Meals with Jesus

Luke 5:27-32

Teacher: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor at Oak Pointe Church

A young family invited their neighbors over for dinner one night. Their four-year-old daughter, curiously asked her mother, “Who are they? Why are they eating here?” Her mother replied, “Daddy and I want to get to know them because they’re our neighbors, so we invited them over for dinner. Eating together is one of the easiest ways to make friends!” Later that night at bedtime, the mother peeked into her daughter's room and saw a curious scene: all her daughter’s dolls were sitting on a blanket surrounding plastic food. “What are you doing, honey?” she asked. “They’re all neighbors and they want to get to know each other!” the daughter explained excitedly.

Jesus modeled to His disciples the kind of lives and ministries He wanted for them, and His practice of sharing a meal with others was intentionally laid out as an example. In this message, you'll learn how opening your home and dinner table can have lasting impacts on the kingdom of God.

Love My Enemies and Do Good to Them? Seriously?

Luke 6:27-36

Teacher: Blaine Dennison, Congregational Care Pastor at Oak Pointe Church

Statistics show that young people today are lonelier than ever before in human history, and social scientist Arthur Brooks surmises that society is experiencing a “loneliness epidemic.” He explains some of this by the idea that our culture has emphasized safety over risk and has therefore impeded our ability to love others who are different than us. Love, especially loving others who are difficult to love, requires risk.

Jesus knows how loving our enemies grates against our flesh and instigates fear. He knew what He was saying when He taught the principle of “turn the other cheek.” However, Jesus doesn’t deliver an impossible command and leave it up to us: He Himself supplies the very love He’s asking us to give. In this message, we will hear how Jesus wants us to treat our enemies, and how we can carry it out.

1 Corinthians 12:12-14

Teacher: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor at Oak Pointe Church

The Son

John 3:14-18

Teacher: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor at Oak Pointe Church

The Knowledge

Luke 1:76-79

Teacher: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor at Oak Pointe Church

Most of us have heard, or used, the phrase “Fake it ‘til you make it”, right? The implication is that if you are unfamiliar with something, you can just put on a façade that will convince others that you are actually very knowledgeable about the topic so you can stumble along until you either learn enough to get by or finish the task without being challenged on your knowledge. Sometimes it works, sometimes it doesn’t!

Truth is not a fake it ‘til you make it situation, however. A more apt phrase for truth would be “You either know it, or you don’t.” Scripture proclaims that Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life; so, to know truth, we must know Jesus! Tomorrow morning, we are continuing our advent series, and we will hear about truth, knowledge, and why they go hand-in-hand.

The Spirit

Mark 2:1-13

Teacher: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor at Oak Pointe Church

Have you ever been to a really good restaurant? You know the kind: you can smell its pleasing aroma as soon as you step out of the car into the parking lot. You walk in and every table has a tantalizing dish; you order an appetizer because you can’t wait any longer. What does an appetizer do? It increases anticipation of the meal. The appetizer isn’t the meal; it simply whets your appetite. It makes you wonder, “If the appetizer is this good, how much better is the entrée?”

John the Baptist paved the way for the long-awaited Messiah. He wasn’t the savior; he was simply the appetizer. When Jesus came and defeated sin and death, He fully satisfied our hunger for salvation. Tomorrow morning, we will continue to explore the depths of God’s generous heart and what He gave to us through His only Son Jesus.

The Star

Matthew 2:1-8

Teacher: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor at Oak Pointe Church

Throughout antiquity, creation has been held in high esteem by most cultures; its undeniable beauty and power lead many to believe some kind of deity was responsible for it. Notably, the heavens were of utmost importance in ancient religions and astronomy played a vital role in their belief systems. Some viewed the stars as lanterns for the angels, some thought they were the nail heads holding up the sky, still others believed stars to be the children of the sun and moon. Clearly, the skies have always drawn mankind’s gaze heavenward.

We know that a Deity is in fact responsible for this beautiful creation. And as the Almighty Creator, He can and does use His creation to accomplish His will. When we gather together tomorrow morning, we will hear about one of the mightiest acts in creation and its far-reaching impact.

Exiles, Keep Watch

1 Peter 5:8-14

Teacher: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor at Oak Pointe Church

Two friends were having dinner at a restaurant. A sign over the coat rack read, “Keep watch over your coat.” One gentleman was constantly craning his neck around to make sure his coat was still there, taking pains to see around other guests as they walked by. His friend, without regard for his own coat, said, “You can stop checking on our coats, they’re fine!” The first man replied, “I’m only watching mine; yours has been gone for half an hour.”

Keeping watch is certainly important for our physical safety and belongings, but it is even more important for our spiritual safety. Jesus charged His followers to keep watch many times, just as Peter does at the end of his letter. Join us tomorrow morning as we hear Peter’s final words of encouragement and admonition.

Favor to the Humble

1 Peter 5:1-7

Teacher: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor at Oak Pointe Church

There was a popular TV show on the CBS network called “Undercover Boss” that ran from 2010-2022. The premise of the show is for a company’s top executive to go undercover and work in various entry-level positions to gain a deeper understanding of the company and its employees. At the end of the week, the boss reveals their identity and surprises everyone. They often learn more about themselves than the company though when hearing amongst employees about the character traits that are respected and valued. Many times, the employees appreciated the bosses that showed empathy, humility, and servant-leadership above intellect and authority.

While our modern American culture prides itself on independence and personal freedoms, the Bible teaches that pride comes before a fall and that the meek will inherit the earth. On Sunday morning we will look further into biblical leadership in the church and the crucial role we all play.

Destined to Suffer & Overcome

1 Peter 4:12-19

Teacher: Caleb Middleton, High School Pastor / Student Director at Oak Pointe Church

There are some students bearing the name of Christ in public schools who receive ridicule and teasing for their faith. As parents, when we witness our children suffering for their convictions we are tempted to swoop in and carry out swift justice. Sometimes we ourselves are on the receiving end of persecution, in the workplace or just out running errands.

But, how many of us have celebrated this harsh treatment? Have we ever skipped away from a crowd of jeering and let out a “Woohoo!” Well of course the answer is no, but did you know that not only are we encouraged to rejoice, but we actually have the ability to do it in the face of suffering? Jesus has given us every reason to not fear suffering, and every reason to be encouraged by it! Tomorrow morning we’ll hear more about this incredible truth and how we can live it out.