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Highlands Church

Thomas Slager

Lead Pastor

Highlands Church, Scottsdale, AZ

11 sermons · 50 topics · Aug 2025 – Mar 2026

Thomas Slager is a pastor at Highlands Church who teaches expository sermons grounded in New Testament Scripture, particularly the books of James and 1 Corinthians. His preaching emphasizes the transformative power of genuine faith, the sufficiency of God's grace in weakness and suffering, and the practical outworking of Christian discipleship in individual lives and church community.

Expository preaching with pastoral warmth that connects biblical truth to everyday Christian living, using personal reflection and vivid illustrations to help believers align their hearts and minds with Scripture.

Top Quotes

“Now, the tongue may not always say truthful things, but the tongue always reveals truthful things.”

— Highlands Sunday Service (9:00am)

“We receive good gifts for the purpose of being reminded there's a good and perfect giver.”

— Deceived or Devoted?

“There's a tempter who's been studying humanity for thousands and thousands of years. He knows how people tick more than we know how people tick. He knows what you want more than you know what you want”

— Overcoming Temptation

“But it does mean you don't allow god's sovereignty to somehow get lost inside of our pain inside of our suffering inside of the trial”

— Joy in Trials

“Real belief is a deep trust in God that does something.”

— Faith Does

“I think it's pretty easy to take our eyes off of Christ and put them into our calendar in fear that we might miss something that we RSVP'd yes for.”

— The Birth of John the Baptist

“Apart from Jesus, you're not acceptable, but Christ died. So his righteousness would become our righteousness so that we would be accepted by God.”

— Boasting in Weakness

“Everyone goes somewhere forever, and that person you love deeply, Jesus wouldn't tell them, well done, good and faithful servant.”

— How to Live for Jesus

“If Christ is still dead, if Christ is still in a tomb somewhere, then you and I, there are so many better things we could be doing.”

— Resurrection Bodies

“When a good thing becomes the main thing, friends, that's a bad thing.”

— Pursue Love, Preach Jesus

“Christianity is a team sport, by the way. Each and every one of us have a position to play. Each and every one of us have a job to do.”

— Spiritually Gifted for the Good of Others

All Sermons

11 total
Mar 1, 2026 90 min

Highlands Sunday Service (9:00am)

James 1:26-27 reveals three marks of true religion: pure speech reflecting a transformed heart, practical compassion for the vulnerable, and personal purity in a polluted world—all flowing from genuine faith in Christ.

Humility Communion Repentance Self Righteousness
Feb 9, 2026 41 min

Deceived or Devoted?

Preaching through James 1:16-18, Thomas Slager urges believers not to be deceived by the world's lies about sin, God's character, or the source of good things, but instead to remember that every good and perfect gift comes from an unchanging God who calls us His first fruits.

Suffering Identity in Christ Goodness of God Deception
Feb 3, 2026 42 min

Overcoming Temptation

Pastor Thomas Slager walks through James 1:12-15, teaching that temptation is inevitable, originates from our own sinful desires rather than from God, and can lead to death when unchecked -- but believers can overcome it through the power of Christ and the Holy Spirit.

Temptation Repentance Trials Spiritual Warfare
Jan 12, 2026 37 min

Joy in Trials

Pastor Slager teaches from James 1:2-4 that trials are inevitable. Believers should acknowledge pain honestly, choose deep joy rooted in God's character, endure rather than seek distraction, and fix their eyes on Jesus who endured the cross for us.

Suffering Joy in Trials Endurance Sovereignty of God
Jan 5, 2026 41 min

Faith Does

Pastor Slager introduces the book of James by exploring James 1:1, tracing James from cynical brother of Jesus to devoted servant and church pillar, showing that genuine faith always produces action.

Faith Transformation Belief Servant Leadership
Dec 8, 2025 41 min

The Birth of John the Baptist

Pastor Thomas Slager traces the birth of John the Baptist from Malachi's prophecy through Luke 1, showing how God fulfilled his promise of a forerunner after 400 years of silence, and calls believers to faithfulness as they await Christ's return.

Hope Worship Advent Faithfulness
Nov 24, 2025 38 min

Boasting in Weakness

Pastor Slager teaches from 2 Corinthians 12:1-10 that Christians should boast in weakness rather than strength, because God's grace is sufficient and His power is made perfect through our limitations and thorns.

Suffering Grace Pride Weakness
Nov 10, 2025 43 min

How to Live for Jesus

Pastor Slager teaches five ways to live for Jesus from 2 Corinthians 5: anticipate eternity, aim to please Him, live from His love, embrace new-creation identity, and witness as ambassadors of reconciliation.

Eternity Evangelism Worship Reconciliation
Oct 6, 2025 40 min

Resurrection Bodies

Pastor Slager teaches from 1 Corinthians 15:35-49 that believers' perishable bodies will be raised imperishable and glorious, using illustrations from seeds, creation, and the stars to show that the best is yet to come for those in Christ.

Hope Gospel Identity in Christ Resurrection
Sep 8, 2025 42 min

Pursue Love, Preach Jesus

Pastor Thomas Slager walks through 1 Corinthians 14:1-25, presenting four reasons prophecy takes priority over tongues in the church gathering -- it builds up, benefits, instructs outsiders, and convicts unbelievers -- while urging believers to pursue love above all gifts and to be known as 'Jesus people' rather than being defined by any single good thing.

Spiritual Gifts Tongues and Prophecy Church Unity Pursuing Love
Aug 18, 2025 35 min

Spiritually Gifted for the Good of Others

Pastor Thomas Slager teaches from 1 Corinthians 12:1-11 that the Holy Spirit gives every believer a spiritual gift — not for personal benefit but for the common good of the church and the glory of God — and calls Highlands Church to pursue unity over uniformity as each member discovers and deploys their gift in the team sport of Christianity.

Spiritual Gifts Church Unity Holy Spirit Common Good

Topics Covered

Suffering 3 Identity in Christ 3 Worship 2 Transformation 2 Spiritual Gifts 2 Sovereignty of God 2 Repentance 2 Obedience vs Love 2 Hope 2 Grace 2 Deception 2 Communion 2 Church Unity 2 Weakness 1 Victory in Christ 1 Trials 1 Tongues and Prophecy 1 Temptation 1 Team Ministry 1 Spiritual Warfare 1 Spiritual Growth 1 Sovereignty 1 Servant Leadership 1 Self Righteousness 1 Resurrection 1 Reconciliation 1 Pursuing Love 1 Pride 1 Preaching Jesus 1 Practical Faith 1 New Creation 1 Joy in Trials 1 John the Baptist 1 Humility 1 Holy Spirit 1 Gospel 1 Goodness of God 1 God S Promises 1 Glorified Body 1 Faithfulness 1 Faith 1 Evangelism 1 Eternity 1 Endurance 1 Doubt 1 Compassion 1 Common Good 1 Boasting 1 Belief 1 Advent 1