14 Nov For the Sake of the One | Part 1 “The Church Jesus Enjoys” – All Locations
Announcements:
Thanksgiving Outreach 2021:
We will be passing out TG boxes on Saturday, November 20 at 10:00 at our Woonsocket Location – 1500 Diamond Hill Rd) and SoCo Location (28 Fish Rd). No registration is needed, this will be first come first serve. If you know anyone in need, please send them to one of these locations.
Tuesday Cafe: Starting Tuesday November 16 we will be opening our Cafe for coffee and pastries from 10-1. This will be a great way to connect and meet people! This is not a forum for Life Groups. If you have a life group that meets at this time, please meet at your usual spot. Thank you.
Phil Wickham & special guest, Josh Baldwin, will be performing the Hymn of Heaven Tour at Waters Church North Attleboro on Sat, May 14, 2022!
Pre-sale password: HEAVEN
Ticket link: https://www.ticketweb.com/…/phil-wickham…/11394965…
All announcements can be found at: waterschurch.guide
Our text alert number is 81411. Text ‘waterschurch’ to 81411 to join our text alert system.
The Deep End, the new Deep Dive Bible Study, and 10 questions with Tim are back! Please note that The Deep End will only be available on timhatchlive.com/live. Be sure to like and subscribe to the channel to be notified of each new podcast.
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We are preparing for the holiday season. Christmas services are the best for inviting people to church. Pray and invite someone to church this season. Starting Monday, there will be one devotion per day on social media to guide you to pray for someone to attend church.
This year is the year of ‘Harvest’. Next year’s theme is ‘Come Home’. God wants to bring our sons and daughters home in 2022. There is someone God wants us to reach with the Gospel to the glory of God.
Key Verse Luke 14
SERIES THEME: To SET THE TABLE for the “ONES” the LORD will BRING to Himself this SEASON.
Luke 14 describes a dinner party Jesus was invited to attend. He was invited to a meal hosted by the Pharisees, hardcore religious people, who are watching and examining Him. They invited Jesus to this party to see just who this is upending their nation.
Three Pictures of the Church Jesus annoys (but it is really that Jesus annoys them).
1. The Church Jesus ANNOYS Focuses on RULES that rather than RESTORING.
Luke 14:1-6 (ESV)
They invited this man with dropsy as a set-up. The rules were that you cannot heal on the Sabbath. They wanted to ‘catch’ Jesus breaking the tradition of healing. Before they said anything Jesus read their thoughts and He healed the man then asked them a question and He shuts them up having nothing to say.
We, as Christians, should not see people as a prop in a play but as valuable possessions who God wants to save. The Pharisees practiced religiosity, only accepting those that looked, dressed, and behaved like them. We need rules, rules help us flourish like ‘Don’t commit adultery’. This is a good rule but underneath the rules that God lays out are human traditions. It becomes more about following code rather than Christ. Instead of following the heart of God, some follow the traditions of men. We, as a Church, should be on mission for the heart of God. Some need healing mentally, emotionally, and all of us need healing spiritually.
Q. When have you judged someone based on appearance or behavior having not really known their situation?
2. The Church Jesus ANNOYS Focuses on STATUS rather than SERVING.
Luke 14:7-11(ESV)
The guests wanted to sit close to the person of honor. Jesus tells them to choose the lower place so that when someone else comes the host might give them the place of honor instead. There is a deep spiritual truth here. Jesus is painting a picture of what the Church should be about. We should not be clamoring for position but humbling ourselves because we know how Holy God is. We are to serve others not fight for titles. We can look holy just for ourselves but Jesus sees right through it. The kingdom of heaven is not a ‘me first’ situation. We should be looking out for others not ourselves.
Luke 11:43 (ESV)
Q. When have you been more concerned about popularity as opposed to serving someone (having the appearance of holiness)?
Side Note: Jesus came to HEAL the HURTING and HUMBLE the HAUGHTY.
3. The Church Jesus ANNOYS appeals to INSIDERS rather than OUTSIDERS.
There is a gravitational pull toward the inside of the Church at all times. We are here for a little white, then we want to fill the church with people like us, then we want it to be this way that all of the time. The Church should change, flow, grow, and develop different ways of reaching out.
Luke 14:12-14 (ESV)
We need to fight against the inward nature. These Pharisees only invited their friends so that one day they would be invited to their party. Serving is not doing so we get repaid, that is serving ourselves not others. Jesus wants us to welcome those who are least like us. That is the Savior we serve. Jesus is not made in our image.
Q1. When have you fallen into the trap of being more considerate to people in your crowd other than those in need outside your circle?
Q2. How has it been a blessing when you have done something for someone who could not repay you?
Three Tests of a Church:
#1: Do we love PEOPLE or our PERFORMANCE?
Are we excited to have people regardless of what they are like?
#2: Are we seeking God’s GLORY or OUR OWN?
Is it about Him or us? About His Gospel or our ministry or place?
#3: Are we COMFORTING ourselves or REACHING OUT?
Pastor Tim used an illustration of trash that we bring into church that does not need to be here: Taking not Giving, Hypocrisy (acting one way in church and different outside and not being honest about not having it altogether), Serving self, Apathy (the people around us are our mission field even if we don’t like them), and Religious Pretense. If we are going to be the Church that goes after the ‘one’ we need to get the garbage out. Two ways right off the bat are serving and giving.
*Dec 12 – offering for the best end giving to invest in Tiverton.
Luke 14:15 – 20(ESV)
These are lame excuses.
Luke 14:21 (ESV)
God is ready to move on quickly when some rejects his invitation. God does not need us but wants someone who says ‘use me’.
Q. When has God blessed your life and others lives when you have said ‘use me I am available’?
The Church that Jesus ENJOYS:
1. The Church Jesus ENJOYS Is EAGER for people you don’t EXPECT.
Pray for the person we would least expect to come to Jesus. Pray for them in this 7 days of prayer.
Q. Who might be this person you are praying for?
2. The Church Jesus ENJOYS AKES ROOM for people YOU DON’T YET SEE.
Luke 14:22 (ESV)
We have to be about this as a Church. This is why we launch churches in other places, to make room. We start services that are not packed to make room for people to come. God gave us the exact building we needed for the Covid lockdown. We opened a food pantry in our lobby and when we opened back up we were under the percentages for opening. God saw this!
There was a time ROOM was made for ME.
Someone made room for us to be here and we are going to make room for those after us. The kingdom is about those God sent us to bring the Gospel.
Luke 14:23 (ESV)
Those we invite may feel like they don’t belong, they may not feel worthy, that is where the compelling comes in. We need to make the effort to ask them. Who knows what that person will become, that one on the other side of our invitation.
Q. What is an example of someone used mightily by God because of an invitation to church?
3. The Church Jesus ENJOYS COMPELS the OUTSIDER to COME ON IN.
Luke 14:23 (ESV)
Always Be Inviting. Pray for the person and then compel them (ask them) to come to church.
Hebrews 13:12–13 (ESV)
Sermon in a sentence: The Church Jesus enjoys EAGERLY seeks to reach the UNEXPECTED ONES with the UNDESERVED GRACE of God.
Seven Days of Prayer: Look for the devotions on social media, then pray and compel.
Collective Challenge – As a group, come up with and an outreach idea and execute it this Christmas season. It could be a meal you prepare and deliver, cards you can write to children or elderly in hospital/nursing home, or finding a ‘Grinch’ and doing something nice for them. There are many possibilities, get creative with this! Then video or write down how this impacted you and impacted that person(s) you reached out to and we can share at the next Life Group Leader meeting. Let’s “Be The Church’ and bless as many as we can this season!
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