Highrock Church

Sometimes you don't know what you have until you lose it. That, says Paul, was the situation for Israel. Sometimes we, too, forget the privilege it is to know God in Christ! Israel's failure to value the gift of God serves as a warning to all who might be tempted to take God's grace for granted. Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here: https://www.highrock.org/dail...

The continuing place of Israel in God's plan might seem like an academic discussion but for Paul, it was deeply personal. He brings up the story of Elijah, who at one point thought he was the only person left who had not abandoned the God of Israel for other gods. But God was with Elijah, along with several thousand others who had remained faithful. Paul likely felt similarly at times. But no matt...

Can jealousy ever be a good thing? Over a thousand years before Jesus, God told Israel that they would one day become jealous of the Gentiles for the spiritual blessings that they would be enjoying. Even today, Jesus can showcase blessings through his followers so that others will be provoked to desire what God is offering not just to a select few, but graciously to all! Looking for a previous dev...

Have you ever wondered how God feels about you? Have you ever wondered if you're good enough, smart enough, or loving enough to be acceptable to God? The Apostle Paul is clear that many had made the answers to these questions far too complicated. Who will be acceptable to God? Who will God rescue from the darkness of this world? "Anyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved!" Looking for...

Have you ever wondered what happens when you hit rock bottom in your faith? What if the thing you regret most could actually become the turning point of your story? Check out this finale of Highrock's sermon series “Witness” as Pastor Taylor Burgoyne unpacks a surprising beachside encounter that just might change how you see grace, failure, and second chances. · · · 👉🏻 Sermons in the "Witness" s...

When can a good thing be bad? When it gets in the way of something more important. In this case, our own good behavior can become a bad thing if it leads us to trust in our own goodness rather than the grace of God. Such "goodness" becomes self-righteousness that produces resentment rather than love, entitlement rather than gratitude. We must repent and turn away from making any good thing a subst...

Who are your people? This question was central for the church in Rome and for Paul's entire ministry! Which matters more -- physical lineage from Israel or the offer of grace extended to all people? As difficult as it might be to accept, God had long declared that God's people would be a collection of those who responded to the promises of God in faith. Whatever might seek to divide us, God calls...

After Jesus restores Peter, you might imagine that he would be filled with gratitude, despite the warning about the way he would one day die as a martyr for Jesus. Instead, we see Peter turn around immediately and ask regarding John, "What about him?" Comparison kills joy and community. Instead, Jesus instructs Peter and us to focus on what God calls each of us to do in following him. Looking for...

Jesus asks Peter three times, "Do you love me?" and each time, Peter says "Yes." By the time Jesus asks Peter a third time, Peter is hurt by the question. Why does Jesus keep asking the same question? As we may suspect, Jesus desires not to hurt Peter but to heal him, and to invite us to be healed as well. Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here: https://www.highro...

If you were to have a supernatural encounter with God, where do you imagine it might happen? Probably not at a campfire cook-out on the beach! Jesus uses this moment to continue the process of restoring and strengthening Peter and the rest of the disciples. Peter imagines that his failure is the end of the story for him but Jesus continues to show him that his failure, and ours, is only part of th...

Faith and doubt might seem like opposites, but what if they actually go hand in hand? This sermon explores how even our questions and uncertainties can lead us closer to Jesus—and why a little doubt doesn't mean you're doing it wrong. · · · 👉🏻 Sermons in the "Witness" series: https://tinyurl.com/3c8564ku 👉🏻 Dive deeper into John: https://tinyurl.com/4vcwrfv8

What do you do when there seems to be no way forward? Quite often, we're tempted to go back to what we used to do. The disciples return to Galilee and begin fishing again. But Jesus is not finished with them. Have you ever felt that God was done with you -- that you had failed in some unforgivable way? We can learn through Peter even our worst failures cannot separate us from the love of God in Ch...

John's Gospel reaches a climax in this scene. Jesus appears to Thomas, a disciple who refuses to believe until he can see Jesus for himself. When he does, he believes Jesus and acknowledges him as "My Lord and my God!" We may not see Jesus in the flesh, but we have the opportunity to see Jesus through one another, the very body of Christ. Who has shown you the glimpse of Jesus? Looking for a previ...

Sermon by Pastor Meghan DeJong in the series, "Witness: The Firsthand Faith of John" · · · 👉🏻 Sermons in the "Witness" series: https://tinyurl.com/3c8564ku 👉🏻 Dive deeper into John: https://tinyurl.com/4vcwrfv8

-- Note: No devo tomorrow, April 30. We'll be at a staff overnight retreat -- That Easter Sunday evening, Jesus appeared amongst the fearful disciples. Jesus' presence displaced their fear with joy and peace. But Jesus came to give them something even more -- a commission and the power to live out their calling. That power was the Spirit that Jesus breathed upon them, the same Spirit that God stil...

Mary Magdalene searches for Jesus unsuccessfully until he calls her by name. He knows her and she knows him. But Jesus also reveals something new to her -- that she and the other disciples are now true children of God! Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here: https://www.highrock.org/daily-devotionals/ For Reflection: Mary Magdalene seems unable to find Jesus until...

Mary Magdalene returns to the tomb on Sunday morning and find it empty. She rushes to inform Peter and John, who run to the tomb to find it empty, just as Mary had said. It was only then that John finally believed. John had followed Jesus all along but it wasn't until that moment that he finally understood. What did John finally understand, and what are we to take away as well? Looking for a previ...

Joseph of Arimathea went to Pilate to request the body of Jesus. Joseph was a member of Sanhedrin, the Jewish ruling council, but he was a secret disciple out of fear of the other religious leaders. He was much like Nicodemus, another secret disciple, who joined him in burying Jesus. Like Joseph and Nicodemus, does fear make us secret disciples as well? Looking for a previous devo? Want to share o...

The soldiers saw that Jesus was clearly already dead. Just to be sure, a soldier pierced Jesus' side with a spear. Such detail might seem unnecessary but both then and now, there have been those who have doubted Jesus' death. In addition to these details, John testifies that he saw it with his own eyes. The clarity of Jesus' death is a kindness for those whose hope is in the ensuing resurrection!...

As Jesus died upon the cross, he declared, "It is finished!" His work was complete. Everything that the Father had given him to do, Jesus brought to fullness and completion. But is there another meaning, a further implication to what Jesus declared? What does it mean for us to hear Jesus say, "It is finished!"? Looking for a previous devo? Want to share one with a friend? Start here: https://www.h...

The Jewish people had been waiting for the Messiah, a promised king, for centuries. They knew that he would be a descendant of King David, which Jesus was, but how could a crucified Jesus possible be the king they were expecting? But as the Gospel of John shows us, the crucifixion was not a mark against Jesus being the long-expected savior. Instead, the crucifixion was precisely how he would save...

Sermon by Pastor Taylor Burgoyne in the series, "Witness: The Firsthand Faith of John" · · · 👉🏻 Sermons in the "Witness" series: https://tinyurl.com/3c8564ku 👉🏻 Dive deeper into John: https://tinyurl.com/4vcwrfv8

Sermon by Pastor John Mury in the series, "Witness: The Firsthand Faith of John" · · · 👉🏻 Sermons in the "Witness" series: https://tinyurl.com/3c8564ku 👉🏻 Dive deeper into John: https://tinyurl.com/4vcwrfv8

When Pilate considers that Jesus might be more than human, it strikes him with fear. Even so, he is even more afraid of Caesar. The religious leaders are no different, saying to Pilate, "We have no king but Caesar!" Who determines what is right in our lives? Who sets the priorities? Do we bend our will for the approval of the crowds, to satisfy the demands of those in power or the demands of our o...

How do we respond to those who oppose and betray us? The Roman guards took delight in their cruelty to Jesus. Pilate simply wanted to wash his hands of it all. But Jesus washed the feet of his disciples, though they would soon abandon him. He also washed the feet of Judas, who would soon betray him. And Jesus then told them to love one another as Jesus had loved. We can and should oppose those who...