Highrock Church

Pastors John Mury and Michael Taber discuss Isaiah 40:9-26: "Isaiah calls his listeners to "behold your God!" We are creatures who hunger for transcendence, wonder, and awe — in other words, worship. God alone is worthy of such consideration and enriches our appreciation of all other things. Isaiah gives us several pictures of God's greatness; how do you connect with the majesty of God?"

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 40:1-8: There is a saying that the preacher's task is "to comfort the afflicted, and to afflict the comfortable." Israel is now captive in Babylon and it is time for God's comfort, and what a promise of comfort it is! Isaiah declares not only will God restore them, but that God will show up! The glory of the Lord will be seen, not just by them, but by all humanity."

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 39: "If God gave you fifteen extra years of life, what would you hope to do with it? Sadly, King Hezekiah uses his extra life to recklessly ensure the destruction of a future generation. Rather than repent or grieve, his only reaction is the relief that at least his days will be pleasant! It's a tragic conclusion for Hezekiah and any who share his self-focus. Jesus offers us a true path to a life well-lived, but through love and humility rather than self-centeredness."

Pastor John Mury continues our series, Beyond Belief: The Promises of the Apostles' Creed, with a sermon based on 1 Corinthians 15:12-19.

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 38: "Right after a real faith high point, Hezekiah experiences a terrible valley. He had earlier focused his attention on God but in this moment, he fixates on himself instead. God disciplines those he loves (Hebrews 12) and Hezekiah comes to the same conclusion."

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 37: "After refusing to respond to the threats of the Assyrians, King Hezekiah moves beyond silence. In the face of real fear, Hezekiah enters the presence of the Lord in heartfelt prayer. He almost literally hands it all over to God. Fear that is given to God can be transformed by God into faith."

Pastors John Mury and Michael Taber discuss Isaiah 36: "The Assyrians finally come for Judah, marching all the way up to the walls of Jerusalem. The Assyrians challenge the Israelites' trust in God. Will God deliver them when so many "gods" have failed to deliver the fallen kingdoms before them? How do you respond to such challenges? And when is no response the best response?"

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 35: "In imagery that would later be used to Jesus, Isaiah describes a time when the Lord would visit them and restore sight, hearing, speech, and the ability to walk. Everyone will be included and welcome in the future that God has for us!"

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 33: "The people of Judah pray for deliverance from the coming Assyrian army. God responds to their prayer but warns that God's presence will bring judgment to all, not just to their enemies. God's purifying fire is a blessing to those who want to be refined but for everyone else, more than they bargained for."

Pastor Dave Swaim continues our series, Beyond Belief: The Promises of the Apostles' Creed, with a sermon based on Matthew 25:34-36, 41-46.

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 32: "God promises to send the people a good leader, a righteous leader, one who encourages a commitment to generosity and justice. Ultimately, a good leader is one who serves the people rather than making the people serve the leader. Jesus is the ultimate example of this kind of leadership but we each have a role to play in leading those around us."

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 31: "Faced with anxiety about the approaching Assyrians, the kingdom of Judah turns to Egypt for security rather than turning to God. Isaiah invites them to turn back to God instead. What are the Egypts to which we turn? Where do we turn with our anxiety and can we hear God's invitation to return home?"

Pastors John Mury and Taylor Burgoyne discuss Isaiah 29:11-24: "Isaiah addresses two marks of false spirituality. The first is a surface-level, going-through-the-motions kind of religion. The second, deeper level of false spirituality is hypocrisy—not only are our hearts not in it, but our hearts are actually opposed to the way of God. God desires a genuine connection with us; can we be honest to God?"

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 28:5-16: "Isaiah foretells that one of the dimensions of God's deliverance will be through leaders who long for justice. In the meantime, their faltering leadership continues to value their own cleverness over faithfulness. We are invited to be child-like in our trust; not child-ish in our stubbornness."

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 25:1-8; 26:1-6, 16-19: "Isaiah speaks God's promise for deliverance, followed by a song of celebration. God promises salvation not just for Israel, but for all the peoples of the world! Not only will all hostilities cease, but death itself will be swallowed up by God! This hunger for heaven is meant to transform how we live now, fueling our desire to serve God rather than just ourselves."

Pastor Meghan DeJong continues our series, Beyond Belief: The Promises of the Apostles' Creed, with a sermon based on John 18:33-37.

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 19:1-4, 18-25: "Is there someone who fills your life with misery or a broken relationship that you feel will never heal? It must have seemed like Egypt would remain an eternal source of misery to Israel but Isaiah declares that God would do the impossible. It is easy to imagine God destroying Egypt but to turn Egypt into a blessing that worships the God of Israel? Who could have imagined that one day millions of Egyptians would follow a Jewish rabbi named Jesus?!"

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 13:1-2, 6-10, 17-22: "The king of Babylon stands as an example of someone who exalted himself above all others. What he did not know is that the way up is down. Jesus, the only one who had the right to such power, emptied himself to become a servant and thus God raised him up, and will raise us up if we are willing to humbly follow the way of Jesus."

Pastors John Mury and Michael Taber discuss Isaiah 13:1-2, 6-10, 17-22: "The next 11 chapters of Isaiah are filled with prophetic judgments about the surrounding nations and Isaiah starts with Babylon. Why does Isaiah start with Babylon, an empire that was only beginning to rise to displace the Assyrians? Perhaps because they so strongly exemplified the pride that would lead to the downfall of all empires, a topic we will cover in both today's and tomorrow's passages."

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 11:1-13: "The lion will lay down with the lamb and a little child will lead them; such beautiful words to depict the kind of peace the promised Messiah will bring. We see this picture as a distant vision but how might we begin to live in the hopes of that vision today?"

Pastor Walt Quick continues our series, Beyond Belief: The Promises of the Apostles' Creed, with a sermon based on Luke 1:26-38.

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 10:12-21: "God has been using Assyria as the instrument of judgment upon other nations. One might think that being used by God is a measure of their success and God's pleasure. Not at all. Outward signs of success, even being used by God, are not the measure of a life well-lived. Faithfulness is the ultimate measure."

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 9:1-7: "Just as we have come to expect, Isaiah follows God's warning with a promise. This promised child will not only have a miraculous birth; he will lead a miraculous life! Isaiah even predicted that we would see the glory of this Messiah revealed in Galilee, more than 700 years before Jesus centered his ministry in that very place!"

Pastors John Mury and Michael Taber discuss Isaiah 8: "Because the king and the nation refuse to trust God, they fall into the grips of fear. Isaiah warns the faithful to not think like those who give in to fear and anxiety through conspiracy theories and seeking advice from spirits. Instead, if we trust in God and the teachings of Scripture, the fear of the Lord will displace these other fears and provide us the security we seek."

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 7:1-17: "In the midst of political intrigue, backdoor deals, and plans of invasion, Isaiah delivers an incredible promise from God. Humans make their plans but, in the end, it is God's plan that will shine through—a virgin will one day conceive and give birth to Immanuel, 'God with us.'"

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 6:1-13: "God mercifully cleanses Isaiah from his sin, giving him the ability to say 'yes' to a mission where faithfulness will lead to heartbreak, rejection, and failure in the world's eyes. His faithfulness points us to Jesus and calls us to follow faithfully as well."

Pastor John Mury preaches on John 14:1-7 as part of our sermon series, Beyond Belief: The Promises of the Apostles' Creed.

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 5: "God's love for Judah is pictured like the building of and loving care for a beautiful vineyard. Despite the farmer's best efforts, the vineyard produces only bitterness rather than sweetness. What kind of grapes are these? The vineyard is the nation, so what will the farmer (God) do with such a sour harvest?"

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 3:1-4:6: "Isaiah continues to lay out the coming disasters that will result from abandoning God. In particular, they will suffer as a result of their childish and misguided leaders. One day, God will set things right by sending a special leader, a "Branch" from the line of David, one who will lead them back into fellowship with God."

Pastors John Mury and Michael Taber discuss Isaiah 2:6-22: "Our money is printed with the words, "In God We Trust," but do we? It is so much easier to trust in things we can see and control, like our financial wealth, our military power, or the wonderful inventions and industrial might of our nation. Israel faced these same temptations and Isaiah warns us that only God is worthy of our trust."

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 1:21-2:5: "Everything we have is a gift. When we use those gifts to serve others, it creates justice that God intends. If we instead use those gifts to make others serve us, it creates injustice and the inevitable suffering of those who have little. God promises one day to establish a world in which we hurt one another no longer, but in the meantime, we are invited to join with rather than fight against the justice that God seeks."

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Isaiah 1:1-20: "Much of what Isaiah has to say can be discerned from just this opening passage—stop doing evil, learn to do good. If they are willing to walk justly with God, God will cleanse them of the blood that is upon them, but if not, God will give them the freedom from God they desire, and thus, abandon them to their enemies. The choice is theirs, and ours!"

Pastor Dave Swaim preaches on the next phrase of the Apostles' Creed, "Creator of Heaven and Earth." Part of the series "Beyond Belief: The Promises of the Apostles' Creed."

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Exodus 34:27-35: "The greatest gift anyone has to offer is a life transformed by being with God. Moses here is changed by being with God, the disciples of Jesus had something to offer from being with Jesus, and this is true for us as well. When you spend time in God's presence, it will radiate into every encounter through the way you live and love."

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Exodus 33:17-23: "As God restores the covenant with Israel, Moses makes one more request – he wants to see God. He doesn't want to see a sign or symbol or some intermediary. No, Moses wants to experience God's presence directly. Moses longed for something that was made fully possible only centuries later when God took on flesh and became one of us."

Pastors John Mury and Michael Taber discuss Exodus 33:1-3, 12-17: "Imagine your ultimate dream vacation or place to live. No matter how wonderful, the place loses its luster if you can't be with those who matter most to you. Moses is happy that God has restored the promise of a future home but not if God will not go with them. More than anything, Moses has learned that what matters most is "God with us."

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Exodus 32:25-35: "The worship of the golden calf is peak tragedy in Israel's history and it stands in starkest contrast to the simultaneous affirmation of the covenant by God on the mountain. When Moses asked "Who is on the Lord's side?," few recognized the life-and-death importance of that question."

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Exodus 32:15-24: "Shocked and angered by what he sees upon returning to the people, Moses dashes the tablets of the covenant to the ground. It is a physical depiction of the way the people have spiritually shattered their covenant with God. With the covenant in ruins, what hope is left for them and for God's promises?"

Pastor Dave Swaim preaches on the phrase "In God, The Father Almighty" in the Apostles' Creed, using Romans 8:14-17. Part of the sermon series "Beyond Belief: The Promises of the Apostles' Creed."

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Exodus 32:7-14: "After the people abandon God for a golden calf, God threatens to destroy the Israelites in anger. Moses pleads with God to not give up on Israel. What a reversal of roles! Moses is usually the one who threatens to abandon Israel out of anger and frustration. What is going on? Is God truly ready to destroy Israel, or is God demonstrating the first-ever use of "reverse psychology"?"

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Exodus 32:1-6: "It is often said that money can become a god, promising to deliver us from all our problems. In a moment of anxiety about their future, the Israelites literally turn their money into a god — a golden calf. Then and now, people often prefer gods they can control rather than the living God who loves fiercely but can never be controlled."

Pastors John Mury and Taylor Burgoyne discuss Exodus 24:1-18 and 31:18: "After instructing the people verbally, God invites Moses and the elders to ascend the mountain to ratify and receive the written covenant - experiencing God's presence firsthand! The scene that follows serves not only as a formal acceptance of God's covenant but also as a model for community worship ever after. We respond to God's invitation to meet and to celebrate God's promises!"

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Exodus 23:20-25: "As people read through the Bible, they often come across passages that are difficult to understand. Some of those texts also seem to portray God in a negative light that doesn't seem to match what we see of God elsewhere, especially in Jesus. Today's passage is one such passage and by exploring it together, perhaps we can find a way to navigate similar passages."

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim explore Exodus 23:14-17: "Three times each year, the Israelites would be required to make a pilgrimage to the Temple. Each of these three festivals would celebrate one of the yearly harvests but would also commemorate a moment in the history of God's people - a different kind of harvest. Over a thousand years later, Jesus would invest each of those festivals with new significance and meaning as God's plan for the world."

Pastor Dave Swaim preaches on Hebrews 11:1-16 to kick off the new series, "Beyond Belief: The Promises of the Apostles' Creed."

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Exodus 23:1-9: "As Moses continues to teach the people about God's instructions, he lays great emphasis on the importance of justice. Because God is holy, we are implored to both protect the weak and to ensure that justice is equally applied to all, without regard to wealth or status. In the end, such justice must be motivated by love and empathy."

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Exodus 20:17: "We do not often talk of coveting but we are all familiar with the related ideas of jealousy, envy, and the fear of missing out. Why is it so vital to God that we guard against such things? Not only will such desires create divisions between us and our neighbors and us and God, but left unchecked, such desires can create a spirit of entitlement that robs us of all gratitude and joy."

John Mury and LeLe Hsu discuss Exodus 20:16: "There are so many scenarios in which it is tempting to believe that a lie is preferable to the truth. God instructs us to be truthful, especially when speaking about others. Lies can rip apart relationships and even whole communities. Jesus came to us full of grace and truth (John 1:14) and calls us to follow in his path."

Pastors John Mury and Dave Swaim discuss Exodus 20:15: "Like the other instructions, the command to not steal hints at larger connections. Stealing devalues not only the thing stolen, but the person from whom it is taken, and even the person who steals. Perhaps even more importantly, stealing robs us of the opportunity to trust God and to learn to trust one another more deeply."

Pastor Walt Quick preaches on John 17:20-23 to conclude the sermon series, "Summer School: Praying with Purpose."