LifePoint Church

As Jesus-followers, our mission centers around introducing people to Jesus. Unfortunately, one of the big barriers preventing people from believing in Jesus is often Christians. Jesus developed and emphasized in his first followers, characteristics to prevent them blocking people from reaching him. As we join Jesus and his disciples on their walk home, we can also develop these vital qualities.Support the show

When Jesus calls us to follow him, he is clear about what he demands of us and what our path will include. However, it's just as hard for us to hear and receive as it was for the first group of Jesus-followers. Jesus calls us to a truly significant life, but that path leads through pain and self-denial. Although contrary to what we might expect, Jesus calls us to a life that is truly significant through following him.Support the show

Even people who are committed to Jesus can become unresponsive to him. The disciples who left everything to follow Jesus—jobs, family and friends, and familiar routines—drifted away in their hearts until they were unable to hear and see Jesus accurately. Jesus persistently and patiently pursued their hearts—just as he desires to draw you back to himself.Support the show

Our heart represents the essence of who we are and the core of our character. Other people only see the parts of our heart that we reveal, but God sees our heart in its entirety. Jesus worked to change the hearts of his first followers and calls us into the same transformative process. He skips over the external parts of our lives and focuses directly on what is most important—our heart. Together, let's align our hearts to follow Jesus.Support the show

Jesus intentionally prepared his disciples to lead as he anticipated his death, resurrection, and ascension. He began this training process with two miracles designed to teach vital truths about expanding influence. Through Jesus' actions and teaching, we can discover key principles to play our part in Jesus' mission and give him freedom to work in our hearts.Support the show

The Resurrection caught everyone by surprise—even Jesus' closest followers. Throughout John chapter 20, Jesus gave each person exactly what they needed to believe in him. His tender interaction with Mary Magdalene at his tomb reveals Mary's broken heart as well as her faith and Jesus' compassion. Today, Jesus still gives us what we need to believe him. Each Easter provided a new opportunity for us to be surprised by Jesus' resurrection life!Support the show

With simple words and a painfully straightforward description, John delivered his first-hand account of the crucifixion of the friend he loved and the King he served. Jesus' sacrifice of himself by being crucified demonstrates the fullest expression of God's love for us and the most complete demonstration of God's character. Together, we pause to consider the reality and the implications of Jesus's death.Support the show

Friedrich Nietzsche claimed, “There are more idols in the world than there are realities.” As we conclude Jacob's story, we find God claiming the central place in his life after a lifetime of Jacob's struggle to trust God more than he trusted himself. Following a tragic series of events, Jacob finally leads himself and his family to replace their idols with the one true God-Almighty and worship him. Let's follow Jacob through the mess and mystery of life to recognize Jesus' authority and worship him.Support the show

We all try to forge our own path from time to time. We look to things that we can do and things that the world can give us instead of looking to the real answer to our struggles, God. Jacob had an incredible encounter with Gods that knocked him to his knees and reminding him of his reliance on God. Instead of relying on our own power and self-will, let's look to the power and will of God.Support the show

Have you ever struggled with the feeling that your life is driven by people and forces beyond your control? When I read the stories of Jacob, Leah, and Rachel—I imagine they must have felt that same way. This weekend we want to remember significant truths to help us remain centered even when we feel life spinning beyond our control.Support the show

In this sermon on Genesis 29:1-30, we explore the themes of love, deception, irony, and God's grace through the story of Jacob's encounter with Laban. Despite his encounter with God at Bethel, Jacob remains self-centered, viewing God more as a means to an end than as a personal relationship. The irony of the story unfolds as Jacob, the deceiver, is himself deceived by Laban, showing how God's justice often works in unexpected ways. Through this, we are reminded of the importance of being aware of the injustice we enact on others and how God's grace can guide us through our own mistakes and relational chaos.Support the show

In this series, we are following the life of Jacob, as he seeks to make a life for himself. Most notable of Jacob is how much faith he places in his own self-reliance. Jacob is beyond willing to employ deception and fraud in an attempt to build his life and thwart his fears.  Consequently, Jacob is heir to the blessing God bestowed upon Abraham and Isaac. When Jacob encounters God, he finds his old tricks and cunning ways are useless.  Today, we take a close look at the encounter between a man desperate to secure his future and the only One who actually can.Support the show

Unhealthy characteristics and dysfunctional relationships tend to be part of every life and every story. The family God chose to become ancestors for Jesus was far less than perfect—full of suspicion, deceit, poor communication, manipulation—it was a mess. Yet God worked through those imperfect people to accomplish his perfect plan. We want to discover how to trust God in our own imperfect realities while taking steps toward health and wholeness.Support the show

Isaac moves from fear to faith. He repeats the failure of his father, Abraham, by deceiving the Philistine king, when he was afraid. However, he experienced God's tremendous and undeserved blessings by becoming wealthy, putting his confidence in God, and finding peace and safety. Abraham was told to go. Isaac was told to stay, and dwell precisely where God wanted him to be. God doesn't need my retaliation to bring justice, or help His promise along. Isaac's story presents an example for Jacob that Jacob seems to have missed or ignored. This could be an opportunity to emphasize God's promises to us.Support the show

God determined a path and purpose for both Jacob and Esau before they were born, yet they still were responsible for their choices. Because they occupied (literally) the same space and competed for prominence, Jacob and Esau struggled with each other—just as they struggled with God's decisions. This complicated story and family remind us how God calls us to simply trust him.Support the show

Marriage combines two different people, and the results can be a forceful collision or a powerful blending of two into one over time. Grace is the ingredient that changes and improves our ability to create a healthy marriage. When we learn to receive and give grace to each other, we find an opportunity to express God's love—whether we are married or unmarried. This weekend, we can explore the difference grace makes in our most significant relationships.Support the show

When you think about wealth, money, and possessions what images or representations come to your mind? When the Apostle Paul asked for the Corinthian church to help struggling believers in Jerusalem, he reminded them of reasons to be generous and provided guidance for their giving. Realizing how God has freely given us good gifts can dramatically change our attitudes toward money and giving.Support the show

Grace and freedom fit together hand-in-glove. When we find our identity in God's grace, we experience the freedom to be precisely who God made us to be. When we learn to live and give grace to each other, we are able set others free too. This freedom in grace never comes easy. We can learn from the experience of early Roman believers how grace inspires unity out of diversitySupport the show

Do our actions really matter if nothing we do can cause God to love us any more or less? Living under the rule of God's grace is a call to living each day in victory over the power of sin. Romans 6 provides instructions for receiving grace to follow Jesus faithfully in every aspect of life.Support the show

When you read or hear the words, “undeserved privilege,” what do you reflexively think or feel? We've been trained to not only earn our own way through life but to resent those who have some type of standing or gift that we don't have. However, anything that I've earned or deserve, I am always in danger of losing if I become undeserving, make terrible choices, or even become victimized. This weekend, we consider the undeserved privilege that Jesus makes possible, and we celebrate the new life Jesus is creating at LifePoint through baptisms.Support the show

The one quality we most need in life is the one reality we most resist. When Jesus wanted people to understand God and receive this principle into their lives, he told a story. Really, he told a series of stories that climaxed in one epic about a father with two sons. You and I and all people can find ourselves in the position of those children. We can also listen to Jesus' story and discover how that one essential quality—God's grace—can touch and transform every part of life.Support the show

The Scriptures remind us that God is faithful across all generations, yet we are entrusted with the responsibility of passing on the faith to the next. This task, while vital, can be challenging—especially when we confront the realities of generational differences. How do we faithfully share the timeless truth of the gospel in a world that is constantly changing and often moving at a pace that feels difficult to keep up with?Support the show

Every individual has ancestors, and every family has a story—even if that story is obscure or largely unknown. Matthew created a careful record of Jesus' family to help us understand the significance of Jesus, and Jesus' list of ancestors contains insights and surprises. We can prepare our hearts to celebrate Jesus' birth by remembering the family that helped bring him into this world, and we may even understand our own story a little bit better.Support the show

As you try to follow Jesus, when have you hit a speed bump of confusion and struggled to move forward? Abraham and Sarah's stories speed along to conclusion, while creating some confusing obstacles—death, a search for a bride, and an unfulfilled promise. By examining Abraham's example of faith, we can learn to live faithfully even when feeling confused.Support the show

Turn on the news. Pick up your phone. Think about your past experiences. Look at your family's current situation. We often find ourselves feeling out of control. As humans, we desire control in our life and the world around us. As we continue to look at the journey of faith that Abraham and Sarah found themselves on, we will see a kind of faith that rests in God even when things feel out of our control. We find God calling us to prepare, trust, and worship no matter what is going on around us.Support the show

Abraham's failure to trust in God leads to deception with Abimelech. Twenty-five years later, Abraham repeats the same mistake he made in chapter 12. He falls again into deception and failure, which shows believers how easily it is to slip back into sinful habits. However, God is faithful even when we are not. God's faithfulness rescues them from Abimelech and fulfills His promise by giving Abraham and Sarah a son, Isaac. God demonstrates His grace and faithfulness to Hagar and Ishmael because of His love toward Abraham.Support the show

What's wrong with this world and how does God call us to interact with a culture in rebellion against him? After Abraham served God himself and two angels a meal, he asked God to extend mercy on flagrantly wicked people. Although God rescued Abraham's family members, Abraham watched cities burn in terrible judgment, within twenty-four hours. Discerning how to be engaged with a culture that is against God has always been challenging for God's people. Together, we look for wisdom by learning from God's judgment and his mercy.Support the show

As God continued confirming his promises to Abraham, Abraham and Sarah turned their hesitant and halting faith into obedient action. Growing up progresses step-by-step and often feels slow to a child but rapid to an adult. God guides our life of maturing in faith as we understand who we are in relationship to him and obediently follow him one step at a time. Together, let's learn from Abraham and Sarah's example of growing up in their faith.Support the show

Christianity diverges from all other faith traditions by emphasizing God's actions for us rather than our work for God, and Abraham's story is the beginning of that change. This weekend Abram and Sarai show us beautiful faith that is far from perfect, and we learn the essential dynamics of relationship with God.Support the show

What does a life of following God really look like? The portrait of Abraham and Sarah in Genesis provides the earliest and most complete picture of a life of trusting God and his promises. This weekend, we begin inspecting the surprising twists and turns in the life of faith.Support the show

In the aftermath of the Babel account, God chose one particular family to bring blessing to the whole earth. In this first sermon in our new series, we'll explore two of the first examples of a life of faith. Abraham and Sarah believed God's promise, but (like us) their faith was often weak and their lives full of missteps. They discovered their failures were never enough to overcome God's grace and promise. Through their story, we'll discover how we can trust God to keep his promises.Support the show

Job asked repeatedly for an audience with God and finally he seems to receive exactly what he wanted…or does he? God seems to leave many of Job's (and our) questions about suffering unanswered. Instead of revealing answers, God reveals himself to Job. At the conclusion of Job's story, we receive a new view on who God is and what he expects of us.Support the show

Could there be a purpose or any positive result that grows from Job's tragic experiences or from the trouble in our lives? We might be tempted to view our difficulties as random, inconvenient, and best ignored or overcome. However, it's possible that some of our troubling experiences shape us into the people God calls us to be. Together, we can search for a purpose behind our pain.Support the show

What difference does faith make when we're suffering? Job lost everything but was able to hold onto his faith in God. His confident assertion that his life would continue beyond his death creates an important marker in the Old Testament Scriptures about belief in resurrection. We are able to look back on Jesus' resurrection as strong confirmation of our own future life after death. Let's consider how faith and hope in the future change life and suffering in our present.Support the show

Sooner or later we all wonder, “How could this happen to me—from where has this unexpected problem or pain come?” These questions echo throughout each page of Job's story. Responding to these questions can lead us onto dangerous ground, but it's a necessary part of life. This weekend we begin exploring the causes or sources for the problems and pain in our lives and world.Support the show

When life falls apart, how can we navigate through our pain without falling apart ourselves? Job begins to cry out to God and his friends in chapter 3. His brutal honesty and deep vulnerability can be shocking but also help us faithfully endure our own challenges. Let's explore how to be faithful with the painful parts of our lives.Support the show

Job had it all—family, friends, prosperity, influence, and even a healthy relationship with God—but in one day he lost everything, except for his faith in God. Job and his friends struggled to make sense of his desperate situation. They asked the same kinds of questions that we ask: where does suffering come from and is there any purpose behind our pain and where is God when we suffer? The responses to these questions might surprise or discomfort us just as much as they did Job. Over six weeks, let's explore the way God delivers his good news through the very bad experiences of Job.Support the show

Building relationships with fellow believers is essential to good spiritual health. These 'Jesus-centered relationships' help us encourage and support one another as we grow and mature in our faith. In Jesus centered relationships, we have the opportunities to practice the 'one anothers' found throughout the New Testament: being kind to one another, praying for one another, loving one another, forgiving one another, and more. Our Group Life ministry offers some of the best opportunities to cultivate these relationships. Today, we will hear from group leaders about how these 'one another' practices are being lived out within their groups.Support the Show.

Who will overcome you? Who or what has overcome you, your mind, your emotion, your perspective—it's either Jesus or something or someone else. Who or what has the greatest influence your life? What dominates your thoughts, outlook, feelings? Your pain or bad experience, desire for pleasure, pursuit of your own self-expression or interest, identification with a cause or platform or party or candidate—what are you giving yourself over to, to what or whom are you ceding the prime real estate of your soul and mind and inner life? Where do you give your allegiance?Support the Show.

In Mark 6, Jesus returns to His hometown of Nazareth, only to be met with disbelief and rejection by His fellow Nazarites. His former neighbors were amazed by His knowledge, but nonetheless dismiss Him and His message. Conversely, Jesus marvels at their unbelief, which significantly hinders His kingdom work among them. Today we explore our roles in the kingdom mission and the challenges our own unbelief presents.Support the Show.

It's not easy to trust Jesus when you're in a hurry…or if you or someone you love is in danger…or if you're suffering. Faith is the catalyst that Jesus uses to demonstrate his presence in our lives, regardless of our situation. Together, let's explore a powerful story of faith in Jesus and consider how Jesus invites us to trust him now.Support the Show.

Jesus and his disciples arrive on the other side and encounter a demon-possessed man. Jesus had demonstrated his power and quieted the sea, and now he will demonstrate His power over Satan. The ex-demoniac recognizing Jesus' love and care and having faith in Jesus over the issues of life and death demonstrates fearless faith in following Jesus as His disciple.Support the Show.