This week, Pastor Jermaine continued with our “2022: The light has come” series with a sermon about the responsibility of being called to be a light. He shared five points:
1. Intimacy
We are called to remain in Jesus, to abide in Him. It’s an intimate knowing, which comes from proximity to Him. We reflect the light of the Lord, which is why we must remain close to Him. Pursuit of God through His Son Jesus Christ is the call of our lives. We are saved to be in Christ, to draw into Him, to live alongside Him, and to seek Him.
2. Illumination
The purpose of light is to illuminate, and one of the challenges of being this light is that it exposes all things. The light that exposes the darkness around must first expose the darkness within.
The way to God’s heart is to give Him complete access to our own. Knowing God and being known by God are two sides of the same coin.
3. Invitation
We have an invitation to not only be recipients of light, but to be light bearers.
God has got treasure for us hidden in plain sight in only we would seek Him wholeheartedly.
We often miss the reward in the busyness of life. God is inviting us to be light, to arise and shine, and to respond to His invitation for partnership within the world.
4. Illustration
In Christ, we become a prototype for the world to follow. We were not made to blend in, or to be a part of the crowd. Our call is to take up our cross and follow Him. We were made to be amongst and shine upon the darkness.
The light finds the darkness, and we need to look for opportunities to be light in our everyday lives.
5. Intervention
We are the threat to the powers of darkness. We are the light. God is calling: who will go? To our workplaces? To the nations? To our sports teams? Neighborhoods?
We are children of God, and we are all meant to shine.
2022: The Light Has Come | Part Three
Vision Series 2022
January 30, 2022 • Jermaine Stewart
2022: The Light Has Come | Part Four
February 6, 2022 • Matthew Anderson
This week was World Mandate Sunday, and the last of our “2022: The Light has come” series out of Isaiah 60. Pastor Matthew preached with a focus on verses 1-11. If we want to change our nation, we have to pray. It is time for us as the church to arise, and shine and share the Gospel. If we want to live without regrets, we need to give it all to Jesus. There is going to be darkness, and until Jesus comes back it will only continue to get darker. But, the light is so much brighter and never once has darkness defeated light. The glory of God will be seen upon us if we say yes to Him. Application for Waypoint Church: ·We have to give ourselves as a church to doing good works both locally and globally. ·We need to cultivate a Kingdom culture that includes people from all people and places of the earth. ·We need to make disciples. ·We need to love God, love one another, and love the lost. ·We need to cultivate joy. ·We need to be a people of radical generosity. ·We will continue on our journey to wholeness. We need to be a healthy people. ·We are going to finish this building. ·We are going to add a campus in Omaha. ·We are going to have 24/7 prayer and worship.
2022: The Light Has Come | Part Two
January 23, 2022 • Pastor Matthew
This week, Pastor Matthew continued with our series “2022: The light has come,” out of Isaiah 60. When we step into the light, we become the agent of the world that allows the people around us to see Jesus more clearly. However, as we step into the light, it’s super important that we reflect the right light. If we reflect the right light, the world will see Jesus clearer and clearer as we become more and more like Him. Pastor Matthew shared seven principles about the light: Servanthood: If we want to be like Jesus, we have to become servants to all. Jesus was a servant among us, and thus we should be a servant amongst others. Dependence: Jesus was completely dependent on the Father, and thus we must also be dependent people. We must learn full dependence on God. Approval: In Christ, we are approved of in the Lord and that cannot be taken away from us. Only the Father can give us the approval that we need. Meekness: the opposite of self-promotion. Humble, confident, seekers of justice and people who practice mercy. We need to examine our lives as we build our platforms. Empathy: To live with empathy is to be sympathetic with the weak, and mercifully understanding of those who get it wrong and mess up. Optimism: Pessimism and living in the light are at opposite ends of the attitude spectrum, and therefore hope and optimism are essential qualities for the servant of God. We are the light of the world, so if we do not have hope – who does? Anointing: Without the touch of the supernatural, these qualities above are as dry as dust. The Holy Spirit comes and rests upon those who have stepped into the light. We need the anointing and power of the Holy Spirit. God offers this same anointing and filling that He offered Jesus, which means the question is: will we step into it? Will we receive it?
2022: The Light Has Come | Part One
January 16, 2022 • Pastor Matthew
This week, Pastor Matthew launched our “2022: The Light Has Come” series out of Isaiah 60. In our culture, we are so used to being individuals that we forget our individual decisions affect the community of believers, and the world around us. Our sin and disobedience doesn’t just hurt and cause death to us, but to those around us – wide ranging implications. In the same way, our obedience and righteousness have consequences as well. Great consequences, not just for us, but for those around us and those who come after us. God is inviting us into an obedience that leads to life for us, our community, and the whole world. Isaiah 60 is the word of the Lord for World Mandate Midwest, and for Waypoint Church for 2022 and beyond. The theme of this message and series is: “Arise, shine, for your light has come.” This passage is a poem with a chiastic structure, the pinnacle of which is this: nations will rise or fall depending on their submission and service the Kingdom of God (verse 12). Zion is summoned to enter the light that is hers. If we have given our lives to Jesus, we are representatives of Zion (the city of God, heaven). We are not waiting for the light, the light has come and it is ours to enter into. We can have a real relationship with the real God because He has already come. We are now the light of the world. The light brings new life within. This light is not just for us, it’s for the world, and we must move into the darkness with the light. We must let the light do the deep work within us. We need to stop busying ourselves with things that do not matter in the end. We must rid ourselves of everything that hinders. It’s a total work! The light is for everyone and everything. Nobody has to be left out. There is an appropriate response to the light. What we do with the light matters. It is time to rise, and shine. It is go time. And our obedience/ disobedience effects more than just us, it effects our entire community and by extension the world. The first step in that is recognizing that we are the light of the world, and that the light has come.