28 Aug Freedom Through the Gospel | All Locations
Announcements:
UPCOMING EVENTS: GO TO WATERSCHURCH.ORG/EVENTS TO REGISTER
APOLLO BEACH ONLY:
FINANCIAL PEACE (FPU): 9/15/22
DISCOVER ISRAEL (INFO ABOUT THE ISRAEL TRIP): ZOOM MEETING 10/19/22
WOONSOCKET ONLY: TWO FESTIVALS WOONIE IS PARTICIPATING IN AND WE ARE LOOKING FOR PEOPLE TO SIGN UP TO SERVE AT THEM.
PUMPKIN FEST – NORTH SMITHFIELD – SEPT 17
AUTUMNFEST – WOONSOCKET – OCT 8 & 9
NA and WOONIE:
FINANCIAL PEACE (FPU): 9/13/22
NEW DATE** PARENTS NIGHT OUT: 9/17
PING PONG TOURNAMENT: 9/12 – 10/24
ENCOUNTER MEET UP: AGES 19-35 – 9/23/22
SERVE TEAM BBQ: 9/25/22
ALPHA: 9/26/22
CONCERT: DANNY GOKEY, JORDAN FELIZ, AND TASHA LAYTON – 10/1/22 Sunday, Aug. 28th — Thursday, Sept. 1st, 20% off BACK TO SCHOOL SALE online for the Danny Gokey Concert tickets! (sale code: SALE)
DISCOVER ISRAEL: INFO ON TRIP TO ISRAEL – 10/16
All announcements and the Waters Event Calendar can be found at: waterschurch.guide
Alpha: New ministry – conversation style Small Group called Alpha that Mehdi and April will be leading.It is for seekers, those on the fence about faith, or disenfranchised from faith.It is to reach lost people. Join the conversation today @ waterschurch.org/alpha
Below, click the link for ‘Last Days’ – The Book of Revelation Daily in 15 minute segments each day over the next 5 weeks:
https://waterschurch.churchcenter.com/registrations/events/1316059
All announcements and the Waters Event Calendar can be found at: waterschurch.org/events
Alpha: New ministry – conversation style Small Group called Alpha that Mehdi and April will be leading.It is for seekers, those on the fence about faith, or disenfranchised from faith.It is to reach lost people. Join the conversation today @ waterschurch.org/alpha
Location Text Alerts:
| North Attleboro | Text “subscribe” to 508 695-1300 | |
| Norwood | Text “subscribe” to 781 762-3357 | |
| Apollo Beach | Text “subscribe” to 813 642-6979 | |
| Woonsocket | Text “subscribe” to 833 241-4837 | |
| Southcoast | Text “subscribe” to 508 809-3490 | |
| Waters ELC NA | Text “subscribe” to 774 643-6322 |
Pastor Tim has 3 podcasts: The Deep End, the Deep Dive Bible Study on Romans, and 10 questions with Tim only available on timhatchlive./live Be sure to like and subscribe to the channel to be notified of each new podcast.
Sneak peek of “The Kings 
of Compromise”: https://youtu.be/_c2eM62BFPA
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Key Verse: 1 Corinthians 15
So many other messages get in the way of the Gospel. We need to allow the light to shine on the Gospel. When the light fully shines on the Gospel it illuminates it so much that it helps us see who we are and helps the world see who we are.
If we keep the Gospel CLEAR in our MINDS it will set us FREE in our LIVES.
We need to keep coming back to the clarity of the gospel. In the Bible, Paul is the primary agent of delivering the Gospel. He was a radical Jew (originally named Saul). He was hating on Christians when Jesus showed up. After Jesus blinded him physically, he regained his sight and now he could see not only physically but spiritually. The second most talked about event in scripture is Paul’s conversion, the reason being is because Paul is the clearest example of what it really means to be a Christian. His life changed, he did a 180. God did not just add to his life, but changed his understanding. He is a new person. God illuminates our lives so others will see what is different about us just as he did for Paul.
The Gospel give you…
- FREEDOM from the IDENTITY trap.
1 Corinthians 15:8–9 (ESV)
Paul is talking about who he is. He is saying that he is okay associating with being the least and last because the Gospel has set him free from being the best and the first. Paul was okay with not being important. We don’t have to chase the endless pursuit of finding who we are. Today, identity has gone crazy. Many identify themselves with how they feel, or how social media teaches them to think about themselves. We have an identity crisis today, we are in pursuit of putting importance in our lives.
Q. What is something you need to surrender to being the most important in or the best at?
Paul was the last on the list of special appearances by the Lord. He says he was untimely born because he did not get to walk with Christ, but he not only got a portion of what the disciples got, God used him to make a world changing impact for Christ! Today, we have a false notion of humility.
Appropriate HUMILITY embraces the PLACE God put you and TIMING of God choosing you.
We may feel like we were untimely born but every born again Christian was born right on time in Jesus Name!
You don’t have to be SAVED LONG to be USED GREATLY.
Q. In what ways has God used you greatly even in a short time after salvation?
Or
Q. In what timely way has God used you?
The Gospel gives you…
2. FREEDOM from the PERFORMANCE trap.
Our culture is all about performance. We record it, video it, edit it, and post it.
1 Corinthians 15:10 (ESV)
Paul says he does not need performance to define himself. He is saying he is free from performance because he knows anything he performs is not him it is Gods grace working in him. We cannot build our identity on what we do, we are who we are because of what Christ did and everything we do now is Christ working in us. The light shined on us illuminated us and empowers us.
Q. What area do you need to surrender to God regarding putting your identity in something you do or in your performance?
The Gospel EMPOWERS and ASSIGNS us.
Romans 12:3–4, 6 (ESV)
Paul is saying we have a gift God has measured out and assigned to us according the grace given to us. Now we can rest in our gift, our assignment. When we fulfill the calling according to the measure of grace he put in us, we are set free. We need to rely on the power of God through the Gospel. We need to stop playing the performance game and rest in the grace game. We don’t need to measure up, we don’t need to impress but we do what God has graced us to do.
Q. What gifts do you see in others in your group (Leader: take a moment and go around the room and ask each member to point out one gift they see in another member)?
1 Corinthians 3:10 (ESV)
John 3:27 (ESV)
John knew what he was there to do. He was content with that. We also need to be content in our calling. We don’t need to prove anything to anyone else. God uses us where we don’t think we are strong. He uses us where we think we are weak to set us free from the performance trap. He gives us an assignment we are not naturally gifted for.
Q. Where has God used you where you thought you were not strong to be used in that situation?
The Gospel gives you…
3. FREEDOM from the ACCOMPLISHMENT trap.
We perform so we can accomplish. We say: “Look what I have done”, or “look what I have built,” etc..All that stuff is just a trap. Our accomplishments don’t define who we are. What we have is not ours it is Gods.
1 Corinthians 15:11 (ESV)
Paul is saying it did not matter who preached because the Gospel was preached no matter who preached it. We should not be measuring our impact, it is a trap. We are to do what God has assigned us to do and leave the results in His hands.
Q. What results are you not getting that you are agonizing over where need to surrender them to God (Pastor Tim used the example of our children, maybe they are not following the Lord but you raised them to follow Him, leave the results to him)?
Sermon in a Sentence:
The Gospel sets us free from FOOLISH IDENTITIES, ENDLESS RIVALRY and MEANINGLESS MEASUREMENTS. We are WHO we are by His GRACE not our works.
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