The Heights Baptist Church

I would like to suggest today that the resurrection makes clear His right to make a really challenging call on your life and mine. Look at Luke 14:25-35.

There are problems in this world, and there can be even more problems that come with being a Christian in this world. So at some point don't we want to say, "Lord, is there any advantage to being a child of the King? I know what the Bible says, but I am getting my teeth kicked in down here." Look with me at Romans 8:18-25.

In our passage today Paul goes further in encouraging us to live life in the Spirit by showing us it is more than just escaping rejection, but how much we are wanted. Look with me Romans 8:12-17.

I have 5 messages planned for Romans 8 that I am going to call Your Life in Romans 8. In this first one we see that our lives are no longer condemned and what that means. Let's look at Romans 8:1-11.

Caleb Williamson, one of our students, shares the message from our Youth Sunday 2012.

"You've got to pull yourself up by the bootstraps!" This phrase that has been around since the 19th century though no one has really been able to trace it to its origin. The idea behind the phrase is you have to improve your own condition. No one is going to do it for you. They are very effective for pulling boots on, but it is impossible to lift yourself up by them. There is a bootstrap theology...

There are many passages that talk about what we give, why we give and our attitude in that giving. I believe it is clear a follower of Christ is to give a minimum of 10% of their gross income to the church. I believe we should give to other gospel causes and missions, but the tithe is to come to church first according to Malachi 3:10.

Dr. Hahn shares his personal testimony about tithing and what the Bible says about tithing.

The finances of America are a disaster. There is almost nothing we are doing right. We are as wealthy as a nation and as individuals as probably any country ever and we are on the verge of bankruptcy. Do we really need to make a case that we need a new way? I suggest God's.

God the Father enjoys watching His kids have fun. Why does the world believe, after watching us, that to become a Christian means to stop having fun? I do think we have to be careful. Our fun can become sin, or worse become our God. But does that mean no fun? Where is God on fun? Turn with me today to John 10:10.

God gives one operating principle that makes the home work. That one principle can be stated in one word. Look with me at Ephesians 5:21. Our one word is submission.

Our topic today is about new habits. Here it is: have the habits Jesus had. Let's go home. I mean, if I am His follower, then would that not mean I am a student of His life and those things He built into His life as habits I would want to build into my life, right?

As we look at what would make 2012 the year of all years that we maybe think about this in a new way. Instead of our natural focus on the physical - we think about the impact that the spiritual might have. We think about the difference that a heart for God would make on this year. I think the great king of the Old Testament, David, can give us some real insight here.

Turn with me to 1 Corinthians 15:33-34. We are going to see today that the garbage in, garbage out principal is true not just of food; but of entertainment, relationships, learning, morals, and your walk with God. Are we aware of how much our life is being affected by what we put into it?

Rev. Ronnie West, our education pastor, shares about living a life of a trader, trading in the old life, and receiving the new life in Christ, and sharing that with others.

"Merry Christmas." Who knew those would ever become such powerful, confrontational, divisive words. Who knew that wishing well being for someone around a particular holiday could be so offensive? But words are powerful and the name of Jesus is the most powerful word uttered by human lips, so there should be no surprise that it will be an offensive word. The more the name is attacked the more I kno...

Christmas memories are some of my best memories. I remember my Christmases at Second Baptist Houston. And here is why: that is where the announcement of Christmas became personal. That is where I learned what the angels announced that most holy night, and that their announcement was for me.

There is one name that stands above the others, a name that defines us in this world. It is a name we almost never refer to ourselves with. It is the name “slave", slaves of Christ. Isn't it interesting that the dominant word to describe who and what we are is a word we never use. It is the word used in our passage today to answer why sin can no longer be a part of our lives. Turn to Romans 6:15-2...

As a believer in and follower of Jesus, the Scripture teaches that we are freed from sin. Sin has no power over us. I wonder if there is a single believer in here today who feels that way. Romans 6:1-14 describes for us a process of transformation, where what is true about us becomes something we can practically experience.

I fear that sometimes the church has been guilty of taking the fun out of life. It is certainly the view the world has of the church. We have made the word pleasure almost synonymous with sin. God likes pleasure. He gave it to us.

The passage we are going to look at today gives us one of the most amazing portraits of God's love there is in the Bible, especially in this genre. It is a discussion of God's love for us. This passage teaches a lot about us, but it is not about us. What it is teaching about us is simply to provide the backdrop for where God displayed His love. We are going to see two things about God's love. Firs...

Have you ever heard some words that were an overwhelming relief? But maybe words like "you're cured", "you're free", "you passed", "you won", or today, "you got the job". These are words that seemingly save our lives, give us hope, give us a chance, get us off the hook. There is a flood of relief that washes over us. That should be happening as we move through Romans.

The faith you show in getting on a plane is a biblical like faith. That is not how our culture defines faith. Our world sees religious faith as something you do instead of evidence or fact. Science and fact have been juxtaposed with faith as if they were opposites. The biblical concept of faith though is not something you do in the absence of evidence, but in light of the evidence.

Wallace Nix is the director of Chosen Children Ministries. He shared about his life change, and call to missions and why we should all be part of missions.

Each of the chapters we have looked at in Romans is dealing with some different issues, but it ends up at the same message, and so I really did think, "Again?" And yet, with all this repetition, it dawned on me, we actually don't get it.