Highland Baptist Church - Sermons

Latest Episodes:

Desert Rose: God's Cure For Loneliness // Acts 2 Oct 19, 2025

Show notes

This Sunday, Pastor John opened our new sermon series Desert Rose by reminding us that God’s design for healing loneliness is found in genuine community. When God calls us to Himself, He also calls us to one another, inviting us to be a living church devoted to His Word, fellowship, prayer, and shared life together.

Unafraid: The Elements of Temptation // Judges 16 Oct 12, 2025

Show notes

This week, Pastor John uses the story of Samson to show how sin disguises itself to draw us in and how temptation patiently targets our weaknesses. While the enemy delights in our downfall, Jesus delights in our forgiveness and transforms what once bound us into a testimony of His grace and freedom.

Unafraid: Samson Spiral Downward // Judges 14 Oct 06, 2025

Show notes

In this week's sermon, Pastor John reveals how sin pulls us lower when our passions rule instead of Jesus. Through Samson’s story, we see that selfishness and pride ultimately lead to destruction. Yet even in our failures, God is still at work and nothing will stop His redemptive power through Christ.

Unafraid: God's Sovereignty and Spiritual Weapons // Judges 7 Sep 28, 2025

Show notes

As we continue our sermon series, Unafraid, we look at the story of Gideon one more week and what that means for us as believers.

JUDGES 7:9-11 Judges 7:12-15

THE SOVEREIGNTY OF GOD…
1. DIRECTION

2. PROTECTION

3. RIGHT TIMING

4. RIGHT PEOPLE

5. RIGHT WORDS

Charles Spurgeon The sovereignty of God is the pillow upon which a child of God rests his head at night in peace.

Judges 7:16-22

OUR SPIRITUAL weapons FOR BATTLE

1. LIGHT 16 2 Corinthians 4:6 Philippians 2:15

2. Proclamation vV 18b, 20B I Thessalonians 1:8 Revelation 12:11

3. PROMISED victory vs 2, 7, 15 1 Corinthians 15:57 I John 5:4-5

JUDGES 8:22-27

A faithful ending outweighs a flawed beginning.

Unafraid: The Saving Hand – Drew Humphrey // Judges 7 Sep 23, 2025

Show notes

We continue our sermon series, Unafraid while Pastor Drew looks at Judges 7 and the story of Gideon and how that really points us to Christ.

Ephesians 2:8-9

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast

Judges 7:1-22 ESV

"The resurrection of Jesus Christ is the sign to every Christian that the enemy, death, has been defeated and turned into an ally.”

Three Gospel Reminders From Judges 7:

Jesus Calls Us From "Come and See" to "Come and Die."
The Lowly Bread Became Victory Bread.
The One and Only Saving Hand.

Romans 10:13 "Everyone who calls on the name of the Lord will be saved."
Romans 10:9 "If you confess with your mouth that Jesus is Lord, and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved."

Ephesians 2:8-9

8 For it is by grace you have been saved, through faith—and this is not from yourselves, it is the gift of God— 9 not by works, so that no one can boast

Unafraid: Gods Sovereignty and Our Willingness // Judges 4 Sep 14, 2025

Show notes

This week, Pastor John continued our Unafraid series with a sermon from Judges 4–5, showing us through the story of Deborah and Barak how God works through surrendered hearts. In all seasons of life, God leads us step by step and invites us to trust in His sovereignty and walk faithfully in willingness.

Unafraid: Strength in Weakness // Judges 3 Sep 07, 2025

Show notes

In this Sunday's sermon, Pastor John shows how God uses us, even in our limitations, to reveal His power and grace. Just as He worked through Ehud’s weakness, God transforms our frailties into strength for His glory, reminding us we can live unafraid when we trust Him fully.

Unafraid: No Excuses // Judges 3 Aug 31, 2025

Show notes

We continue our sermon series, Unafraid, looking at different people in Scripture who walked in the Lord without fear of this world. This week, we start our look in Judges 2 and 3 at Othniel.

Judges 2:11-13 REBELLION

JUDGES 2:14-15 and JUDGES 2:20-21 CONSEQUENCES PEOPLE CRY

Judges 2:16 GOD ANSWERS

JUDGES 2:17 REBELLION

Judges 3:7-8 In the middle of spiritual confusion and cultural chaos God looks for A COURAGEOUS VOICE.

Judges 3:9 REPENTACE IS THE FIRST STEP TO VICTORY.

Judges 1:10-13

Matthew Henry - "Caleb is doing what older men should do, and that is inspire the younger generation to serve God."

A few things about unafraid Othniel.

1. Othniel had a questionable background.

2. Othniel was of questionable age.

Judges 3:10-11

3. Othniel had unquestionable courage AND an unquestionable commitment

Unafraid: Whole-Hearted Faith // Judges 1 Aug 24, 2025

Show notes

We start a new sermon series, Unafraid, as we look at what it looks like biblically to live a life without fear. We look at Caleb from Judges where we have an example of what it a life without fear looks like.

In our lives, either faith or fear is going to win the day.
They don’t co-exist!

Judges 1:20

A FEW THINGS ABOUT UNAFRAID CALEB

1. Joshua 14:6-8 Caleb is not a JEW!

2. HE whole-heartedly FOLLOWED GOD - Joshua 14:8, 9, 14

3. Judges 1:20 HE trusted God for THE impossible

How different would my life be if I surrendered to faith in God, and not to fear?

For Every Season: For a Season of Singing (Psalm 33) Aug 17, 2025

Show notes

In our final week of For Every Season, we discover through Psalm 33 why we sing.

PSALM 33:1-3

Colossians 3:16 Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly, teaching and admonishing one another in all wisdom, singing psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, with thankfulness in your hearts to God.

1. We sing to GOD because HE told us to sing to Him!

New songs come from a fresh awareness of God’s grace.
Old songs remind us of what has been true for generations.

PSALM 33:4-9 2. We sing to God because He has done great things.

PSALM 33:10-12 3. We sing because God has chosen us as His Children.

PSALM 33:13-17 4. We sing because even though God is all-powerful, His eye is on us.

PSALM 33:18-19 5. WE SING BECAUSE HE HAS DELIVERED US FROM DEATH!

PSALM 33:20-22 6. WE SING BECAUSE HE LOVES US.