Point of Grace Online Worship - November 17, 2024

Point of Grace – 11.17.24 “You are a Givable Gift with Gifts to Give” Sermon Notes

Where does your heart and mind go when you think of yourself as a “gift”

to your family

to your friends

to your work

to your church….

How does seeing yourself as a “gift” affect the way you see yourself functioning in those arenas of life?

1 Corinthians 12:4-11 4 There are different kinds of gifts, but the same Spirit distributes them. 5 There are different kinds of service, but the same Lord. 6 There are different kinds of working, but in all of them and in everyone it is the same God at work. 7 Now to each one the manifestation of the Spirit is given for the common good. 8 To one there is given through the Spirit a message of wisdom, to another a message of knowledge by means of the same Spirit, 9 to another faith by the same Spirit, to another gifts of healing by that one Spirit, 10 to another miraculous powers, to another prophecy, to another distinguishing between spirits, to another speaking in different kinds of tongues,[a] and to still another the interpretation of tongues.[b] 11 All these are the work of one and the same Spirit, and he distributes them to each one, just as he determines.

Romans 12:3-8 3 For by the grace given me I say to every one of you: Do not think of yourself more highly than you ought, but rather think of yourself with sober judgment, in accordance with the faith God has distributed to each of you. 4 For just as each of us has one body with many members, and these members do not all have the same function, 5 so in Christ we, though many, form one body, and each member belongs to all the others. 6 We have different gifts, according to the grace given to each of us. If your gift is prophesying, then prophesy in accordance with your[a] faith; 7 if it is serving, then serve; if it is teaching, then teach; 8 if it is to encourage, then give encouragement; if it is giving, then give generously; if it is to lead, do it diligently; if it is to show mercy, do it cheerfully.

Ephesians 4:7-13 7 But to each one of us grace has been given as Christ apportioned it……..11 So Christ himself gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the pastors and teachers, 12 to equip his people for works of service, so that the body of Christ may be built up 13 until we all reach unity in the faith and in the knowledge of the Son of God and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

God gives

people as gifts

skills, aptitudes and abilities as gifts

manifestations of the Spirit as gifts.

You are a givable gift with gifts to give … so that the body of Christ may be built up …and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Is this what Jesus had in mind when He said, “You are the salt of the earth……14 “You are the light of the world. A town built on a hill cannot be hidden. 15 Neither do people light a lamp and put it under a bowl. Instead, they put it on its stand, and it gives light to everyone in the house. 16 In the same way, let your light shine before others, that they may see your good deeds and glorify your Father in heaven.” Matthew 5:13-16

Me? ….. Not me? ….. Am I a “givable” gift?

Isaiah 6:1-8 In the year that King Uzziah died, I saw the Lord, high and exalted, seated on a throne; and the train of his robe filled the temple. 2 Above him were seraphim, each with six wings: With two wings they covered their faces, with two they covered their feet, and with two they were flying. 3 And they were calling to one another: “Holy, holy, holy is the Lord Almighty; the whole earth is full of his glory.” 4 At the sound of their voices the doorposts and thresholds shook and the temple was filled with smoke. 5 “Woe to me!” I cried. “I am ruined! For I am a man of unclean lips, and I live among a people of unclean lips, and my eyes have seen the King, the Lord Almighty.” 6 Then one of the seraphim flew to me with a live coal in his hand, which he had taken with tongs from the altar. 7 With it he touched my mouth and said, “See, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away and your sin atoned for.” 8 Then I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send? And who will go for us?” And I said, “Here am I. Send me!”

Do not underestimate the power of Christ’s redemption in your life. His power at work in us makes us a “givable gift”!

You are a givable gift with gifts to give … so that the body of Christ may be built up …and become mature, attaining to the whole measure of the fullness of Christ.

Point of Grace Online Worship - November 10, 2024

Point of Grace – 11.10.24   Giving is the Gift - Part 4     Sermon Notes

Giving is the Gift!

Why and How?

An Offering Prayer of Consecration
Father, Son, Holy Spirit - gathering in Your presence in the first part of the first day of this week is a great joy.  Accept our “sacrifices of praise” as an offering …. You are worthy to receive our first and best for You gave first and You gave your best in the sacrifice of Yourself for us……
Thank you for your sacrificial generosity!

The “first and best” principle is so helpful when practicing financial giving.
We also bring our financial offerings before you this week. 
Thank you for calling us to regularly return to You a sacrificially generous portion of what you have already graciously given us through our income.

God is the abundant provider and never asks us to give anything He has not already abundantly given to us.
Increase our faith so that our offerings honor you, reveal relentless dependence on you, flow with joyful love and help advance Your Kingdom cause. 

Giving is an act of faith that focuses on God’s Promises, Presence and Provision.

Sacrificially Generous Giving has an unlikely partner ……… Joy!

 2 Corinthians 8-9
And now, brothers and sisters, we want you to know about the grace that God has given the Macedonian churches. 2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity. 3 For I testify that they gave as much as they were able, and even beyond their ability. Entirely on their own, 4 they urgently pleaded with us for the privilege of sharing in this service to the Lord’s people. 5 And they exceeded our expectations: They gave themselves first of all to the Lord, and then by the will of God also to us.  7 But since you excel in everything—in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you[a]—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.

6 Remember this: Whoever sows sparingly will also reap sparingly, and whoever sows generously will also reap generously. 7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 8 And God is able to bless you abundantly, so that in all things at all times, having all that you need, you will abound in every good work. 
11 You will be enriched in every way so that you can be generous on every occasion, and through us your generosity will result in thanksgiving to God.

We pray that our offerings “flow with joyful love and help advance God’s kingdom cause”?

2 In the midst of a very severe trial, their overflowing joy and their extreme poverty welled up in rich generosity.
7 But since you excel in everything—see that you also excel in this grace of giving.
7 Each of you should give what you have decided in your heart to give, not reluctantly or under compulsion, for God loves a cheerful giver. 

Cheerful Giving is

-        An intentional and regular act

-        Priority 1 in our budgeting

-        A percentage amount that is sacrificial and generous        (What about 10%?)

-        An act of “relentless dependence” and authentic worship

-        A participation in God’s life changing kingdom work

Jesus, Thank you for calling us to regularly return to You a sacrificially generous portion of what you have already graciously given us through our income. Increase our faith so that our offerings

·       honor and worship You for who you truly are,

·       reveal relentless dependence on You,

·       flow with joyful love for You and others

·       and help advance Your Kingdom cause. 

Thank you for your abundant provision.

Point of Grace Online Worship - November 3, 2024

Point of Grace – 11.3.24 Giving is the Gift - Part 3 Sermon Notes

Giving is the Gift!

Why and How?

Part 1 – Giving is a vital offering of ourselves in worship.

“present you bodies as a living sacrifice… this is your reasonable act of worship” Rom 12:1  

Part 2 – Giving helps renew our thinking with regards to money and possessions.

“… be transformed by the renewing of your mind so you might know the will of God for you” Rom12:2  

Financial giving as a regular rhythm of life is a powerful way to worship God with money, grow our relentless dependence on Him for daily living and keep in check money’s power in our life.

An Offering Prayer of Consecration Father, Son, Holy Spirit - gathering in Your presence in the first part of the first day of this week is a great joy. Accept our “sacrifices of praise” as an offering …. You are worthy to receive our first and best for You gave first and You gave your best in the sacrifice of Yourself for us…… Thank you for your sacrificial generosity!

The “first and best” principle is so helpful when practicing financial giving.

We also bring our financial offerings before you this week. Thank you for calling us to regularly return to You a sacrificially generous portion of what you have already graciously given us through our income.

God is the abundant provider and never asks us to give anything He has not already abundantly given to us. Increase our faith so that our offerings honor you, reveal relentless dependence on you, flow with joyful love and help advance Your Kingdom cause.

Giving is an act of faith that focuses on God’s Promises, Presence and Provision.

1Kings 17:8-16 8 Then the word of the Lord came to him, 9 “Arise, go to Zarephath, which belongs to Sidon, and dwell there. Behold, I have commanded a widow there to feed you.” 10 So he arose and went to Zarephath. And when he came to the gate of the city, behold, a widow was there gathering sticks. And he called to her and said, “Bring me a little water in a vessel, that I may drink.” 11 And as she was going to bring it, he called to her and said, “Bring me a morsel of bread in your hand.” 12 And she said, “As the Lord your God lives, I have nothing baked, only a handful of flour in a jar and a little oil in a jug. And now I am gathering a couple of sticks that I may go in and prepare it for myself and my son, that we may eat it and die.” 13 And Elijah said to her, “Do not fear; go and do as you have said. But first make me a little cake of it and bring it to me, and afterward make something for yourself and your son. 14 For thus says the Lord, the God of Israel, ‘The jar of flour shall not be spent, and the jug of oil shall not be empty, until the day that the Lord sends rain upon the earth.’” 15 And she went and did as Elijah said. And she and he and her household ate for many days. 16 The jar of flour was not spent, neither did the jug of oil become empty, according to the word of the Lord that he spoke by Elijah.

Faith is powered by what it is focused on.

It is natural to focus on our problems and the resources we bring to the situation.

Jesus directs us to focus our faith on His Promises, His Presence and His Provision for the power to take the step of faith He is calling us to.

What would it look like to take the step of faith and give a “sacrificially generous portion of what God has already given us through our income”? Where would my faith need to be focused?

What would it look like not to take the step of faith?

Malachi 3 :6-12 6 “I the Lord do not change. So you, the descendants of Jacob, are not destroyed. 7 Ever since the time of your ancestors you have turned away from my decrees and have not kept them. Return to me, and I will return to you,” says the Lord Almighty. “But you ask, ‘How are we to return?’ 8 “Will a mere mortal rob God? Yet you rob me. “But you ask, ‘How are we robbing you?’ “In tithes and offerings. 9 You are under a curse—your whole nation—because you are robbing me. 10 Bring the whole tithe into the storehouse, that there may be food in my house. Test me in this,” says the Lord Almighty, “and see if I will not throw open the floodgates of heaven and pour out so much blessing that there will not be room enough to store it. 11 I will prevent pests from devouring your crops, and the vines in your fields will not drop their fruit before it is ripe,” says the Lord Almighty. 12 “Then all the nations will call you blessed, for yours will be a delightful land,” says the Lord Almighty.

Focus on God’s Promises, Presence and Provision to have the power to take the steps of faith the Jesus following life requires.

“But since you excel in everything— in faith, in speech, in knowledge, in complete earnestness and in the love we have kindled in you— see that you also excel in this grace of giving. For you know the grace of our Lord Jesus Christ, that though he was rich, yet for your sake he became poor, so that you through his poverty might become rich.” 2 Corinthians 8

Jesus, Thank you for calling us to regularly return to You a sacrificially generous portion of what you have already graciously given us through our income. Increase our faith so that our offerings

•                     honor and worship You for who you truly are,

•                     reveal relentless dependence on You,

•                     flow with joyful love for you and others

•                     and help advance Your Kingdom cause.

 Thank you for your abundant provision.

Point of Grace Online Worship - October 27, 2024

Point of Grace – 10.27.24 Giving is the Gift - Part 2 Sermon Notes

Giving is the Gift!

Why and How?

Romans 12:1-2 Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. 2 Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Our thinking needs renewing to be able discern the will of God in every aspect of life.

October 31st – Reformation Day

“Jesus, renew our thinking when it comes to money, wealth and possessions.”

Luke 12 13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.” 14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.” 16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’ 18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’ 0 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’ 21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.”

Matthew 6 19 “Do not store up for yourselves treasures on earth, where moths and vermin destroy, and where thieves break in and steal. 20 But store up, for yourselves, treasures in heaven, where moths and vermin do not destroy, and where thieves do not break in and steal. 21 For where your treasure is, there your heart will be also. 22 “The eye is the lamp of the body. If your eyes are healthy, your whole body will be full of light. 23 But if your eyes are unhealthy,] your whole body will be full of darkness. If then the light within you is darkness, how great is that darkness! 24 “No one can serve two masters. Either you will hate the one and love the other, or you will be devoted to the one and despise the other. You cannot serve both God and money.

31 So do not worry, saying, ‘What shall we eat?’ or ‘What shall we drink?’ or ‘What shall we wear?’ 32 For the pagans run after all these things, and your heavenly Father knows that you need them. 33 But seek first his kingdom and his righteousness, and all these things will be given to you as well. 34 Therefore do not worry about tomorrow, for tomorrow will worry about itself. Each day has enough trouble of its own.

https://bibleproject.com/explore/video/wealth-and-worry/

How is Jesus renewing our thinking regarding Money, Wealth and Possessions?”

Several things are becoming clear…

•                     Jesus loves us too much to let us handle money on our own!

•                     It is natural and normal to see money and possessions as proof of success, sources of security and a ticket to happiness and a well lived life. Jesus never leads us in that direction when discussing the subject. Rather, Jesus actually warns that although using money is necessary it is by nature a stumbling block to faith and a seductive temptress to lure our hearts away from God.

•                     Money is a tool to honor/worship God and to love others.  

1 Timothy 6 6 But godliness with contentment is great gain. 7 For we brought nothing into the world, and we can take nothing out of it. 8 But if we have food and clothing, we will be content with that. 9 Those who want to get rich fall into temptation and a trap and into many foolish and harmful desires that plunge people into ruin and destruction. 10 For the love of money is a root of all kinds of evil. Some people, eager for money, have wandered from the faith and pierced themselves with many griefs. 17 Command those who are rich in this present world not to be arrogant nor to put their hope in wealth, which is so uncertain, but to put their hope in God, who richly provides us with everything for our enjoyment.18 Command them to do good, to be rich in good deeds, and to be generous and willing to share. 19 In this way they will lay up treasure for themselves as a firm foundation for the coming age, so that they may take hold of the life that is truly life.

Financial giving as a regular rhythm of life is a powerful way to worship God with money, grow our relentless dependence on Him for daily living and keep in check money’s power in our life.

Tale of Two Jesus Followers

John 12:1-8 Six days before the Passover, Jesus came to Bethany, where Lazarus lived, whom Jesus had raised from the dead. 2 Here a dinner was given in Jesus’ honor. Martha served, while Lazarus was among those reclining at the table with him. 3 Then Mary took about a pint[a] of pure nard, an expensive perfume; she poured it on Jesus’ feet and wiped his feet with her hair. And the house was filled with the fragrance of the perfume.

4 But one of his disciples, Judas Iscariot, who was later to betray him, objected, 5 “Why wasn’t this perfume sold and the money given to the poor? It was worth a year’s wages.[b]” 6 He did not say this because he cared about the poor but because he was a thief; as keeper of the money bag, he used to help himself to what was put into it.

7 “Leave her alone,” Jesus replied. “It was intended that she should save this perfume for the day of my burial. 8 You will always have the poor among you, but you will not always have me.”

Jesus, Thank you for calling us to regularly return to You a sacrificially generous portion of what you have already graciously given us through our income. Increase our faith so that our offerings

•                     honor and worship You for who you truly are,

•                     reveal relentless dependence on You,

•                     flow with joyful love for you and others

•                     and help advance Your Kingdom cause. Thank you for your abundant provision!

Point of Grace Online Worship - October 20, 2024

Point of Grace – 10.20.24    Sermon Notes

Giving is the Gift!

Why and How?

Romans 12:1
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”  NIV

“So here’s what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.” MSG 

Romans 12:1
Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters,
in view of God’s mercy, (our giving to God starts with His giving to us)
to offer (present) your bodies  (our whole beings)
as a sacrifice (a surrender), that is
                                        living,  
                                      holy, (set apart to God, consecrated to Jesus)
                                      pleasing to God—
this is your true and proper (spiritual/reasonable) worship.  

“… it is incorrect to presume that Christ ends all sacrifice.  Yes, His once-for-all bloody sacrifice accomplished the purpose anticipated by all the OT sacrifices as the all-availing sacrifice of atonement for sin.  He is the sin offering… At the same time, the NT repeatedly calls for believers
to sacrifice themselves to God and others in response to the Gospel.” 
(Michael Middendorf – Concordia Commentary – Romans 9-16)
 

God always calls His people to offer their whole selves as “living sacrifices” in worship of Him. This is a significant part of following Him of learning the life of trusting Him. 

Proverbs 3:5-12
Trust in the Lord with all your heart and lean not on your own understanding;
6 in all your ways submit to him, and he will make your paths straight.

7 Do not be wise in your own eyes; fear the Lord and shun evil.
9 Honor the Lord with your wealth, with the first fruits of all your crops;
10 then your barns will be filled to overflowing, and your vats will brim over with new wine. 

Luke 12 13 Someone in the crowd said to him, “Teacher, tell my brother to divide the inheritance with me.”
14 Jesus replied, “Man, who appointed me a judge or an arbiter between you?” 15 Then he said to them, “Watch out! Be on your guard against all kinds of greed; life does not consist in an abundance of possessions.”
16 And he told them this parable: “The ground of a certain rich man yielded an abundant harvest. 17 He thought to himself, ‘What shall I do? I have no place to store my crops.’
18 “Then he said, ‘This is what I’ll do. I will tear down my barns and build bigger ones, and there I will store my surplus grain. 19 And I’ll say to myself, “You have plenty of grain laid up for many years. Take life easy; eat, drink and be merry.”’
0 “But God said to him, ‘You fool! This very night your life will be demanded from you. Then who will get what you have prepared for yourself?’
21 “This is how it will be with whoever stores up things for themselves but is not rich toward God.” 

Why is this important for the giving of financial offerings?

Money is important and represents something significant about us which is why it must be part of what is offered to God as a “living sacrifice” which is true and proper worship.  If it is not sacrificially offered to God it will remain a powerful and cruel god in our lives as we look to it for security, significance, hope, and evidence of a well-lived life.  If we cannot “let go of” a sacrificially generous percentage of our income as an offering to God, money has become too important to us. 

Father, Son, Holy Spirit - gathering in Your presence in the first part of the first day of this week is a great joy.  Accept our “sacrifices of praise” as an offering …. You are worthy to receive our first and best for You gave first and You gave your best in the sacrifice of Yourself for us……
Thank you for your sacrificial generosity!

We also bring our financial offerings before you this week.  Thank you for calling us to regularly return to You a sacrificially generous portion of what you have already graciously given us through our income. Increase our faith so that our offerings honor you, reveal relentless dependence on you, flow with joyful love and help advance Your Kingdom cause. 
Thank you for your abundant provision!

We consecrate this coming week of life to You, our gracious Savior and Lord!

Amen

Point of Grace Online Worship - October 13, 2024

Point of Grace – 10.13.24 Sermon Notes

Jesus dreams His church to be

“A Safe Place to Belong”

and

“A Grace Place to Become”

Four Priorities for Being Such a Church

Colossians 3:15-17 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

The Peace of Christ….

The Message of Christ …

The Name of Christ …

… and be Thankful

Priority 1            The Peace of Christ

15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful.

Colossians 3:12-14 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity.

All true forgiveness is rooted in the sacrificial death of Jesus where the debt for all sin was paid for. God offers forgiveness to all because He paid the debt.

When I forgive, I relinquish the right to make you pay because Jesus already paid.

 “Being judge, jury and prosecuting attorney is too big a job for us – it will destroy us. Forgiveness trust’s God with that job. Forgiveness makes reconciliation possible. Forgiveness given sets us free … forgiveness received brings us together.”

If it’s worth an “I’m sorry” …… it’s worth an “I forgive you”

Let the PEACE of Christ RULE in your hearts …

Priority 2            The Message of Christ

16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts.

The Parable of the Offset Smoker

Priority 3            The Name of Christ

17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus “… in the name of the Lord Jesus” living is filled with His Presence and under His Authority

Priority 4            Thankfulness

… And be thankful. … with gratitude in your hearts. … giving thanks to God the Father through him.

Point of Grace Online Worship - October 6, 2024

Point of Grace – 10.6.24 Sermon Notes

Jesus dreams His church to be

“A Safe Place to Belong”

and

“A Grace Place to Become”

Jesus and Becoming

John 8:3-11 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

“God loves you too much to leave you the way you are!”

John 20 21 Again Jesus said, “Peace be with you! As the Father has sent me, I am sending you.” 22 And with that he breathed on them and said, “Receive the Holy Spirit.

Ephesians 4:15-16 As a prisoner for the Lord, then, I urge you to live a life worthy of the calling you have received. 2 Be completely humble and gentle; be patient, bearing with one another in love. 3 Make every effort to keep the unity of the Spirit through the bond of peace. 15 Instead, speaking the truth in love, we will grow to become in every respect the mature body of him who is the head, that is, Christ. 16 From him the whole body, joined and held together by every supporting ligament, grows and builds itself up in love, as each part does its work.

Grace + Truth x Time = Transformation

“We each need a “grace place” to become

And together we can be a “gracious place of becoming”

Colossians 3 12 Therefore, as God’s chosen people, holy and dearly loved, clothe yourselves with compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness and patience. 13 Bear with each other and forgive one another if any of you has a grievance against someone. Forgive as the Lord forgave you. 14 And over all these virtues put on love, which binds them all together in perfect unity. 15 Let the peace of Christ rule in your hearts, since as members of one body you were called to peace. And be thankful. 16 Let the message of Christ dwell among you richly as you teach and admonish one another with all wisdom through psalms, hymns, and songs from the Spirit, singing to God with gratitude in your hearts. 17 And whatever you do, whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus, giving thanks to God the Father through him.

We each need a safe place to belong and a grace place to become…

And together

We get to provide that safe place of belonging and grace place of becoming for someone else.

Point of Grace Online Worship

Point of Grace – 9.29.24 Sermon Notes

Jesus dreams His church to be

“A Safe Place to Belong”

Does humanity need this?

“Our sense of meaning comes from loving connections with God and others. We are born to connect, and we need to belong. We receive love that ultimately stems from the beautiful love among the Father, Son, and Holy Spirit, which has existed for all eternity. We then give that love out of gratitude for the love we have received, this becomes a virtuous circle. But sometimes we get stuck. There are forces at work in our culture and in our hearts and habits that disconnect us from ourselves and others….. But in our most honest moments we know this is what we need: to know and be known, to love and be loved.

“The Connected Life” by Todd W. Hall

Jesus and Belonging

John 8:3-11 3 The teachers of the law and the Pharisees brought in a woman caught in adultery. They made her stand before the group 4 and said to Jesus, “Teacher, this woman was caught in the act of adultery. 5 In the Law Moses commanded us to stone such women. Now what do you say?” 6 They were using this question as a trap, in order to have a basis for accusing him. But Jesus bent down and started to write on the ground with his finger. 7 When they kept on questioning him, he straightened up and said to them, “Let any one of you who is without sin be the first to throw a stone at her.” 8 Again he stooped down and wrote on the ground. 9 At this, those who heard began to go away one at a time, the older ones first, until only Jesus was left, with the woman still standing there. 10 Jesus straightened up and asked her, “Woman, where are they? Has no one condemned you?” 11 “No one, sir,” she said. “Then neither do I condemn you,” Jesus declared. “Go now and leave your life of sin.”

Matthew 9:9-13 9 As Jesus went on from there, he saw a man named Matthew sitting at the tax collector’s booth. “Follow me,” he told him, and Matthew got up and followed him. 10 While Jesus was having dinner at Matthew’s house, many tax collectors and sinners came and ate with him and his disciples. 11 When the Pharisees saw this, they asked his disciples, “Why does your teacher eat with tax collectors and sinners?” 12 On hearing this, Jesus said, “It is not the healthy who need a doctor, but the sick. 13 But go and learn what this means: ‘I desire mercy, not sacrifice.’ For I have not come to call the righteous, but sinners.”

Jesus’ revolutionary message was that all people “Belonged” to Him …. He paid for us to be with Him even with all our baggage … guilts, gunk and grief … which so often isolate us. The community He inspired (the church) has the same message “belonging is possible in the Body of Christ”.

The Jesus Community – A Safe Place to Belong

Ephesians 2 13 But now in Christ Jesus you who once were far away have been brought near by the blood of Christ…… 17 He came and preached peace to you who were far away and peace to those who were near. 18 For through him we both have access to the Father by one Spirit. 19 Consequently, you are no longer foreigners and strangers, but fellow citizens with God’s people and also members of his household, 20 built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the chief cornerstone. 21 In him the whole building is joined together and rises to become a holy temple in the Lord. 22 And in him you too are being built together to become a dwelling in which God lives by his Spirit.

The presence and love of Christ released in His church gathered in His name under His reign makes “a safe place of belonging” possible.

1 John 4 9 This is how God showed his love among us: He sent his one and only Son into the world that we might live through him. 10 This is love: not that we loved God, but that he loved us and sent his Son as an atoning sacrifice for our sins. 11 Dear friends, since God so loved us, we also ought to love one another. 12 No one has ever seen God; but if we love one another, God lives in us and his love is made complete in us.

We each need a safe place to belong and together we get to be that place of belonging for others.