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.

Point of Grace Online Worship - September 22, 2024

Point of Grace – 9.22.24 Sermon Notes

“Always Pray and Don’t Give Up”

Luke 18:1-8 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not become discouraged, 2 saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect any person. 3 Now there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my opponent.’ 4 For a while he was unwilling; but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God respect any person, 5 yet because this widow is bothering me, I will give her justice; otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’” 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge said; 7 now, will God not bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night, and will He delay long for them? 8 I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly. However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find faith on the earth?”

This parable has some layers of meaning and helps us with two questions:

Why should we persist in “prayer and not become discouraged”?

How should we persist in “prayer and not become discouraged”?

Luke 18 Now He was telling them a parable to show that at all times they ought to pray and not become discouraged, (not give up) 2 saying, “In a certain city there was a judge who did not fear God and did not respect any person.

3 Now there was a widow in that city, and she kept coming to him, saying, ‘Give me justice against my opponent.’ (vindicate me… make things right … make sure truth prevails) 4 For a while he was unwilling; but later he said to himself, ‘Even though I do not fear God or respect any person, 5 yet because this widow is bothering me, I will give her justice; otherwise by continually coming she will wear me out.’” (Literally ‘give me a black eye’) 6 And the Lord said, “Listen to what the unrighteous judge said; 7 now, will God not bring about justice for His elect who cry out to Him day and night, and will He delay long for them? (or be longsuffering to them) 8 I tell you that He will bring about justice for them quickly.

Why Pray?

Jesus paints a picture of the persistent woman who was utterly powerless against the unjust forces of culture and indifference of people. She had “one” thing available to her that is her “persistent coming to the one who could ‘make things right’”. Jesus accentuates the importance of this “persistent coming” by describing the judge as indifferent to the woman’s needs except ….. he didn’t want her to “give him a black eye”.???? It turns out the judge did care about himself and his reputation when it was on the line. This is what her persistence tapped into and she (the powerless one) got justice in the end.

Jesus contrasts our heavenly Father with the judge by saying our Father in not indifferent.

He does hear our prayers.

He is at work answering our prayers.

He does value our tears shed under the weight of things “not being right” as we cry out to Him to “make things right” in a world gone wrong.

He wants us to cry out to Him.

He wants us to “hold Him to His promises – He cares about His reputation.”

He wants His children to bring all the angst messiness of being broken people in a broken unjust world to the prayer room.

Because He does care.

He is compassionate.

He is merciful and He does answer often “unexpectedly” … “surprisingly” now and will “make all things right” when He returns……. Come Lord Jesus … Come quickly.

How do we pray and not give up?

Jesus leads us to pray “all in”….. bring our whole selves…. wholehearted.

Come fully, passionately “all in” to Him in prayer.

Rehearse His promises back to Him. Ask Him to fulfill them in our day… in our lives …. Now!

He comes “quickly” as we pray…. unexpectedly “making things right”

as we pray in this “already now but not yet” chapter of the story we are in.

In the last line Jesus paints us who live 2000 years later into the picture,

“However, when the Son of Man comes, will He find (the) faith on the earth?”

Point of Grace Online Worship - September 15, 2024

Point of Grace – 9.15.24 Sermon Notes

“STOP and PRAY”

“If we truly love people, we will desire for them far more than it is within our power to give them, and this will lead us to pray. Intercessory prayer is a way of loving others… Intercessory prayer is selfless prayer, even self-giving prayer. In the ongoing work of the Kingdom of God nothing is more important than Intercessory Prayer.” Richard Foster

STOP and PRAY

STOP – “to be interrupted and interruptible to ‘notice’ beyond ourselves”

PRAY – “to invoke the resources of heaven upon the needs on earth”

Pray First, Pray Now, Pray Bold, Pray Through

Luke 19:1-10 Jesus entered Jericho and was passing through. 2 A man was there by the name of Zacchaeus; he was a chief tax collector and was wealthy. 3 He wanted to see who Jesus was, but because he was short he could not see over the crowd. 4 So he ran ahead and climbed a sycamore-fig tree to see him, since Jesus was coming that way. 5 When Jesus reached the spot, he looked up and said to him, “Zacchaeus, come down immediately. I must stay at your house today.” 6 So he came down at once and welcomed him gladly. 7 All the people saw this and began to mutter, “He has gone to be the guest of a sinner.” 8 But Zacchaeus stood up and said to the Lord, “Look, Lord! Here and now I give half of my possessions to the poor, and if I have cheated anybody out of anything, I will pay back four times the amount.” 9 Jesus said to him, “Today salvation has come to this house, because this man, too, is a son of Abraham. 10 For the Son of Man came to seek and to save the lost.”

Acts 3:1-8 C3 One day Peter and John were going up to the temple at the time of prayer—at three in the afternoon. 2 Now a man who was lame from birth was being carried to the temple gate called Beautiful, where he was put every day to beg from those going into the temple courts. 3 When he saw Peter and John about to enter, he asked them for money. 4 Peter looked straight at him, as did John. Then Peter said, “Look at us!” 5 So the man gave them his attention, expecting to get something from them. 6 Then Peter said, “Silver or gold I do not have, but what I do have I give you. In the name of Jesus Christ of Nazareth, walk.” 7 Taking him by the right hand, he helped him up, and instantly the man’s feet and ankles became strong. 8 He jumped to his feet and began to walk. Then he went with them into the temple courts, walking and jumping, and praising God.

Matthew 6:9-13 C4

9 Jesus said, “This, then, is how you should pray: “

‘Our Father in heaven,

hallowed be Your name …

Your kingdom come…

Your will be done … … on earth as it is in heaven.

Give us today our daily bread.

Forgive us our sins, as we also have forgiven those who sin against us.

Lead us not into temptation, but Deliver us from the evil one.  

STOP and PRAY

“To pray the Lord’s prayer, especially the first three petitions, is like being Special Forces embedded deep in enemy territory calling in the coordinates for a cruise missile of the wholeness of Heaven to strategically strike a certain brokenness on earth, for the ‘rightness’ of heaven to overwhelm a particular ‘wrongness’ on earth, that the victory already secured by heaven would breakthrough and manifest itself now on earth.”

Can you imagine if the church of Jesus caught the vision of Jesus and exercised the authority of Jesus invoking the resources of Jesus into the realities of earth.

What if God could trust us to “STOP and PRAY” at a moment’s notice and for the long haul, joining Him in bringing about the redemption of the world, our families, ourselves?

Point of Grace Online Worship - September 8, 2024

Point of Grace – 9.8.24 Sermon Notes – “A Remarkable Passion for Mission”

A Remarkable Passion for a Remarkable Mission

“Jesus exudes a remarkable, enduring, motivating, contagious Passion for His Mission”

“What’s His fuel?”

Matthew 9:35-38 35 Jesus went through all the towns and villages, teaching in their synagogues, proclaiming the good news of the kingdom and healing every disease and sickness. 36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

“compassion” “σπλαγχνίζομαι – (splanchnízomai) – “to be moved from the bowels, to have deep compassion”

“because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd”

Matthew 14 “13 When Jesus heard what had happened, he withdrew by boat privately to a solitary place. Hearing of this, the crowds followed him on foot from the towns. 14 When Jesus landed and saw a large crowd, he had compassion on them and healed their sick.

Mark 1 40 A man with leprosy came to him and begged him on his knees, “If you are willing, you can make me clean.” 41 Jesus was moved with compassion. He reached out his hand and touched the man. “I am willing,” he said. “Be clean!” 42 Immediately the leprosy left him and he was cleansed.

Mark 8 2 “I have compassion for these people; they have already been with me three days and have nothing to eat.

Luke 15 20 So he got up and went to his father. But while he was still a long way off, his father saw him and was filled with compassion for him; he ran to his son, threw his arms around him and kissed him

Jesus has and gives us His heart of

compassion-filled-passion for unconnected people

that fuels prayer and

risks participation in the Jesus mission.

36 When he saw the crowds, he had compassion on them, because they were harassed and helpless, like sheep without a shepherd. 37 Then he said to his disciples, “The harvest is plentiful but the workers are few. 38 Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.”

Romans 10:1-4 Dear brothers and sisters, the longing of my heart and my prayer to God is for the people of Israel to be saved. 2 I know what enthusiasm they have for God, but it is misdirected zeal. 3 For they don’t understand God’s way of making people right with himself. Refusing to accept God’s way, they cling to their own way of getting right with God by trying to keep the law. 4 For Christ has already accomplished the purpose for which the law was given.[b] As a result, all who believe in him are made right with God.

“Passion needs exercise or it withers away!” - A Really Smart Person-

Point of Grace’s A-B Toolbox for participation in the Jesus mission.

A – Alpha

B – B.L.E.S.S.

B egin with Prayer

L isten

E at

S erve

S hare your Story with Him

Alpha is an experience of the Good News of Jesus which, as a church, we commit to regularly having so we each have a space to invite people we know who need to know Jesus better.

Jesus gives us His heart of

compassion-filled-passion for unconnected people

that fuels prayer and

risks participation in the Jesus mission.

“I think you have the heart …. It’s just been covered up a while!” -Eugene Bunkowske-

Point of Grace Online Worship - September 1, 2024

Luke 10:1-12                    Being Sent                     September 1, 2024

Current reality today: Who are you going on mission together with? 

Prayerful question to ponder:

Who might God be inviting you to go on mission together with? 

After this the Lord appointed seventy-two others and sent them two by two ahead of him to every town and place where he was about to go. 

Jesus' strategy: Go together. 

2 He told them, “The harvest is plentiful, but the workers are few. Ask the Lord of the harvest, therefore, to send out workers into his harvest field.

Jesus' strategy: Pray. 

3 Go! I am sending you out like lambs among wolves. 

4 Do not take a purse or bag or sandals; and do not greet anyone on the road. 

Jesus' strategy: Take nothing along. 

5 “When you enter a house, first say, ‘Peace to this house.’ 6 If someone who promotes peace is there, your peace will rest on them; if not, it will return to you. 

Jesus' strategy:

Be on the lookout for a person of peace. 

7 Stay there, eating and drinking whatever they give you, for the worker deserves his wages. Do not move around from house to house.

Jesus' strategy: Eat with people. 

8 “When you enter a town and are welcomed, eat what is offered to you. 9 Heal the sick who are there and tell them, ‘The kingdom of God has come near to you.’ 

Sending ordinary everyday followers of Jesus from the sidelines to the streets

to start new to reach new. 

Who might God be inviting you to go on mission together with?  Where will you go? What will you do?