10 May “don’t call it a comeback | part THREE “THE TEST” – Copy
Key Verse: EXODUS 16
ANNOUNCEMENTS
STAY CONNECTED: EVERYONE SHOULD BE SUBSCRIBED TO WATERSCHURCH YOUTUBE CHANNEL, INSTAGRAM AND/OR FACEBOOK PAGE
TUNE INTO WATERSCHURCH.TV FOR SCHEDULED EVENTS TO KEEP YOU INFORMED AND TO ENTERTAIN AND FOR YOUR KIDS TO TEACHINGS FROM WATERS KIDS
Online Giving** Regardless of where and when we will able to gather again, we continue to run our ministries and support our missions which bring the Gospel to a lost and frightened world. We are looking to our church family to continue faithfully giving. For those of you who give manually, please consider giving online at https://waterschurch.org/give/. Otherwise, you can mail checks to Waters Church, 57 John L Dietsch Square North Attleborough, MA 02760 and place your campus’ name in the notation field. We are very thankful for your support and understanding!
LIFE GROUP LIVE ONLINE: Time has changed to Monday’s and Friday’s at 7:00p. If you are interested in hosting let me know.
SGL.WATERSCHURCH.ORG EMAILS: I have created these for some of you (Leaders) so you can use Google Meets (Googles meeting business acct), I will be giving every leader eventually.
41411 – text waterschurch (all one word) to stay updated with info.
ALL CLASSES ARE CHANGING TO BE DONE ONLINE – I WILL GET YOU THAT INFO
Waters Church Facebook Page now has groups set up for each campus and a group set up for Life Groups.
To join the groups, just go to the Waters Church FB page and go to groups and join the ones you want. Make sure you join the Life Group (group) so we can get people interested in joining a Life group. The Heach Coaches and I will be moderating the group and adding topics for discussion.
CLASSES; Baptism class is every 4th Sunday of the Month. at 11:30 / Growth Track runs the first 3 Sundays every month at 11:30 – this is a one and done registrants only need to attend one session / Starting Point runs every 1st and 3rd Sunday at 11:30 – details and descriptions can be found on the registrations which are located under Events on the SGL Hub.
DRIVE-IN PANTRY – MAY 16 IN NORTH ATTLEBORO AND NORWOOD – To register, go to waterschurch.org/events and pick a campus – to help see below!
EMERGENCY FOOD PANTRY ITEMS NEEDED: We had packed over 300 boxes with food and non-Food essentials for the Woonsocket Drive-in pantry and are now in need of items to restock our shelves! We are looking for these items only: Cold cereal, peanut butter and jelly, pasta, rice (1-2 lb bags only please), pasta sauce, mac n cheese, canned veggies, canned fruit, juice (cranberry, grape, apple),, toilet paper, paper towels, diapers sizes 1-5,bar soap, toothpaste, chicken soup, baked beans, snacks, gift cards and of course monetary donations are always accepted, Items can be dropped off anytime in the Main Entrance (Lower Level) inside the outer glass doors. Thank you!
TELEPHONE LIVE STREAMING – this is now available. The number to dial is 1-855-352-9749.
We can’t learn from other people’s experiences. We learn through Real Life Experiences. The wilderness is an experience intended to teach us.
Exodus 16:4
They were three days in the wilderness and starting to grumble and reminisce of the past and thought maybe the old life was not that bad. It is not wise to say that past days are better than these. God does something supernatural and provides bread from heaven. God brings them into the wilderness for a test.
Q. When have you looked back and thought the past was better than your current state?
TRUTH: You can’t just be TOLD to trust God… you have to EXPERIENCE His faithfulness in then wilderness.
We need to go through things to force us to trust God. He had given then Israelites a portion of bread every day to force them to trust him.
In order to grow our TRUST in God – we have to experience the TESTS of life.
Q. What tests has God needed to give you to prove to you he is trustworthy?
1. The REASON for God’s Test = Our GRUMBLING.
Exodus 16:6-9 (ESV)
God sees their spirit and wants to do something about it. They were grumbling which means to express dissatisfaction and failure of a relationship.
Q. What voice has been in your head that has caused you to grumble since Corona?
We need to take our thoughts captive to the obedience of Christ. The new voice will come out stronger, God will be faithful to us. He knows our hearts and wants to do something about it just as he did with the Israelites when the grumbled. He wants to change our hearts and gives us a real test so we can trust him. Trouble makes us stronger. We will come out stronger than before. This could be the best thing for us.
2. The Administration of God’s Test = GOD’S PROVISION.
Exodus 16:13-14 (ESV)
God gives them quail and bread every morning. He wants for them to see his provision in the middle of the wilderness.
Q. How is God showing his faithfulness to you daily (are you seeing it)?
- A.God wanted them to go OUT of their home to get the food.
Exodus 16:16 (ESV)
- B.God wanted them to do this DAILY.
Exodus 16:21 (ESV) Morning by morning they gathered it…
Our habits make us who we are. God wants to create new habits in us, a desire for himself, daily.
C. God wanted them to PRIORITIZE this activity.
Exodus 16:21b (ESV) each as much as he could eat; but when
the sun grew hot, it melted.
If they did not get in the morning they did not see it. They could not wait on it and if they did, it would be gone. We need to get ourselves into God’s word daily. We need to prioritize this, it is the bread from heaven. We need to Open Gods word first.
Q. What is the first thing you do or think in the morning and how can you make his word a priority?
D. God wanted them to SEE the BREAD He provided.
Exodus 16:15 (ESV)
They did not know what the bread was. They did not understand it.
FIRST: The BREAD was not RECOGNIZED.
We need to see the bread. They saw it but did not recognize it.
John 1:10 (NLT)
Jesus came to his own the but the world did not recognize Him.
Q. What is an example of where God had made a way for you, but you did not recognize it as his provision (example: the story of the guy stranded on an island and the boat came by but he refused it not realizing God had sent it and was insistent that God would provide a way off the island)?
SECOND: The BREAD was HUMBLE.
Small and diminutive, the bread was not leavened. Jesus came humbly, born of a poor virgin.
THIRD: The BREAD was PURE and SWEET.
Exodus 16:31 (ESV)
Jesus was pure and sweet, not bitter and mean.
Psalm 34:8 (ESV)
FOURTH: The BREAD was fully SATISFYING.
They ate just enough and all were satisfied fully with the bread from heaven. The manna is a picture of Jesus. The Bible is all about Him, pointing to the provision God has made for us
Exodus 16:18 (ESV); John 6:32–35 (ESV)
Jesus is the true bread.
Q. What void have you tried to fill that only Jesus could satisfy?
3. The GOAL of God’s test = REST.
We have got to work it and then rest it. Like working our muscles and then resting them. Working our minds at school and then resting them.
Exodus 16:5 (ESV); Exodus 16:22–23 (ESV); Exodus 16:25–26 (ESV); Exodus 16:27–29 (ESV)
God insists on us resting. Our bad spirit is the reason for the test, but the goal of the test is rest.
Genesis 2:2 (ESV)
We are made in His image and are called to rest in His work.
Q. How are you resting in the testing (are you finding peace in God’s provision)?
Jesus is the true Bread ,He comes to bring us God’s provision. He is with us. No matter what we don’t have, we always have God. He is enough for us.
WE NEED to PREACH the GOSPEL to OURSELVES DAILY so that we DON’T DESPAIR in what WE are but in how GOOD and GRACIOUS God is.
JESUS PAID FOR YOUR SINS.
Isaiah 53:6 (ESV)
YOU ARE BLESSED BECAUSE YOUR SINS ARE FORGIVEN.
Romans 4:7–8 (ESV)
YOU ARE ALIVE IN CHRIST.
Romans 6:11 (ESV)
“When you set yourself to seriously pursue holiness, you will
begin to realize what an awful sinner you are. And if you are
not firmly rooted in the gospel and have not learned to
preach it to yourself every day, you will soon become
discouraged and will slack off in your pursuit of holiness.” – Jerry Bridges
Q. How do you stir yourself daily (what are ways you preach to yourself so that you don’t despair)?
We can’t always obey so it causes us to be discouraged. But we go back to the manna and see that God is faithful.
God brings me to the wilderness to TRAIN me to TRUST HIM so that when I GRUMBLE or STUMBLE, I find my REST in His finished WORK that brings me back to Him.
No Comments