MESSAGES - Heritage Church

If you could ask for anything, what would it be? Would it be the healing of a relationship? Or victory over an addiction or recurring struggle? What would life be like if we actually believed that the power of God was available, accessible to us on a daily basis? In this message from the account of Abram and Sarah in Genesis 17-21, Pastor Skyler challenges us with a critically important question from Genesis 18:14: "Is anything too hard for the Lord?" How we answer that question is foundational to our walk with God. The Bible is filled with examples of the God doing the impossible. He stops the unstoppable.. He guides the misguided. The blind see. The mute talk. Storms are stilled. Dead are raised. God's power tends not to come to people who think they're powerful, but to people who realize they are powerless. What did God tell Abram? "Walk before me, faithfully." If you want to experience the power of God, it comes when we walk faithfully and admit our inability to force it to happen. It's a movement towards holiness. Join us for this replay of the final message in our "This is Us" series. With God, anything's possible.

A rabbi and a tax collector stand apart in the temple, praying before God. Who was more aware of their need for God? In Luke 18, Jesus relates a parable to confront those who are over-confident in their own righteousness because their mark of comparison is other people.

People matter to God. Which people? All people. How much? More than we can possibly imagine. We have a propensity to become tribal, dividing on race, politics, beliefs, and more. It's us vs. them, which begs the question: Who is "Us" from God's perspective? A rabbi and a tax collector are about as "us vs. them" as you can get. Yet in Matthew 9, we see Jesus demonstrate how the kingdom works when he tells Matthew the tax collector to "follow me."  Matthew was only "one ask away" and it's likely that you are surrounded by many like him. As Jesus says, "For I have not come to call the righteous, but the sinners." In this first message of our new series, Pastor Skyler reminds us that everyone is welcome. Jesus wants to transform you from your sins--He can fix that. Lord, give us a Matthew heart.

Merry Christmas! This message from our Christmas Eve service speaks this one resounding truth: You are invited into the presence of a king. Every person in the story of Jesus' birth is given the same thing--an invitation. It doesn't matter if you are a shepherd, a powerful king or an average suburbanite, come as you are! This is the main message of Christmas: every person in the world is invited to come see the king born in the manger

The story of the wise men seeking out Jesus is a familiar one, yet familiarity with the Christmas story can cause us to lose the wonder of what happened at this incredible point in history. The story of Jesus is the story of hope. In this message from Matthew 2, Pastor Skyler shows how hope is not found in our changing circumstances. It is found in the presence and work of Jesus, whose birth we celebrate in this season. Though the gifts given by the magi seem out of place at first glance, after consideration we see they are exactly appropriate for the newborn King of Kings. Pastor Skyler challenges us to consider what we are willing to bring for God to use in miraculous ways.

The story of God from Genesis to Revelation is an invitation to know Jesus. To better understand the story of the cross, we need a better understanding of the story of the cradle. In this message, Pastor Skyler shows us how "O Come Let Us Adore Him" is more than a nice song to sing at this season. Adoration helps us see Christ more clearly, and a clearer view of Christ leads us to worship Him more deeply. Join us for this reminder of Jesus' invitation to come.

We begin our celebration of the birth of Christ with this first message in our "A Thrill of Hope" series. In Matthew 1, we learn how God most high becomes God most nigh. In this message, Pastor Skyler shares how God became one of us so he could invite us into relationship. Emmanuel is his name, meaning God with us. The amazing message for followers of Christ is that God is with us, for us, and in us. Listen to this message to be reminded there's not a breath you've drawn that God is unaware of. He became like us so we could be in relationship with Him.

What would those who know you best say is your most contagious attribute? In this message from Philippians chapter 4, Pastor Skyler challenges us to consider that joy should be our contagious attribute. How? The Apostle Paul shares the key, even in the midst of him being imprisoned in chains. He tells us to never forget the proximity of God. The Lord is near. Join us for this replay to be reminded that your situation is not an indication of God's location. Choose to pray. Choose to say thank you. Choose to worship.

So many talented, famous artists end up dying tragic, early deaths. It's clear that fame and fortune are not the paths to lasting joy. In this message from Philippians 3, Pastor Carlos continues our series on Joy. He makes it clear that how we think, what we value, and how we define success can make all the difference between being wrecked by circumstances or experience joy despite them. Carlos shares how the battle is for the mind. Culture is certainly battling for attention, but true joy comes when, as Romans 12:2 tells us, we are transformed by the renewing of our minds. How did the Apostle Paul move forward after doing such abominable things before his conversion to Christ? How do we let go of our past? The answer is fixing our mind on Christ.

The Apostle Paul wrote the book of Philippians while chained to a Roman guard. Yet this short book is considered to be Paul's most joyful letter. How can that be, when his circumstances were so undesirable? It's because we easily mistake the difference between happiness and joy.    In this message from Philippians chapter 2, Pastor Skyler shares how the key to lasting joy is humility. Joy is not pleasure, a mere sensation, but a pervasive and constant sense of wellbeing. As author and Biblical scholar Dallas Willard said, "Hope in the goodness of God is joy's indispensable support." There can be no lasting joy in the life of a Christ-follower who puts himself and his happiness above others.