Point of Grace Online Worship - December 17, 2023

Point of Grace Worship 12.17.23 – Sermon Notes – Advent 3 “The God Who Comes!”

Advent means “to come” – it is a season of anticipation, preparation and expectancy and … waiting!

The coming of Jesus the first Christmas has a deep back story about “The God Who Comes”! The back story reveals that before Jesus was Jesus - He was God at work doing Jesus-y things. In the earliest stories of the bible the “pre-incarnate Christ” (Jesus before Jesus) comes, He shows up sometimes in the form of a human… and sometimes as The Angel of the Lord.

When Jesus (before He was Jesus) comes, His Presence Brings Compassion and Rescue!

Exodus 3 Now Moses was tending the flock of Jethro his father-in-law, the priest of Midian, and he led the flock to the far side of the wilderness and came to Horeb, the mountain of God. 2 There the angel of the Lord appeared to him in flames of fire from within a bush. Moses saw that though the bush was on fire it did not burn up. 3 So Moses thought, “I will go over and see this strange sight—why the bush does not burn up.” 4 When the Lord saw that he had gone over to look, God called to him from within the bush, “Moses! Moses!” And Moses said, “Here I am.”

5 “Do not come any closer,” God said. “Take off your sandals, for the place where you are standing is holy ground.” 6 Then he said, “I am the God of your father,the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob.” At this, Moses hid his face, because he was afraid to look at God. 7 The Lord said, “I have indeed seen the misery of my people in Egypt. I have heard them crying out because of their slave drivers, and I am concerned about their suffering. 8 So I have come down to rescue them from the hand of the Egyptians and to bring them up out of that land into a good and spacious land, a land flowing with milk and honey—the home of the Canaanites, Hittites, Amorites, Perizzites, Hivites and Jebusites. 9 And now the cry of the Israelites has reached me, and I have seen the way the Egyptians are oppressing them. 10 So now, go. I am sending you to Pharaoh to bring my people the Israelites out of Egypt.”

Presence?... Compassion?... Rescue?

God sees, God hears and He comes to Rescue. Jesus not only rescues us “from” something but “for” something better. Jesus calls people to play a part in His Rescue plan.

11 But Moses said to God, “Who am I that I should go to Pharaoh and bring the Israelites out of Egypt?”

12 And God said, “I will be with you. And this will be the sign to you that it is I who have sent you: When you have brought the people out of Egypt, you[b] will worship God on this mountain.”

Presence?... Compassion?... Rescue?

Jesus gently reveals that the rescue plan is not dependent on Moses but on who is with Moses. The Presence of Jesus is everything.

13 Moses said to God, “Suppose I go to the Israelites and say to them, ‘The God of your fathers has sent me to you,’ and they ask me, ‘What is his name?’ Then what shall I tell them?” 14 God said to Moses, “I am who I am. This is what you are to say to the Israelites: ‘I am has sent me to you.’” 5 God also said to Moses, “Say to the Israelites, ‘The Lord, the God of your fathers—the God of Abraham, the God of Isaac and the God of Jacob—has sent me to you.’ “This is my name forever, the name you shall call me from generation to generation.

The name, “I AM who I AM” drips with presence. There are only two kinds of Gods … the ONE who “is”…. the many who “are not”.

When Jesus show up as “I AM” in the flesh … His Presence brought Compassion and Rescue!

Jesus is Present with compassion and rescue … will we notice Him?

Tell them, “Turn to me, I am right here!”

Perhaps, this Christmas season Jesus is at work closing the gap between you and Him?

Point of Grace Online Worship - December 10, 2023

Jacob Wrestles with God                    A God Who Comes                 12.10.23

 Christophany: An appearance of the pre-incarnate Christ

 Jesus is the God-Man, fully God and fully human. 

When God walks in flesh on the earth 

His name is Jesus.

John 1:1-5 & 14a

1 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

 14 The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. 

Genesis 25:23-24

[Isaac’s] wife Rebekah conceived. But the children struggled together within her; and she said, “If it is so, why am I in this condition?” So she went to inquire of the Lord. 

And the Lord said to her,

“Two nations are in your womb;
And two peoples will be separated from your body;
And one people will be stronger than the other;
And the older will serve the younger.” 

When her days leading to the delivery were at an end, behold, there were twins in her womb. Now the first came out red, all over like a hairy garment; and they named him Esau. Afterward his brother came out with his hand holding on to Esau’s heel, so he was named Jacob; and Isaac was sixty years old when she gave birth to them. 

Jacob: Trickster or Supplanter Literally to “grab the heel”  

Genesis 25:27-34

27 The boys grew up, and Esau became a skillful hunter, a man of the open country, while Jacob was content to stay at home among the tents. 28 Isaac, who had a taste for wild game, loved Esau, but Rebekah loved Jacob.

29 Once when Jacob was cooking some stew, Esau came in from the open country, famished. 30 He said to Jacob, “Quick, let me have some of that red stew! I’m famished!” (That is why he was also called Edom.)

31 Jacob replied, “First sell me your birthright.”

32 “Look, I am about to die,” Esau said. “What good is the birthright to me?”

33 But Jacob said, “Swear to me first.” So he swore an oath to him, selling his birthright to Jacob.

34 Then Jacob gave Esau some bread and some lentil stew. He ate and drank, and then got up and left.

So Esau despised his birthright.

Genesis 27:15-25

15 Then Rebekah took the best clothes of Esau her older son, which she had in the house, and put them on her younger son Jacob. 16 She also covered his hands and the smooth part of his neck with the goatskins. …

18 He went to his father and said, “My father.”

“Yes, my son,” he answered. “Who is it?”

19 Jacob said to his father, “I am Esau your firstborn. I have done as you told me. Please sit up and eat some of my game, so that you may give me your blessing.”

20 Isaac asked his son, “How did you find it so quickly, my son?”

“The Lord your God gave me success,” he replied. 

21 Then Isaac said to Jacob, “Come near so I can touch you, my son, to know whether you really are my son Esau or not.”

22 Jacob went close to his father Isaac, who touched him and said, “The voice is the voice of Jacob, but the hands are the hands of Esau.” 23 He did not recognize him, for his hands were hairy like those of his brother Esau; so he proceeded to bless him. 24 “Are you really my son Esau?” he asked.

“I am,” he replied.

25 Then he said, “My son, bring me some of your game to eat, so that I may give you my blessing.” 

Genesis 27:15-25

Then Jacob was left alone, and a man wrestled with him until daybreak. When the man saw that he had not prevailed against him, he touched the socket of Jacob’s hip; and the socket of Jacob’s hip was dislocated while he wrestled with him. Then he said, “Let me go, for the dawn is breaking.” But he said, “I will not let you go unless you bless me.” 

So he said to him, “What is your name?” And he said, “Jacob.” Then he said, “Your name shall no longer be Jacob, but Israel; for you have contended with God and with men, and have prevailed.” And Jacob asked him and said, “Please tell me your name.” But he said, “Why is it that you ask my name?” And he blessed him there. So Jacob named the place Peniel, for he said, “I have seen God face to face, yet my life has been spared.”  

Jacob went on ahead and bowed down to the ground seven times as he approached his brother.

But Esau ran to meet Jacob and embraced him; he threw his arms around his neck and kissed him. And they wept. Then Esau looked up and saw the women and children. “Who are these with you?” he asked.

Jacob answered, “They are the children God has graciously given your servant.”

Then the female servants and their children approached and bowed down. Next, Leah and her children came and bowed down. Last of all came Joseph and Rachel, and they too bowed down.

Esau asked, “What’s the meaning of all these flocks and herds I met?”

“To find favor in your eyes, my lord,” he said.

But Esau said, “I already have plenty, my brother. Keep what you have for yourself.”

Bible Project:

“The Jacob story is all about a guy who doesn’t believe he’s going to get God’s blessing, so he spends his life hurting everyone around him. 

He tries to scheme and steal the blessing and abundance for himself, instead of trusting that God is going to give it to him.” 

What is God going to do with the guy who won't believe that God wants him to receive? 

The Wrestling

The Wounding 

The Name 

Jacob spends his entire life wrestling people to seize blessing

Are we seizing or receiving blessing? 

The Wounding  

“Nobody ever learns who they really are by being told. They have to be shown. You have to wrestle. You have to experience weakness. And then finally you see where the blessing should really be coming from.” - Tim Keller 

Theology of the Cross 

2 Corinthians 12:7-12

I was given a thorn in my flesh, … 8 Three times I pleaded with the Lord to take it away from me. 9 But he said to me, “My grace is sufficient for you, for my power is made perfect in weakness.” Therefore I will boast all the more gladly about my weaknesses, so that Christ’s power may rest on me. 10 That is why, for Christ’s sake, I delight in weaknesses, in insults, in hardships, in persecutions, in difficulties. For when I am weak, then I am strong.

Nobody ever learns who they really are by being told. They have to be shown. You have to wrestle. You have to experience weakness. And then finally you see where the blessing should really be coming from.

“Nobody ever learns who they really are by being told. They have to be shown. You have to wrestle. You have to experience weakness. And then finally you see where the blessing should really be coming from.”

 The Name “Wrestles with God” is a Reminder & an Invitation

“I will not let you go until you bless me!”

Point of Grace Online Worship - December 3, 2023

Point of Grace Worship 12.3.23 – Sermon Notes – Advent 1 “The God Who Comes!”

Advent means “to come” – it is a season of anticipation, preparation and expectancy and … waiting!

The coming of Jesus the first Christmas has a deep back story about “The God Who Comes”! The back story reveals that before Jesus was Jesus - He was God at work doing Jesus-y things. In the earliest stories of the bible the “pre-incarnate Christ” (Jesus before Jesus) comes, He shows up sometimes in the form of a human… and sometimes as The Angel of the Lord.

Genesis 1-11 God creates and it is good! Humans rebel inviting evil to reign! God promises the through their human descendants a rescuer would come … as the pages unfold but it seems evil is what gets passed down.

Genesis 12 God “comes” to Abraham, renewing and focusing the promise, so that through his descendants (which God promised would become a nation) rescue and blessing would come to all humanity! God calls Abraham to trust Him! Abraham and his wife Sarah struggle!

Genesis 16 Now Sarai, Abram’s wife, had borne him no children. But she had an Egyptian slave named Hagar; 2 so she said to Abram, “The Lord has kept me from having children. Go, sleep with my slave; perhaps I can build a family through her.” Abram agreed to what Sarai said. 3 So after Abram had been living in Canaan ten years, Sarai his wife took her Egyptian slave Hagar and gave her to her husband to be his wife. 4 He slept with Hagar, and she conceived.

When she knew she was pregnant, she began to despise her mistress. 5 Then Sarai said to Abram, “You are responsible for the wrong I am suffering. I put my slave in your arms, and now that she knows she is pregnant, she despises me. May the Lord judge between you and me.” 6 “Your slave is in your hands,” Abram said. “Do with her whatever you think best.” Then Sarai mistreated Hagar; so she fled from her.

7 The Angel of the Lord found Hagar near a spring in the desert; it was the spring that is beside the road to Shur. 8 And he said, “Hagar, slave of Sarai, where have you come from, and where are you going?” “I’m running away from my mistress Sarai,” she answered. 9 Then the angel of the Lord told her, “Go back to your mistress and submit to her.” 10 The angel added, “I will increase your descendants so much that they will be too numerous to count.”

11 The angel of the Lord also said to her: “You are now pregnant and you will give birth to a son. You shall name him Ishmael, (God Hears) for the Lord has heard of your misery. 12 He will be a wild donkey of a man; his hand will be against everyone and everyone’s hand against him, and he will live in hostility toward all his brothers.”

13 She gave this name to the Lord who spoke to her: “You are the God who sees me,” for she said, “I have now seen the One who sees me.” 14 That is why the well was called Beer Lahai Roi; it is still there, between Kadesh and Bered. 15 So Hagar bore Abram a son, and Abram gave the name Ishmael to the son she had borne. 16 Abram was eighty-six years old when Hagar bore him Ishmael.

The Angel of the Lord comes … He sees … He hears !

He comes to the most unlikely … He sees her in all her reality … He hears from her misery.

This looks a lot like Jesus!

Luke 1310 On a Sabbath Jesus was teaching in one of the synagogues, 11 and a woman was there who had been crippled by a spirit for eighteen years. She was bent over and could not straighten up at all. 12 When Jesus saw her, he called her forward and said to her, “Woman, you are set free from your infirmity.” 13 Then he put his hands on her, and immediately she straightened up and praised God.

That’s not all… the Angel of the Lord keeps showing up!

Genesis 22:1-14 Sometime later God tested Abraham. He said to him, “Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied. 2 Then God said, “Take your son, your only son, whom you love—Isaac—and go to the region of Moriah. Sacrifice him there as a burnt offering on a mountain I will show you.” 3 Early the next morning Abraham got up and loaded his donkey. He took with him two of his servants and his son Isaac. When he had cut enough wood for the burnt offering, he set out for the place God had told him about. 4 On the third day Abraham looked up and saw the place in the distance. 5 He said to his servants, “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.” 6 Abraham took the wood for the burnt offering and placed it on his son Isaac, and he himself carried the fire and the knife. As the two of them went on together, 7 Isaac spoke up and said to his father Abraham, “Father?” “Yes, my son?” Abraham replied. “The fire and wood are here,” Isaac said, “but where is the lamb for the burnt offering?” 8 Abraham answered, “God himself will provide the lamb for the burnt offering, my son.” And the two of them went on together. 9 When they reached the place God had told him about, Abraham built an altar there and arranged the wood on it. He bound his son Isaac and laid him on the altar, on top of the wood. 10 Then he reached out his hand and took the knife to slay his son. 11 But the Angel of the Lord called out to him from heaven, “Abraham! Abraham!” “Here I am,” he replied.

12 “Do not lay a hand on the boy,” he said. “Do not do anything to him. Now I know that you fear God, because you have not withheld from me your son, your only son.” 13 Abraham looked up and there in a thicket he saw a ram caught by its horns. He went over and took the ram and sacrificed it as a burnt offering instead of his son. 14 So Abraham called that place The Lord Will Provide. And to this day it is said, “On the mountain of the Lord it will be provided.”

The Angel of the Lord comes…. The ONE who Sees, The ONE who Hears ….. is also The ONE who Provides.

Romans 8 32 He who did not spare his own Son, but gave him up for us all—how will he not also, along with him, graciously give us all things?

How do I respond to Jesus – the One who “sees” me, the One who “hears” me, the One who “provides”?

Hebrews 4 14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven,[f] Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Point of Grace Online Worship - December 18, 2022

Prologue:
1 Nevertheless, there will be no more gloom for those who were in distress. In the past he humbled the land of Zebulun and the land of Naphtali, but in the future he will honor Galilee of the nations, by the Way of the Sea, beyond the Jordan—

Thesis:
2 The people walking in darkness
have seen a great light;
on those living in the land of deep darkness
a light has dawned.

Exposition:
3 You have enlarged the nation
              And increased their joy;
They rejoice before you
              as people rejoice at the harvest,
as warriors rejoice
              when dividing plunder
4 For as in the day of Midian’s defeat,
you have shattered the yoke that burdens them,
              The bar across their shoulders,
The rod of their oppressor.
5 Every warrior’s boot used in battle
              and every garment rolled in blood
will be destined for burning,
              will be fuel for the fire.

Crescendo:
6 For to us a child is born,
              to us a son is given,
And the government will be on his shoulders.
And he will be called
              Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God,
              Everlasting Father, Prince of Peace.
7 Of the greatness of his government and peace
              there will be no end.
He will reign on David’s throne
              and over his kingdom,
establishing and upholding it
              with justice and righteousness
              from that time on and forever.

Conclusion:
The zeal of the Lord Almighty
              will accomplish this.

 Christmas and the Holiday Season is a time where we engage with wonder. Yet there is gloom.

How do we deal with all the gloom?

Jesus entered into our gloom,
He joined us under the death shadow.

John 1:1-13

 In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. 2 He was with God in the beginning. 3 Through him all things were made; without him nothing was made that has been made. 4 In him was life, and that life was the light of all mankind. 5 The light shines in the darkness, and the darkness has not overcome it.

6 There was a man sent from God whose name was John. 7 He came as a witness to testify concerning that light, so that through him all might believe. 8 He himself was not the light; he came only as a witness to the light.

9 The true light that gives light to everyone was coming into the world. 10 He was in the world, and though the world was made through him, the world did not recognize him. 11 He came to that which was his own, but his own did not receive him. 12 Yet to all who did receive him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God— 13 children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband’s will, but born of God.

Hebrews 4:14-16

14 Therefore, since we have a great high priest who has ascended into heaven, Jesus the Son of God, let us hold firmly to the faith we profess. 15 For we do not have a high priest who is unable to empathize with our weaknesses, but we have one who has been tempted in every way, just as we are—yet he did not sin. 16 Let us then approach God’s throne of grace with confidence, so that we may receive mercy and find grace to help us in our time of need.

Our salvation light is a person & Our salvation light is a gift

The purpose of our story is for relationship with that person.

Ephesians 2:8-9
8 For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God, 9 not a result of works, so that no one may boast.

"The key to graciously accepting a gift, is by admitting your need for the gift"

Point of Grace Online Worship - December 11, 2022

Point of Grace Worship        12.11.22     Sermon Notes – “Advent 3 – What’s the Story?”

What’s the Story?       What story is my story in?      How do I live like I am in the story I am in … His Story?

Where in your life do you need some Hope?      

Isaiah 40
Comfort, comfort my people, says your God.2 Speak tenderly to Jerusalem, and proclaim to her
that her hard service has been completed, that her sin has been paid for,
that she has received from the Lord’s hand double for all her sins.

3 A voice of one calling:
“In the wilderness prepare the way for the Lord; make straight in the desert a highway for our God.
4 Every valley shall be raised up, every mountain and hill made low; the rough ground shall become level,
    the rugged places a plain.
5 And the glory of the Lord will be revealed, and all people will see it together. For the mouth of the Lord has spoken.”

6 A voice says, “Cry out.” And I said, “What shall I cry?” “All people are like grass,
    and all their faithfulness is like the flowers of the field. 7 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
    because the breath of the Lord blows on them.  Surely the people are grass.8 The grass withers and the flowers fall,
    but the word of our God endures forever.”

9 You who bring good news to Zion, go up on a high mountain.
You who bring good news to Jerusalem, lift up your voice with a shout, lift it up, do not be afraid;
    say to the towns of Judah,    “Here is your God!”
10 See, the Sovereign Lord comes with power, and he rules with a mighty arm. See, his reward is with him,
    and his recompense accompanies him.11 He tends his flock like a shepherd:
    He gathers the lambs in his arms and carries them close to his heart; he gently leads those that have young.

His Story …
 … is a story of “rescue”

         … is a story of a rescuer that pays the price and “comes” …

         … He comes to save those who cannot save themselves!

Hopeless circumstances are fertile ground for poor decisions of the soul!  Our souls need truth!

Where do I place my hope?

Which god(s) will I go with?     Who/What are my Marduks? 

25 “To whom will you compare me?   Or who is my equal?” says the Holy One.
26 Lift up your eyes and look to the heavens:
    Who created all these? He who brings out the starry host one by one and calls forth each of them by name.
Because of his great power and mighty strength, not one of them is missing.

27 Why do you complain, Jacob?    Why do you say, Israel, “My way is hidden from the Lord;  
my cause is disregarded by my God”?  (the justice due me escapes the notice of my God”?)
28 Do you not know?    Have you not heard?
The Lord is the everlasting God, the Creator of the ends of the earth.
He will not grow tired or weary, and his understanding no one can fathom.
29 He gives strength to the weary and increases the power of the weak.
30 Even youths grow tired and weary, and young men stumble and fall;
31 but those who hope in (wait on) the Lord  will renew their strength.
They will soar on wings like eagles; they will run and not grow weary, they will walk and not be faint.

His Story …
       … will take us where no other story can because He comes,

         … sets us free …… and doesn’t enslave because He actually cares about us,

         … includes a HOPE which actually gives “strength” because we are actively “waiting” on Him.

Point of Grace Online Worship - December 4, 2022

Point of Grace Worship 12.4.22 Sermon Notes – “Advent 2 – What’s the Story?”

What’s the Story?  What story is my story in?  How do I live like I am in the story I am in … His Story?

Isaiah 35 The desert and the parched land will be glad; the wilderness will rejoice and blossom. Like the crocus, 2 it will burst into bloom; it will rejoice greatly and shout for joy. The glory of Lebanon will be given to it, the splendor of Carmel and Sharon; they will see the glory of the Lord, the splendor of our God.

3 Strengthen the feeble hands, steady the knees that give way; 4 say to those with fearful hearts, “Be strong, do not fear; your God will come, he will come with vengeance; with divine retribution he will come to save you.”

5 Then will the eyes of the blind be opened and the ears of the deaf unstopped. 6 Then will the lame leap like a deer, and the mute tongue shout for joy. Water will gush forth in the wilderness and streams in the desert. 7 The burning sand will become a pool, the thirsty ground bubbling springs. In the haunts where jackals once lay, grass and reeds and papyrus will grow.

His Story … … is actually going somewhere - a place of resurrection Joy! … provides strength and fearlessness for the journey! … reveals a relentless Rescuer coming to save ……… me!

8 And a highway will be there; it will be called the Way of Holiness; it will be for those who walk on that Way. The unclean will not journey on it; wicked fools will not go about on it. 9 No lion will be there, nor any ravenous beast; they will not be found there. But only the redeemed will walk there, and those the Lord has rescued will return. They will enter Zion with singing; everlasting joy will crown their heads. Gladness and joy will overtake them, and sorrow and sighing will flee away.

His Story …

... has a Way and a way to be on the Way!

… answers the question, “What’s the Way I should go?”

“Do not let your hearts be troubled. You believe in God; believe also in me. 2 My Father’s house has many rooms; if that were not so, would I have told you that I am going there to prepare a place for you? 3 And if I go and prepare a place for you, I will come back and take you to be with me that you also may be where I am. 4 You know the way to the place where I am going.” 5 Thomas said to him, “Lord, we don’t know where you are going, so how can we know the way?”

6 Jesus answered, “I am the way and the truth and the life. No one comes to the Father except through me. John 14:1-6

Point of Grace Online Worship - November 27, 2022

Point of Grace Worship        11.27.22     Sermon Notes – “Advent 1 – What’s the Story?” 

What’s the Story?  

What story is my story in?

Advent (means – “coming”)

Looks back…… Where have we come from?  ….  Identity

Looks around …… Where are we now?   ….   Belonging

Looks forward …… Where is my story going? ….  Purpose

Luke 4  14 Jesus returned to Galilee in the power of the Spirit, and news about him spread through the whole countryside. 15 He was teaching in their synagogues, and everyone praised him.
16 He went to Nazareth, where he had been brought up, and on the Sabbath day he went into the synagogue, as was his custom. He stood up to read, 17 and the scroll of the prophet Isaiah was handed to him. Unrolling it, he found the place where it is written:

18 “The Spirit of the Lord is on me, because he has anointed me to proclaim good news to the poor.
He has sent me to proclaim freedom for the prisoners and recovery of sight for the blind,
to set the oppressed free, to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor.”

20 Then he rolled up the scroll, gave it back to the attendant and sat down. The eyes of everyone in the synagogue were fastened on him. 21 He began by saying to them, “Today this scripture is fulfilled in your hearing.” 

Jesus invites the people of Nazareth to believe that they were a part of His Story!

Jesus was the “who” they needed to bring the “what’s” their story demanded! 

Isaiah 61:1-4
The Spirit of the Sovereign Lord is on me,  because the Lord has anointed me
to proclaim good news to the poor. He has sent me
to bind up the brokenhearted,
to proclaim freedom for the captives and
                      release from darkness for the prisoners,[a]
to proclaim the year of the Lord’s favor and the day of vengeance of our God,
to comfort all who mourn, and
    provide for those who grieve in Zion—
to bestow on them a crown of beauty instead of ashes, the oil of joy instead of mourning, and
                                    a garment of praise instead of a spirit of despair.
They will be called oaks of righteousness, a planting of the Lord for the display of his splendor.

They will rebuild the ancient ruins and restore the places long devastated;
they will renew the ruined cities that have been devastated for generations. 

Jesus invites us to believe that He is the “who” who brings the “what’s” our story needs?

Jesus invites us to live like He is the “who” who brings the “what’s” our story needs?

Point of Grace Online Worship - December 19, 2021

Point of Grace Worship 12.19.21 Sermon Notes – “Re:turn to Advent – ‘Anticipation”

Waiting with anticipation/expectancy fuels passion, joy, excitement being more fully alive.

Fear of the unknown and the possibility of disappointment tempt us to take control.

Life giving anticipation/expectancy gets replaced with controlling expectation or “give up” cynicism.

Luke 1 26 In the sixth month the angel Gabriel was sent from God to a city of Galilee named Nazareth, 27 to a virgin betrothed to a man whose name was Joseph, of the house of David. And the virgin's name was Mary. 28 And he came to her and said, “Greetings, O favored one, the Lord is with you!” 29 But she was greatly troubled at the saying, and tried to discern what sort of greeting this might be. 30 And the angel said to her, “Do not be afraid, Mary, for you have found favor with God. 31 And behold, you will conceive in your womb and bear a son, and you shall call his name Jesus. 32 He will be great and will be called the Son of the Most High. And the Lord God will give to him the throne of his father David, 33 and he will reign over the house of Jacob forever, and of his kingdom there will be no end.”

34 And Mary said to the angel, “How will this be, since I am a virgin?”

35 And the angel answered her, “The Holy Spirit will come upon you, and the power of the Most High will overshadow you; therefore, the child to be born will be called holy—the Son of God. 36 And behold, your relative Elizabeth in her old age has also conceived a son, and this is the sixth month with her who was called barren. 37 For nothing will be impossible with God.” 38 And Mary said, “Behold, I am the servant of the Lord; let it be to me according to your word.” And the angel departed from her.

“Live expectantly looking for the kindness of God!”

Living expectantly looking for the kindness of God:

• Trusts God is on the move … for all of us!

• Helps me deal with the consuming questions. How? God’s presence seems to always be the answer!

• Opens us up to see and seize God’s kind provision every day - releasing joy!

39 In those days Mary arose and went with haste into the hill country, to a town in Judah, 40 and she entered the house of Zechariah and greeted Elizabeth. 41 And when Elizabeth heard the greeting of Mary, the baby leaped in her womb. And Elizabeth was filled with the Holy Spirit, 42 and she exclaimed with a loud cry, “Blessed are you among women, and blessed is the fruit of your womb! 43 And why is this granted to me that the mother of my Lord should come to me? 44 For behold, when the sound of your greeting came to my ears, the baby in my womb leaped for joy. 45 And blessed is she who believed that there would be a fulfillment of what was spoken to her from the Lord.”

“My soul magnifies the Lord, 47 and my spirit rejoices in God my Savior, 48 for he has looked on the humble estate of his servant. For behold, from now on all generations will call me blessed; 49 for he who is mighty has done great things for me, and holy is his name.

Daily Opening Prayer Father, Son, Holy Spirit, I rejoice in the fact I get to spend these moments in Your presence. It is so good to be with you Jesus, so good. You are so very kind to me. Please, restore me in You and renew me in you that I might experience all of You that is possible. Fill me afresh Holy Spirit, saturate me in Your Love, saturate me in your Life and saturate me in Your JOY this day. Untangle me from my anxious thoughts, immerse me now in Your story – the story that includes me. I long to live expectantly this Christmas week. Help me see and seize your many kindnesses to me today especially your gracious kindness you will reveal in Your word to me today. (“You are welcome to take two minutes for reflective silence. You may do that by pausing this recording and hit play when you are ready to continue”.)

Daily Closing Prayer Jesus, help me live every moment of this week in open expectancy. I do want to see and seize all you have for me. You are so kind. Help me rest in Your promises in Your word today. You are a so good. There is a really good chance my controlling expectations of people and events will take over at times. Help me Jesus in those moments to see the slippery slope I am sliding down so I can immediately turn to You, Your word and Your kindness to me. Jesus, in moments of disappointment I might succumb to the temptation to “give up” on Joy. Guard my heart and help me return to a place of anticipation and expectancy that Your love and kindness to me is real … help me wait for You. Today I long for You and celebrate You and Your coming to be our Wonderful Counselor, Mighty God, Everlasting Father and Prince of Peace. You have shown me so much favor in your love for me in Jesus. Thank you Thank you Thank you.

I Rejoice in God My Savior! I Rejoice in You Father! I Rejoice in You Jesus! I Rejoice in You Holy Spirit! Amen

Resources for this Week

Here are some suggested readings for each day of this week. We encourage you to use the “I Belong” devotional resource to assist you every day. You can sign up for this daily resource by going to the “I Belong Challenge” button on the main menu at www.pog.church. The Meditation Hints below may help you listen and receive all God has for you.

Mon – Luke 1:26-38 Tue – Luke 1: 39-56 Wed – Matthew 1:18-25 Thu – Isaiah 9:6-7 Fri – Luke 2:1-12 Sat - Luke 2:13-20 Meditation Hints:

Solitude – Spend TWO minutes quietly alone. Take some deep breaths… Just be… “Holy Spirit, speak to me through Your Word! I rest in You!”

Scripture – Read the scripture slowly, out loud if possible, listen, reread, dwell, notice words & phrases you are drawn to & return there! Reflect on what you are noticing and where He is leading your thoughts.

Prayer – Have a conversation with God, “What are You saying to me, God?” Talk about what you notice is on your heart. Begin to own the “word of God” being revealed to you.

Finish - Spend TWO minutes again with God, resting and listening and being loved.