Hillside Evangelical Free Church

The Bible doesn't shy away from the fact that this life is difficult; in fact it says, "many are the afflictions of the righteous" (Psalm 34:19a). But in that difficulty, through those trials and afflictions there is hope. In his sermon on Psalm 34, Pastor Jim Schultz walks through the trials that David was experiencing when he wrote this Psalm and how in the midst of it, he still found hope. In t...

Psalm 33 calls people to shout to the Lord in praise and worship. While pagan gods at the time were very limited in scope and geographical location, this Psalm highlights God's righteousness, faithfulness, justice, and love being without bound or limit. It paints the picture that the earth and the nations are all under God's authority and nothing falls outside of His control. In response to such a...

The Bible uses a lot of battle language to describe the Christian life. In Ephesians 6:10-24 we learn about the "Armor of God" and our responsibility to put it on so that we are prepared for the battle at hand. But unlike battles in this world, the Bible describes a battle that is not against "flesh and blood" but against the "spiritual forces of evil in the heavenly places". So what is this armor...

In the first nine verses of Ephesians chapter six, Paul covers a surprising amount of ground as he addresses children, parents, slaves, and masters. One could easily conclude after reading these verses that God is interested in "Every Square Inch" of our lives; that there is nothing that falls outside of God's command. In this sermon Pastor Jim Schultz touches on family life and work responsibilit...

In his sermon on Ephesians 5:22-33 Pastor Jim Schultz expounds on this simple yet profound passage on marriage. Contained in these 12 verses is a high calling for husbands and wives to display the beauty of Christ and the church through their marriage. 

When someone is under the influence of something or someone it changes their behavior. In this sermon on Ephesians 5:15-21, Pastor Jim Schultz teaches about being under the influence of the Holy Spirit and how that is to impact the life of every believer. 

It can be easy to downplay our daily decisions and compare ourselves to people around us, but when Ephesians 5:1 calls us to "be imitators of God", the standard for right living dramatically increases, and the weight of our decisions is felt. In his sermon from Ephesians 5:1-14, Pastor Jim Schultz brings to life how Christians can grow in being "imitators of God". 

There are many contrasts in Scripture; in Ephesians 4:17-32 we see the contrast of our old self and new self, old clothing and new clothing, old behaviors and new behaviors. At the center of it all is a life transformed by the person and work of Jesus. But it's easy to default back into our old behaviors and ways of thinking without realizing it. Because of that, we often need reminders of what th...

Just as a growth chart can give helpful markers into the health of a child, so Paul in Ephesians chapter four gives indicators of what healthy growth in a believer's life should look like. As it would be alarming for a child not to grow into an adult, so we too should be alarmed if we are not growing in maturity as believers in Christ. In this sermon from Ephesians 4:7-16, Pastor Jim Schultz walks...

In Ephesians 4, Paul exhorts the church in Ephesus to "walk in a manner worthy of the calling to which you have been called". In a list of virtues he includes an eagerness to "maintain the unity of the Spirit in the bond of peace." In an age of increasing polarity, how can believers maintain this unity? What is necessary to live this command out in the church? Through this sermon on Ephesians 4:1-...

Have you ever wanted to grow in your prayer life? Perhaps you've had the thought that you should pray longer prayers or even more eloquently. While many of us desire to grow in our prayer lives, it's also common that we don't know exactly how to grow. In this sermon from Ephesians 3:14-21, Pastor Jim Schultz teaches about one of Paul's prayers for the believers in Ephesus and how it can expand our...

The church is like a mosaic. Believers across the world and throughout history are the tiny cubes that together make a beautiful picture of the grace of God. As Paul continues to speak about the glorious news that the Gospel is for both Jew and Gentile, he also speaks of his missionary call to the Gentiles. The goodness of the Gospel, the grace of his missionary calling, and how all of this fits i...

In an age of division and disagreements, how can believers live in unity before God and each other? Ephesians 2 paints a beautiful picture of Jesus breaking down the walls of hostility between the Jews and Gentiles and uniting them by the blood of Christ. Through this sermon you will see how profound and extraordinary unity in Christ is, and why it's only through Jesus that we can be united as one...

To be saved from death by Grace and not works is both an encouraging and humbling thing for a believer in Christ. In his sermon on Ephesians 2:1-10, Pastor Jim Schultz dives into our predicament of being dead in our sin and how God has made us alive in Christ.

What comes to mind when you think about praying for others? Your first thought was probably not praying that they would grow in knowledge. However, that's one of the things Paul specifically prayed for the believers in Ephesus. In this sermon from Ephesians 1:15-23, Pastor Jim Schultz seeks to expand our understanding of how we can pray for one another to grow in the knowledge of God. 

Giving... an often dreaded topic for any pastor to bring up. Giving is clear in Scripture but can very easily be abused if handled incorrectly. In this guest sermon by retired pastor Steve Morgan, we dive into the important topic and spiritual discipline of giving. What does it mean? How has it been miss-handled? And how can we seek to grow in this area?

Thomas; out of all the disciples could he be the most misunderstood? He is often referred to as "doubting Thomas", but is that how we ought to remember him? What can we learn from Thomas' response to Jesus' resurrection? In this sermon, guest speaker Pastor Highland Goodman tackles these questions and offers some thought provoking insights into the man and disciple known as Thomas.

Around the world people celebrate the resurrection of Jesus Christ on Easter Sunday. But what if the resurrection never happened? Would it change anything? On the flip side, if the resurrection did happen, what impact does it have? In this Easter Sunday sermon, Pastor Jim Schultz preaches from 1 Corinthians chapter 15 on the importance of the resurrection and the impact it has on our lives.

When God promises an inheritance, what does that mean? Who is it for? How is it obtained? In this sermon on Ephesians 1:11-14, Pastor Jim Schultz explores the amazing realities of the inheritance that is promised in Christ. 

What does it mean to receive redemption in Christ? The mystery of God's plan for salvation was hidden for ages and generations, but now has been made known. It isn't through being "good enough" that salvation is found, but rather through the riches of God's grace that was demonstrated and fulfilled in Jesus. Explore this amazing and profound passage of Scripture as Pastor Jim Schultz preaches from...

In this opening sermon on the book of Ephesians, Pastor Jim Schultz tackles what can sometimes be a divisive topic; the idea of being "chosen" by God. In a thoughtful way he unpacks and seeks to bring clarity to this important but complicated theme. 

An ending of a story greatly impacts what you take away from it. As the book of Acts ends in an unexpected way, Pastor Jim Schultz gives some takeaways we can have from this abrupt conclusion to the book. After following one of Paul's missionary journeys for several chapters, why does it abruptly end? What can we learn from this last chapter of Acts and how does it impact our lives today? 

How do you respond when you face the 'storms of life'? In this sermon on Acts 27, Pastor Jim Schultz walks through the Apostle Paul's tumultuous seafaring journey that nearly left the entire ship and crew underwater. What did Paul do? What was his response, and how can we learn from his experience? 

In his sermon on Acts 25-26, Pastor Jim Schultz teaches on the Apostle Paul's decision to appeal to Caesar. Although he could have been set free, Paul didn't see his freedom as the top priority. Listen to this story of a man fully trusting God through all the twists and turns of his life. 

Pastor Jim Schultz preaches from Acts 23:12-35 on the unexpected events that continued to unfold for the Apostle Paul. Though faced with conspiracies against his life, we see in Paul's story an example of God sovereignly leading and caring for his people.