Easter at Oak Pointe
April 17, 2022 • Jon Morales • 1 Corinthians 15:1–8
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 reminder? Because it’s easy to get our priorities out of whack and forget what is most important. How often do we major in the minors and minor in the majors? For example, we are easily frustrated with people’s idiosyncrasies and hypercritical of cultural issues, yet are slow to acknowledge or address the most vital need of our own heart and life – that we’re sinful and need a savior! This year on Good Friday and Easter, we’re going to rehearse that gospel. We’re going to remind ourselves of that gospel, just as Paul reminded the Corinthian believers. Because if we don’t hold firmly to this gospel, we’ve believed in vain. Let’s celebrate together that which is of first importance!
For Your Joy
January 23, 2022 • Jon Morales • 1 Corinthians 1:24—2:4
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 fair share daily. When that conflict gets intense, often the easiest thing is to just walk away. But that’s not how it should be, and not how God intended things to be. The Gospel is meant to produce something far better in us, in our relationships, and in our culture. But it takes work – often in the form of honest self-evaluation, as we will learn in this weekend’s message.