Sermon Archives
Sermons are also available as podcasts. You can go directly to the Hillside Sermon Podcast by clicking here. If you have comments or feedback, please direct them to podcast@hillsideweb.com.
Sermon Audio Files
Each sermon will contain links to the sermon audio in mp3 format (wma for older messages). You can stream the sermon by clicking on the audio link or you can download the file by right-click <save target as>.
Sermon Take-home
Each message will also contain the sermon "take-home" for each message. The takehome will be in Adobe .pdf format. You will need the free Adobe Acrobat Reader to view. The sermon take-home contains questions to help you or your small group explore the message more in-depth and interact with the sermon.
Sermon Series Archive
- Three Things that are True About You
- Why Cedar Rapids Doesn't Go to Church
- Why God Created You
- Taking Jesus Home with You
- Jesus Knows what He's Talking About
- Faith and Fear
- Lies About Money
- Enemies. A Love Story?
- Your Mission Should You Choose to Accept It
- Resolutions
- 1 Corinthian Church of Cedar Rapids
- Accidental Living
- A Different Journey to Christmas
- God is...
- Questions and Answers
- Hostage
- Who Wants a Dollar?
- We Fit
- MIracles
- Love and Law
- Habakkuk
- Life in the Silly Silo
- Jonah
- Finding the Center
- Church where Satan Dwells
- So You're Dead, Now What?
- One thing Jesus will Always Do
- Sticks and Stones
- He's Still Willing
- Addiction
- Rethinking Scripture
- Facing the Giants
- Pursuing Transformation
- 30 Days to Live
Why Cedar Rapids Doesn't go to Church
Studies show that only about 40% of Americans are in church in any given Sunday and that number is certainly not increasing. If Christians believe that Jesus is the answer to the void that's so prevalent in the world today, why aren't people flocking to church. Join us for this "in-house" discussion of the barriers people have to the church today
Have you ever thought of why you're here? Is it to take up space? Is it to have good time? Maybe you were just a coincidence or a mistake--or is there more to it than that?
no takehome l audio "LIfe Stinks and then you Die"
May 2-3rd,, 2010
Pastor Randy
no takehome l audio "Do not Disturb: The Importance
of Your Testimony"
April 24-25th,, 2010
Pastor Bill
takehome l audio "They LIke Jesus, but not the Church"
April 17-18,, 2010
Pastor Kory
"Taking Jesus Home with You"
Easter Sunday is a special day. It's the day when people who don't attend church the rest of the year dress up and drag themselves out of bed. But Easter is much more than that. Easter is an encounter with the risen Jesus. In this message, Randy looks at the story of the two meeting Jesus on the road to Emmaus and encourages us to take Jesus home with us.
audio "Taking Jesus Home with You"
April 3-4,, 2010
Pastor Randy
"Jesus Knows what He's Talking About"
Who do you put your faith in? Whether you're choosing a plumber, a lawyer, or a financial planner, youw want someone who knows what he's talking about. When it comes to spiritual things, you want the same thing--to find someone who knows what he's talking about. Whenever Jesus spoke, people always knew He was an expert. So how do you learn to listen to Him?
audio l takehome "Jesus Knows what He's Talking About"
March 27-28,, 2010
Pastor Randy
"Lies About Money"
Jesus talked more about money than any other subject. Why? Because He knew it was money that could trip us up most easily. Money is important to us and we are important to God. Often, the way we handle money sets the course for our life. This series looks at the lies we believe about money.
audio l takehome "Lies About Money"
March 13-14,, 2010
Pastor Randy
"Your Mission Should You Choose to Accept It"
What is Hillside all about? That's the question we'll be answering in this series. If you're thinking about joining Hillside or just wondering what kind of church we strive to be, this series will be helpful in making that decision.
audio l takehome "Grace"
February 20-21st,, 2010
Pastor Randy
audio l takehome "Service"
February 13-14th, 2010
Pastor Randy
audio l takehome "Connecting With His Church"
February 6-7th, 2010
Pastor Randy
audio l takehome "Connecting With God"
January 30-31st, 2010
Pastor Randy
Resolutions
Many of us make resolutions at the beginning of the year. Most of us break them within the first week. We all want to improve our lives. We also believe God wants to improve our lives. If God were to make a resolution for you, what would it be. This series looks at three possible resolutions God might have for you this year.
audio l takehome "Come Out"
January 23-24th, 2010
Pastor Bill
audio l takehome "Fix what is Broken"
January 16-17th, 2010
Pastor Randy
audio l takehome "Live for Eternity"
January 9-10th, 2010
Pastor Randy
First Corinthian Church of Cedar Rapids
This message is a very important message in the life of Hillside. Our world today is much like it was in Corinth. We have a country and a city that has a great need to connect with Jesus. As the body of Christ, we can't rest with so much at stake. Hillside has a plan to respond to the great need. Listen (or watch) this message and hear the big announcement that will chage Hillside (and hopefully Cedar Rapids) forever.
audio "First Corinthian Church of Cedar Rapids"
January 2-3rd, 2010
Pastor Randy
We know that great improvements in life generally don't happen by accident. Why is it that we think our lives will improve and we'll become what God created us to be by accident. We want to change, but we never really take the steps necessary. In this message, Pastor Kory gives some tips on how you can use 2010 to live as the child of God you were created to be.
audio l takehome "Accidental Living"
December 26-7th, 2009
Pastor Kory
A Different Journey to Christmas
In this message Pastor Bill looks at Israel's journey to Jesus. It's not what you might think. God created each of us in His image--and those are some big shoes to fill. In this message Bill urges us to live up to our God-given potential.
audio "A Different Journey to Christmas"
December 19-20th, 2009
Pastor Bill
God Is...
Questions and Answers
We all have questions about life. We certainly don't have all the answers. However, in this series, we try to work through the questions you have as best we can. The first two weeks, Pastor Randy will answer one question from the congregation. The third week, all the Hillside pastors will be taking questions in short format. Be sure to bring your cell phone to church that week!
November 28-29th Live Q & A time with Hillside Pastors
We've broken our Q & A time into each question. You can listen to them all consecutively or choose which answers you'd like to hear. You will not hear the questions on the audio because of the nature of the format. Because of some technical difficulties, some of the audio is better quality than others.
audio How do I get someone I care about
to hear the words of Jesus?
November 21-2nd
audio l takehome "What Happens to People
who Have Never Heard of Jesus?"
November 14-5th
Hostage
Since the beginning of time, there have always been things that keep people from being everything God created them to be. They are things in our lives, usually too subtle for us to notice them that take us hostage. In this series, we'll look at four things that commonly take us hostage and threaten to derail our relationships with God and others.
take-home l audio "The Woman at the Well"
Pastor Randy on November 8th, 2009
take-home l audio "Approval Addiction"
Pastor Randy on November 1st, 2009
take-home l audio "Addiction"
Pastor Bill on October 25th, 2009
take-home l audio "Worry"
Pastor Randy on October 18th, 2009
take-home l audio "Bitterness"
Pastor Randy on October 11th, 2009
audio "Who Wants a Dollar?"
Pastor Randy on October 4th, 2009
We Fit
If you're a Hillside member or regular attender, this is an essential series for you. We believe the church is called to something great--to partner with God on His mission to redeem the world. This means that every member of His Church has a part to play on the team. In this series we'll talk about where Hillside fits in the universal body of Christ, but also where you fit at Hillside. In the end, we will challenge you to find your place to partner with Hillside in fulfilling the mission God has given us.
take-home l audio "Asking the Right Question"
Pastor Randy on September 27th, 2009
take-home l audio "Using What God Gave You"
Pastor Randy on September 20th, 2009
take-home l audio "Fit for Growth"
Pastor Kory on September 13th, 2009
take-home l audio "This is Your Mission
Should you Choose to Accept it."
Pastor Randy on September 6th, 2009
Miracles
We see many miracles in the Bible, but we don't see many today? Why is that? Could it be that we just don't look for them enough. Maybe we won't see people rise from the grave, see paralysis reversed, but God does miracles in people's lives all the time. This series looks at some of the amazing miracles in the Bible to see what we can from them.
take-home l audio "What Produces Faith"
Pastor Kory on August 30th, 2009
take-home l audio "Strange Fruit"
Pastor Bill on August 23rd, 2009
take-home l audio "Things Jesus Always Does, Things
Jesus Never Does"
Pastor Randy on August 16th, 2009
take-home l audio "The Ingredient that Matters Most"
Pastor Randy on August 9th, 2009
take-home l audio "Up from the Grave"
Pastor Randy on August 2nd, 2009
Love and Law: A Tale of Two Kingdoms
In the Evangelical church today, we often forget that Christians are called to do things in a different way than the world. How do we stand up for justice? How do we make our voice heard in the political arena? How can we do the greatest good for the Kingdom of God? Hillsider, Aaron Rowland helps us consider these questions and more.
take-home l audio "Love and Law: A Tale of Two Kingdoms"
Aaron Rowland on July 26th, 2009
Habakkuk
Habakkuk was a "minor" prophet who lived thousands of years ago. What does a minor prophet who lived thousands of years ago have to do with us today? Does he really have anything to say to us? We think he does. Find out for yourself.
take-home l audio "Why God Doesn't Respond to Prayer"
Pastor Randy on July 19th, 2009
Life in the Silly Silo
At Adventureland is a ride called the Silly Silo. You get in a cylinder and stand with your back against the wall. When the room begins to spin, you stick to the wall. That's when the floor drops out from under you. Most people don't need to ride in the Silly Silo to feel like the floor has dropped out from under them. LIfe has a way of doing that. When it does, what do you? What do we learn about God in such times?
take-home l audio "Life in the Silly Silo"
Pastor Randy on July 12th, 2009
Jonah
We're all familar with the story of Jonah and the big fish. But what about the rest of the life of Jonah? Why was he swallowed by a big fish in the first place? This series looks at the lessons we learn from the short book of Jonah.
take-home l audio "Catching God's Compassion"
Pastor Randy on July 5th, 2009
take-home l audio "Drifting"
Pastor Randy on June 14th, 2009
take-home l audio "When Obedience is Hard"
Pastor Randy on June 7th, 2009
Finding the Center
Many Christians live their life in confusion. The church tells them they should be growing into Christ-likeness, but they don't know what that really means. Wouldn't it be easier if the Bible had a target to shoot for? Well, good news! It does. This sermon will help you find the center of the target. Then it's up to you and God to hit it.
This sermon also has a "sermon supplement." Since we didn't have the luxury of making it a series, the sermon supplement has some extra information we couldn't put into the sermon because of time constraints. This supplement has equally valuable teaching and will greatly enhance your understanding of the sermon.
take-home l audio "Finding the Center"
sermon supplement Pastor Kory on June 28th, 2009
Church Where Satan Dwells
Where is the prime spot for Christians? Should we exist in our Christian bubble, only listening to Christian music, watching Christian movies and only having Christian friends. The Bible answers a resounding "no!" But if we are going to do church where Satan dwells, we better be prepared to be different.
no take-home l audio "Church Where Satan Dwells"
Pastor Bill on June 21st, 2009
So You're Dead, Now What?
There aren’t too many things we have in common with every other person we share the planet with. But there is an experience we all will share. We call it death. We don’t like to talk about it. We don’t like to think about it. But it’s there. Scripture really teaches that the purpose of this life is to prepare the next. Are you prepared?
take-home l audio "Answers to Questions"
Pastor Randy on May 9th, 2009
take-home l audio "What About Heaven?"
Pastor Randy on May 2nd, 2009
take-home l audio "What About Hell?"
Pastor Randy on April 26th, 2009
take-home l audio "What Happens Moments After Death?"
Pastor Randy on April 19th, 2009
One Thing Jesus Will Always Do
Seeking God is the most universal human condition. People of all races and tribes have longed to know God. The Bible tells us that we will find God when we seek Him with all our heart. How does Easter prove that? Listen and find out.
take-home l audio "One Thing Jesus Will Always Do"Pastor Randy on April 12th, 2009
Sticks and Stones: The Power of Words
There's an old saying, "sticks and stones can break my bones, but words can never hurts me." Of course, we all know that ultimately this is not true. Words can be very hurtful in many ways. What does the Bible have to say about how we use words? This series will look at the different ways we use our words to hurt people.
take-home l audio "Criticism"
Pastor Randy on May 31st, 2009
take-home l audio "Complaining"
Pastor Randy on May 24th, 2009
He's Still Willing
People have different perceptions of God and for each of us, our perception is reality. Unfortunately many of the ways we see God are not the way God really is. In this sermon Pastor Randy challenges your perception of God and asks you to reconsider how you see God in light of Scripture.
take-home l audio "He's Still Willing"
Pastor Randy on April 5th, 2009
Addiction
Addiction is an increasing problem in our society today. It leads to crimes, violence, broken homes, shattered lives, and the anxiety of living with secrets--even for Christians. Despite the task given to us by Jesus, addiction is also something churches are often ill-equipped to deal with. In this message, Pastor Randy looks at what we can learn from the life of Samson and shares how Hillside is planning on helping imperfect people with their addictions.
take-home l audio "No Perfect People Allowed: Addiction"
Pastor Randy on March 29th, 2009
Rethinking Scripture
Often times, it's difficult for us to see things any differently than we've been taught all our lives. It's true even with scripture. This two-part series takes a look at two passages of scripture from the perspective of the original hearers in Jesus' day. What we find is that what Jesus mean may have been a bit different than what we Evangelicals have been taught all our lives.
take-home l audio "Rethinking John 3:16"
Pastor Kory on March 15th, 2009
take-home l audio "Rethinking the Beatitudes"
Pastor Kory on March 22nd, 2009
Too often, we think we should just automatically grow spiritually. But experience and Scripture tells us we have to pursue such transformation. One way we do that is through spiritual disciplines. This four-part series is an introduction to these disciplines.
take-home l audio "Stuck"
Pastor Randy on February 1st, 2009
take-home l audio "Corporate Worship"
Pastor Randy on February 8th, 2009
take-home l audio "Reading the Bible for Transformation"
Pastor Randy on February 15th, 2009
take-home l audio "Hearing God's Voice"
Pastor Randy on February 22nd, 2009