Higher Ground Church: Recent Episodes
Higher Ground Church
For believers, every need is already met in Christ, who alone is legitimate and sufficient.
In Christ, we have all that we want and need. We should not pursue the emptiness found in the world.
Christ is lord. Christians must live in Christ by being rooted in him, built up in him, established in the faith, and abounding in thankfulness.
Christ is all treasure. In him, we have direction, purpose, and joy. He is life itself.
True spiritual growth and unity come through hearts being strengthened, knit together in love, and grounded in the knowledge of Christ. Believers must actively support one another emotionally and spiritually, aiming not just for individual maturity but for collective strength and love within the body of Christ.
Because our hearts need to gaze at Christ's glory, our ministries and preaching must be the proclamation of Christ.
God is not threatened by the raging of his enemies. He has already defeated them through his anointed king. Central to this king's ascension is the Resurrection.
Our ministry is appointed by God, there is joy in ministry, and our purpose in ministry is fulfilling God's word.
We persevere in faith because of our salvation, and we persevere in our faith because the Gospel is invading all.
God saves us to change us. Holiness is his means of preparing us for presentation to Christ.
All of us long for the day when the world will be set right. One of the achievements of the cross is the inauguration of the New Creation.
Christ must be first place in our lives. We keep Christ first by duplicating his character in our lives, by depending on him, and by be delighting in him.
Christ is supreme over death because he triumphed over death. He is the firstfruits, guaranteeing our own resurrection and glorification.
Christ is the head of the church. He alone holds authority, sustains, grows and directs the church. Because believers are the body of Christ, we should live in humility and unity.
Providence is purposeful sovereignty. Jesus providentially arranges all things for his glory and our good.
In our fear and discouragement, we must remember that God is present, he protects us, and he has a plan for us.
Christ is sovereign over nations, kings, angels and demons. Satan is subservient to the sovereign Christ!
Sin is our greatest problem. We need rescue. God rescues us through redemption where he forgives our sins. We receive these benefits through union to Christ.
Andrew lost his twin sister in the womb. For years, Dave refused to address it. In his youth, Andrew named his sister, which opened wounds and forced Dave to face it. In this conversation, Dave and Andrew share their experiences and advice for parents and kids walking the path of miscarriage.
Dave and Kimberly Deets have walked the path of pain in miscarriage. In this message, Dave shares his story and points us to the all sufficient Christ. In Christ, we have life, hope, joy, encouragement, and identity. He must be our focus.
Despair and depression are part of the rhythms of life, even for Christians. David's prayer in Psalm 143 is our pattern for petitioning God from despair.
Jesus our priest is the secret of our perseverance. Right now, in him, humanity is in the presence of God advocating on our behalf.
We are never alone. The Holy Spirit powerfully communicates to us the very presence of Jesus.
Jesus lived as a man empowered by the Holy Spirit. The same Spirit who dwelt upon Jesus now dwells within his people, empowering their lives.
Jesus, whose name means Yahweh saves, saves his people by being our Immanuel, God with Us. He became man, earned righteousness, and died in our place.
To be a Christian is to be transferred from the Kingdom of Satan to the Kingdom of the Son. Christ is king and his reign is grace.
We walk worthy of Jesus by giving thanks to God. Gratitude is fostered by remembering what we were and reflecting on what God has done for us.
We walk worthy by relying upon God and being strengthened by him. His strength comes from his glorious might. He strengthens us so that we can endure and so that we can have patience with joy.
We walk worthy of Jesus by becoming like him. Essential to conformity to Christ is delighting in him. We walk worthy of him by bearing fruit and growing in our knowledge of God.
Union with Christ is the Christian life. In Christ, we're chosen, adopted, redeemed, forgiven, inheritors and sealed.
Grace saves us. Grace sanctifies. Grace secures. For the Christian all of God's actions towards us are expressions of his kindness. We find our identity in him.
Every member of the church is a minister of the church. Every Christian must be active in building up the body of Christ.
Every Christian is obligated to join a local church. Church membership is submission to fellow Christians and to specific pastors.
Deacons are the assistants to the pastors. They serve the church by taking important, practical tasks off the plate of the pastors.
God isn't interested in businessmen, entrepreneurs, or inspiring men to lead his church. He is interested in shepherds who model Christian character.
What distinguishes a true church from a false church is pure preaching of the word, proper administration of the ordinances, and practice of church discipline.
We bother with church because Christ died for her to share his joy with her and display his glory in her as he lives through her.
Ministry is a job for more than just the pastor. Every Christian has something to contribute in the life of the church.
Persecution is the branding mark of Christ's slaves. True Christians will be persecuted. Through it all, grace sustains.
Israel has not been replaced by the church. Supersessionism must be rejected. God has a future for Isarel.
Our external actions and our religious deeds are worthless if separated form a heart joyfully devoted to and delighting in God. Joy is the remedy for the sickness of legalism.
When we consider all of that was accomplished on the cross, it causes us to glory in Jesus Christ and him crucified.
Legalism is motivated by keeping appearances, avoiding persecution, and boasting. It is cured through delight in Christ.
To be a Christian is to belong to a new family. Our priority in doing good should be for other Christians.
Doing good and living right can be discouraging and defeating. The key to not losing heart is beholding the glory of Christ.
We cannot live as if God is inconsequential. He has ordered this world so that what we sow, we will reap.
Those who preach, should earn their living by preaching. Churches are responsible to provide for their pastor.
Christians bear the burdens of their brothers and sisters. In this way, we reflect Jesus.
Sinning Christians should be gently restored. We must keep watch on ourselves. Public holiness depends upon personal holiness.
Conceit is an exaggerated, over-inflated view of self. Conceit operates by challenging and envying others.
The Resurrection of Jesus Christ was not just an event from 2,000 years ago. Easter affects the everyday.
The law cannot conform us to Christlikeness. That is the Spirit's work. Theonomy's attempt to bind to the law is without biblical warrant.
The world is out of control because we lack self control. As the people of God, we must be characterized by self control. Jesus is the model of self control. As we grow, we reflect him.
Jesus is gentle and lowly. He treats the insignificant with tenderness. He touches the unclean. He takes in the scandalous. He treats the enemy. We reflect his gentleness.
In all our failure, suffering, and doubt, God is faithful. The Holy Spirit conforms us into his likeness, including faithfulness.
God's goodness is the sum of who he is: compassionate and gracious, slow to anger, and abounding in lovingkindness and truth. As we follow the Spirit, we are shaped in goodness.
God's character is kind. He demonstrates his kindness to all people, in kindness he saves us, and his kindness is never ending. God's people mirror his kindness.
Patience is steadfastness, endurance and forbearance. God demonstrates patience toward us and his patience is manifested through us.
God wants our joy. Delight and satisfaction in God is the only way we will experience true joy.
The image of God gives man inherit dignity and worth. Unborn persons must be protected because they are image bearers of God.
The Holy Spirit will manifest his character in us as he transforms us. Love is the preeminent Christian virtue.
Hospitality is one of the most important and ignored aspects of Christian living. One way we express genuine love is by opening our home and sharing a meal.
The first chapter of John's Gospel is epic--placing Jesus in the eternal community of the Triune God. The eternality and triunity of God is good news. As God's sons, we have his love lavishly poured out on us.
Angelic announcements, miraculous births, a census issued from Rome, Shepherds in the fields, and heavenly hosts—we’re all very familiar with all that unfolds. Beneath the surface of a familiar story we see the profound truth that Jesus is the Savior for all people. Male or female, old or young, Gentile or Jew, Insignificant and important, downtrodden and devout—Jesus is the Savior for all!
Matthew presents the birth of the King. The opening chapters reveals Jesus' ancestry, arrival, adoration of him and his earthly adversary. In these two chapters, we learn about God's grace, his providence and his comfort during our grief.
Advent is all about anticipating the arrival of Jesus. Mark's Gospel helps us to prepare fore the coming king. The King's herald, John the Baptist, esteemed and exalted Jesus.
There are many professing faith in Christ, whose lives are dominated by the works of the flesh. Paul warns that those who practice fleshy works aren't saved at all.
Christians no longer live under the dominion of the Mosiac Law. Instead, they live under the direction and control of the Holy Spirit.
Walking by the Spirit is essential in fighting against the flesh. To walk by the Spirit is to follow the Spirit's direction and control.
When Christians bite and devour one another, lives are destroyed. The Bible reveals to us what we must do when we're hurt by the church.
God's glory is the public display of his infinite worth. Christians live for God's glory alone.
The Christian life is a race and a fight. False teachers must be rebuked, and false gospels condemned.
Faith is assurance of things hoped for and conviction of things not seen. Christian faith waits for glorification and works out, manifesting in love.
Every person faces a pressing question: law or grace? To mix law with grace is to nullify grace. Christians must be on guard against the poison of legalism.
It was for freedom that Christ set us free. We must stand firm and not return to the slavery of the law, the power of sin, guilt, condemnation, or the fear of man or death.
There are only two ways: God's way and man's way. Man's way leads to slavery and condemnation. God's way leads to salvation and freedom.
Success in the Christian life is conformity to Jesus Christ. The pastor's work is laboring for his people's holiness.
A good pastor loves his church and is loved by the church. Jesus models loving as a shepherd.
Because we've been adopted into the family of God, we cannot return to the slavery of legalism. Being one of God's sons means that we can know God and that we are freed from idolatry.
Not only has God washed us clean and declared us right, he has made us part of his very own family. Now we can call him Abba, and we have all the rights of an heir.
Cultural fundamentalism is legalistic, divisive and a blight upon Christ's church. Biblical fundamentalism is centered on defending orthodox doctrine.
Christians placing themselves under the Mosiac Law is enslavement to darkness. Legalism hurts God's people.
The Bible is God breathed. It is without error and is our authority. It is profitable for our salvation and sanctification. God gave us the Bible so that we would be complete and equipped.
Through the Holy Spirit and his work of providence, God prepared and carried along the biblical writers as they wrote the Scripture. Because the Bible is God breathed, it is without error. We can can trust it!
God's children have world changing fellowship. Our union with Jesus confronts some of the most pressing cultural issues.
The law convicts, imprisons and guards. Christians must avoid two pitfalls in our relationship to the law: unhitching and binding.
The law brings conviction, identifying and increasing sin. It also imprisons us revealing our need for a Savior.
430 years before he gave the law, God gave a promise to Abraham. Our salvation, then, is not through law, but through faith.
Those who rely on the law for their relationship with God, will only find condemnation. The good news is that Jesus was condemned for us.
Abraham was saved by faith alone. We are saved by faith alone. Those saved by faith alone are the sons of Abraham and the fulfillment of an ancient promise.
In the midst of the chaos of life, God is our helper and keeper. We can cast all of our anxieties and cares upon him. He upholds us.
Having the Holy Spirit is proof that we are saved. Christians have received him and are sanctified by him. We receive him by faith.
The evangelical church today is sick--spellbound by doctrinal deviancy. The remedy for bewitching doctrine is the preaching of Jesus Christ crucified.
Galatians 2:20 is a summary of the entire Christian life: I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.
Christians have a living hope: an inheritance, perseverance, and joy. This living hope comes from the new birth through the resurrection of Jesus.
We are saved not by what we have done, but by what Christ has done. We are declared right by God not by our obedience, but by faith alone.
It is possible to be a true Christian who defends the Gospel and has right theology, but still compromises the Gospel through action and association. In Paul's confrontation with Peter, we see the need to think through with whom we fellowship.
We are often enslaved to other people's perceptions and opinions of us. The Gospel frees us to please God through enslavement to Jesus.
The greatest threat to the church is always within the church. Those who preach a false gospel are accursed, damned. Christians should not support them or partner with them. We are to rebuke them and separate from them.
The greatest danger to the church is always within. False doctrine and distorted gospels wreak havoc and spiritual ruin. There is only one Gospel.
The deepest longings of the human heart are grace and peace. By God’s grace, we are saved and sanctified. Through God’s peace, we are restored to God and each other, and now can enjoy life. God greets us with grace and peace—he accepts and embraces us. Grace and peace was purchased on the cross.
A false Gospel of legalism has infected the churches in Galatia. Paul begins his letter to combat this heresy by establishing his apostolic credentials. The resurrection, now the law, is the basis for our justification.
The essentials of a healthy church are devotion to the apostles' teaching, fellowship, breaking of bread and prayer. Healthy churches foster Christian community and evangelism.
Simeon waited his entire life to see his savior. Finally, the day arrived, and as he held the baby Jesus, he sang the Nunc Dimittis--a song of seeing and celebrating salvation.
Christians need to recover their wonder of God's glory. With the arrival of Christ, God's glory is on display. The Messiah's arrival evokes worship and ensures peace.
God is to be praised because he helps and redeems his people. John's purpose was to point us to Jesus, and Jesus is the one who saves us--all of it, God's tender mercy.
Mary's song highlights God's power and mercy. The mighty one, who is holy, acts powerfully for his own.
In a time when church attendance and membership is in decline, Christians must recapture the necessity of the church. Within the church, Christians stir one another to love and good works. Our spiritual growth is dependent upon our commitment to the church.
A right understanding of the church is essential for grown. In his first letter, Peter reveals to us what the church is and what the church does.
The heart of the Reformation's solas, is Solus Christus--Christ alone! Lady Jane Grey, the Nine Day Queen, well understood that Christ is more valuable than life. In John 14:6, we see the sufficiency and exclusivity of salvation in Christ alone.
There is much confusion about who the Holy Spirit is and what he does. In John's Gospel, Jesus reveals that the Holy Spirit is the paraclete who gives us his very presence.
At the end of days, Jesus will be revealed to bring judgement. He will come with all authority and all power to set the world right. While terrifying for his enemies, the Day of Lord will be glorious, wondrous, restorative and restful.
When Jesus ascended into heaven, he sent us the Holy Spirit. The Spirit enables us to live on mission.
On the third day, Jesus Christ rose from the dead and burst from the tomb. On Easter morning, Jesus was coronated as King. The Resurrection empowers our Christian living.
The most controversial line in the Apostles' Creed is Jesus descending into hell. Is it Biblical? In this message, Pastor Josh Valdez goes to one of the most challenging passages in the New Testament, 1 Peter 3:18-20. Jesus is the prototype of suffering and he proclaimed victory.
The death and burial of Jesus is part of the Gospel itself. it gives us confidence in the reliability of the Bible. It reveals that Jesus is truly man. His death and burial bring us comfort as he has already navigated this path before us.
Jesus was crucified as our replacement. He bore our griefs, carried our sorrows, was pierced for our transgressions and crushed for our iniquities. The glories of the Gospel are on full display in this sacred text.
Isaiah 53 is one of the most profound passages in the entire Bible. In this message, Pastor Josh Valdez points us to the suffering of Jesus. Here, we know that we have a high priest who sympathizes with us.
The conception of Jesus by the Holy Spirit and his being born of a virgin are essential doctrines of the Christian faith. Without them, there is no Gospel.
When Jesus is your lord, life is Christ and death is gain. This is made possible by the Gospel.
God is the self sufficient one, the creator and the sustainer. He made the heavens and earth for his glory and as an overflow of his goodness. Meditation on these truths leads us to worship.
The Christian church desperately needs to recover its vision of the majesty of God. Mediation on God Almighty stirs the heart to exalt God.
The Bible demonstrates that God is a Trinity--three persons, one God. In this message, Ethan Quimby describes God the Father.
The Apostles' Creed is on the of the oldest and most important of Christian confessions. In this message, Dr. Kellen Funk introduces the Apostles' Creed and discusses the nature of Christian belief.
How do we live worthy of the Gospel? In our suffering, we stand firm and strive side by side with one another.
There are fewer things more destructive than religion. Human religion focuses on ritual and rules. In Titus 1:15-16, God condemns external religion.
Every generation of Christians must deal with the problem of false teachers. False teachers are rebellious, worthless, and deceivers. Their teaching destroys families and churches. In Titus 1:10-14, Paul gives instruction about how to deal with false teachers.
Pastors are required to be completely devoted to Scripture. The reasons why they must hold firm to the Bible is to that they can preach healthy teaching and rebuke those who contradict healthy teaching.
We often look to the skills and abilities of people to lead us--charisma, intelligence, humor. In Titus 1, God tells us what disqualifies and qualifies someone for pastoral ministry.
Two dangers to the church are imitation of the world and infiltration of false teaching. God intends for his church to be led by elders. In this message, Pastor Josh Valdez introduces what the Bible says about elders.
Through preaching, God gives hope, eternal life, grace, and peace. In this message, Pat Flores walks us through Titus 1:2-4, where we see God's character and Gospel hope.
How do Christians live in a culture that is dominated by lies, licentiousness, and laziness? In this introduction to Titus, Pastor Josh Valdez explains Paul's identification as slave and apostle.
How does the church confront racism and injustice in society? In message, Pastor Josh Valdez shows that for Christians, activism is found in Gospel preaching and Gospel living.
Does God want equality for all? Is redistribution of wealth a biblical ideal? According to the Bible, justice is rooted in God's just character, is achieved through justification, and is produced by just living from justified people.
In this sermon, Ethan Quimby contrasts social justice and biblical justice.
Racism is the condition of the heart because the heart is depraved. How does God overcome racism? In this message, Josh Valdez unpacks Ephesians 2:11-22, where we see Christ's reconciliation of races through Gospel power.
Critical Race Theories suggest that racism is benefiting from a system that oppresses minorities. Is this what Christians should believe? In this message Josh Valdez reviews theories of race and shows what the Bible says concerning racism.
The Church at Ephesus received much praise from Christ. They worked hard, had discernment, and they held right doctrine. But, they had one major problem, they had lost their love of Christ. They were just going through the motions. In this message, Pastor Dave Deets unpacks Revelation 2:1-7.
What does it mean to live worthy of the Gospel? In Philippians 1:27-30, the Apostle Paul tells Christians that we must stand firm, strive together, and be fearless. Watch as Pastor Dave Deets unpacks this encouraging passage.