In Luke 23:13-25, Jesus is on trial before Pilate. In a shocking reversal, Pilate finds Jesus innocent while the Jews demand his crucifixion. Even a historically ruthless and pagan governor can see Jesus’ innocence, while those who were supposed to recognize their Messiah condemn him to death. Although Herod, Pilate, the Gentiles, and the people of Israel were gathered against Jesus, God ultimatel...

In Luke 23:1-12, Jesus stands before two powerful Roman politicians, Pilate and Herod. Pilate, wrestling with political convenience, finds no guilt in Jesus but refuses to act justly. Herod, craving entertainment, mocks Jesus when he doesn't speak or perform miracles on command. Through these encounters, we see the innocence of Jesus affirmed even by hostile figures. We also witness the sovereignt...

In Luke 22:54-71 we see more responses to Jesus. Peter denied, others mocked, and some accused. Through all of this we are also able to observe Jesus's response. When given the chance, he doesn't defend himself. In a way, he provides the testimony that brings about his conviction. In a theological sense Jesus is on trial for us. He stands on trial where we ought to be standing. The judge becomes j...

The betrayal of Jesus in Luke 22:47-53 reveals both the pain of betrayal and the sovereignty of God. Judas’s act of betrayal underscores the deep emotional wound caused when trust is broken, especially by someone close. Yet, in the face of this treachery, Jesus responds with compassion, healing the ear of the servant and demonstrating that his kingdom is not advanced through violence but through s...

Life’s trials are unavoidable, but they are not without purpose. Romans 5:1-5 reveals a transformative pathway through suffering: endurance builds character, and character nurtures hope—a hope that is secure because of God’s love poured out through the Holy Spirit. This message unpacks how God uses suffering to sanctify His people, conforming them to the image of Christ while equipping them to ser...

In Luke 22:35-46, Jesus begins by telling his disciples to rely on God’s provision, while reminding them that all of their needs will be supplied. He goes on to say that he will be falsely tried as a transgressor or criminal, even though he is sinless. This is a reminder that these false accusations and his ultimate crucifixion were all part of God’s plan. This led the disciples to want to use swo...

In 1 Corinthians 1:18-25 we learn how the message of the cross, though seemingly foolish to the world, reveals God's ultimate wisdom and power. Human wisdom falls short of knowing God, because salvation doesn't come through impressive signs or intellectual pursuit. God brings salvation through the simple yet profound proclamation of Christ crucified. Even though many perceive the message of a cruc...

The teachings of Jesus in Luke are often countercultural. In Luke 22:24-34, Jesus reveals how the worldly view of greatness contrasts with his own; those who are great should be as the youngest and servants at heart. Jesus not only taught what it means to be great, but modeled it by laying down his life for his people. These passages exalt Christ’s example of greatness (to be followed), diminish t...

In Romans 8:28-30 we learn two promises that provide Christians with a joy that cannot be taken away (John 16:22). Because of the resurrection of Jesus, 1.) your bad things will turn out for good, and 2.) the best is yet to come. Bad things turning out for good doesn't mean bad things are somehow reclassified as good. It does mean that if the worst thing to ever happen in the world – the execution...

Palm Sunday is all about the fact that Jesus is King. But what does the kingliness of Jesus consist of? Luke 19 and John 13 give us three vignettes about the kind of King we have in Jesus. In Luke 19:34-41 we learn we have a king who weeps. In Luke 19:45-46 we learn we have a king who has anger, because he wants us. And in John 13:1-5 we learn we have a king who loves us to the end. In all of your...

When pain and anguish and feelings of betrayal and disillusionment flood our souls what are we to do? Thankfully, God has given us the resource of biblical lament. Lament is not a denial of faith; it’s actually an expression of it. It is what happens when people who believe in God turn to him with their pain—not to hide it, not to fix it quickly, but to bring it honestly before Him. In a world tha...

In Luke 20:41-21:4 Jesus asks a question of his own to invite his adversaries to give deeper reflection to who the Messiah really is. When Jesus quotes from Psalm 110 he reveals the Messiah is much more than simply a descendant of David. He is the Lord over all who will overcome the worst of our enemies - sin and death. When he warns his disciples not to become like the Scribes he demonstrates he...

In Luke 20:27-40 the Sadducees confront Jesus about a core doctrine of the Christian faith — life after death. In this third confrontation in the Temple, Jesus responds to an influential group who twists the Scriptures to make a particular belief look ridiculous. A few lessons we can learn as we confront scoffers in our day are: (1) be biblical, (2) be gentle and respectful, and (3) be direct. Chr...

In 2 Kings 5:1-19, Naaman, commander of the Syrian army, travels into enemy territory to be healed of leprosy. Naaman nearly didn’t experience healing when he stormed away in proud anger when the prophet Elisha told him to wash himself in the dirty Jordan river seven times. But the path for salvation always requires humility. God resists the proud but gives grace to the humble. Have you experience...

Big Idea : One is to give to God what belongs to Him—oneself. Summary : In Luke 20:19-26 the religious leaders attempt to trap Jesus by spying on him and pinning him down with an ‘either-or’ question. Through the issue of “tribute” tax they hope to condemn Jesus either to the Romans politically or the Jews religiously. The king without a coin asks to borrow one so he can teach us something we all...

In Luke 20:9-19 Jesus tells a parable of a master who owns a vineyard, cares for it, and leases it to tenants. When he sends messengers to them to gather what belongs to him, they mistreat, shame, and beat them. When he finally sends his son to collect what belongs to him, thinking they would honor the heir and not kill him, the tenants murder the son. Jesus asks a riveting question, “What then wi...

In Luke 19:45-20:8 we learn about a cleansed temple and a questioned Savior. Jesus throws the sellers out because the temple was supposed to be a place to worship and communion with God; not a busy marketplace of big business. This shows us it's possible to be busy about religious things and still miss what's most important -- worship of God from the heart. When the religious leaders questioned Je...

In Luke 19, Jesus enters Jerusalem as the promised Messiah (Zechariah 9:9), and his coming as King brings joy or calamity, depending on how he is received. In Luke 19:11-27, Jesus tells a parable about a throne claimant who goes away and returns as king. Luke tells us the reason for this parable was twofold: he was approaching Jerusalem, and they supposed that the kingdom of God was to appear imme...

Probably no other passage is more descriptive of the church in action than Ephesians 4. Ephesians breaks into two segments of three chapters each. Ephesians 1-3 is the gospel story. Ephesians 4-6 explains how the gospel story should be lived out together as a church. How are we, as Christ’s church, to live, serve, and grow together? The surprising answer is, “with all humility and gentleness, with...