BridgePoint Church Podcast

Who is Jesus and what does it mean to follow Him? These are the questions that are explored today as Pastor Travis looks to Jesus’ message to His disciples in Luke 9:18-25. Jesus has a plan for redeeming our lives and the path to get there involves the same path Jesus walked down as He made His way to the cross. Although upside down from our cultures perspective, Jesus invites us to experience new life by way of self-denial and sacrifice.

Questions for Reflection:

• Who is Jesus to you and what does that mean for your everyday life?

• In what ways does self-denial and self-sacrifice challenge you and what are you being asked to surrender or empty in your life to be able to pickup your cross and follow?

To wrap up this series, we'll look at the three primary characters in the Parable of the Prodigal Son. Jesus told this parable to teach us more about the heart of God the Father. In today's message, the party for the younger son begins, but not everyone is feeling like a party. The older son of the Father protests. What we discover is that while the older son did go and squander money or live recklessly, he still missed the heart of the Father. The older son was busy doing things in the Father's house, but still hadn't experienced the Father's love. He was lukewarm, neither fully on fire in the Father's love or ice cold to the Father, and it was a sad place to be because nearness to the Father was strictly about obligation and it was absent of joy.

Questions for Reflection:

• Have you ever found yourself expecting something from God because of what you've done for Him?

• How do we prevent becoming lukewarm in our faith and how do we know it's starting to happen?

In this message, Tyler explores the timeless parable of the prodigal son, shedding light on its relevance in our lives today. Through this narrative, we're reminded that our journey back to God isn't met with judgment but with a celebration of our return. Tyler's insights challenge us to reconsider our perceptions of divine love, encouraging us to take the steps necessary to rekindle our relationship with the Father. Join us as we delve into understanding the depth of God's welcoming embrace.

Questions for Reflection:

• Reflect on the parable of the prodigal son we're studying. Why do you think Jesus chose this story, and how does it challenge or affirm your expectations of acceptance?

• Tyler listed several guests at the table, The Unwanted,The Paralyzed, The Undesirable, The Defiled, Those In Bondage, The Prodigal Son. Which guest do you identify with, and how has that influenced your way of connecting with or showing gratitude to God?

In this message Travis launches us into a new series that we are calling Pursuit. He teaches on the transformative journey of the prodigal son to illustrate the depth of God's grace and acceptance. Through a personal anecdote of getting lost in a race, he draws parallels to our spiritual wanderings and the unchanging embrace of God's love, even when we feel distant. This message is a powerful reminder that our missteps do not define us; instead, we are welcomed back with open arms, invited to rediscover a love that never turns us away. Join us as we explore the profound truth that we are lost, but never rejected.

Questions for Reflection:

• How can sharing our own stories of feeling 'lost' help strengthen our community and foster a deeper understanding of God's grace?

• Consider the role of forgiveness in your life. How does forgiving others, and seeking forgiveness, relate to the theme of returning home in the prodigal son's story?

The message concludes a series on Joseph, emphasizing learning to experience God through brokenness. It highlights Joseph's journey of maintaining integrity despite adversity, relying on God beyond outcomes, and seeking God's goodness in life's challenges. Joseph's story, particularly his forgiveness of his brothers and recognition of God's hand in his trials, serves as a model for forgiveness, trust in God's plan, and the power of redemption. The message encourages embracing God's forgiveness and extending it to oneself, others, and reconciling misplaced expectations of God, emphasizing the transformative power of God's love and forgiveness in healing and renewing broken lives.

Tyler references a previous message, The Freedom of Forgiveness, you can watch it here: https://youtu.be/Oz50ZZr8Rrc?si=XSmDMvR-FazFm3qe

Questions for Reflection:

• What about Joseph's story and what we've learned has meant the most to you in your faith journey?

• Who is it in your life is it time to begin to work toward forgiveness?

In this message from our series on Joseph, Tyler reflects on significant, hopeful moments in Joseph's life, emphasizing God's ability to use every situation for good. Despite Joseph's trials, his rise to prominence in Egypt at thirty years old exemplifies how our journeys, no matter how challenging, are never wasted but woven into God's greater plan. This message invites us to actively seek and acknowledge God's presence and goodness in the everyday fabric of our lives, reinforcing the belief in His omnipotence through all circumstances.

Questions for Reflection:

• Have you found yourself in a circumstance or season where you were tempted to believe there was no goodness of God to be found?

• Are there some circumstances or seasons that you can now look back on and see how God used some ugly circumstances for a beautiful finished story?

In this conversation Travis and Curtis explore the journey of faith during life's unexpected halts. Drawing inspiration from Joseph's story, this message delves into the importance of remaining steadfast in trust and faithfulness, even when our own plans face interruptions. We'll uncover how every circumstance can be a stepping stone in God's grand design, encouraging us to see beyond immediate setbacks and embrace the growth and opportunities that lie in God's process.

Questions for Reflection:

• How have you experienced God's presence and guidance during a time when your personal plans were put on pause? Reflect on the emotions and lessons learned during this period.

• In what ways can maintaining faithfulness during times of pause transform our understanding of God's process? How might such experiences might deepen our trust in God's timing over our own?

In this message, we explore Joseph's life journey, a narrative of dramatic shifts between triumphs and setbacks. Joseph's steadfast commitment to integrity is a focal point, even in the face of adversity. Tyler explains the concept of integrity, aligning it with God's power and presence in our lives. He points out that during our own difficult times, holding onto integrity can lead us to blessings, steering us away from the temptation to find wrong solutions to our problems. This sermon sheds light on the importance of upholding integrity through life's unpredictable moments.

Questions for Reflection:

• Do you find that you more commonly react in the moment, or do you tend to take a beat to respond? Why?

• Can you think of a moment when you forfeited your integrity in the midst of a tough time? How did that turn out and what can you learn from it?

In this new series, we'll be working our way through a character study of Joseph from Genesis. This message is intended to kick off the series by covering both the beginning and end of Joseph's story. What happens in between is the mystery of God working through broken stories, like mine and yours. Tyler reminds us to consider our own stories. The series on Joseph will be a call to dream and believe again. Why? Because, as we're going to discover throughout this series, God doesn't waste a broken story, which means God won't waste your life. But if you try to figure it out by yourself, you'll miss how Jesus is trying to transform you!

Questions for Reflection?

• In what ways has "the dream" for your life not gone according to "the plan"?

• Have you ever (or are you now) tempted to give up on your dreams or your faith?

• What is stopping you from experiencing God at work in your life?

In this message, Tyler builds upon our New Year's Eve message, inviting us to consider what God is calling us into this year. He emphasizes that God invites us to participate in His transformative work, both within us and in our communities. Drawing on Jesus' teachings, Tyler highlights the contrast between old and new, illustrating how Jesus' arrival ushers in a superior way of life. This message serves as a powerful reminder that embracing God's new path for us often requires letting go of the old, a journey worth undertaking because of the unparalleled goodness of Jesus.

Questions for Reflection:

• What is God inviting you into this year?

• What are some of the "old ways/habits" it is time to let go of to receive the new?