People have never been more attracted to the strange, the phenomenal, the abnormal, and the inexplicable as they are today. From interest in UFOs to government conspiracy theories to TV shows about any of the above, people are looking beyond the natural and into the supernatural. Likewise in New Testament times. The world was longing for a hero to come, but Jesus was not the hero they were expecting! The Sermon on the Mount displays just how strange the mission and the kingdom that Jesus proclaimed was to the people of His day. Let’s consider four elements that must have seemed like stranger things to most people then and still are now.

This teaching is from our series Now Streaming with Skip Heitzig from Calvary Albuquerque.

This teaching is from our series 09 1 Samuel - 2021 with Skip Heitzig from Calvary Albuquerque.

The Crown is a Netflix series that boasts four seasons depicting the political life of Queen Elizabeth II of England. She wears the crown because Britain has a hereditary monarchy with the right to rule being passed down to family. But the apostle Paul speaks of a wholly different kind of crown—one worn by a disciplined athlete who won the footrace in the Olympic Games or the also-popular boxing match. Here, he likens our Christian faith to this widely understood and much-enjoyed contest, giving principles on how to excel and thrive as we follow Christ.

This teaching is from our series Now Streaming with Skip Heitzig from Calvary Albuquerque.

The TV comedy The Good Place depicts the popular notion that good people go to some kind of heaven when they die, typically because they have done good things. But did you know that the Bible teaches the exact opposite? In this story that Jesus tells about a lost sheep, we discover that the worst and most undeserving people who repent will experience the joy of heaven. Since there was only one good Person who ever lived, He made a way for us to get to “the good place.”

This teaching is from our series Now Streaming with Skip Heitzig from Calvary Albuquerque.

This teaching is from our series 09 1 Samuel - 2021 with Skip Heitzig from Calvary Albuquerque.

A sage piece of advice is as follows: Live so that your son, when people tell him that he reminds them of you, will stick out his chest, not his tongue! On this Father’s Day, we examine the blueprint the Lord gave to His people after their deliverance from bondage. For God’s redeemed people, this was a reset—a chance for families and especially fathers to rightly arrange their priorities so that future generations might enjoy the benefits. Let’s ponder three directives to make a positive impact.

This teaching is from our series Now Streaming with Skip Heitzig from Calvary Albuquerque.

In 1 Samuel 9-10, we are introduced to the first king of a united Israel, Saul. His reign began well but soured quickly. Saul looked the part of a king and even enjoyed some advantages in ruling, but as time passed, his heart turned from God. In this message, we witness Saul's anointing as king over Israel, and we learn key lessons about humility and living right so we can finish well.

This teaching is from our series 09 1 Samuel - 2021 with Skip Heitzig from Calvary Albuquerque.

Bad habits are like weeds: they grow without effort and it’s hard to get rid of them! Most people excuse their bad habits as idiosyncrasies or "just being human." But stubborn habits have a way of mastering us if we won’t master them first. We all know the cycle of enjoying a forbidden pleasure, feeling guilty, repenting, enjoying a few moments of victory, and then failing again. Today, let’s explore how we can do better than taking one step forward and two steps back.

This teaching is from our series Now Streaming with Skip Heitzig from Calvary Albuquerque.

Though the nation of Israel had renewed their commitment to the Lord and emerged victorious over the Philistines, 1 Samuel 8 reveals the moment they once again rejected their God. Demanding that an earthly leader rule over them, the Israelites proved they did not want to relinquish control to the Lord. In this teaching, we are challenged to evaluate who is ruling over our lives.

This teaching is from our series 09 1 Samuel - 2021 with Skip Heitzig from Calvary Albuquerque.

At the cross, God displayed the richness of His generosity. He was bruised and broken to redeem us back to Him. That good news transforms us and fuels our own generosity. In this message, Pastor Ben Courson considers a sevenfold, holistic, integrated redemption manifested by the generosity of Jesus. His generous love at the cross reached the downtrodden, lonely, lost, broken, and unsaved. His generous love reached you.

Ben Courson - Guest Speaker at Calvary Albuquerque.