Sermon Notes
6×6: Looking Back, Looking Forward
Pastor John Blue
Pacific Point Church – July 5, 2026
Summary
This 6×6 message looks back at the first half of 2026 and asks Pacific Point Church to remember what God has done before rushing into what comes next. Pastor John frames the message around Joshua 4:19-24, where Israel set up twelve stones at Gilgal so future generations would ask, “What do these stones mean?”
For PPC, remembering is not nostalgia. It is a spiritual discipline. We remember God’s faithfulness so that when storms come, we have testimony to stand on. We remember for our children, our church family, our neighbors, and our own future selves.
Opening: Thankfulness and Responsibility
Pastor John opened by acknowledging the Fourth of July weekend and reminding the church that Jesus is not a Republican or a Democrat. Jesus stands for truth and righteousness.
The church can still be grateful for the blessings of living in a place where people can worship freely. That gratitude carries responsibility. Freedom is not permission to do whatever we want; it is a reminder that we are passing through and called to live with purpose while we are here.
He also honored the veterans in the room and thanked them for their sacrifice.
Scripture
Joshua 4:19-24
Joshua 4 remembers Israel crossing the Jordan on dry ground and setting up twelve stones at Gilgal. The stones became a visible testimony for their children and for all the peoples of the earth: the hand of the Lord is mighty, and God’s people are called to remember Him.
Why This Passage Matters
The passage matters because memory fades fast. God did not want His people to move forward and forget how He had carried them.
The stones were not decorations. They were a testimony.
They reminded Israel of:
- God’s miraculous provision.
- God’s faithfulness to future generations.
- God’s witness before the watching world.
- God’s promise to His people.
- The fear of the Lord.
Pastor John joked that Israel made an official “stone thing,” but the point was serious: when difficulty comes, God’s people need visible reminders that say, “I have seen God’s faithfulness before.”
What 6×6 Means
6×6 means six months back and six months forward.
Pastor John and Chris practice this in their marriage: they look back over the last six months, talk honestly about what needs adjustment, and then look forward to what the next six months require. He applies that same rhythm to the church so PPC does not forget what God spoke in January or drift from what He called the church to walk out.
6×6 asks:
- Who has God called us to be?
- What has He done in the last six months?
- What needs to be remembered?
- Where is He taking us next?
Who God Has Called PPC To Be
Pastor John showed an old picture of the building from 2024 and remembered how God gave PPC the building when the church had very little money and only about twenty people. Even the old flag and orange paint became part of the story of how God provided and reshaped the space.
PPC’s mission is simple:
Learning to love and live like Jesus.
Pastor John described the Christian life as sanctification – not always a straight line, but real movement forward. It may look like a few steps forward, a step or two back, repentance, and then more growth. The point is not perfection in one leap. It is becoming more like Jesus.
PPC’s Values: Up, In, and Out
The values that help PPC live the mission are:
- Up: Relationship with God comes first. When our relationship with Jesus is first, we become better husbands, wives, parents, friends, pastors, and people.
- In: Relationship with others matters. PPC is a high-community church where people ask how you are, know you, pick one another up, and walk together.
- Out: Sharing our grace story. When our relationship with God is right and we are walking with others, we share how God grabbed hold of us, delivered us, and changed our lives.
Up, in, and out lead to the same call:
Go be the church.
The Messages God Gave PPC
Pastor John looked back over the message rhythms of the first half of 2026:
- Top myths about church: PPC began the year by talking about what the church is.
- Home Team: God called the church to build Christ-centered homes with consistent faith lived out every day.
- Easter: PPC celebrated that hope has never been closer.
- NEXT: The church looked at what happened after the resurrection and how Jesus gave His people a mandate, confronted doubt, restored the broken, told them to wait, ascended, and gave instructions.
The point of looking back is not simply remembering sermons. It is asking whether the church is still walking in what God spoke.
Home Team
In 2026, PPC believed God was calling the church to build a strong home team, defined by the place you live and the place you worship.
Home Team includes:
- Marriage and family.
- Children and grandchildren.
- Singleness.
- Extended family.
- Neighbors.
- Church family.
Home Team is where:
- Faith is formed.
- Stability is built.
- Truth is modeled.
- Hope is passed on.
The declaration remains:
As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.
Joshua 24:15
Pastor John connected that declaration to the chaos around us. Regardless of politics, markets, cultural noise, or whatever is happening outside, the church is called to say, “As for me and my house, we will serve the Lord.”
Setting Stones of Remembrance
Joshua set up twelve stones at Gilgal. Pastor John said PPC is also setting up stones through the people God has given the church.
He noticed while preparing the message that he had written down twelve examples without trying to force the number. It became a reminder of God’s faithfulness and goodness in the church.
When storms come, the stones help us remember:
- God has been faithful before.
- God can do it again.
- The enemy does not get to steal what God has done.
- The church is being built on testimony, prayer, and obedience.
Twelve Stones From the First Half of 2026
Stone #1: Pacific Point Bible College
Pastor David Roth started Pacific Point Bible College, giving people a way to go deeper and pursue accredited theological training.
Stone #2: No Swell
Josh and Jeremiah have been discipling a group of surfers and skaters through No Swell Club.
Josh shared that the group has been asking hard questions about faith, including the authority of Scripture, creation, difficult fringe topics, and AI. Jeremiah built an AI exercise called “the adversary” that challenged the men on faith, suffering, evil, and belief in God. The point was not gimmickry; it helped men think carefully, defend their faith, and leave more prepared to share the gospel in their community.
Pastor John called this a stone because young men are being fed, discipled, challenged, and sent back into their world with the gospel.
Stone #3: Big Heads and Recovery
Ben has helped pastor people through Big Heads, a Jesus-centered sobriety and recovery community.
Pastor John emphasized that this group does not leave the “higher power” vague. The higher power is Jesus. He also highlighted Alan’s 35 years of sobriety and the way mature believers walk with younger men and women who are trying to stay sober and encounter Jesus in a new way.
This stone matters because one person matters.
Pastor John remembered the painful season of leaving a previous church and asking whether losing so much would be worth it if it meant one person, Eddie Burgess, came to know Jesus. The answer was yes. That memory became one of the stones he holds onto.
Stone #4: Young Adults
Max and Madison, Ben and Riley, Jack, Kate, and Julia have poured into the young adults ministry.
The church may see Sunday morning, but it does not always see the young adults gathering in homes, eating together, building relationships, and learning to walk with one another. That hidden life is part of God’s faithfulness.
Stone #5: Missions
PPC is beginning to grow in missions. Josh took Trent, Kellen, and Andrew to Costa Rica to preach the gospel, love kids, serve in schools, and minister with churches there.
Pastor John called the church to continue stepping into missions personally and to be the hands and feet of Jesus.
Stone #6: Life Groups
Life groups are becoming a major stone for PPC.
Pastor John mentioned Dan and Lori’s group gathering to pray over Dan before brain surgery, not letting the family walk through it alone. He also named Eddie and Melvin, Richard and David, the young families group, and the growing need for more groups in the fall.
Life groups matter because it is hard to do life with everyone in a large room. Smaller groups are where people walk together, pray together, encourage one another, and see God’s faithfulness up close.
Stone #7: PPC Kids Ministry
Jenna and Josh have helped PPC Kids grow. Pastor John noted that even Josh’s boys had taught in kids ministry the week before, showing God forming the next generation.
Stone #8: Worship Team
Pastor John honored Pearl, Joe, and Doug for how God is using the worship team. PPC did not always have the same worship strength it has now, so the current worship culture is a stone of remembrance.
Stone #9: Women’s Ministry
Pastor John remembered the women’s event, Dames on the Range, and the beauty of the details Chris and her team bring to ministry.
Chris corrected him from the room: the point was not just sipping tea or having a beautiful event. The women were encountering Jesus in the beautiful. Pastor John received the correction and named beauty as a gift God has given Chris and the women’s ministry.
Stone #10: Men’s Conference / Strong Minds, Strong Men
The men’s conference drew around 80 men for barbecue, cigars, and Jesus. Pastor John said that many men moving toward Jesus together is not something to take lightly.
This stone matters because men are being called to sound minds, strong faith, prayer, and spiritual responsibility.
Stone #11: Baptisms
Pastor John said this stone breaks him down.
The baptisms are the visible fruit that everything else is moving toward. People who were dead apart from relationship with Jesus are declaring, “I am a follower of Jesus.” When church life feels difficult, Pastor John said he can look at the baptism photo and thank God for lives that will spend eternity with Him.
Stone #12: A House of Prayer
The twelfth stone is the foundation underneath the others.
Jesus said:
My house shall be called a house of prayer.
Matthew 21:13
Pastor John showed photos of people praying in different parts of church life: men praying, groups praying, people praying near the cross during communion, people praying outside.
He made the point clearly:
- The foundation of PPC is not John.
- It is not Eddie.
- It is not any one person in the building.
- It is the committed prayer that has been happening for almost ten years.
The church has been built through people crying out to God, and that prayer is now spreading through the body.
1 Timothy 2:8 says that men should pray, lifting holy hands without anger or quarreling. Pastor John honored women’s prayer and also challenged the men of the church to stand, pray, and lead with spiritual responsibility.
Wednesday morning prayer at 6:30 remains one of PPC’s foundational rhythms.
Why Remembering Matters
When children, family members, friends, or future generations ask, “What do these stones mean?” God’s people need a story to tell.
We need stones because:
- Memories fade.
- Your grace story is for those coming behind you.
- Your story helps your children and grandchildren see God’s faithfulness.
- Your life becomes evidence to a watching world.
- Your neighbors, friends, and family need to know that the hand of the Lord is mighty.
Pastor John remembered his mother’s Bible and the notes she had written in it. Those markings still let her family see what she was encountering with the Lord.
Modern Day Stones
Modern day stones can be ordinary, practical reminders:
- Writing in your Bible.
- Dating a journal entry.
- Marking your calendar every year on the date God met you.
- Remembering the date you were saved, baptized, married, or encountered God in a significant way.
- Talking about God’s faithfulness at a family meal.
- Telling roommates or friends what God has done.
- Writing letters to sons and daughters.
- Keeping a photo, object, or keepsake from a season.
The point is not the object itself. The point is that it helps you remember and retell what God has done.
Questions for Reflection
- What stones are you laying down in your life to remember today?
- What stones do you need to grab hold of for the next season?
- What has God done that your children, your family, your church, your neighbors, or your future self will need to hear again?
- Where have you seen God’s faithfulness that you must not let the enemy steal from your memory?
Looking Forward
The second half of 2026 points PPC toward what is ahead:
- July 19 through August 30: Holy Spirit.
- September 13 through September 27: Disciples Journey.
- October 4 through November 8: The Life of Joseph.
- November 15 through November 29: Thankful.
- December 6 through December 27: Advent.
All series are subject to change as the Holy Spirit leads.
Life groups will relaunch in the fall, with groups walking through the same series for the first few weeks. The women’s fall retreat is also ahead as a time to encounter God.
Website Resources
Near the end of the message, Pastor John invited Seth to show the church the redesigned PPC website.
The church was reminded that the site includes:
- The live stream.
- A Bible and notes tools on the live page.
- The message archive.
- Sermon notes and podcast resources.
- The events calendar.
- Text alert signup and other connection pathways.
Pastor John thanked Seth, Taylor O’Brien for the site photography, and Jake Feman for helping from the booth.
Closing Call
Pastor John thanked Jesus first, and then thanked the church for being the hands and feet of PPC.
The call was simple: remember what God has done and go be the church.
Remember what God has done in young adults, No Swell, life groups, worship, prayer, baptisms, and the moments where the Spirit set people free. Mark those stones so that children and children’s children will know and see God’s faithfulness.
Communion
The message moved into communion with a heart of thankfulness.
Pastor John reminded the church that thankfulness is powerful in the middle of difficulty. Communion is a time to remember the body of Jesus broken for us and the blood of Jesus that washes us clean.
Anything heavy can be taken to the cross. In Jesus, there is freedom from condemnation and guilt.
Before receiving communion, the church was invited to pause, remember what God has done, and trust His promises again.
Final Encouragement
PPC is called to remember what God has done, tell the story faithfully, and keep moving forward as a church family learning to love and live like Jesus.
Go be the church.