Calvary Hill Sermons

What could you possibly trade Jesus for that would actually be better?

After spending ten chapters showing us the supremacy of Christ—our better Priest, better covenant, better sacrifice, and better hope—the writer of Hebrews gives one of his strongest warnings yet: Don’t throw it away.

Hebrews 10:26–39 confronts us with the terrifying reality of abandoning Christ, but it also speaks directly to tired Christians who are tempted to loosen their grip. Remember what you already know. Remember what you have endured. Remember that you possess “a better possession and an abiding one.” And above all, r...

What does all this theology in Hebrews about Jesus actually lead us to do?

Hebrews 10:19–25 answers with a powerful invitation: Come Out and Worship.

Because Jesus has opened the way into God’s presence, we are called to:

Step In — draw near with confidence. Stand Firm — hold fast the confession of our hope. Show Up — gather with God’s people and stir one another toward love and good works.

Christian faith was never meant to stay hidden in the heart. It draws near to God, publicly confesses Christ, and stands alongside His people.<...

The altar had been busy for centuries.

Priests stood. Sacrifices were offered. Blood was shed. And still, sin remained.

Then Jesus offered one sacrifice for all time—and sat down.

In this sermon Pastor James O'Dell discusses how Hebrews 10:11–18 brings the long argument about Christ’s superior priesthood to a powerful conclusion. Jesus has done what no priest, no sacrifice, no religious system, and no human effort could ever do: He has dealt with sin permanently.

His sacrifice is final. His victory is powerful. His people are being made holy. And God sa...

For centuries, the altar kept saying the same thing: Not yet.

Another priest. Another animal. Another sacrifice. Another reminder that sin was still a problem.

The Old Covenant was never useless—but it was never the destination. It was a shadow, a signpost, a sketch pointing beyond itself to the One who was coming.

Then Jesus stepped into history and said: “I have come.”

He did not bring another sacrifice. He became the sacrifice. He came in a body, perfectly obeyed the Father, and offered Himself once for all.

And at...

What if the greatest gift of salvation is not simply escaping judgment, but entering the presence of God?

In Hebrews 9:1–14, the tabernacle stands like a living parable. The priests serve continually in the Holy Place, the sacrifices keep being offered, and the incense keeps rising—but the curtain remains closed. The way into the Holy of Holies has not yet been opened.

Then come the words that change everything: “But when Christ appeared…”

Jesus enters the true and better Holy of Holies, not with the blood of goats and calves, but with His own blood...

Israel’s story is the story of a faithful God and an unfaithful people. They had God’s law, His covenant, His priests, His sacrifices, and His promises—and still they did not continue in His covenant.

In this sermon from Hebrews 8:7–13, Pastor Neil Sandlin examines why the Old Covenant could reveal the problem of sin but could not fix what was broken in the human heart. Then we turn to the astonishing promises of the New Covenant: God writes His law on our hearts, brings us into a true relationship with Himself, forgives our sins completely, and gath...

In Hebrews 8:1–6, the writer makes the point crystal clear: “We have such a high priest.”

Jesus is not serving in an earthly tent, a shadow, or a copy. He is seated at the right hand of the Father, ministering in the true heavenly sanctuary. His saving work is finished, His priestly ministry continues, and His people are secure because He is the guarantor of a better covenant.

In this sermon Pastor James O'Dell, discusses how no one needs to run back to old shadows when we have the substance in Christ. Jesus has offered Himself once f...

In Hebrews 7:20–28, we’re reminded that Jesus doesn’t just save a little, help a little, or get us part of the way home. He saves “to the uttermost.”

Why? Because Jesus is not a temporary priest with a limited ministry. He is the better High Priest, appointed by the Father, guaranteed by oath, alive forever, and always interceding for His people.

In this sermon Pastor Neil Sandlin looks at what Jesus is doing right now. He died once for all, rose from the dead, entered the heavenly sanctuary, and now continually represents His people before the...

What makes a person fit to stand before a holy God? Can religious rituals, good works, church membership, or human effort give us access to God’s presence?

In Hebrews 7:11–19, Pastor James O'Dell discuses why the Old Covenant priesthood could never accomplish what sinners truly need. The Levitical priests, sacrifices, and law could reveal sin, but they could not remove it. They could point forward to salvation, but they could not provide it.

This passage introduces us to Jesus Christ, our eternal High Priest after the order of Melchizedek. Unlike the priests of the Old Cove...

In Hebrews 7:1-10, the writer introduces us to the mysterious figure of Melchizedek—not so that we would become fascinated with Melchizedek, but so that we would see the greatness of Jesus Christ more clearly.

Melchizedek appears in Genesis as both king and priest, the king of righteousness and the king of peace. Hebrews shows us that he was a God-given shadow pointing forward to Jesus, our Better Priest-King.

In this sermon, Pastor Neil Sandlin discusses how Jesus brings the righteousness we could never achieve, secures the peace we could never earn, and lives forever as...

In Hebrews 6:13–20, the writer of Hebrews reminds weary believers that God’s promises are certain because God Himself is faithful. After urging Christians to persevere with faith and patience, Hebrews points us to Abraham as an example of someone who waited on the promises of God, even when the fulfillment seemed delayed and impossible.

In this sermon Pastor James O'Dell explores the certainty of God’s promise, the comfort of God’s oath, and the security believers have in Jesus Christ, our great High Priest. Because God cannot lie and His purposes are unchangeable, Christians can have strong e...

In Hebrews 6:9–12, the author turns from one of the strongest warnings in Scripture to a tender word of encouragement: “Beloved, we feel sure of better things—things that belong to salvation.”

In this sermon Pastor Neil Sandlin explores how God uses His warnings like spiritual rumble strips and guardrails. They are not meant to drive true believers into despair, but to wake them up, keep them alert, and preserve them all the way to the end.

Hebrews reminds us that spiritual drifting is dangerous. We can grow sluggish, sleepy, and inattentive to Christ. But true believer...

In this sermon from Hebrews 6:4–8, Pastor Neil Sandlin walks through one of the most sobering warning passages in the Bible.

This passage is not meant to teach that true believers can lose their salvation, nor is it meant to be softened until the warning disappears. Instead, Hebrews 6 shows us the danger of experiencing great covenant privileges, sitting under the truth, seeing the work of the Spirit, and living near the things of Christ while never truly belonging to Christ by faith.

Using the backdrop of Israel in the wilderness and the covenant imagery of Deuteronomy, th...

In this sermon from Hebrews 5:11–6:3, Pastor James O'Dell discusses the author's challenge to move from spiritual apathy to spiritual advancement. The writer of Hebrews warns believers about becoming “dull of hearing,” remaining spiritually immature, and failing to grow in the Word of God.

God does not desire His children to remain spiritual infants. He calls us to grow, to practice discernment, to handle His Word rightly, and to press on toward maturity through the power of the Holy Spirit.

This message encourages us to examine our hearts, return to the nourishment of Scripture, and keep moving...

In Hebrews 5:1–10, we are shown one of the most important categories in all of Scripture for understanding Jesus: Priest.

Why did God spend centuries building the categories of prophets, kings, sacrifices, and priests before sending His Son into the world? Because Jesus cannot be rightly understood apart from the Old Testament story that prepared the world for Him. He is not merely a teacher, moral example, or spiritual guide. He is our Great High Priest.

In this sermon, Pastor Neil Sandlin looks at the priest God required and the priest God provided. The Old Testament pr...

In Hebrews 4:14–16, we are reminded that the One before whom we will one day give an account is not only holy and all-knowing—He is also our perfect High Priest. Jesus knows us completely, sympathizes with our weakness, and invites us to draw near with confidence to the throne of grace.

In this sermon Pastor James O'Dell explores the comfort and courage found in Christ our Perfect Priest. Because Jesus has passed through the heavens, endured every temptation without sin, and now intercedes for His people, believers can persevere with confidence. We do not face suffering, weakness, temp...

Everyone is looking for rest. We try to find it in success, comfort, distraction, or escape—but no matter how hard we strive, something still feels unsettled deep within us.

In Hebrews 4, we are confronted with a powerful truth: the rest we are searching for is real… but it is not found where we think.

In this sermon, Pastor Neil walks through three critical realities:

In this powerful message from Hebrews 3, we are confronted with a sobering truth: the root of rebellion is unbelief.

As the writer of Hebrews continues to show the superiority of Christ over the Old Covenant, we are warned through the example of Israel in the wilderness. Despite witnessing God’s power, provision, and miracles, they still hardened their hearts and refused to believe. Their story becomes a warning for us today.

In this sermon Pastor James O'Dell explores the danger of an evil, unbelieving heart—not just occasional sin, but a willful, persistent rejection of God’...

In this episode of Radiant Ladies, we continue our " Seasons" series with Jessica Sandlin sharing a powerful word on navigating the in-between seasons of life, reflects on the transitions we all face and how God meets us in the messy middle.

From moving, parenting, career changes, and releasing children into new stages of life, Jessica reminds us that transition is often stressful, uncertain, and emotionally complex—but never wasted. Using the image of a butterfly in the cocoon, she shows how God uses pressure, stretching, and struggle to reshape us at the deepest level.

If yo...

Is Christianity just a leap of faith or is it something far more reasonable than we think?

In this Easter message, Pastor Neil Sandlin explores one of the most important questions ever asked: Did Jesus really rise from the dead? And if He did, what does that mean for us?

We look at two powerful realities at the heart of Christianity:

In this episode of Radiant Ladies, we continue our " Seasons" series with a moving testimony from Jan O’Dell as she shares what God is doing in the autumn season of her life. With warmth, humor, and deep wisdom, Jan reflects on growing older, looking back on God’s faithfulness, and learning to trust Him through every stage of life.

She shares about the lasting influence of her mother, the gift of a godly husband, the faithfulness of the Lord through ministry and hardship, and the blessing of church family through the years. Jan’s story is one of...

In this episode from Radiant Ladies, we continue our "Seasons" series with Gabby McHargue sharing what God is doing in the summer season of her life. Through humor, honesty, and deep faith, Gabby opens up about motherhood, routines, grief, obedience, and learning to trust God even when she doesn’t feel like it.

Her message is simple but powerful: do it anyway.

From raising two little boys to walking through miscarriage, from hard jobs to answered prayers, Gabby reflects on what it means to stay faithful in every season and to recognize that many of th...

In Hebrews 3:1–6, we are called to fix our eyes on Jesus and see that He is greater than one of the most important figures in all of Scripture—Moses.

In this sermon Pastor James O'Dell discusses how Moses was faithful in God’s house, but Jesus is the builder of the house. How Moses delivered God’s word to the people. But Jesus is the Word.

This passage shows us that while Moses was a servant within God’s house, Jesus is the Son over the house—the one with ultimate authority, glory, and honor.

And her...

In this episode from Radiant Ladies, we continue our "Seasons" series with a powerful testimony from Annabelle Parker, one of our teenagers at Calvary Hill. Sharing from the “spring” season of her life, Annabelle opens up about walking through her parents’ divorce, learning to trust God through pain, and discovering what it means to truly live for Jesus at a young age.

Her story is one of courage, healing, prayer, and light. From brokenness in her family to a deeper relationship with her Heavenly Father, Annabelle reminds us that no matter your age, God can use your life r...

Why did Jesus become human?

In Hebrews 2:10–18, we see that Jesus didn’t just come to forgive sins—He came to accomplish something far greater. He came to taste death for His people, to bring many sons to glory, and to call them His brothers and sisters.

This passage answers three powerful questions:

• Who is the “everyone” Jesus died for?

• What does it mean that He is bringing them to glory?

• Why is He not ashamed to call them His family?

Jesus is the Champion of our salvation—the On...

In this episode from Radiant Ladies, April Mozingo opens our new Seasons series by sharing a personal message on walking through winter seasons of life. Through grief, loss, loneliness, and hardship, this message points us to the nearness of Jesus in suffering and the hope He gives us in the dark.

Looking at John 11 and the story of Lazarus, Mary, and Martha, April reminds us that winter is not wasted. God is present in our pain, working beneath the surface, deepening our roots, and drawing us into deeper intimacy with Him. If you are in a hard...

God created humanity with a purpose: to rule over His creation as His image-bearers. But sin shattered that calling. Instead of living in glory and dominion, humanity now lives under the shadow of suffering and death.

In this sermon Pastor James O'Dell, using Hebrews 2:5–9, reminds us that while we do not yet see humanity ruling as God intended, but Jesus came to to earth to conquer death and place humans back in their proper order. This is not being realized fully right now, it will when Jesus returns.

The story of the gospel is the st...

Drifting rarely feels dramatic. It doesn’t begin with rebellion. It doesn’t start with renouncing the faith. It begins with carelessness.

In Hebrews 2:1–4, Pastor Neil Sandlin discusses one of the most sobering warnings in the New Testament. After showing us the supremacy of Jesus — Heir of all things, Creator of the world, Radiance of God’s glory, and superior to angels — the author turns and says: “Therefore… we must pay much closer attention.”

Why? Because drifting from Christ is not small. Neglecting salvation is not neutral. It is deadly.

In this sermon, we explore:

...

In Hebrews 1:5–14, Pastor James O'Dell continues our series Jesus Is Better by seeing why Christ is greater than the angels. While angels are glorious, powerful, and ministering servants of God, Jesus is something infinitely more.

He is the Son, uniquely begotten and eternally exalted.

He is Sovereign, enthroned and ruling over all creation.

He is Savior, the One whose kingdom will never end.

The writer of Hebrews anchors our confidence not in created beings, but in the eternal Son who reigns forever. Angels serve. Jesus rules. Angels minister. Jesus is worshiped.

We live in a world obsessed with upgrades, better technology, better systems, better experiences. But the book of Hebrews makes a different kind of claim. Not that Jesus is improved. Not that He complements what came before. But that He is absolutely and permanently better.

In Hebrews 1:1–4, the writer begins with thunder, declaring the supremacy of the Son. Jesus is the better Prophet who reveals God fully, the better Priest who cleanses sin completely, and the better King who rules forever. Everything that came before — angels, Moses, the temple, the prophets — was real and glorious, but it was pa...

What does it actually look like to live by the Spirit day by day?

In Galatians 5:25–26, the apostle Paul moves from the fruit the Spirit produces to the rhythm the Spirit invites us into: “If we live by the Spirit, let us also keep in step with the Spirit.”

In this final sermon of our Inside Out Kingdom series, Pastor James O'Dell discusses the reality that life in the Spirit is not passive or chaotic, but intentional, responsive, and communal. Paul shows us that walking by the Spirit means learning to match our pace to His—re...

In Galatians 5:23b–24, the apostle Paul shows us that the Christian life is not about learning to live better under the same old rulers, but about living under an entirely new authority.

Many of us struggle with authority because we have lived under rules that pressured but never healed, desires that promised freedom but never satisfied, and rulers that were harsh or unjust. Paul says the gospel introduces something different. The law no longer condemns. The flesh no longer rules. Christ now reigns from the inside out.

In this sermon from our Inside Out Kingdom se...

Self-control is often misunderstood as willpower or behavior management—but the Bible presents something far deeper.

In this message from our Inside Out Kingdom series on the Fruit of the Spirit, Pastor James O'Dell explores self-control from Galatians 5:22–23, not as white-knuckled discipline, but as a life ordered by the Spirit under the lordship of Jesus.

Rather than asking, “How do I try harder?” Scripture invites us to ask, “What is ruling my heart?”

In this sermon, we’ll look at:

-Why self-control is not repression, but freedom

-How the Bible understa...

What if gentleness isn’t weakness, but strength that no longer needs to prove itself?

In this sermon from our Inside Out Kingdom series on the Fruit of the Spirit, Pastor Neil Sandlin explores gentleness from Galatians 5:22, not as softness or passivity, but as Spirit-formed strength shaped by the heart of Jesus.

Beginning with C.S. Lewis’s famous line about Aslan—“Safe? Who said anything about safe?" this message challenges our cultural assumptions about power, dominance, and what it means to truly reflect Christ.

We’ll look at:

In a culture where commitments are easily broken and trust is fragile, Scripture points us to a deeper, steadier definition of faithfulness, one rooted in the very character of God.

In this message Pastor James O'Dell explores the Fruit of the Spirit of Faithfulness, beginning with the example of God’s unwavering faithfulness and moving to what it means for believers to reflect that faithfulness in everyday life. The Bible presents faithfulness as trustworthiness, reliability, and honesty, a steady, consistent life shaped by confidence in God’s promises.

What does it really mean to be “good”?

In a world that often confuses goodness with niceness, Scripture offers a deeper, truer vision. In this sermon Pastor Neil Sandlin explores the Fruit of the Spirit: Goodness, not as harmless behavior, but as holy, life-giving moral excellence rooted in the very character of God. Beginning with a biblical definition of goodness, we look at God’s goodness as an essential attribute, how He both is good and does good (Psalm 119:68), and how that same goodness is produced in believers through the new birth by the Holy Spirit.

Biblical kindness isn’t about being polite, it’s about reflecting the heart of God. In this sermon Pastor James o'Dell discusses how the Holy Spirit produces genuine kindness in us and why gospel-shaped kindness has the power to heal, restore, and transform relationships.”

What does the Bible really mean when it calls patience a ‘fruit of the Spirit’? In this message, Pastor Neil unpacks the two powerful New Testament words for patience—one that teaches us to endure hardship with trust in God, and one that teaches us to love people with long-suffering grace. Discover why humility is the soil patience grows in, how to wait faithfully in seasons of confusion, and how to show Christlike patience in messy relationships. This sermon will challenge and encourage you to see patience not as a personality trait, but as the supernatural work of the Holy S...

In this sermon Pastor James O'Dell, using Galatians 5:22, discusses peace as a fruit of the spirit, how Jesus exemplified it and how Christians should bear it out in their lives.

In this sermon Pastor Neil Sandlin, using Galatians 5:22, discusses the fruit of joy by discusses it in the life of Jesus, its grounding in salvation and how it is manifested in the life of the church.