In a culture that celebrates tolerance as the highest virtue, what does it mean to follow Jesus with an undivided heart?

In this message from our OFF LIMITS series, Pastor David unpacks how tolerance—when applied to ideas, beliefs, and behaviors—can quietly lead to compromise, spiritual apathy, and divided loyalty. While God calls us to love people with patience and grace, He never calls us to tolerate what destroys them.

Through powerful passages like Psalm 86, Ephesians 4–5, 2 Corinthians 10, and Revelation 3, we’re challenged to confront lies that sound like truth, reject cultural compromise, and live as people of light in a world drifting far from God.

You’ll learn:

The difference between loving people and tolerating sin

How compromise leads to spiritual lukewarmness

Why holiness is not about being harsh, but about being faithful

How to hold truth with conviction while loving with humility

What it means to live with an undivided heart in confusing times

Jesus didn’t save us to be neutral — He saved us to be set apart.

If you’ve ever felt tension between what the culture celebrates and what God calls holy, this message will help you see clearly, love deeply, and stand faithfully.

📖 Key Scripture: Psalm 86:11–15

“Teach me your way, Lord… give me an undivided heart.”

👇 Next Steps

Download the study guide

Join us for the rest of the OFF LIMITS series

Subscribe for weekly messages

Share this message with someone who needs clarity and hope

Let’s live with courage, conviction, and love — together.

Building A Better Year (2026) | Vision & Discipline

What if this year didn’t just happen to you…

What if you actually built it—with God?

In this message, Building A Better Year, we explore how real, lasting change happens when vision is informed by Godand discipline brings that vision to life.

Using Colossians 3, we’re reminded that a better year doesn’t start with resolutions—it starts with new life in Christ. And from that new life, God invites us to build intentionally through three essential disciplines:

PRAYER + BIBLE + BEHAVIOR = A BETTER YEAR

This message will help you:

Reframe discipline as a pathway to freedom, not restriction

Identify the gap between what is and what could be with God

Create a Christ-centered vision for your spiritual, relational, physical, and emotional life

Take practical next steps to live out your faith daily

We also unpack powerful Scriptures including:

Psalm 37 – Delighting in the Lord and trusting His process

Philippians 4:6–7 – Prayer that leads to peace

Galatians 5:22–23 – The fruit of a Spirit-led life

God desires a rich and satisfying life for you—but it’s found with Him, not apart from Him.

If you’re ready to stop settling, stop drifting, and start building with purpose, this message is for you.

👇 Next Steps

Download the study guide

Join us in prayer

Start the Bible reading plan

Subscribe for the rest of this series

Let’s build a better year—together.

Why do bad things happen to people?

It’s one of the most honest, painful, and universal questions humanity has ever asked. In this message, we step into a subject many avoid but everyone feels: suffering, evil, and where God is in the middle of it all.

In Week 11 of our Off Limits series, we build a biblical framework for understanding why bad things happen, tracing the story from creation, through sin and evil, to the present reality of pain in our world. We look honestly at the role of human sin, the systems of evil at work, and the spiritual battle Scripture says is unfolding behind the scenes.

But this message doesn’t stop at why bad things happen—it presses into a deeper question:

Why do bad things keep happening… and where is God when they do?

Through Romans 5, Romans 8, Ephesians 2, and 1 Peter 1, we discover that God is not distant, absent, or indifferent. He is actively at work—often through His people—bringing good out of suffering, building endurance, shaping character, and strengthening hope.

This is a message about:

God’s love in a broken world

The reality of sin, evil, and spiritual opposition

Where God is in our pain

How God brings good out of bad

The role of the Church in pushing back darkness

Living as people of hope in hard times

Key Scriptures:

Romans 5:2–5

Romans 8:28

Ephesians 2:8–10

1 Peter 1:6–7

Habakkuk 1:2–3

Psalm 13

Psalm 73

If you’ve ever asked, “God, where are You?”—this message is for you.

Bad things happen. But through Jesus, they don’t have the final word.

👉 If this message encourages you, consider subscribing, sharing it with someone who’s hurting, and joining us as we follow Jesus together.

Grace leads the way.

These are the days.

What if the life you’re longing for doesn’t start with someone else changing—but with you taking responsibility?

In this message, It’s Time To Grow Up, we look at what Scripture really says about personal responsibility, spiritual maturity, and the life God has entrusted to each of us. In a world shaped by blame-shifting, victimhood, and excuses, the Bible offers a countercultural invitation: to grow up in Christ and take ownership of our time, relationships, resources, health, faith, and future.

From 2 Peter 1:3–7, we’re reminded that God has already given us everything we need to live a godly life. The question isn’t whether God has provided—it’s whether we’re willing to respond. Even when life is unfair, even when sin has affected our story, each of us will still give a personal account to God for how we lived and what we did with what we were given (Romans 14:12).

This message is both a wake-up call and an encouragement: you don’t have to stay stuck. By the power of the Holy Spirit, you can move from victim to victor and step fully into the rich and satisfying life Jesus promises.

📖 Key Scriptures:

2 Peter 1:3–7

Romans 14:12

Galatians 6:4–9

Psalm 90:12

1 Corinthians 13:11

💬 Big Idea: You are responsible for your life.

If this message speaks to you, consider sharing it with someone who needs encouragement to take their next step of faith.

Following Jesus together — these are the days.

Faith Without Works Is Dead | OFF-LIMITS | Ps. Trenton Mueller

We live in a world of consumption—alcohol, weed, food, screens, pills, porn, and endless entertainment—all promising relief, escape, and peace. But what happens when the things we consume slowly pull us away from the One we were made for?

In this OFF LIMITS message, “Do This In Remembrance Of Me,” Pastor David Johnson talks about God’s heart for communion over consumption. Instead of skirting the hard questions, we move straight into them: Can Christians drink? Smoke weed? Take meds? Watch mature content? Where is the line?

Through Scripture and real-life honesty, we explore four filters to shape what we welcome into our minds and bodies as followers of Jesus:

Is it LEGAL? (Does it break God’s law or the law of the land?)

Is it CONSISTENT? (Does it align with your confession of faith in Jesus?)

Is it BENEFICIAL? (Does it keep you close to Jesus or create distance?)

Is it HONORING? (Does it love God and protect the people around you?)

At the heart of this message is a bigger truth:

You were made and saved for communion with Jesus.

Communion with Jesus = a rich and satisfying life.

Separation from Jesus = striving, self-medicating, and never truly arriving.

Key Scriptures:

1 Corinthians 10:21–24 • 1 Corinthians 6:19–20 • Romans 14 • Matthew 11:28–30 • John 10:10 • Leviticus 26:12 • Revelation 21:3

If you’ve ever wrestled with substances, screens, self-medicating, or just wondered what’s actually “okay” for a Christian to consume, this message is for you. There is freedom on the other side of honesty, conviction, and communion with Jesus.

🔔 Subscribe for more messages from the OFF LIMITS series

👍 Like, comment, and share this with someone who’s fighting for peace

📍 Join us in person at Highlands Church (Los Angeles) as we keep following Jesus together

Money is one of the most emotional and spiritual pressure points in our lives. For many people it creates stress, secrecy, conflict, and anxiety — but it doesn’t have to. God’s Word gives a clear and beautiful plan for managing money in a way that brings peace, freedom, and blessing.

In this message, Pastor Steve Johnson lays out six timeless biblical principles for building a life of financial peace:

1️⃣ Give to God First — Worship with your wealth and trust God as your provider.

2️⃣ Pay Your Bills & Live with Integrity — Honor your commitments and walk in faithfulness.

3️⃣ Save for the Future — Practice wisdom and prepare for the seasons ahead.

4️⃣ Bless Others Generously — Join God in His work through radical generosity.

5️⃣ Bless Yourself Responsibly — Enjoy God’s provision with humility and gratitude.

6️⃣ Bless Through Your Estate — Leave a legacy of faith for the generations to come.

Through practical examples, Scripture, and personal stories from 48 years of faithful stewardship, this message will help you move from worry to worship, from chaos to clarity, and from scarcity to sufficiency. God’s plan really works — and anyone can start today.

Key Scriptures:

Proverbs 3:9–10 • Malachi 3:10 • Romans 13:7–8 • Proverbs 21:20 • Acts 20:35 • Ecclesiastes 5:19 • Proverbs 13:22 • Matthew 6:33 • Philippians 4:19

If you’ve ever felt overwhelmed by money… or longed for peace in your finances… or wondered how to build a God-honoring life with what you have — this message is for you.

These are the days to trust God with EVERYTHING. Even your money.

Sermon Notes: https://mailchi.mp/highlandsla/x-18155180

Are you feeling overwhelmed by the chaos of the world? You’re not alone. Anxiety, worry, and fear have become the background noise of our culture—but that was never God’s design for your life.

In this week’s message, “The War For Your Peace” (Week 6 of our OFF LIMITS series), Pastor David Johnson unpacks how followers of Jesus can experience peace that surpasses understanding even in an anxious world. Drawing from Philippians 4:4-7 and Colossians 3:1-3, we discover four practices—Remember, Rejoice, Refocus, Respond—that help us return to the source of all peace: Jesus Christ.

When society drifts from Jesus, chaos fills the void—but when we turn our eyes back to Him, we find rest for our souls.

📖 Key Scriptures:

Philippians 4:4-7 | Colossians 3:1-3 | John 14:25-27 | Isaiah 41:10 | Matthew 11:28-30

✝️ Message Theme: Finding peace in a world of chaos

🎧 Series: OFF LIMITS — Honest Answers to the Questions We’re Afraid to Ask

🎤 Speaker: Pastor David Johnson | Highlands Church LA

In a world obsessed with self-definition and endless categories of identity, God’s Word cuts through the confusion with timeless truth.

In Week 5 of “OFF LIMITS”, Pastor David Johnson unpacks what Scripture reveals about sex, gender, and identity — and how to live faithfully within God’s Divine Design in a Distorted World.

💭 In this message you’ll learn:

Why your identity comes from Christ, not culture

How Genesis 1 and Colossians 3 reveal God’s design for humanity

The purpose of male and female in reflecting God’s nature

How the enemy distorts truth to confuse identity

What it means to live with biblical conviction and compassion

📖 Key Scriptures:

Genesis 1:26-27 • Psalm 139 • Colossians 3:1-10 • Ephesians 6:10-12 • Romans 1:18-27 • 2 Timothy 2:22-26

💡 Big Idea:

God made you on purpose, for a purpose.

Your identity isn’t defined by feelings — it’s revealed by the One who created you.

🙏 Next Steps:

Run from distortion; pursue truth.

Live confidently in who God says you are.

Share this message to help others rediscover their divine design.

#HighlandsChurch #OffLimits #DivineDesign #IdentityInChrist #FaithAndCulture #BiblicalTruth #GodsDesign #ChristianLiving

Sermon Notes: https://mailchi.mp/highlandsla/x-18154758

Every person who has ever lived will face eternity.

But what actually happens when we die?

In Week 4 of “OFF-LIMITS”, Pastor David Johnson breaks down one of life’s most important—and most avoided—questions: the fate of every human soul.

This message unpacks what Scripture teaches about life, death, waiting, judgment, and eternity — and how every road leads to Jesus, but only one ends in heaven.

💭 In this message you’ll learn:

The 5 stages of eternity: life → death → waiting → judgment → eternity

What Jesus meant when He spoke about paradise, Hades, and Gehenna

Why God gives us one life — and one opportunity to believe

How to live with urgency and share hope before it’s too late

What it means to choose your eternity today

📖 Key Scriptures:

John 3:16-21 • Romans 2:5-8 • Hebrews 9:27-28 • Luke 16:19-26 • Matthew 25:31-46

💡 Big Idea:

All roads lead to Jesus — but only one ends in heaven.

Your eternity starts with one decision: Do you believe in Jesus?

🙏 Next Steps:

Believe and follow Jesus today.

Share this message with someone who needs hope.

Subscribe to hear more biblical teaching from Highlands Church LA.

#HighlandsChurch #OffLimits #LifeAfterDeath #HeavenAndHell #FateOfEverySoul #FaithAndCulture #JesusSaves #EternalLife #LaCrescentaChurch