13 Dec “Christmas Un-wrapped” | Part Two ‘God’s Good News Plan’

Announcements:

All announcements can be found at:  waterschurch.guide

PLEASE REGISTER FOR CHRISTMAS SERVICES, PASS THE WORD ON TO YOUR MEMBERS TOO!  GO TO WATERSCHURCH.GUIDE or waterschurch.org/Christmas

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Legacy Offering continues.

ORNAMENTS IN BOTH LOBBIES FOR SALE THRU DEC 19 TO SUPPORT FAMILIES IN NEED THIS CHRISTMAS.  YOUR DONATION WILL HELP US ORGANIZE A DRIVE-UP SANTA IN FALL RIVER AND WOONSOCKET ON THE 19TH!  THANK YOU!

Challenge: This Christmas season use what you were made to have to point someone to what Christmas if really about.

Key Verse: Isaiah 53

2020 is the year of suffering.  Suffering is something that has been taken away from us.  Jesus suffered for us.  The message of Christmas is that Jesus came to suffer with us and for us.

Our suffering seems unfair.  We all use this term ‘It’s not fair’ when we don’t get what we think is fair or what we think we deserve.  Fairness is the human struggle of our life.  Life is filled with unfairness. We care about what is not fair because something inside of us says the scales are not balanced, justice must be done.  The question of justice got CS Lewis racking his brain and questioning if there was a God:

“My argument against God was that the universe seemed so cruel and unjust. Just how had I got this idea of just and unjust? A man does not call a line crooked unless he has some idea of a straight line. What was I comparing this universe with when I called it unjust? … Thus in the very act of trying to prove that God did not exist—in other words, that the whole of reality was senseless—I found I was forced to assume that one part of reality—namely my idea of justice—was full of sense. Consequently atheism turns out to be too simple.  If the whole universe has no meaning, we should never have found out that it has no meaning.” – C.S. LEWIS

Q. How have you been treated unfairly and why do you believe this was unfair?

53:1-10 ESV

Jesus was pierced, crushed and afflicted but we get peace and healing.  We don’t get what we deserve, we get peace and healing.

The GOSPEL announces:

1. The ULTIMATE UNFAIR Exchange.

Isaiah 53:4–5 (ESV)

Jesus took our suffering and bore our sin.   He covered the cost of our sin. This is tremendously unfair.  Jesus took the worst for us.  It is not fair, it is not religion and it is not how we were raised.  We were raised to work hard for what we get.  We are trained like this from birth.  The American system is not the Gospel System.  Jesus got what we deserve.  We are not good people, we are bad people. Religion says: there is a God, he is grumpy and we need to appease him to get what we want.  This becomes about us so we can feel good about ourselves.  Jesus did not come to teach us how to be good people to appease God. It is not we get the goodies, it is we get God!

BASIC RELIGION believes God PUNISHES BAD people and REWARDS GOOD people.

Q. What is an example of where you thought God was punishing you for doing something wrong and/or rewarding you for doing a good deed?

Q. Why, even as Christians, do we view Christianity this way (as basic religion)?

THE GOSPEL isn’t FAIR because life isn’t FAIR and Christ balances the scales AT THE CROSS.

Romans 5:17 (ESV)

The GOSPEL announces:

2. God’s SUBSTITUTIONARY Work.

The Gospel message is not about getting better, it is not about transformation it is about substitution.

Isaiah 53:5 (ESV)

Iniquity is like inequity today.  Everyone knows there is something missing.  Even those who think they are all that, but deep down inside they know that they are not all that.  All the praise of people is not enough and at the end of the day there is still something missing.  When we miss the mark we feel inequity.

“I’m alone, Brandon, every night. “And all these people will leave, right? They will leave, and then I’ll be alone. – Lady Gaga

Q. Can you describe a time when you felt this way and what were the circumstances surrounding this situation?

2 Corinthians 5:21 (ESV); Philippians 2:7 (ESV); Colossians 2:9–10 (ESV)

At the cross Jesus becomes empty so we can be full in God.  He took our place.

Pastor Tim told us about a time when his son took the blame for his friend because he did not want his friend to get yelled at.  He took the punishment for his friend so his friend could have peace.  Jesus did this for us, He bore our sins and took our punishment so we could have peace.

Q. What is an example in your life where you or someone took the blame for someone else?

The GOSPEL announces:

3. Our NEW LIFE through Jesus’ DEATH.

Isaiah 53:9 (ESV)

This great exchange resulted not only in suffering but in death.  Jesus came to die, not start a religion or to be president.

John 10:18 (ESV); Matthew 20:28 (ESV)

At the cross Jesus took the punishment and suffering for our sins.

Isaiah 53:10 (ESV)

Jesus was the sacrificial offering for our sins.  This is the gift He was pierced for our transgressions and bruised for our iniquity.  By His stripes we are healed.

Sermon in a sentence:

In the Gospel, God gives Christ what WE HAD so that He can give us what CHRIST HAS. It’s not FAIR, it’s not RELIGION, it’s GOOD NEWS.

Continue the challenge this season by sharing the Good News!  Invite someone to Christmas Service.