Oak Pointe Church • Novi

Visible Grace Scripture: 2 Corinthians 8:1-6 Speaker: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor of Oak Pointe Church “It just doesn’t add up.” How many times have you said that about your personal finances? Oftentimes, the stuff you’d like to do with your money doesn’t seem very possible – especially charitable giving. After all, the expenses are added up, where does that money come from? The same was true for the...

Of First Importance - Christ Died. He Was Raised.   Scripture: 1 Corinthians 15:1-8 Speaker: Jon Morales, Lead Paster of Oak Pointe Church   The Apostle Paul begins our Easter weekend passage with this statement: “Now, brothers and sisters, I want to remind you of the gospel I preached to you, which you received and on which you have taken your stand.” Why does Paul feel he needs to issue a remind...

The Tussle of True Relationships Scripture: 2 Corinthians 7:2-16 Speaker: Jon Morales, Lead Paster of Oak Pointe Church Have you ever struggled in a relationship? Hopefully so! If not, the relationship probably wasn’t all that important. Truth is, the most transformative relationships are complex. On one hand, they bring comfort and joy. On the other, sorrow and pain. We tend to much prefer comfor...

Perfecting Holiness Scripture: 2 Corinthians 6:14-7:1 Speaker: Rick Barry, The Rock Middle School Ministry Pastor The world today is complicated. But navigating how we are to live out our faith in our current culture can be even more complicated. Is it even possible to approach holiness, let alone perfect it? How can we interact with the world around us and faithfully live among people who don't s...

When the Heart Shrinks Scripture: 2 Corinthians 6:3-13 Speaker: Jon Morales, Lead Paster of Oak Pointe Church We all have people we love. They are dear to us and our actions toward them often reveal our sentiments. But things can happen that cause us to withhold our affection. On occasion, it is something they’ve done. More often, it is something going on within us. For some reason, we can no long...

Are You Reconciled to God? Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:11–6:2 Speaker: Jon Morales, Lead Paster of Oak Pointe Church “So…what’s new with you?” Certainly, you’ve been on the receiving end of this simple conversation starter. Everyone has. What’s our usual response? “Oh…not much.” But is that true? As followers of Jesus, there is always something new with us. If God’s mercies are “new every morning”...

An Eternal Body? Scripture: 2 Corinthians 5:1-10 Speaker:  Jon Morales, Lead Paster of Oak Pointe Church How many times a day do you let out a groan? Sometimes the source of the groan is physical – you’re sore from a recent workout, or you’re getting older and are attempting to tie your shoes. Sometimes the source is emotional – sadness at world affairs, or the frustration from having to suffer fo...

Light Troubles, Eternal Glory Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:7-18 Speaker:  Jon Morales, Lead Paster of Oak Pointe Church Anyone who achieves greatness and glory sees things a little differently. Take the Olympic athlete. You and I see someone who may have great talent, great resources, great lineage, or great privilege. And some or all of these external things may be true. But we don’t see how hard t...

Not Losing Heart Scripture: 2 Corinthians 4:1-7 Speaker:  Jon Morales, Lead Paster of Oak Pointe Church Have you ever observed human behavior when someone pulls out a camera? Bodies straighten, chins jut out, hair gets tossed, eyes widen, shoulders broaden, and smiles appear. No one wants to appear at a disadvantage. We want to look attractive, composed, focused, and strong. Yet, such a pose belie...

Superior in Every Way Scripture: 2 Corinthians 3:7-18 Speaker:  Jon Morales, Lead Paster of Oak Pointe Church “You have to try this. It will change your life!” Has anyone ever said that to you? It usually means your friend discovered something far superior to what he or she had known before. Maybe Ms. Frozen Pizza was introduced to wood-fired pizza. Or Mr. Carnival Ride Guy went to Cedar Point for...

True Gospel People Scripture: 2 Corinthians 2:12-3:6 Speaker:  Jon Morales, Lead Paster of Oak Pointe Church Though cultural issues are often complex, it is all too easy to become polarized, seeing only two sides. Sometimes the side with which we most identify can seem like the correct side... even the only side. When this happens our theology and our passion can grow entwined, leaving the clarity...

Conflict and Three Tests Scripture: 2 Corinthians 2:5-11 Speaker:  Jon Morales, Lead Paster of Oak Pointe Church Throughout the course of life, someone is going to wrong you. Or you’re going to wrong them. And then it’s on! Being together has its challenges. Though the daily news is filled with stories of strife between nations and neighbors, the gospel calls Christ-followers to handle relational...

Power In Weakness Scripture: 2 Corinthians 12:8-10 Speaker:  Jon Morales, Lead Paster of Oak Pointe Church Can we all agree that weakness is just the worst?! It’s no fun to experience debilitating sickness, feel powerless to change your circumstances, or not be able to figure something out. When we are at such a disadvantage, we’d rather others not know. But even though it doesn’t seem intuitive t...

How Do You Repair A Strained Relationship? Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:23-2:4 Speaker: Jon Morales, Lead Paster of Oak Pointe Church Something’s missing. It’s missing from the relationships in our families and our workplaces. Sometimes, it’s even missing in the church. Unfortunately, we’re not talking about conflict – there is plenty of that to go around, and we probably experience more than our fa...

Always Yes! Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:12-22 Speaker: Jon Morales, Lead Paster of Oak Pointe Church Do you have people in your life who usually say “yes” to everything, but sometimes don’t mean it? Even if their aims are good, their follow-through isn’t so much. It increasingly becomes difficult to not only trust their answers but also to credit their intentions. This week we find the Apostle Paul...

Scripture: 2 Corinthians 1:1–11 Speaker: Jon Morales, Lead Paster of Oak Pointe Church Even under normal circumstances, achieving unity is hard. But when culture is polarized, it seems impossible. The first-century Corinthian Church was discordant; comprised of Jewish and Gentile believers – some slaves, others free – and from a wide stratum of social classes. Paul knew the Church can only stand s...

For some, a new year brings optimism: hopes of new realities, new dreams, and fresh expectations. Others may be more pessimistic, believing the new year won’t be tangibly different from the year before and thinking, “It’s all going to just be more of the same.” While some things remain steadfast and steady, and others things change, the central truth for the Christian is that God is making somethi...

We’ve spent over a month planning, preparing, and getting excited for Christmas to arrive. Then we celebrated at church and in our homes! Yet, just like that, it’s behind us. Besides, there’s wrapping paper still under the couch, dishes are piled in the sink, and we’re left with what some psychologists label the Christmas blues. But we’re followers of Jesus! So, what exactly comes next? Speaker: A...

It is incredibly easy to lose the meaning of Christmas. Becoming so consumed with the finding, buying, and giving of our own presents, we often forget Christmas is really more about the presence of God in our lives. On Christmas Eve, we’ll discover what Jesus' presence can mean for us individually and learn how to respond to the greatest gift we will ever receive. The arrival of Jesus changes ever...

Reclaiming Christmas, Week 4:  Love All The culture we live in today is enamored with images, and typically those of celebrities: the famous, the flashy, the latest and the greatest. Yet Scripture paints a different picture. In fact, the birth story of the Messiah sets the tone for how Christians would see themselves and others. The nativity of Jesus was not first announced in palace courts for ro...

Reclaiming Christmas, Week 3:  Keep It Simple At the beginning of Matthew chapter two, some wise men enter Jerusalem and have a council with the reigning king, Herod. Each party left that meeting seeking a new king, but for very different reasons. In the end, the Magi honored Jesus as King and their lives became simple. Herod honored himself as King, and his life became complicated. If we want to...

Reclaiming Christmas, Week 2:  Worship Fully Distractions are a normal part of life. We shouldn’t be too surprised when they show up at Christmastime - one of the busiest seasons of the year. This week we continue exploring the theme of Reclaiming Christmas by observing the responses Mary and Joseph had to their unique circumstances. They chose to worship God fully, even when their situation could...

Reclaiming Christmas, Week 1: Shift Your Focus In the story of Simeon and Anna (Luke 2:21-38), we see the focus of their lives was waiting for the coming messiah. Similarly, we can prepare to worship Christ at Christmas by being present, standing in awe, thanking God, then telling the world. Speaker: Rick Barry, The Rock Middle School Ministry Pastor

A New Community, Message 3: Unity The Apostle Paul made a passionate appeal to the Corinthian church to live in harmony with one another, and "to let there be no divisions in the church." It's a couple thousand years later and, unfortunately, unity is still an issue. Is it even possible for the Church to "all be one" as Jesus prayed? It depends on what we believe about our savior and our enemy, th...

A New Community, Week 2: Humility Do you ever feel like holding on tightly to your rights? As we continue our series A New Community, this week we learn about humility and the impact it has on our life together. More importantly, we will fix our eyes on the one who displayed perfect humility, the Lord Jesus Christ, and follow Scripture’s admonition to imitate his humble mindset. He did not hold on...