Oak Pointe Church • Novi

Meals with Jesus Luke 9:10-17 Teacher: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor at Oak Pointe Church Watching a cat’s absurd overreaction to normal objects is a pastime many people enjoy on social media. For whatever reason, the smallest movement of a stick or paper can send the cat flying an impressive distance at unfathomable heights. As soon as they land and look back at what made them jump, you can almost see...

Meals with Jesus Luke 5:36-50 Teacher: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor at Oak Pointe Church Financial debt is something most Americans are well-acquainted with. Forbes conducted a survey and found that 77% of Americans currently have some level of debt, with 72% reporting they were likely to continue accumulating more. Debt brings a host of problems with it, the most being the emotional strain it puts on...

Meals with Jesus Luke 5:33-34 Teacher: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor at Oak Pointe Church When you are invited over for dinner at a friend’s house, the proper etiquette is that no one eats until everyone has been served, right? Imagine the scene: a long dining table with friends and family crammed all around. The table is adorned with a spread of steaming dishes, bowls of gravy, plates stacked with bis...

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 o...

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 ove...

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 o...

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 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...

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,...

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...

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 ours...

Going a Long Way in a Short Life 1 Peter 4:1-11 Teacher: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor at Oak Pointe Church According to a study done in 2021, 1 in 4 Americans volunteer their time in nonprofit organizations. In a separate study done in 2023, it was reported that the percentage of church members who volunteer their time is about 1 in 5. While the numbers aren’t too different (and different studies yiel...

The Sovereign Suffering Savior 1 Peter 3:17-22 Teacher: Charlie Koopman, Worship & Pastor at Oak Pointe Church Have you ever played on a sports team and had a coach who had never played the sport themselves? It doesn’t seem like the greatest idea, but it happens. What usually ends up happening? The players don’t trust the coach! They think, “Yeah yeah, you’re yelling at us, but you couldn’t do...

Peacemaking and Coffee 1 Peter 3:8-16 Teacher: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor at Oak Pointe Church In the late 19th century, the Colt .45 SAA revolver was given the nickname “Peacemaker.” One suggested theory on why it was called the Peacemaker has to do with its popular use among lawmen, and with it being the weapon of choice in the Wild West. The idea is that you would comply with the demands of the o...

The Christian Superpower 1 Peter 3:1-7 Teacher: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor at Oak Pointe Church A common scene when a younger child receives a brand new LEGO set is that they open all the packages, dump the pieces into one big pile, and begin to put them together at random, leaving the instruction book cast aside and forgotten. Naturally, frustration ensues, and the child becomes less than eager to...

The Christian Superpower 1 Peter 2:18-25 Teacher: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor at Oak Pointe Church Superheroes have become a large part of modern culture. Audiences everywhere are drawn to these larger-than-life characters displaying awe-inspiring powers and abilities. In more recent years there has been an increased interest in learning about a superhero’s origin story—the “where it all began” expla...

Foreigners at War 1 Peter 2:11-17 Teacher: Brent Buttermore, Missions, Outreach, & Kids Pastor at Oak Pointe Church In an effort to preserve endangered animals, scientists have created programs to breed those animals in captivity and then release them into the wild. Unfortunately, the captive-bred animals often do not survive after being released. They’re not accustomed to the environment, the...

Stumbling or Standing? 1 Peter 2:4-10 Teacher: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor at Oak Pointe Church On January 2, 1922, the Texas A & M Aggies faced off against Centre College, the nation’s top-ranked football team. As the grueling game pressed on, the team was low on energy and morale. An ex-football player, E. King Gill, was called on for backup. He suited up and stood on the sidelines at the ready...

Purified and Born Again 1 Peter 1:22-2:3 Teacher: Blaine Dennison, Congregational Care Pastor at Oak Pointe Church Dr. Chris van Tulleken set out on a 30-day quest to discover what happens to the body on a diet of ultra-processed food (UPF). He found himself consuming more and more calories as time went on, yet he rarely felt full. One night he remarked, “I’m not enjoying it, but I can’t stop.” Th...

New Birth, New Love 1 Peter 1:1-9 Teacher: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor at Oak Pointe Church There was a powerful king who was preparing for his son’s fast-approaching wedding day; the palace grounds were filled with hustle and bustle as servants dashed about. The excitement was palpable, and it was all the king could talk about. Finally, the day arrived, and the feast was prepared with decadent treat...

New Birth, New Love 1 Peter 1:1-9 Teacher: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor at Oak Pointe Church Little Louise McMorris was born with oculocutaneous albinism type 1, which causes nystagmus and a misrouting of ocular nerves from the absence of melanin. Little Louise was given a very special pair of glasses as a baby that allowed her to see her mother for the very first time. When the glasses were placed on...

Come. Come. Come. Come! Isaiah 55 Teacher: Jon Morales, Lead Pastor at Oak Pointe Church In almost every post-apocalyptic novel and film, there is a catastrophic event that virtually destroys the economy and cripples the infrastructure of America. There is an inescapable leveling that takes place because of that: the rich and poor are suddenly in the same position. Whether you own a million dollar...