Highrock Church

Pastor Walt Quick continues our Beyond Belief sermon series with a sermon based on Galatians 5:13-26 .

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 47 : "Babylon was blinded by a self-indulgent pursuit of pleasure and a false sense of security. God reminds them that power and privilege are gifts to be used to serve others, not to make others serve you. This warning to Babylon is intended for us as well; gifts that are misused can be taken away."

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 45 : "Israel seems to question God when God chooses Cyrus to be their deliverer, their "messiah." Why should God choose a pagan rather than an Israelite, perhaps even a promised descendant of David? Ultimately, God can use even faithless people to demonstrate God's faithfulness. God can do that with a Cyrus and God can do that with us!"

Pastors John Mury and Michael Taber discuss Isaiah 44 : "A man chops a block of wood to make a fire to cook his dinner, then carves the rest of the wood into an idol and prays to it. That is the paradox of idolatry — it lowers us rather than lifts us up. God wants Israel, and us, to turn to God instead. What are the idols to which we give our attention (devotion?) instead of God?"

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 43:1-13, 18-25 : "Isaiah begins to paint a picture of our God who takes care of every step of our journey home. God initiates our journey with God calling us by name (v1), walking with us through every hardship (v2), and making the way home even possible (vv19, 25). We can walk without fear because God will be with us each step of the way!"

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 42:1-9 : "In the first of the 'servant songs,' Isaiah paints a picture of the coming servant of the Lord, the Messiah. Immediately, we see that this servant will bring justice, a theme present in Isaiah's words from the beginning. However, there is a new thread of revelation as well — this servant will be radically gentle as well. Gentle? How can God...

Pastor Dave Swaim continues our series, Beyond Belief: The Promises of the Apostles' Creed , with a study of the phrase, "He ascended to heaven and is seated at the right hand of God the Father almighty. From there he will come to judge the living and the dead." Sermon based on Psalm 9:1-4, 7-9, 15-19 .

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 41:1-13, 19-29 : "Israel had one thing in common with her captors: they both trusted in the power of false idols. God holds a mock court to consider whether God or idols are worthy of trust. Whatever our false idols may be, God alone cares for us and can guide us into an otherwise uncertain future."

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 40:27-31 : "What does it mean to wait upon the Lord, or to trust in the Lord? And how exactly will that give us the strength and energy to rise up on the wings of eagles? So often, we lose strength because we are believing the wrong stories. In patient trust, we can remember who God truly is and find our hope and strength restored."

Pastors John Mury and Michael Taber discuss Isaiah 40:9-26 : "Isaiah calls his listeners to "behold your God!" We are creatures who hunger for transcendence, wonder, and awe — in other words, worship. God alone is worthy of such consideration and enriches our appreciation of all other things. Isaiah gives us several pictures of God's greatness; how do you connect with the majesty of God?"

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 40:1-8 : There is a saying that the preacher's task is "to comfort the afflicted, and to afflict the comfortable." Israel is now captive in Babylon and it is time for God's comfort, and what a promise of comfort it is! Isaiah declares not only will God restore them, but that God will show up! The glory of the Lord will be seen, not just by them, but...

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 39 : "If God gave you fifteen extra years of life, what would you hope to do with it? Sadly, King Hezekiah uses his extra life to recklessly ensure the destruction of a future generation. Rather than repent or grieve, his only reaction is the relief that at least his days will be pleasant! It's a tragic conclusion for Hezekiah and any who share his s...

Pastor John Mury continues our series, Beyond Belief: The Promises of the Apostles' Creed , with a sermon based on 1 Corinthians 15:12-19 .

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 38 : "Right after a real faith high point, Hezekiah experiences a terrible valley. He had earlier focused his attention on God but in this moment, he fixates on himself instead. God disciplines those he loves (Hebrews 12) and Hezekiah comes to the same conclusion."

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 37 : "After refusing to respond to the threats of the Assyrians, King Hezekiah moves beyond silence. In the face of real fear, Hezekiah enters the presence of the Lord in heartfelt prayer. He almost literally hands it all over to God. Fear that is given to God can be transformed by God into faith."

Pastors John Mury and Michael Taber discuss Isaiah 36 : "The Assyrians finally come for Judah, marching all the way up to the walls of Jerusalem. The Assyrians challenge the Israelites' trust in God. Will God deliver them when so many "gods" have failed to deliver the fallen kingdoms before them? How do you respond to such challenges? And when is no response the best response?"

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 35 : "In imagery that would later be used to Jesus, Isaiah describes a time when the Lord would visit them and restore sight, hearing, speech, and the ability to walk. Everyone will be included and welcome in the future that God has for us!"

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 33 : "The people of Judah pray for deliverance from the coming Assyrian army. God responds to their prayer but warns that God's presence will bring judgment to all, not just to their enemies. God's purifying fire is a blessing to those who want to be refined but for everyone else, more than they bargained for."

Pastor Dave Swaim continues our series, Beyond Belief: The Promises of the Apostles' Creed , with a sermon based on Matthew 25:34-36, 41-46 .

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 32 : "God promises to send the people a good leader, a righteous leader, one who encourages a commitment to generosity and justice. Ultimately, a good leader is one who serves the people rather than making the people serve the leader. Jesus is the ultimate example of this kind of leadership but we each have a role to play in leading those around us."

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 31: "Faced with anxiety about the approaching Assyrians, the kingdom of Judah turns to Egypt for security rather than turning to God. Isaiah invites them to turn back to God instead. What are the Egypts to which we turn? Where do we turn with our anxiety and can we hear God's invitation to return home?"

Pastors John Mury and Taylor Burgoyne discuss Isaiah 29:11-24 : "Isaiah addresses two marks of false spirituality. The first is a surface-level, going-through-the-motions kind of religion. The second, deeper level of false spirituality is hypocrisy—not only are our hearts not in it, but our hearts are actually opposed to the way of God. God desires a genuine connection with us; can we be honest to...

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 28:5-16 : "Isaiah foretells that one of the dimensions of God's deliverance will be through leaders who long for justice. In the meantime, their faltering leadership continues to value their own cleverness over faithfulness. We are invited to be child-like in our trust; not child-ish in our stubbornness."

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 25:1-8; 26:1-6, 16-19 : "Isaiah speaks God's promise for deliverance, followed by a song of celebration. God promises salvation not just for Israel, but for all the peoples of the world! Not only will all hostilities cease, but death itself will be swallowed up by God! This hunger for heaven is meant to transform how we live now, fueling our desire t...

Pastor Meghan DeJong continues our series, Beyond Belief: The Promises of the Apostles' Creed , with a sermon based on John 18:33-37 .