Crown Pointe Church

Your Why has to be big enough to cover every disappointment
You why has to be your anchor
Your why is your foundation

Why press on?
Keep going?

God’s Love is our first and foundational Why
He loves us - that means we can endure and enjoy anything

God’s Grace - Why
We’ve been given Grace - that’s WHY we extend Grace

God’s Direction - Why
Connection with God comes before Direction from God

Question for today . . . Church
Why do you do church?
Why do you do this church?
Why do you a part of this group of people every Sunday?
Why do you invite your friends?
Why is this part of your life?

Fill in the blank:

The church is . . . _____________________
Welcoming?
Hypocrites?

A Group of people following after Jesus
Trying to be more like Jesus
People not a place

He’d chosen power and wealth as the motivators of his life
The Roman Government found the best way to collect taxes was to use Jews to gather taxes from their own people making them traitors
They had an established rate and let the Collector charge what they wanted over and above

You ever feel like you’re on the outside?
Middleschool

How have you dealt with needing to belong?
Wealth?
Compromise?
Bad choices
Family not welcome
Boss - with a box you’re not welcome
Hide
If these people knew what I’ve done - what I was like - wouldn’t let me in
Reject
You might know how Zacchaeus felt

Do you Know that Moment?
Someone believes in you
Recognizes your potential
Doesn't judge you like you’ve felt judged by the crowd

Not easy after that -
Discounted by others
Rejected by the crowd

He still had a choice to make
Was he going to get down
What would getting down cost him?
He’d already paid a hight price for his choices

Tree was pretty safe


Stepping out of the tree meant stepping back into the community

Grumbling Crowds
We know how this is
The crowd Grumbles . . .
We like to grumble . . .
Grumble on Facebook
Echo chamber of the crowd . . .
They don’t really care about him . . .
It’s about appearances . . .

But Zacchaeus doesn’t let the Grumbling stop him
He decides to throw a party

Obedience = Changes
More steps than just out of the tree
Obedience
Make changes
God’s Grace accepts us how we are but he loves us too much to leave us that way

Jesus said Zacchaeus understood!
It will change your eternity and
It will change your current reality

Shock in the crowd
What?!
They knew what he’d done
Not fair!

See Yourself in the story

You might see yourself as Zacchaeus . . .
Outsider
Needing to change some things

Good news - that’s what this group of people called the church is for
Jesus had you in mind when he organized this thing called the church

Church
More about Them then about US
Only organization that exists to benefit outsiders (non-members)

Cruise Ship vs. Hospital Ship

The Church has many characteristics:

Messy - people - hurt people hurt people

Place to grow


Community - friends - shared values - shared life goals - Life long friends


Jesus chose us so we can choose others


Storehouse - help people - pull together and support - do more together
Bring your 1st Fruits into the storehouse

The Church was Jesus’ idea
Last best hope for the world - in the world but not of the world

You might see yourself as someone in the crowd
A little uncomfortable with “sinners”
God needs to do a work in your life and let you see the world like he does

Maybe he’s asking you to reach out to someone Like Jesus did to Zacchaeus?

Invite them to church
Invite them to MOPS
Invite them to Iron Men on Pointe at Mike’s Chiles house
Heart to Heart

Alpha starting - 
Maybe you invite and attend it with them

Youth Ministry
So happy my kids are in this church
Youth need a place to belong
To get out of the tree and be accepted


Confession . . .
Accountability . . .
Connect Groups . . . small . . . new . . .
Alpha - Celebrate Recovery . . .
Marriage counseling . . .
Counseling . . .

Trust . . .
Vulnerability . . .

Why?
Church