Righteousness, Self-Control & the Judgment to Come
Introduction
- Weekend celebration: ~3,000 participants graduating from the 10-week “Rooted” discipleship experience at Lake Pointe.
- Upcoming evangelistic weekend: “Christmas at the Movies,” Nov 29–30, designed for guests far from God.
- CS Lewis’s fictional dialogue in hell: the most effective lie is “There is no hurry.”
- Transition to Acts 24: the Apostle Paul on trial before Governor Felix and his wife Drusilla—powerful, elite, yet spiritually undecided.
Passing the Baton: Running the Relay of Faith
Introduction
- Pastor opens by honoring students who led worship, remembering his own first preaching opportunity.
- Announces “Christmas at the Movies” (Nov 29–30) designed for evangelism.
- Sets tone: Today’s shorter message focuses on what will matter when believers are “hugging Jesus”—handing down the faith.
Ready or Not, Here He Comes
Introduction
- Pastor begins with lighthearted remarks about arriving “disheveled” after family soccer and cheer events, then quickly shifts: no sleepy listeners—today is about the return of Jesus.
- Series theme: “Run to Win” (1 Cor 9)—races have a finish line; believers must live in view of the end.
- Hide-and-seek illustration with his children: escalating count and the shout “Ready or not, here I come!” parallels Christ’s escalating signs and certain return.
True Success in Surrender
Introduction
Guest preacher: Ernest Smith, Lead Pastor of Front Range Church (Castle Rock, CO), a Lake Pointe church-plant (2013).
Ernest recounts Lake Pointe’s partnership, highlighting the Strategic Launch Network and personal support from Pastors Steve & Josh.
Sets the stage by confessing a lifelong struggle with comparison and the cultural pressure to “be successful.”
Central tension: God’s definition of success vs. our drive for status, wealth, and control.
How God re-defines achievement through Naaman’s healing and our own obedience.
Facing The Two-Question Test of Eternity
Introduction
- Pastor returns from vacation and 20th-anniversary trip, grateful for church family and fellow pastors who preached in his absence.
- Launches new series, “Run to Win,” promising some weighty themes.
- Opens with a lighthearted “St. Peter at the gate” joke to expose common confusion about salvation and judgment.
- States pastoral priority: preparing believers for eternity above all else.
- Sets goal for message—clarify exactly what happens the moment after death and at Christ’s return.
Fearless Living in the Hands of God
Introduction
- Pastor begins by greeting all campuses and online viewers, then poses a penetrating question: “What would you do if you weren’t afraid?”
- Acknowledges common, paralyzing fears—rejection, failure, success, loneliness, financial entrapment, relational stagnation.
- Sets the stage for Acts 23, continuing Lake Pointe’s series on the life of Paul.