We Are Rock Point | Week 2 | Bill Bush

Pastor Bill Bush · Aug 30, 2022

Big Idea

Being a follower of Jesus means continuing to know Him personally, and that happens by getting into God's Word and letting it get into you.

Knowing Jesus isn't a one-time meeting, it's a relationship we keep growing in, and God gives us His Word as the way to do that. Scripture isn't a rulebook or an owner's manual, it's alive and powerful, and when we rest in it and submit to it, it exposes our hearts, cuts out what needs to go, and produces real energy and joy, even in hard seasons.

Key points

1
1To know Jesus is to continue knowing Him, not just to know about Him
Pastor Bill points to Paul in Philippians 3, who knew a lot about God as a Pharisee but didn't truly know Jesus until he met Him and kept pursuing Him. Paul called everything else garbage compared to knowing Christ, even while writing from prison, because the Greek word for 'know' implies ongoing intimacy, not just information.
2
2Hebrews was written to discouraged believers who were saved but not submitted
Pastor Bill explains that Hebrews was written to Hebrew Christians drifting back to their old ways under persecution and hard times. He compares them to Israel, who rested in being rescued from Egypt but wouldn't submit once they reached the land, showing that being saved and being surrendered are two different things.
3
3The word of God is alive, powerful, cutting, and exposing
Working through Hebrews 4:12, Pastor Bill unpacks four descriptors of Scripture. It's alive, meaning it's a relational love letter rather than a list of rules; it's powerful, using the Greek word energos, meaning it produces its own energy and accomplishes what it says.
4
4Resting in God's word produces the energy we're actually looking for
Pastor Bill uses his own story of oversleeping and dreading a workout, only to find energy on the other side of pushing through, to illustrate that rest isn't ceasing activity but resting in submission to God's will. He says many people are tired because they rest from their relationship with God instead of resting in it.
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5Scripture cuts like a surgeon's scalpel to expose and heal the heart
Pastor Bill describes the word for 'cutting' as picturing a precise fisherman's knife, not a soldier's sword, used to remove what's harmful and bring healing. He notes it hurts like surgery, and that the heart of every problem is a problem in the heart, not our circumstances or address.
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6Every excuse not to trust God's word traces back to fear and a lie we believe
Pastor Bill lists common excuses -- I can't give, I can't serve, I can't sing, I can't love my spouse -- and says each 'I can't' is really unbelief in disguise, but God can do it through us if we let His word in.
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7Being handed the baton means saying yes to God's word even when it's scary
Pastor Bill tells the story of his wife using Scripture to challenge him not to take an easier pastoral job, and of Bill Bright tapping him on the shoulder at a conference and asking him to take the baton of ministry. He says he said yes out of obedience, not good feelings, and it led to planting Rock Point.

Application

Pastor Bill's charge is to take the baton God is handing you by getting into His word every day, even when it's scary or uncomfortable.

Meet with Jesus through His word daily
Choose to be in Scripture every day, and even if you only manage three or four times a week, that is far better than occasional reading. Treat it like a relationship, not a checklist.
Study the word, then let it study you
Read Scripture yourself rather than only reading books about it, and take time to let the Holy Spirit tap you on the shoulder through what you read before moving into prayer and worship.
Use practical tools to get started
Visit rockpoint.io for resources, watch the Bible Project videos for each book of the Bible, and pick up a good study Bible like the NLT Study Bible to help make sense of what you're reading.
Say yes to God's word even when you're afraid
When God's word exposes a fear-driven excuse -- I can't give, I can't serve, I can't love my spouse like Christ -- trust that He can do it through you and take the next step anyway.
Give to the campaign and serve the church above and beyond
Pray about what you can give above your regular giving and consider serving, including attending a different service time, to help Rock Point keep pointing people to Jesus.

Take it into your week

7-day devotional

A personal reading plan from this message — scripture, reflection, and prayer for each day.

Day 1

Paul had every credential a first-century Jewish leader could accumulate — pedigree, education, zeal, a spotless record by his own community's standards. And then he called all of it a loss. Not because those things were evil, but because he had found something so much better: the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus personally. That word 'knowing' in verse 10 isn't academic. It's the kind of knowing that grows over a lifetime, the way you come to know a person you love more deeply with every passing year. Paul wasn't satisfied knowing about Jesus. He wanted to know Him — His power, His suffering, His resurrection life working from the inside out. That's the invitation sitting at the heart of this sermon and this week. Not more information. More of Him. It's worth pausing here and being honest: most of us have accumulated a lot of facts about Jesus without letting those facts move from the head to the heart. The good news is that the same Jesus Paul pursued is pursuing you right now. The door into that kind of knowing is open, and it begins with a simple daily decision to show up — to open the Word, slow down, and let Him meet you there.

For reflection

If you're honest with yourself, does your relationship with Jesus feel more like knowing Him or knowing about Him — and what's one small thing that might change that today?

Pray

Pray for a genuine hunger to know Jesus personally, not just know more about Him.

Small-group discussion guide

For leading a group conversation about this message.

Open

This message asked a question worth sitting with: Is there a difference between knowing *about* Jesus and actually *knowing* Him — and if so, what does the path toward that deeper knowing look like?

Discussion questions

1
In Philippians 3:10-11, Paul says his highest goal is to know Christ — not know about Him, but know Him. What do you think Paul means by that distinction, and why does it seem to matter so much to him?
2
Hebrews 4:12 describes God's Word as alive, active, and sharper than a two-edged sword — able to expose the thoughts and intentions of the heart. What does it look like, practically, to let Scripture 'read you back' rather than just reading it?
3
The message described God's 'rest' in Hebrews 4:9-11 not as stopping activity but as surrendering to God's will — and said that's actually where real spiritual energy comes from. How might that reframe the way people tend to think about rest, surrender, or 'letting go'?
4
Hebrews 4:14-16 says Jesus is a High Priest who understands our weakness — and on that basis invites us to approach God boldly when we fail. How does that portrait of Jesus change the way people tend to respond when the Word exposes something uncomfortable in them?
5
The message described God holding out a 'baton' — a next step of trust, serving, or obedience that can feel frightening — and said the power to run with it isn't ours to manufacture. What makes it hard for people to say yes to those moments, and what might help?
6
Looking across the whole message, what's one idea or image that your group wants to carry into the week — and how might it quietly shape the way you open your Bible or pray in the days ahead?

Pray together

Knowing Jesus — not just knowing about Him — and the courage to say yes to wherever His Word leads

Topics

Faith and Obedience God's Word Knowing Jesus Personally Personal Transformation Spiritual Surrender

We Are Rock Point | Week 2 | Bill Bush | Full Service

Big Idea

Key points

Application

Take it into your week

Scripture in this message

7-day devotional

Day 1

Day 2

Day 3

Day 4

Day 5

Day 6

Day 7

Small-group discussion guide

Open

Discussion questions

Pray together