The Heights Baptist Church

If you will turn with me to the book of Ecclesiastes, in the first three verses of chapter one we will find two phrases that define this book (read). The first defining statement of life by Solomon is that everything is meaningless. To make sure you know he means it, he says it thirty-seven times in twelve chapters. The second phrase is "under the sun".

As I read the end of Romans, I see Paul sitting in a coffeehouse over a cup coffee with friends. It didn't start that way. The letter to the Romans starts behind a high pulpit with academic robes. Romans gives us some of the beefiest topics in the Bible. Then Paul takes off the academic robes, rolls up his sleeves and says, "Let's get to work", as he starts to address the radical change the gospel...

We have been talking for a couple of weeks now about being a part of this famous group called "church people". The world has a tendency to make fun of, persecute, or just ignore our illustrious little group. There might be a few times we deserved it. But whatever we have been or are now, we will be the last ones standing. We are conquerors in Christ. We conquer not with guns and bombs or even with...

In Jesus we have a Savior and a Friend. We come into this new relationship with Him and for most of us our first thoughts are how do we live for Him. What is right and what is wrong? Sometimes we will go to the Bible for answers. I think a lot of times we just kind of end up taking our cues from other believers or the church we attend. Church people have a big impact on how we understand and live...

There is growing attitude in America that it is okay to love Jesus but hate the church. Biblically that is impossible, but it doesn't feel impossible to them. They must have had the same problem in the first century because the rest of Romans is about how to be church people without ruining the Gospel. The Church is made up of more diversity than any other group of people on the planet, and there...

We always talk about what is great in our lives. Always. Listen to people this week. Listen for what they talk about and what they talk about with excitement. What do they go on and on about? So here is the question: Is God as great to us as that which we go on and on about?

Kris shares about the journey that he and his family have traveled with the Lord as they learned at Christmas 2008 that their daugher, Gracyn, had a virus that attacked her heart, and left her clinging to life needing a heart transplant. (Gracyn's song used by permission.)

It feels so good that the start of football is in sight. What an exciting time of year. The days of August are about conditioning, learning, training, and practicing. Why do they do that? So they can play the game and play it well. Now, think of coming to church as conditioning, learning, training, practicing. When we leave practice, when we break from the huddle, where is our line of scrimmage? T...

When I say stress we think of things like: bills, a conflict in a relationship, work, schedule, or fear over something looming on the horizon. Stress is a real feeling. I wonder if the things that cause us stress are really not the cause, but symptoms themselves. What could bills, a hectic schedule and conflicts possibly be symptoms of? Perhaps the cause, the bigger problem is Me Management. If *m...

Do you ever look in the mirror and think, *I have to do better than this*, but it is not your body that you are talking about? It's your life. You want more. You want better. Maybe you would even say, *I want God’s best for my life*. If you were going to get God's best for you right now, what do you think you would have to do? Listen, God wants you to have His best.

Does it seem like being a Christian in America really does not necessitate much change? How are we so different from people who don’t know, don't care about Jesus? If there was a change from dark to light, from child of the devil to child of God, from an eternity in hell to an eternity in heaven, from following self and the world to following Christ; should there not be a clear difference between...

Rev. Osborne concludes his series on Change.

Rev. Osborne begins a two week study on Change.

Maybe for us today the issue is not what the act of God is, but that God is. Maybe what's needed in your life and in my life is not the particular answer to a prayer or a particular miracle that we are seeking, but it is to experience the living God and His glory.

I know there is debate about the founding fathers being Christians or theists, most of that being an attempt to rewrite history away from this nation's Christian roots; but regardless of what any one founding father was, they were in fact respecters of God and the Bible. They looked publicly and purposely to God and the Bible for guidance as they built this new nation. While they built a nation th...

As come to Romans 11 today we finish a major section of Romans, chapters 9-11. In this section we have asked the question, "What about God's plan for the Jews". Jesus was the Jewish Messiah, and this thing we call the church started out with Jews, but as it was now growing by Gentiles. Fewer and fewer Jews were making up the church. Was God done with Jews? What about His promises? If they did some...

The job of a dad is to so effectively represent God before their kids that when they realize dad is not God, they immediately fall in love with and trust their heavenly Father. That's big. Let's go simpler. Be the kind of father that the heavenly Father doesn't have to overcome.

God's sovereignty should result in our rest and security. And as good as that might sound, someone could ask, "Are we just pawns to the story God is writing?" Is there any real choice here? Are the elect ushered off to heaven and the unelect to hell? It is God's choice and that's it? Can man be anything but a pawn in God's sovereign rule?

Have you ever read something in the Bible that God said or did and thought, "That doesn't seem right?" Sure you have. Today we continue our study in Romans and we are entering a new section, chapters 9-11.

There are over 60 major prophecies in the Old Testament concerning the first coming of Jesus. Some were clear and concrete, some difficult to understand, and some seemed strange; but 100% of these prophecies were literally fulfilled. God has a good batting average at fulfilling His prophecies and it is best to take it just like it reads. Yes, there is symbolism and yes there are some difficult pas...

Today I want us to remember and celebrate mom's craziness for me. God has put a person on this planet that was wired to sacrificially live for you, wired to not quit for you, wired to make one last call, send one more email, talk to one more person for you. She may not always be right. She may not always handle it right. She might embarrass or annoy you. Her eyes might pop out of her head and her...

Jesus tells us what is going to last, what will survive even hell. The church. The church is that body of people that is built on the confession: "Jesus is the Messiah, the Son of the Living God." That confession lasts. All that invests in that confession lasts. When you invest yourself in the church you are investing in what will stand against the fire, investing in what is Christ Himself, invest...

We know God is working everything together. That word work together has the idea of weaving. God is weaving all the pieces of my life together so that it fulfills this great purpose. When God is done weaving all the events, all the people, all the successes, all the failures, all the hurts and wrongs; you will look like Jesus.

I want to introduce you to two people today that are always praying, for you. I am sure there are some in here right now who would wonder if anyone is or has prayed for them. And the answer is yes. There are two praying for you who have unparalleled access to the Father. They pray with great fervency, wisdom, insight, and compassion. They pray perfectly, every time, saying exactly what needs to be...

Rev. Ronnie West, Education Pastor, shares about lessons he's learned over the years.