Podcast Summary: Church of the Highlands — Sunday Messages: "God Is for You" (April 5, 2026)

Episode Overview

This Easter Sunday message, delivered as the speaker’s first Easter sermon at Church of the Highlands, centers on the core theme: "God is for you." Drawing from Romans 8:31-39, the speaker explores three of life’s greatest questions—Is there a God? What is God like? Will I receive God’s love?—offering encouragement, clarity, and a joyful invitation to experience God’s personal, relentless love as revealed in the Easter story. The episode is both celebratory and deeply pastoral, aiming to move listeners from curiosity about faith to conviction in God's unwavering support.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Easter Welcome & Community Connection

• [00:00] Warm greeting to all locations—including correctional facilities and deployed military.
• Honoring founding Pastor Chris and his wife Tammy for 25 years of leadership.
• Celebrates community, both in-person and online, and emphasizes everyone is part of the church family.

2. Annual Easter Survey & Church Culture of Connection

• [02:00] Introduction of the annual Easter survey—a tool for feedback and connection, using a new "Tap Connect" system, which has increased church engagement by 400%.

• The church is built on relationships and small groups.

• Emphasizes confidentiality and genuine care for prayer requests and personal information.

  • Quote:
    "The heart of all this is to connect with you, to care for you, and honestly, to walk with you on your journey." [03:10]

3. Decluttering Spiritually: Series in Romans 8

• [06:30] The message completes a six-week series in Romans 8—focusing on "spiritual decluttering" to see God more clearly.
• Even if this is your first Sunday, today's verses summarize the entire Gospel.

4. Romans 8: God's Nature and Love (Main Text)

• [08:15] Scripture Reading: Romans 8:31-39.

• The passage is described as a "billboard" that makes the most important truth about God clear: God is for us.

  • Quote (Scripture):
    "If God is for us, who can be against us?" (Romans 8:31) [09:00]

5. Three Biggest Questions in Life

• [10:15] Framing the message around humanity’s most profound spiritual questions:

  1. Is there a God?

     • Deep down, all of us sense there must be a God; references Blaise Pascal’s "God-shaped vacuum" quote.
     • Quote:
       "There’s a God-shaped vacuum in the heart of every person and it can never be filled by any created thing. It can only be filled by God made known through Jesus Christ." —Blaise Pascal [11:10]

  2. What is God like?

     • Culture is spiritually curious—many ask not "Is there a God?" but "What is He like?"
     • Our perception of God shapes our entire life.
     • Quote:
       "What comes into our minds when we think about God is the most important thing about us." —A.W. Tozer [13:00]
     • The answer: God is for us—He is loving, gracious, and personal.

  3. Will I receive God’s love?

     • The service closes with this decision, prompting listeners to consider whether to accept God’s love personally.

6. The Good News of Easter & God’s Heart for Each Person

• [15:15] Christianity’s unique claim: God came down to us; He is for us personally, in every circumstance.

  • Quote:
    "God is for you. I don’t know what you’re walking through right now, but in the middle of the season you’re in right now, God is for you." [16:30]

• Assurance that God is for you in all circumstances: disappointment, marriage, singleness, parenting, anxiety, illness, grief, or any struggle.

7. What It Means That God Is For Us: Three Assertions

• [19:30] The message is distilled into three key applications:

  1. No sin is too big for the love of God.

     • "Sin" explained as an archery term: missing the mark.
     • God didn’t leave us in our sin; through Jesus, our sins are fully covered (Romans 3:23; 6:23; Romans 8).
     • Quote:
       "He went to that cross and died a death we deserved. If we receive his love, our sins are covered—past, present, future." [21:15]

  2. No shame is too deep for the love of God.

     • Shame defined as self-pronounced condemnation, labels we wear due to failures or hurts.
     • In Christ, we are forgiven and these labels are broken.
     • Quote:
       "We may be pronouncing these verdicts over our life, but in heaven right now, you know what Jesus is declaring over your life? The grace of God." [24:45]

  3. No situation is too far gone for the love of God.

     • Paul’s list of sufferings (hardship, persecution, etc.) and how nothing can separate us from God's love.
     • Introduces the Greek word "huper nikao"—"more than conquerors."
     • Engaging story illustrating what it means to be "super victorious" in Christ.
     • Quote:
       "There’s winning, and there’s destroying your opponent. And that’s what we really like... That’s what you have in Christ. You’re super victorious." [28:15]

8. Invitation: From Curious to Convinced

• [30:10] The speaker shares a personal and congregational desire: that everyone leave convinced—moving from spiritual curiosity to a settled conviction of God’s personal love and support.

  • Quote:
    "For I am convinced that neither death nor life...will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." (Romans 8:38-39) [32:00]

9. The Easter Story: Christ’s Sacrifice and Resurrection

• [32:30] Recap of the crucifixion and resurrection narrative.

• Emphasizes that Jesus endured the cross for each person listening—highlighting His love and the opportunity for new life.

  • Quote:
    "It was not the nails or the Romans that kept him on the cross...it was for the joy set before him. That joy is you." [34:00]

10. Personal Response — The "ABC/D" Card

• [35:00] A practical, participatory invitation for every listener to respond:

  • A: I already know God personally.
  • B: I want to begin a relationship with God today or return to Him.
  • C: I want to consider it—I'm still checking things out.
  • D: I do not intend to make that decision.

• Encouragement that every response is respected—this is a journey, not pressure.

  • Quote:
    "Highlands has been built as a place you do not have to believe to belong. We welcome you to the journey. All pressure off. God has great plans for you." [37:40]

11. Prayer of Commitment

• [40:32] (Speaker B): Leads those choosing "B" in a prayer of commitment to Jesus, celebrating new beginnings and asking God’s presence to make the truth of "God is for you" real in everyone’s heart.

  • Quote (prayer):
    "Jesus, today I give you my life. I’m beginning a real relationship with you...Thank you that you rose again. Thank you for changing my life today." [40:50]

Notable Quotes & Memorable Moments

• "If God is for us, who can be against us?" — Romans 8:31 [09:00]
• "There is a God, and the most important thing he wants you to know this Easter, is he is for you." [16:50]
• "No sin is too big, no shame is too deep, no situation is too far gone for the love of God." [19:35–31:45]
• "For I am convinced... that nothing will be able to separate us from the love of God that is in Christ Jesus our Lord." [32:00]
• "He (Jesus) saw you in 2026...He saw you and said, you’re worth it." [34:10]
• "Just give us a year of your life. Keep coming back and you’ll go from curious to convinced. I’m telling you, it changes everything." [36:25]
• "Highlands is a place you don’t have to believe to belong." [38:10]

Important Timestamps

• 00:00 — Warm Easter welcome, community inclusion (military, correctional facilities)
• 02:00 — Easter survey introduction & Tap Connect
• 06:30 — Romans 8 spiritual decluttering series summary
• 08:15 — Romans 8:31-39 scripture reading
• 10:15 — Introduction of the three biggest life questions
• 15:15 — Easter’s good news: God is for you, personally
• 19:30 — Three things God being “for us” means (sin, shame, situation)
• 24:45 — Breaking off shame and condemnation
• 28:15 — “More than conquerors” (huper nikao) illustration
• 30:10 — Call to move from curiosity to conviction
• 32:30 — Recap of Christ’s sacrifice and resurrection
• 35:00 — Invitation to personal response (ABC/D card)
• 40:32 — Commitment prayer for new believers

Conclusion

This Easter message encapsulates the heart of Christian faith—God’s personal love, forgiveness, and the resurrection’s power to bring hope and transformation to all situations. Resonating with warmth, humility, and humor, the speaker invites every listener—whether certain, uncertain, or skeptical—to consider (or reconsider) what it means that "God is for you," with a clear, actionable path for taking the next step. The tone is gracious, non-pressuring, and intensely affirming, making the message accessible and compelling to both newcomers and long-time members.

Memorable Sign-off:
"What is God like? He’s for you. He loves you. And Easter proves it once and for all."