For hundreds of years prophets of God foretold the coming of the Messiah. “Immanuel: God with us” would be the fulfillment of God’s promises for the ages. The prophets waited with much anticipation for God to make things right among the people. When the angel came to Mary, he said her child would, “…be great and will be called the Son of the Most High… and his kingdom will never end.” The arrival of Jesus meant everything would change and the gift of the Messiah means our life never has to remain the same either. We can expect something better. In this message, we unwrap the promise of expectation and explore the gift we have no ability to give ourselves.

At the birth of Jesus Christ, an angel met some shepherds in a field. The angel stood before the shepherds and declared, “Today your Savior was born in the town of David. He is Christ, the Lord.” Then a very large group of angels joined the first angel and praising God they declared, “Give glory to God in heaven, and on earth let there be peace…” The birth of Jesus meant the promise of peace would be fulfilled. But in our world of much confusion and conflict, we might wonder, where is the promise of peace? This message calls us to re-discover the peace of Christ even in the middle of trouble, suffering and pain.

In this season, you’ll hear the song everywhere… on the radio, at the mall, at a children’s concert… “Joy to the world, the Lord has come… let earth receive her king.” But is “earth” ready to “receive the King” when things don’t go the way we think they should? What does it mean to have “joy” when so many things in our world seem to be broken or in turmoil? The gift of God promises us joy even in the midst of chaos. “Immanuel” means “God with us” and He is with us, even in our pain and suffering. In this message, we unwrap God’s promise of joy that He is always with us even when it doesn’t feel like it!

When Jesus was just a baby, there was a good and godly man named Simeon who had been waiting for the time when God would take away Israel’s sorrow. When Mary and Joseph brought the baby Jesus to the temple, Simeon held Jesus in his arms and said, “Now, Lord, you can let me, your servant, die in peace… with my own eyes I have seen your salvation…” The birth of Jesus marked the arrival of God’s promise of deliverance for all people. In this message, we are reminded that everyone has a story to tell of God’s promise of deliverance from sin, sorrow and brokenness.

For some people, the holiday season is not the easiest of times. By this week each year, some folks are just hoping to make it through New Year’s Eve so they can mark another year off the calendar and get on with another one. Amid all the tinsel, the wrapping paper and the party whistles, the promise of hope sometimes seems more like a distant dream than a reality. Life is rarely easy and when things get tough, we need to remember the arrival of Jesus brings hope to a hopeless world! In this message, we look at the birth of Jesus and to the anticipation of things to come remembering that He is our hope no matter what may come upon us!

This week we begin a new series entitled “Missio Dei: Embracing God’s Mission for One, for Many, for All.” The entire series will focus on the “mission of God,” and how we fit into God’s overall plan. This week’s sermon title is “Mission is as Mission was” and considers that there is a “story” to be told about how God created and how He relates to His creation. There is a story to be told, a story of history, a story reflecting the nature, the heart and the love of God. Ultimately, God is about beautiful things (a beauty that is so overwhelming it is even beyond our imagination). When that beauty gets “lost and broken,” God moves to redeem the “beauty” that is lost to sin, selfishness and brokenness. God has been about redemption from the very beginning of time and He is about redemption still to this day. As followers of Jesus Christ, the mission that is now, is the mission that has always been.

As we continue to explore the missio dei, we turn our attention to the divine initiative to restore blessing to creation. In the wake of Babel, God calls forth His blessing for the world through one man, Abram. In this we discover God’s mission to bless, not so we may “have” but so we can participate in “being” a blessing for the world.

The missio dei continues through the story of Abram and his descendents and leads us to one of the most pivotal events in all of scripture- the Exodus. Through the vehicle of story, we explore the power of remembering the Exodus event for Israel and for us. In remembering, we re-discover the missio dei as God’s initiative to liberate his people from the bondage of slavery and embrace the promise of a “new” Exodus.

As we conclude our series on the missio dei, our attention turns towards the church as God’s vehicle for mission. Though some may consider “church” to be a building or a space where mission occurs, the story of scripture affirms the church as the people for God’s mission. In this, the church freely chooses to live redemptively within creation so God’s mission is realized through them. Ultimately, the missio dei is not only what has happened but what is happening now . . . among us!

This morning, with so many in competition to lead, Jesus alone establishes his leadership to the church as the only authentic alternative. With Jesus as our leader, what would it look like if we took the risk and actually followed?

This morning, as we finish up our Follow the Leader Series, we get to enjoy a rare treat, as both Christopher Green and Pat Bills will be bringing our message…as we look deeper into what it is to follow our leader, Jesus, as the Highland Oaks Church of Christ, ransomed for his purposes and mission.

Joy is not something that comes on a person all at once and just hangs around indefinitely…but it is a daily process of finding God in every moment of every day as we discover “Joy In Daily Doses.”

There is a joy that can come in quiet, private moments. But God has wired us to experience life's deepest joy -- even joy in the midst of junk! -- in the companionship of a spiritual community of friends

How important is Jesus’ ascension? Too often, we move from the resurrection right to our awaiting his return – all the while, paying no proper attention to what happened between the two. When we ignore the ascension, it increases our chances of messing up our mission because we forget that we already have a king sitting on the throne. The ascension keeps us from taking ourselves too seriously and from abusing our authority as followers of Jesus in the world.

Few of our American Idols are more deceptive or destructive than the god named CONTROL. It promises, but it never delivers. Life refuses to be tamed. How does a believer respond...by worshipping the God who is in control, no matter what. We are pleased to be joined by Rick Atchley of the Richland Hills congregation, as he leads our hearts and minds in the discussion of being able to relinquish the strongholds of control we have in our life, confessing Christ as the ascended, reigning king, and submit to the reign of our God and Maker Who is in control of all things.

Jesus spoke often of the Kingdom of Heaven... but He not only spoke about it, He actually brought it to earth! When Jesus taught his disciples to pray, He told them to specifically pray for the "kingdom come" and for "God's will" to be done on earth as it is in heaven. To pray for the "kingdom come" means to ask God to do through us what He wants done and when He wants it done. In this sermon, we examine our willingness to pray for and to be a part of God's Kingdom on earth.

The search to understand what it means to be a "born again" Christian invariably leads us to the conversation between Nicodemus and Jesus (John 3). We often find ourselves caught in the same set of misunderstandings that Nicodemus himself faced. Perhaps that is because we have far more in common with Nicodemus than we imagine! We keep trying to explain "born again" when Jesus was describing otherwise.

Young outsiders say we're hypocrites. They got this impression from the way we live. The only way to change this impression is to sink more deeply into the gospel, which sets us free from the need to pretend we're better than we are.

We'll examine the perception that we only care for people so that we can "convert" them to our way of thinking and living. We'll explore ways we can become more genuine in our relationships with outsiders, especially in practicing the golden rule of evangelism: Evangelize others the way you would want to be evangelized. We'll also sink into the gospel and learn how to love others with no strings attached.

We'll examine the perception that Christians are sheltered. This perception is a recent one in that historically Christians have been more engaged in developing their culture than they have been in the last 100+ years. We'll examine how we can re-engage the world, especially on the intellectual level. This includes refusing to offer simplistic answer to complex questions and by being willing to explore our world with an open mind and humble curiosity. Ultimately we've got to walk the gauntlet with Jesus of being in but not of the world.

We'll examine where this perception comes from. Because it is a controversial subject, we'll take some extra time to place the discussion in its biblical context. We'll explore ways we can accept all kinds of sinners without necessarily affirming their behavior. We'll finish by exploring how offering grace to sinners is supposed to be our specialty. (If there were ever a Sunday when I'd love to have 10 extra minutes to deal with an issue it would be this one.)

Dreams and imagination are fascinating things. Sometimes our dreams and imaginations either shape who we are becoming or they caution us from becoming something we shouldn’t be. Have you ever wondered if God dreams? While God doesn’t sleep (Psalm 121:4), what if He does dream? What if God has an imagination? Today we ask God to please, “Give us Your dream” as we try to be the essence of Jesus to a world looking for faith, hope and love.

In today’s culture “submission” is almost a “dirty” word and if not dirty, it is certainly not popular! In our world, submission is associated with being “weak” and synonymous for not standing up for what you believe. But when it comes to being there for one another in the community of faith, “submission” is beautiful and powerful. The Bible declares that to be an authentic Christ-follower, we have to be willing to submit. Jesus Himself lived the ultimate example of submission (Phil. 2:5-11) and we need to have the same attitude He had. Husbands, wives, kids, bosses, leaders, followers… everyone needs to be submissive. But submissive to whom and when? In this session, we explore the power of submission as we live with one another.

In a surprising moment of humility, a TV talk show hostess recently confessed to her TV audience, “You don’t think I do all this by myself do you? I am nothing without my staff… they are the ones who make me look good.” What a surprisingly great testimony in an industry that too often makes too much of self and celebrity! Of all the things Jesus taught, humility and honoring others is primary. But how do we do that? What is involved in taking a lower position so that someone else gets the attention, the glory or the fame? How do we do that when we tend to like the attention ourselves? When on the earth, Jesus set the supreme example of honoring others above Himself. On one occasion, Jesus stooped to an extreme level of humility in order to show His love for His disciples and to exemplify what it means to “honor one another.” In this session, we look at what Jesus did and we look for a reminder of what true humility is and how we can achieve it in our own life. We also seek new inspira

Have you ever noticed how communities come together in the wake of tragedy? Whether natural disaster, war or acts of terror, communities tend to bond together when times are tough. On this Memorial Day weekend, we remember those who devoted themselves to others by giving their lives in service to country. It would be great if that same level of devotion to one another’s needs was present all of the time. In the faith community of the church, it is supposed to be that way. The church should be an example to the world for what true devotion really is. Church is where each member is interconnected. No member need ever be alone or in isolation and because all members of the church body are important, none is more important than another. In this session, we affirm the reality that we are all members of one another and we are to be devoted to one another in both the good times and the bad.

Living in authentic community with one another means we are involved in each other’s lives beyond just seeing one another once or twice a week. In the church, we are involved in each other’s lives enough to know when things are good and when things are bad. When things are bad, life can get messy and it is then we find out just how much a part of each other’s lives we really are. Christ-followers have a responsibility to carry one another’s burdens especially when sin makes life messy. As it “takes a community to raise a child,” sometimes it “takes a community to clean up life’s messes,” too. In this session, we are reminded of how important it is to carry each other’s burdens and to bear with one another when life doesn’t go well.

The experience many people have with church is that church is nothing more than a list of “do’s and don’ts” and people are only accepted with they fit a certain criterion and mostly avoid the “don’ts.” That experience is characteristically known as “legalism” and to this day it keeps many people far from darkening the door of a church building. How do we balance the expectations God has for His people without being condemning or condoning of things God would not judge? We need a biblical understanding of what it means to accept one another. In this session, we will seek the balance between God’s grace and God’s judgment and renew how we are to accept one another in order to bring praise to God (Romans 15:7).

Truth be told, most of us don’t like being told what to do! From our earliest childhood, we recall our tendency to want to discover things for ourselves and “go it alone.” But as a community of faith, the church isn’t designed for such “rugged individualism.” As a “body” of people following Jesus, we realize His church to is to rely on one another for instruction and encouragement. Instructing each other and encouraging each other without oppression or without stifling personal freedom isn’t easy. But the Bible provides some instruction of its own for how we can navigate the waters of instruction and encouragement in the church. In this session, we examine how we can instruct one another and encourage each other with love and support so that everyone benefits and the church grows stronger.

Even as God “in flesh,” Jesus didn’t come to the earth to be served, but “to serve and to give His life as a ransom for many” (Mark 10:45). One of the most essential elements of following Jesus is to serve others before serving ourselves. God gives each one of us special gifts so that we can meet one another’s needs in special and unique ways. We may not always realize it, but God made us the way He did so that we would be a faithful extension of His grace (1 Peter 4:10). When we serve one another, we actually do more than merely meet another person’s need, we essentially become an extension of God’s grace, mercy and love! In this session, we look at the service and sacrifice of Jesus and look for ways to improve our service to one another.

One of the most amazing realities about Jesus is that He brings all people together regardless of who they are, where they were born or any other distinguishing characteristic. The Kingdom of God is about people being together and caring for one another. The good news about Jesus cuts across all racial and cultural boundaries but too often we draw lines we have trouble crossing. On this day, we take a step closer to making Jesus’ prayer a true reality as we seek to be “one” just as He and God the Father are one (John 17:22). In this session, we consider what it will take for us to have “complete unity” (John 17:23) to let the world know Jesus really is Lord and what it will take for us to be of the same mind with one another (Romans 15:5)

Jesus Christ is the central theme of Scripture. The Old Testament points toward Him, the Gospels speak pecifically of Him and the rest of the New Testament tries to make sense out of Jesus’ coming to earth and His eventual return. But why did Jesus comes from heaven to earth? Jesus came with a specific purpose – a specific mission. His purpose was not to do what He wanted, but to do what the One who sent Him wanted. In this session, we will examine why Jesus came to earth and what His arrival means for all who believe in who He is.

Jesus Christ is the central theme of Scripture. The Old Testament points toward Him, the Gospels speak specifically of Him and the rest of the New Testament tries to make sense out of Jesus’ coming to earth and His eventual return. But why did Jesus comes from heaven to earth? Jesus came with a specific purpose – a specific mission. His purpose was not to do what He wanted, but to do what the One who sent Him wanted. In this session, we will examine why Jesus came to earth and what His arrival means for all who believe in who He is.

While many people may be willing to accept that Jesus Christ lived life on the earth, accepting that Jesus rose from the dead takes matters to an entirely different level. The Apostle Paul wrote that if Jesus did not rise from the dead, then the entire Christian faith is a farce and everyone who believes it ought to be pitied (1 Cor. 5:19). The resurrection of Jesus is supported both by biblical and historical evidence and even some 700 years prior to His birth, the prophet Isaiah spoke of Jesus rising from the dead (Isaiah 53:8-11). Believing Jesus Christ is alive today is critical for being His true followers. What does the reality of the resurrection mean for our life today?

Worship gets “top-billing” in our culture – but worship is not always a religious experience today. Worship in our culture doesn’t always center on the Divine. From our favorite players or teams to making big deals and big money, worship comes in all shapes, sizes and contexts. Worship is ultimately a reflection of what we value most. The Bible teaches that Jesus is worthy of all our worship. One of the distinguishing characteristics of Christianity is worshiping Jesus as Lord and placing Him at the highest place in our life. When we do that we discover a close relationship with Jesus, and we also find our lives changed as well. We are actually transformed because we worship Jesus Christ as Lord. We are all worshippers of something. In this session, we will consider why Jesus is the only One truly worthy of our worship and we will explore how worshipping Jesus influences our life.

Jesus makes all the difference in the world. No other person in human history has influenced the world like Jesus. All races, all ethnicities, every political persuasion and every religious conviction has, in some way, experienced the impact of Jesus Christ. And Jesus is not done… yet! Jesus is coming back to judge the living and the dead! While it is a debatable question for those who have yet to believe in Jesus as the Son of God, to say Jesus is returning to this earth is an essential statement of faith for the Christ-follower. When Jesus returns, His justice and mercy will be revealed in perfect clarity. In this session, we explore the return of Jesus, the meaning it has for those confessing Jesus Christ as the Son of God and the implications for those who have yet to do so.

Of the seven churches of Asia mentioned in the book of Revelation, perhaps the one most similar to the church in America today would be the church in Laodicea. A church with an abundance of resources, they were also a church filled with pride over their own self-sufficiency. Jesus rebuked this church with stern words regarding their complacency and self-reliance. Jesus called this church to change, not from angry irritation but from a broken heart. Jesus says, “Those whom I love I rebuke and discipline” (3:19). Prayerlessness and spiritual lethargy often stems from our hearts being far from God’s heart because we believe we can “make it on our own.” Could it be that our wealth and materialism blind our eyes and deafen our ears to the very people Jesus came to have? God desires intimacy with us at a level that gives us His heart for the world. We will never be credible witnesses for Christ without God’s heart in the center of our lives.

In his letter to Philemon, Paul asks his good friend to do something previously unheard of — even scandalous. He asks Philemon to show grace and mercy to a former slave. Paul sends a “private” letter to his friend with the expectation that the entire matter would be made known to the church that meets in Philemon’s home. In doing so, Paul insists that the church has some say in the personal relationships and business decisions of its members. Living in a society that prizes and protects privacy, anonymity and individualism, we might not appreciate our church being allowed to look into our “business” (both literal and figurative). For Paul, there were no secrets in Philemon’s church. In this session, we learn that as Christians we don’t live in isolation. We’re called to live in “authentic community.”

The “home” has always been important to God. From age to age, God has told His people not only to live out their faith, but to pass it on to the upcoming generations. Faith development begins in the home and everyone in the community of faith has an obligation to share in the development of relationship with God. If we don’t share faith in the home, we likely won’t share it anywhere else. The Israelites were taught to love the Lord their God with all their “heart, soul and strength” and they were told to remember God’s commands and to teach them to their children. They were even commanded to write God’s laws on the doorframes of their homes. What is the contemporary equivalent of writing God’s commands on our doorframes? In this session, we discuss the role of faith in the home and how each of us has a part to play in faith development.

“Who is my neighbor?” was a question asked of Jesus by an expert in Jewish law who wanted to test Jesus and His teachings. Seizing the moment, Jesus gave the lawyer more than he bargained for in His reply. Too often we, too, may welcome the thought of sharing the Good News of Jesus with our neighbors—or helping them in more earthy ways—just as long as we get to define who our neighbors are! But what about those times when our actual neighbors aren’t whom we might choose? While we might be willing to fly half way around the world to share the message of Jesus in a foreign culture, are we equally willing to approach “the door next door?” Are we too choosey about who gets to hear the message of Jesus? In this session, we identify the people God has placed “next door” and admit they might be the more difficult audience for us to reach. What keeps us from “approaching the door next door” and sharing the love of Jesus?

Jesus’ heart is always with the poor and hurting. In the gospels Jesus often draws distinction between those who care for the poor and hurting and those who don’t. In these two passages from Matthew’s gospel, we see that people who attempt to hold on to their own lives before giving them up for the sake of others will miss the invitation of Jesus to truly follow Him (Matthew 10:38). “Opening the door” to Jesus (Rev. 3:20) means opening the door to laying our lives down for the sake of others -- especially to the poor and hurting. Anything we do for the “least” of the world, we do for Jesus as well. In this session, we challenge ourselves to get out of the safety and comfort of our own lives and “open the door of the hurting.”

Opening Doors Series Description Jesus once said, “Here I am! I stand at the door and knock. If anyone hears my oice and opens the door, I will come in and eat with him, and he with me.” The voice of Jesus is still “opening doors” for anyone who will listen to him. Jesus opens the door to us personally, in our family, in our work, in our culture and throughout the world. In this series, we listen for the voice of Jesus and ask Him to lead us as He opens the door to our heart and to the world.

The Lord is God and He is holy. Holiness demonstrates the very nature and character of God. To be “holy” is to have the distinctive mark and signature of the Divine, and if we, as God’s people, are to live holy lives, we must reflect what God is like in all aspects of our life. Following God means both absorbing God’s nature and reflecting in our lives. As Christ-followers, we are made holy by the blood of Jesus and our ongoing holiness is made possible by the Holy Spirit. Being holy is not “law keeping;” rather it is loving God and having relationship with Him. God is the only source of Holiness and He is the innermost reality to our ability to be holy.

Does holiness have a chance in the 21st century? God has always called His people to “be holy” as He is holy. In the ancient days of faith, holiness was lived out in ritual and sacrifice. But that way of holiness was “empty” compared to the way of holiness available to God’s children today. Jesus came as the perfect sacrifice to make His followers holy forever. What is the intersection of faith and holiness? Why does God call us to live holy lives and how do we do it? Have we lost our sense of holiness? If so, can we get it back? How do we become more like God wants us to be? How do we become “holy because He is holy?”

Christ-followers have the greatest opportunity to reflect the holiness of God. We have been called to live holy lives and it is the Lord’s will for His people to grow in holiness. One of the most challenging places to live holy lives is with one another. The way we live around friends and strangers says much about how holy our lives are. Do we treat one another with holiness? Do we treat strangers with holiness? Holiness of the heart dramatically influences how we react and interact with other people. How does our holiness look to friends and strangers? We take a look at the practical matters of human interaction, and the power of holiness to transform our relationships.

What is happening to “family” in the 21st century? Even the word “family” is finding new definitions as our culture emphasizes the importance of family. Family and respect for parents have always been important to God... perhaps, because the way we treat our parents is often a reflection of how we treat God. God has always made a close connection between holiness, honoring parents, and taking time to respect, rest, and remember Him (Sabbath). How does holiness impact the family? How does “who we are on the inside” influence the way our families function on the outside? Do our families emulate God’s love for us as heavenly Father and Christ as brother? Can the family actually thrive with a renewed sense of holiness in the 21st century?

Throughout the ages, even devout followers of God have struggled to trust God completely. In history, false teachers promoting false gods, spiritualists and soothsayers have presented tempting diversions to fully trusting in the One True God. With all the competing “voices” in today’s culture for spiritual significance and guidance, does holiness have a chance in the 21st century? What is the connection between authentic worship and being holy as God is Holy? Worship is more than what occurs in a church building; it is a continual, lifetransforming experience with God. But how much does modern philosophy and spiritualism detract from true, authentic worship and holiness? God’s consistent motivation is to keep His people close to His heart, and worship is one way we remain confident and trusting God.

Does holiness have a chance in the 21st century? Just before His crucifixion, Jesus prayed for the people who would declare the message of salvation after Him. In that prayer, Jesus confessed that the Father would sanctify (purify and make ready) the apostles who would be sent into the world. Jesus also prayed for anyone else who would come to believe in Him through their message. The church of the 21st century consists of those who follow in the footsteps of the apostles. Even 2,000 years later, we are still the “spiritual house” that “declares the praises” of God. If holiness has a chance in the 21st century, the church must rise up and live holiness in the world. But how will we do it? Growing in holiness ultimately means growing in love for Christ and for the world. The church is both the “laboratory” and the “platform” from which we learn and live holiness. As God is unified and holy, so the church must be unified and holy in order to be a credible example of holiness

In the Old Testament, God was very specific about how His people were to use their resources. They were to tithe, and when they harvested, they were always to leave excess behind for the poor to glean. Our Holy God consistently has a heart of compassion for the poor and the downtrodden. In a capitalist culture like ours, does holiness have a chance in the 21st century? God instructed His people to wait for trees to mature before taking the fruit, but in a “waste not, want not” culture, does holiness have a chance with our resources? Being “holy” ultimately means absorbing the nature of God. If holiness has a chance in the 21st century, perhaps we’ll need to focus more on what we are willing to sacrifice than what we are willing to harvest. We must be willing to “make the most of every opportunity” as God sees it, rather than merely as we see it. Utilizing our resources for holiness may be one of the most transforming things we can experience.