BridgePointe Christian Church

<p>We are conditioned to be consumers, looking for the products and deals that most meet our needs. We know church isn't supposed to be viewed like that, but COVID-19 has made it so easy for us to approach church like a consumer. We need to Knock It Off in order to keep growing in Jesus.</p>

<p>Isolation isn't good for us: studies show it; prisons use it; people feel it. The isolation of COVID-19 has taken a toll on us and we need to find a way to knock it off in order to regain our spiritual health.</p>

<p>The book of Joshua ends with the land claimed and settled by Israel. Joshua speaks to Israel, charging them to choose whether or not they will be faithful to God. Their decision will determine whether they remain in the land or are exiled away from God. God intends for us to enjoy eternal life (now and forever) with Him, but our faithfulness determines whether or not that becomes our reality.</p>

<p>After the land had been allocated and settled, the eastern tribes (on the other side of the Jordan) were worried that the others would eventually forsake their unity. So they built an alter, a memorial reminder to the unity that all the tribes shared. Our unity can be easily forgotten or forsaken, too. And it's the alter of sacrifice, the cross of Jesus, that reminds us of our unity in Him.</p>

<p>The Gibeonites feared being destroyed by Israel, so they tried to deceive Israel into a treaty. Israel's error was that they did not consult God. They trusted what they saw and do not gain God's perspective on the situation. Like them, we are vulnerable to deception if we don't gain God's perspective.</p>

<p>Immediately after their first victory, the Israelites make two mistakes. Individually, a man named Achan keeps something that belongs to God. Collectively, they enter into their next battle confident in themselves. Not until they have repented to do they experience victory. Our sin, hidden or public, will keep us from all that God wants to give us. We must eradicate our sin so that we can experience His life.</p>

<p>Jericho was the first battle the Israelites faced in the new land. It was an imposing city. However, God's instructions to Israel demonstrate one very important thing -- their success will be entirely dependent not on their strength but on their surrender to Him. Likewise, in our lives, we experience life and victory not through our own strength but in surrendering to God so His power works in us.</p>

<p>God's path into the Promise Land begins with a remarkable step of faith--into the flooded waters of the Jordan River. God acts, but not until Israel steps. Our life with God is a series of steps that show our trust in God to do what He promises, including the first step of believing in Jesus and passing through the waters of baptism.</p>

<p>Through faith, all people have access to the life that God has promised.</p>

<p>On the edge of the Promise Land once again, Israel must have faith that God will keep His promises and give them this new land (and life). Just what is the life that God offers us? And how can we have faith in God to do what we cannot?</p>

<p>When life goes well for us, there is the temptation to believe that we have all that we need…that we can be self-reliant and independent. This mindset stands in direct opposition to the Gospel, which demands that we recognize our weakness and reliance on Jesus. Jesus calls for repentance in order to reestablish a relationship with Him.</p>

<p>In light of recent events and an outcry of injustice, brokenness, and pain in our nation, BridgePointe made space to cry out to God in prayer and worship. In his message, Jared looks to the Gospel to find unity and points to the source of our healing and change.</p>

<p>When life hurts, it's hard to hang on. Jesus Himself has suffered and overcome. For those who are hurting, weary, wondering if it's worth it, Jesus calls us to find strength, rest, and hope in Him. He is all we need and He promises that a better day is coming.</p>

<p>Sometimes, the most spiritually dangerous place a person can be is a comfortable one. It lulls us into thinking that life is "good enough," or that we can rest on what we've already done. But faith requires ongoing effort, continued momentum toward Jesus. For this, we must continue to remember who He is, what He's done, and what He has for us now and forever.</p>

<p>The influence of the world has a gradual effect on us. Drifting a little at a time can result in a significant deviation when the journey is long. The Christians in these churches, and so many of us, have tolerated sin in our lives which is compromising our faith and could lead to condemnation before Jesus. We must repent and be faithful.</p>

<p>There is something exciting and invigorating about love at first. We feel this in human relationships and we see it in our faith. Over time, love can flicker and expressions of devotion diminish. Jesus deserves and desires our best love, our first love. He calls us back to love Him with the kind of love He has shown us.</p>

<p>Suffering often has such a negative effect on us emotionally and spiritually because we perceive that it's the opposite of what we deserve. Job grapples with this in the beginning of the book, resolving to worship God because everything he had and lost was God's to begin with. In the middle of the book, Job becomes resentful because he believes he deserved better. And then, by the end, when Job makes peace with God and accepts whatever God gives, he receives more than He's ever had before (ch. 42). We need to have a right view of what has been give to us by God in this life... and we need to gaze ahead to the day, beyond this life, when God will give us so much more than we would ever deserve. Our hope in this life is the future inheritance the Lord has promised.</p>

<p>The book of Job is a trial… most think God is on the stand, needing to defend himself when life hurts. In the heavenly dialogue, we see that humanity is on trial--will people love God when they have no earthly reason? The question is needed today. The end of Job shows the reason for our love for God--he delights, irrationally, in His creation. His love for us is all the reason we need to love Him, whatever life brings.</p>

<p>Job was a really good man. So, when he suffered, Job concluded that God wasn't just. His friends argued that Job must not be good because God is surely just. How many still come to one of those conclusions in the midst of suffering– God isn't fair or this must be my punishment for sin. By the end of the book, God explains that suffering is more complicated than they think, and the right response for us is to trust Him, who is sovereign through it all.</p>

<p>Salvation is a sign of our victory. It's already been won by Jesus and when we fight on His side, we are already champions. This message needs to show how Jesus wins the victory, proven through the resurrection, and how we take our place on His side through faith in Him.</p>

<p>Up to this point, it feels like we are hunkered down and trying to endure the attacks of the enemy. With Scripture and prayer, we go on the offense. Both bring the power and presence of God, "his mighty power" into the battle. We desperately need a rhythm of Scripture and prayer in our lives.</p>

<p>Faith is believing in who Jesus is and trusting what he says. Every soldier had a custom shield, perfectly fit for them. Each of us has our own faith, not to be compared or confused by someone else's. This personal faith prevents the attacks of the enemy from doing damage to us.</p>

<p>The Good News of Jesus is a message of peace with God. When we consider the alternative, that God could see us as enemies, makes our peace with God even more amazing. In response, we should be ready at any moment to go and announce this message of Good News for all who will receive it.</p>

<p>The invisible battle around us is real. It feels like we are fighting ourselves, each other, or the world around. But really, there is an unseen enemy who opposes us. On our own, we're sure to struggle and eventually lose. This introductory message will equip us with the power of God and the armor we can put on for protection.</p>

<p>God has established us as His spiritual family--children who have received the unconditional and undeserved love of the Father. We live up to our place in God's family by honoring His commands and His children. Sin causes us to refuse love to others in God's family.</p>