Worship - God Transforms.

Steve Gentry

[0:00] All right, good morning. If you have your Bibles, let’s get into it. Go ahead and open [0:05] to two different places. Exodus chapter 20, starting in verse 3, and then hold your thumb [0:12] there and open to Romans chapter 1, starting in verse 20. And those are going to be kind [0:18] of the two guiding texts in a marathon of texts, as usual, I guess. But if this is your [0:26] first time here, welcome. My name’s Steve. I’m one of the pastors here. And if you’re [0:31] just catching us or if you’re catching up from being out for a while, we’re on week

[0:36] 10, I think it is, of a series called Doctrine, where we kind of lay out what we believe as [0:42] a church, what we believe God’s Word is about, what we believe the Christian life should [0:47] be lived around. And this morning, we’re going to be specifically talking about the issue [0:53] of worship. Last week, we talked about our identity as a church. What does it mean to [0:58] be part of the Church of Jesus Christ? And then this week is going to be worship, which [1:04] is kind of what do we do in the Christian life? And then next week is going to be about

[1:09] stewardship, which goes from this week’s kind of general about that topic, and then next [1:13] week goes into the specifics of all of our giftings for worship. How do we worship each [1:20] individual with the spiritual gifts coming together? What are the spiritual gifts? And [1:26] we’re going to answer some little maybe controversial questions about the spiritual gifts next [1:32] week. Like what is around today? Some people think all of the spiritual gifts are here. [1:38] Some people think some of them are around. And I’m not going to tell you next week, until

[1:43] next week, what I think, so maybe you’ll show up. But I’m not going to let the cat out of [1:47] the bag right now. But really what this week and next week are about is the topic which [1:52] is in Scripture of sanctification. Sanctification is a word that everyone lives, whether you [2:00] know it or not. But what sanctification really means in the breadth of it is that you are [2:05] set apart for a specific purpose. That your life is set apart for something. And each [2:10] and every one of us has a life that is set apart for a purpose. It’s just kind of the

[2:16] question of worship is, what is your life set apart for? And so what I want to do is [2:22] I want to start this morning by reading a couple of passages in Scripture that we would [2:27] look at as passages that are simply worship taking place. Alright? So I want to start, [2:33] I want to skip the first one for time and go to Psalm 86 and read verses 8 through [2:39] 10. It’ll be up on the screen. The psalmist writes, There is none like you among the gods, [2:45] O Lord, nor are there any works like yours. All the nations you have made shall come

[2:51] and worship before you, O Lord, and shall glorify your name. For you are great and [2:57] do wondrous things. You alone are God. And then just 10 chapters later in Psalm 96, [3:05] starting in verse 9, this is what the psalmist writes, Worship the Lord in splendor of holiness. [3:10] Let the heavens tremble before him, all the earth. Say among the nations, the Lord reigns. [3:16] Yes, the world is established. It shall never be moved. He will judge the peoples with equity. [3:23] Let the heavens be glad and let the earth rejoice. Let the sea roar and all that fills

[3:28] it. Let the field exult and everything in it. Then shall all the trees of the forest [3:33] sing for joy before the Lord. For he comes. For he comes to judge the earth. He will judge [3:40] the world in righteousness and all the peoples in his faithfulness. What you see in those [3:48] texts are really kind of the Psalms are just a collection of what we kind of understand [3:53] as songs written in praise of God. But what you’re looking at there is really outpourings [4:00] of hearts of worship. But I want to look at another end of worship, one that isn’t quite

[4:08] as obvious. Because if you spend any time in church, those are just kind of obvious [4:11] to us. But here are some that are a little less obvious. During 2008 and 2009, now those [4:19] songs were in a couple thousand years ago. Let’s look at some contemporary examples of [4:22] worship now. In 2008 and 2009, we experienced in the United States, and it kind of has spread [4:28] around the world, a financial collapse that most of us had never seen, experienced before [4:33] around the world. During the fallout, banks failing and homes being foreclosed on, we

[4:40] saw executives like CFO David Kellerman of the mortgage firm Freddie Mac at 41 years [4:46] old took his own life rather than face financial ruin, investigation, and personal failure. [4:54] Money manager Karthik Rajaram killed himself, his wife, his three children, and his mother [5:03] in law as he faced unemployment, bankruptcy, and foreclosure, writing that it was more [5:10] honorable to kill his family than let them face life in ruin. Roland Gore of Ocala, [5:17] Florida shot and killed his wife and his dog, then set his house on fire, then killed himself

[5:24] as the bank prepared to, a few minutes from then, foreclose on his home. One of several [5:30] similar cases police in Ocala commented on. That’s just a few of just a rise of suicides [5:40] that we’ve seen since the financial collapse, but what’s not so obvious in those tragic [5:46] cases that we would all call tragedy is those are also outpourings of worship. And we look [6:00] quite right. What I want us to understand though is when we delve into an issue like [6:05] worship, what we’re doing is bringing together everything we have learned thus far about

[6:10] God, scripture, creation, sin, covenant, Jesus, and our identity as his body, and taking look [6:16] at how that all plays out in our lives. How does the gospel change us and what are we [6:21] changed for? As we look at worship, we are looking at something that is exhibited in [6:26] every moment of our lives and something that we must constantly see redemption take place [6:31] in for the rest of our lives. The thing that we don’t understand about worship is it is [6:38] what consumes us as human beings. Worship is not so much something that we do as much

[6:46] as it is something that is a part of what makes us up as humans. When we were created, [6:53] we were created to be in the image of God, and we talked about that weeks ago, where [6:58] the Trinity exists outpouring each person towards the other where the Father will plan, [7:06] the Son will go, and the Spirit will empower, but then the Spirit will point towards the [7:11] Son and the Son will point towards the Father, and it’s called the cosmic dance of the Trinity, [7:17] where there is a constant outpouring towards one another. But what we were created for

[7:24] is to really join in that constant outpouring where we exist to constantly outpour ourselves [7:31] towards the value, the glory, and the worth of God. What you see then happen in the Garden [7:39] of Eden is that Eve and Adam, when they disobeyed God, what they were doing is they were pouring [7:46] themselves out in worship, but towards something other than God. And so that act of rebellion [7:54] was an act of worship. Everything that we do in life lends itself to worship. Worship [8:04] occurs all day, everywhere. Every moment of every day, you are worshiping. Every moment

[8:16] of every day. The question is never if you are worshiping. The question is always what [8:24] are you worshiping? Because we have gotten in this day and age, and I think it’s really [8:29] something that we’ve done for all time, it’s not so much segmented off to us. We’ve gotten [8:32] this idea that worship is an issue of music, or it’s an issue of a service, a worship [8:40] experience, a worship service that we go to. When in all actuality, worship is something [8:44] that is the most foundational aspect of our lives. Whatever it is that we ascribe worth

[8:51] and value to, so much so that it is what we are pursuing as our ultimate in life, as what [8:58] we are pursuing, as that which will bring us satisfaction. That is the very thing, person, [9:05] being, whatever, that you are worshiping. Howard Best, a theologian, put it very well. [9:14] When he wrote that worship is the continuous outpouring of all that I am, all that I do, [9:22] and all that I can ever become in light of a chosen or choosing God. Worship is you [9:32] looking at something and saying that, that is what will make me the happiest. That, that

[9:40] is what will bring me the satisfaction that I so long for in this life. That is the thing [9:47] that will fulfill me. And so what we do is, is we chase that with reckless abandon in [9:54] our days, in our nights, in our dreams. You see, what we saw during the financial collapse [10:02] when so many people began to be investigated, when so many banks were seen to be giving [10:07] lavish bonuses to people that we did not believe deserved them, and then you see [10:13] the investigations happen, even in the Bernie Madoff scandal where his son is found out

[10:18] to possibly be a part of it, and before the police can even go interview him, they found [10:21] him hanging. It is because they spent their lives pursuing a God that ruined them. And [10:36] when that God was taken away, when they looked at a life without that object, without that [10:44] fulfillment that they had sought and continued to seek, so much so that it corrupted them [10:49] to their very core, they made the decision that life is not worth living without it. [10:58] And their God failed them. You see, we are not unlike them. We are not like them. We

[11:06] are like them. I think that we think we are. We say, that would never be me. But the fact [11:13] of the matter is, is in the life of sin, worship still defines us. The question is, is what [11:21] God are you pursuing? What God am I pursuing? What is it that I believe will fulfill me? [11:28] What is it that I believe will satisfy me? In the book of Exodus chapter 20, which is [11:32] kind of where we started today, we see God give the nation of Israel the Ten Commandments. [11:37] He starts the Ten Commandments this way. He says, you shall have no other gods before

[11:41] me. God has revealed himself. He has rescued them out of the land of Egypt. He has brought [11:48] them, and he is telling them, I am going to take you to the promised land. He calls Moses [11:52] up, and he begins to lay out for the nation of Israel how it is that they are to live. [11:59] And number one, he says, basically, I am God. Nobody else can come before me. Nobody else [12:07] can take my place. So don’t pursue other gods. He says, you shall not make for yourself [12:14] a carved image or any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the

[12:18] earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth. You shall not bow down to them [12:23] or serve them, for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God. Visiting the iniquity of [12:30] the fathers and the children to the third and the fourth generation of those who hate [12:34] me. We see him give this to the nation of Israel, and we see something very interesting [12:43] that as soon as Moses receives this and goes down to offer those we look at as the Ten [12:51] Commandments to Israel, what does he find Israel doing? As soon as Israel thinks that

[12:58] Moses is dead up on the mountain because he has been up there a little too long for them, [13:03] they immediately disobey the first and second commandment. Moses finds them dancing as they [13:10] are people around a golden calf. Now, they chose a calf because calves in that day and [13:17] even today look like prosperity to me as a fat man, looks like a big juicy steak. So [13:24] you might say, why would they choose a cow? Because cows are delicious. That’s why. They [13:30] just are. So he finds them doing that. So immediately we see one very important thing

[13:36] that we have to understand as human beings. We cannot even obey the first most objective [13:44] thing that God tells us to do as a people, not even for a moment. And it’s not that [13:51] God gives this and then he’s like, oh my goodness, Israel’s already disobeying my first most [13:57] fundamental commandment. No, God knows what Israel’s doing because he knows that that [14:05] which we build our lives on is that which we start with. And so he starts from the beginning [14:12] of the Ten Commandments with that which will define the rest of the commandments.

[14:18] That once we build a foundation on something other than the true God, that everything else [14:26] will fall apart because once we crumble there, once that is seen as having the slightest [14:33] chink in the armor, everything else is really negotiable. Because as we’ve seen in crimes [14:41] and in the financial collapse and in everything else, as soon as we define our God, we will [14:47] do anything to grab a hold of it, even if it makes us compromise our character. Tim [14:59] Keller in his book, Counterfeit Gods, gives us great example, and I’m on a rabbit trail

[15:02] right now so I apologize, but he gives us great example in The Lord of the Rings that [15:07] JRR Tolkien wrote. But that really, if you’ve seen those films, the thing that you understand [15:12] about The Lord of the Rings is that, and this is something that Gandalf says, he says, [15:16] it’s not so much that the ring does anything that’s not already in us, but rather it exposes [15:21] our weaknesses. Because you see people want that powerful ring that will somehow give [15:28] them power to really control the world for very good reasons, whether it be to save their

[15:33] people from ruin or to help the world. And what happens is that in that thing, you’re [15:39] seeing that it’s their God that to save a nation like one man wanted to save, but he [15:46] wants the ring so that he can do it, but you see that in seeking to do that, he’s willing [15:50] to compromise everything else to achieve that goal. And that’s what the gods that so easily [15:57] have said us will do. It exposes us for who we are, just as the Ten Commandments exposes [16:05] us for who we are. See, the Ten Commandments was never supposed to be a morality that

[16:10] we could build our lives on so that we could obey God, but rather it was to be a flashlight [16:14] onto what already exists in our soul, and that is sin. Because you see in Romans chapter [16:22] 1, that other text that I asked you to hold yourself on, this is what we read, starting [16:26] in verse 20. For his invisible attributes, namely his eternal power and divine nature, [16:32] have been clearly perceived ever since the creation of the world and the things that [16:36] have been made. So they are without excuse. For although they knew God, they did not

[16:41] honor him as God or give thanks to him, but they became futile in their thinking, and [16:46] their foolish hearts were darkened. Claiming to be wise, they became fools and exchanged [16:50] the glory of the immortal God for images resembling mortal man and birds and animals and creeping [16:56] things. Therefore, God gave them up in the lusts of their hearts to impurity, to the [17:03] dishonoring of their bodies amongst themselves, because they exchanged the truth about God [17:08] for a lie and worship and serve the creature rather than the creator who is blessed forever.

[17:16] Amen. [17:18] What we see in this text is a very important truth, that God alone is talking about the [17:27] world. Secondly, worship is ultimately reserved for God alone. Nothing else is to be worshiped, [17:34] Him alone. But what we have done and what we do each and every one of us is that we [17:40] believe alike because we are born into this sinful world and we begin to see things around [17:46] us that kind of say, I’ll give you that satisfaction that nothing else can offer. We will believe

[17:52] it and then we will pursue it. And what Romans 1 says is that there has been this great [17:58] exchange where we as a people have exchanged that which was true, that which was objective, [18:06] that God alone is to be the definer of our lives and the source of our satisfaction, [18:12] the source of our fulfillment. And rather, we have believed that something else will [18:19] do that. [18:21] In Deuteronomy chapter 8, and it will be up on the screens, but I’ll just kind of summarize

[18:26] it for you very quickly, God tells the nation of Israel after He gives them the Ten Commandments, [18:31] He says, I’m taking you in to the promised land and I’m going to give you blessings [18:36] of prosperity. But then He says, when you receive those blessings, when you receive [18:42] that prosperity, there’s going to be a temptation inside of you that is going to want to take [18:48] the credit away from me. You’re going to want to look at your gardens, you’re going [18:53] to want to look at your cattle, you’re going to want to look at your homes, and you’re

[18:57] going to want to say, look at what we have done, look at what I did by my power and [19:01] my might. And God says that is when you will begin to fail as a people because it’s not [19:11] by your hand, but rather it is by me giving it to you.

[19:17] And in Jeremiah chapter 2, we see the ultimate demise of Israel when the prophet Jeremiah [19:24] writes, has a nation changed its gods even though they are no gods? But my people have [19:31] changed their glory for that which does not profit. Be appalled, O heavens, at this. Be [19:36] shocked, be utterly desolate, declares the Lord, for my people have committed two evils. [19:41] They have forsaken me, the fountain of living waters, and hewed out cisterns for themselves, [19:48] broken cisterns that can hold no water. See, in that day, a cistern is like a well or

[19:54] a chalice even that can hold water. And God says, I’m the living water, I’m the source [20:00] of all of life, and you are going away from me to gods that don’t even exist, gods that [20:06] cannot satisfy, and you are attempting to pour water into a glass that has no bottom.

[20:16] It can’t do it. It can’t bring you the satisfaction that you so want. But yet you pursue it with [20:26] all that you are. God says, when I am there, the very source of living water, yet you do [20:33] not seek me. You see, we as a people have disobeyed God. We’ve chased after other gods.

[20:49] And sometimes we look at Israel and we’re like, but they had gods like Baal, they had [20:54] the golden calf, they had, you know, these gods that they built statues for. That’s [21:03] like Hinduism or Buddhism where they build shrines and in Hinduism they even have entire [21:08] temples devoted to these shrines where they’ll bring rice to a god that can’t eat it every [21:13] single day. You see, we don’t do that. We may not disobey the second commandment so [21:23] much as we disobey the first and just skip over that one. We don’t build gods, we own

[21:27] them because our gods typically define just lifestyles for us. And I want to kind of [21:35] give us a list before I get to anything else because what I want us to do before we talk [21:40] about redemption is I want us to really be honest with ourselves, really take a look [21:44] at our lives and say, what are my gods? What are the idols that I am building my life upon [21:51] that I am pursuing? Because let me be honest, I know some of you and you are idolaters. [21:58] You know what I am too. So what are a few of those gods? The first god that I kind

[22:06] of see and some of these are just ones that I’ve noticed, I made this list, it’s not [22:09] perfect, it’s self-fulfillment. In self-fulfillment we just believe and we chase after this kind [22:17] of idea that if I could do this or if I could be that or if I could have this, I’ll [22:24] be fulfilled. And then sometimes we get there and we have to pick another one because we [22:31] ultimately find that we’re not fulfilled in our marriage. We thought if we just got a [22:36] husband or a wife, eh, still not fulfilled. I need a hobby now. So we go to the gym 17

[22:43] hours a day or we eat 7 Big Macs. I don’t know what it is, but self-fulfillment fails. [22:50] Second one is money. Go to high school. I dare you and say, what do you want to do [22:55] when you grow up? 50% of the answers, I don’t know, just lots of money. It’s the cure for [23:01] everything that ails you. It’s money. Security. If I could just be absolutely certain that [23:11] nothing bad will happen to me, I’m good. There’s diseases out there. Financial ruin, [23:19] I don’t want that. I just want to be able to pay my bills. I don’t want to be rich,

[23:22] so money’s not my idol. If I could just be secure, if I could just make sure that all [23:27] the bills are paid and I’ve got a savings account and I’ve just got a little bit, money’s [23:31] still kind of the idol there, but you just call it something else. If I could just be [23:35] sure my spouse will never leave me, if I could just be sure my children are always safe, [23:43] if I could just be secure, I don’t want to get that pink slip on Monday, I’ll be devastated.

[23:51] Our fame. We’re even honest about this when we have a show, American Idol. If I could [23:59] just be famous, I have those people on TV that are constantly wracked with controversy [24:06] and problems. If I could just be like one of them, uh, I’m not so sure that’s a good [24:12] idea. Some of us just want attention. Look at Facebook statuses. Look at me. Just look [24:23] at me. Anyone? How many people will like this status? Even better. Can I get some comments? [24:32] Look at me. That’s what we want. Attention. It will fulfill me. If I can just be noticed.

[24:42] Let’s keep going. Ooh, leisure. If I could just never do anything, I’m going to be a [24:54] ! Yeah, I know you’re idle now. If I could just sit in the Lazy Boy and watch those bowl [25:00] games and no one bother me. Leisure is just, it’s this idea that heaven is us doing nothing [25:11] forever. And ever, and maybe there will be cable, because that will really accomplish [25:16] it. Success. If I could just get that pink slip on Monday, I’ll be devastated. I don’t [25:23] want promotion. If I could just get another degree, if I could just have this title,

[25:30] if I could just make this deal, if I could just be successful. Beauty. This of course [25:41] is kind of a subjective one because it’s different for all of us. But if I could just look like [25:46] that person on the fitness magazine, male or female, if I could just be what I am, [25:53] what everybody else says is beautiful, I’ll be happy. I’ll be fulfilled. I’ll be satisfied. [26:03] How about control? I’m a man so I get this one. Everybody needs to do everything you [26:12] say and everything that you think and it will all just work out. Oh, she did it this way.

[26:21] That’s not the way I wanted it done. Honey, we need to talk. You didn’t fold my shirt [26:28] two ways. You see how I fold it? That’s how it goes. Don’t do it the other way. Oh, you [26:36] use that kind of detergent. Good, I’m going to enjoy breaking out. It’s just a silly [26:43] example of a really big problem that a lot of men and women, this isn’t just a single [26:50] problem, men and women have. We want to be in control and when we lose that feeling [26:56] of control, when something happens outside of our five-year plan that was ironclad, well,

[27:03] it’s just chaos. Let’s not let that happen. This is my least favorite to talk about, this [27:11] final one, but I want to be honest with you. Family. For a single person, this manifests [27:20] itself in believing that if you could just find that perfect spouse, if you could just [27:25] get someone to love you, you’d be satisfied, you’d be secure, you’d be fulfilled. Or if [27:33] you’re married, if you could just have kids that will be perfect in every single way, [27:44] never disappoint you. People ask you to do this thing or that thing. No, sorry. I’ve

[27:51] got to devote 17 million hours a week to just staring at my family or else they’ll all [27:58] fall apart. Or if you’re a wife, your husband needs to go do this thing or that thing, [28:07] even if it’s a good thing, if it’s a church thing, if it’s something that will further [28:10] the gospel. He was gone two nights this week and we didn’t get to watch Keeping Up with [28:16] the Kardashians yet. Together. He doesn’t even like that show, but he has to be there [28:21] when I watch it. We’re not a good family, are we? So then we have kids and well, we

[28:30] got to put them in 17 sports because the only way that they’ll be happy in life is [28:36] if they can accomplish the stuff I didn’t when I was younger. Or if they could just [28:43] make honor roll, if they could just get into this school. Here’s a problem. Do you notice [28:53] the most interesting thing about that list that I find? And then it goes on. This is [28:59] not an exhaustive list, by the way. There’s more that I couldn’t even crack. None of [29:05] these things by themselves or even as a list are bad things. I went out of my way not

[29:14] to put anything like seriously sinful because those can be idols too, but I think this [29:19] is how deceived we can become. You see, this is what Timothy Keller has to say about this [29:28] list and some lists like it. He says, the human heart takes good things like a successful [29:33] career, love, material possessions, even family, and turns them into ultimate things. Our [29:40] hearts deify them as the center of our lives because we think they can give us significance [29:46] and security, safety, and fulfillment if we attain them. He goes on to say, an idol is

[29:53] whatever you look at and say in your heart of hearts, if I have that, then I’ll feel [30:01] my life has meaning. Then I’ll know I have value. Then I’ll feel significant and secure. [30:07] There are many ways to describe that kind of relationship to something, but perhaps [30:11] the best one is worship. See, like I said, all day, every day, you’re worshiping. You [30:23] see, the question is, what are you worshiping? You see, we don’t need golden calves. We [30:32] don’t need a share of poles from the Old Testament. We don’t need Hindu statues. Because while

[30:39] those are false gods, even without those, we’ll create a multitude of others and just [30:46] call it the American dream. You see, we are all idols. We are all idols. We are all idols. [30:53] We are all idolaters. John Calvin once said that the human heart is an idol factory because [31:00] it’s sinful. We have exchanged the worship of God for the worship of creation, and that [31:08] was never supposed to be the way that we lived our lives. And the problem is, you must not [31:16] continue to do so. But we have been separated from God by our sin, but the beauty is, what

[31:23] we talked about a couple of weeks ago, God has come to tear down the wall of idolatry [31:29] in our lives. In Ephesians chapter 2, we read this.

[31:37] But now in Christ Jesus, you who once were far off have been brought near by the blood [31:42] of Christ, for he himself is our peace, who has made us both one and has broken down [31:48] in his flesh the dividing wall of hostility by abolishing the law of commandments expressed [31:54] in ordinances, that he might create in himself one new man in place of the two, so making [32:00] peace and might reconcile us both to God in one body through the cross, thereby killing [32:06] the hostility. And he came and preached peace to you who were far off in peace to those

[32:12] who were near. See, the issue is that that commandment that really kind of defines all [32:19] the other ones, that there are supposed to be no gods before him, what that does is it [32:25] simply exposes my idolatry. It does not fix the problem. [32:31] Because I look at that constantly, and I have in my life, and I’ve said, I’m not going to [32:36] do that anymore. I’m going to stop. I’m tough enough. I’m good enough. I can stop worshipping [32:42] false gods. And then that pursuit in itself becomes a false god of religion, that I can

[32:52] clean myself up, that I can somehow at the end of the day hope to scrub off that which [32:58] is inside of me, which is sin. See, my hope is not in simply, I don’t want [33:06] to, identifying the false gods and staying away from them. Because then in staying away [33:11] from them, I then begin to worship myself as being good enough. Which the scripture [33:18] exposes as not being true. But rather, my only hope in worship is believing and trusting [33:31] that Jesus has killed the idolatry from within. And created inside of me a new heart that

[33:45] finds its fulfillment and satisfaction in God. And constantly trusting, finding meaning, [33:53] and finding identity in him. Because even in trusting him, I can find [34:01] the truth. I haven’t crossed over to eternity yet. I’m still in this physical life, and [34:06] I still have that temptation inside of me to worship false gods just like you do. And [34:14] Jesus keeps calling me back to himself over and over again, and saying, trust me, I have [34:21] done the work that you cannot do. I will be your identity. All that security that you

[34:28] seek in false gods can be found in me, because I can be trusted above each and every one [34:34] of those false gods that will fail you over and over and over again. Someone once asked [34:41] Norman Rockefeller, one of the richest men in American history, how much money would [34:45] be enough? And he said, just one more dollar. He couldn’t find that satisfaction. There [34:52] was no amount that would be enough. And maybe you think in your head, I know what would [34:56] be enough for me, a student loans. That would be enough. It won’t be. You won’t be ultimately

[35:03] satisfied no matter what happens in your life, because you will constantly be pushed and [35:08] prodded by that sin that so easily besets you, and that defines you, until you stop [35:15] finding your identity in yourself, and begin to find your identity in the person and work [35:22] of Jesus Christ. That is the only thing that will kill idolatry. It says it this way in [35:30] Colossians chapter 3. Set your mind on things that are above, not on things that are on [35:36] earth, for you have died and your life is hidden with Christ in God. When Christ, who

[35:45] is your life, appears, then you also will appear with Him in glory. Put to death, therefore, [35:53] what is earthly in you, sexual immorality, impurity, passion, evil desire, and covetousness, [35:58] which is idolatry. You see, the put to death, those idols, is defined by Jesus. When you [36:11] find your identity in Christ, that alone is when you can begin to kill your idols. And [36:19] you must kill them. They must die. No matter how wholesome the idol may seem to you, it’s [36:31] not Jesus. It’s not God. Therefore, you were not designed to worship it, and it was not

[36:38] designed to fulfill you. No matter how hard you pursue it, no matter how passionate you [36:46] are about it, the passion for that thing is the sin that keeps you from the ultimate [36:55] satisfaction that you were designed for, because you were not created to trust anything other [37:01] than God. So worship, therefore, is inevitably an issue of trust.

[37:07] See, in that text in Colossians, and then in that text we read before that, that in [37:14] Ephesians, I couldn’t remember it, in Ephesians, what those texts are telling us is that our [37:20] lives are being built on foundations. Everything in it is this foundation, no matter what that [37:27] God is. And when we’ve built it on a false foundation, what we are furthering is the [37:34] full of sin in our lives. You may say to yourself, well, you don’t understand. Giving [37:40] yourself wholeheartedly and fully over to the good of my children is not a bad God.

[37:48] On paper, it may not seem that way, but what you don’t realize is what you’re doing that [37:54] way. Excuse me, what you’re doing through that. See, back in Exodus, when we read in [37:59] Exodus chapter 20, we saw that in the end when he said that when you put other gods [38:03] before him, the iniquity of that is crossed over to the third and fourth generation. [38:07] See, that is not so much in this day in the age of Jesus. It’s not so much a law where [38:12] God is cursing you over and over again and your kids are screwed. No, that’s not so

[38:17] much what he’s saying as much as I believe that there’s just a bit of logic at work there, [38:22] as I believe all of scripture is a bit of logic. When you give yourself wholeheartedly [38:29] to your spouse and you just pursue them and you give them everything they could ever have [38:36] and you just love them and you convince them they’re beautiful all the time, which, husbands, [38:40] is not a bad thing until it becomes an ultimate thing. Your wife is beautiful, trust me. Wait [38:45] a second, that didn’t come out right. My wife is beautiful-er. That’s not right either

[38:52] because I just called your wife ugly. But in the end, my foot’s in my mouth all day [38:56] anyway, so let’s just forget it. Well, you have to understand, when you do that, what [39:03] you’re doing is you are creating a false god who then is going to create another false [39:08] god. See, when I make my wife my entire world, I’m convincing her she’s the entire world. [39:20] Well, then I’ve created a monster who will turn on me when I can’t do enough for her, [39:31] which I get tired sometimes, so that can happen. When your children, oh, they just define

[39:38] me. What a terrible thing to say. They just define me. Man, I get the best kids in the [39:50] world. But when I look at him and I see my world and I just pour everything that I have [39:54] and I just give myself over completely, nothing’s left for anything else, I’d like you to come [40:02] meet him when he’s 19 and he thinks he’s the world. The problem is that some of you are [40:12] giving yourself over fully to some other person or thing and you’re saying that’s the world [40:17] and some of you think you’re the world. Some of you are idolaters and some of you have

[40:24] turned yourselves into idols. You either can’t do enough for that other person or you can’t [40:33] have enough done for you. Either way, you need to stop finding your identity in that [40:38] and begin to understand that the gospel is the only thing that will bring you to a place [40:44] of true worship. Jesus alone commands your destiny and your identity and in anything [40:53] else you are falsely worshiping that which is not God. It is a cycle that will continue [41:03] until you break it with true trust in the gospel of Jesus Christ. You say, wait a second,

[41:14] so I’m supposed to stop doing things for my wife? No! I’m supposed to stop doing anything [41:22] for my children? No! Here’s what I’m saying, the only hope that your spouse, male or female, [41:33] the only thing that your children will ever find hope in is you finding your hope in [41:40] the gospel alone. Because then the cycle is broken and you are preaching the gospel [41:48] of Jesus Christ to another sinner that so desperately needs it through your actions [41:54] as well as your attitudes. You no longer find your fulfillment in anything else but Jesus

[42:00] and you pass that on because trust me kids and trust me parents, your children must find [42:05] their identity in Jesus. They’re sinners too. Your spouse is a sinner in desperate [42:12] need of Jesus. Your co-workers are sinners in desperate need of Jesus and they do not [42:18] need to see a person who has the same values and is finding their identity in the same [42:25] things as they are. Rather they need to see someone that stops the cycle of idolatry and [42:35] finds their identity in Jesus. That is where hope is found. Too often we boil worship

[42:51] down to a type of music or a type of service. When worship is about our hearts. Too often [43:02] we boil worship down to a feeling that we either have or don’t have. Worship is about [43:14] a heart of obedience and love and trust in Jesus Christ.

[43:23] In Philippians chapter 4 Paul pens this, which I believe is one of the greatest worship passages [43:31] in scripture. He says, I rejoiced in the Lord greatly that now at length you’ve revived [43:38] your concern for me. You were indeed concerned for me but you had no opportunity to help [43:43] me is the idea. Not that I am speaking of being in need for I have learned in whatever [43:48] situation I am to be content. I know how to be brought low and I know how to abound in [43:57] any and every circumstance. I have learned the secret of facing plenty and hunger, abundance

[44:05] and need. I can do all things through him who strengthens me. When Paul penned this [44:14] he was in prison. Not simply in prison waiting to be released but rather he was in the prison [44:22] room awaiting his coming execution. He knew this. To the church at Philippi he writes [44:34] a passage in which he says, no matter what’s happening in my life, no matter if I have [44:40] need, no matter if I have abundant resources, no matter if I have wealth, no matter if [44:46] I have poverty, no matter if I’m full because I got that steak, or no matter if I’m hungry

[44:51] because all I had was crackers. He says I have found how to be content because I know [45:04] God. See the reason that the gospel can be trusted is not simply that it’s from God [45:13] but that the greatest gift of the gospel like Ephesians 2 said is the gift of a relationship [45:19] with God. Paul writes, as long as I have God I have all that I need. So when we read the [45:27] Psalms, when we read them and we look at them and we say how do they feel that way because [45:33] I never feel that way. You have to understand they’re not sitting and penning this in a

[45:40] moment that just came up by accident. But rather they’re living a life like Paul was [45:48] in which he was giving himself over more and more to the abundance that is God, finding [45:55] more and more fulfillment in him, finding more and more satisfaction from him, and [46:01] giving more and more of himself over to him. And then as he continued to do this, most [46:08] often in Paul’s life, things didn’t get easier, they got harder to the point where he’s about [46:14] to have his head chopped off because he was preaching the gospel. In that he doesn’t

[46:21] look to God and say how dare you, but rather he says I’m about to meet you. That’s good [46:30] to live as Christ and to die as gain. He says I’ve found that no matter what’s happening [46:37] in this life I have God. And he says, I have God. And he says, I have God. And he says, [46:45] that’s not an emotional high. That’s not a feeling of good. That’s a deep rooted trust [46:56] in the truth of the gospel.

[47:02] You see last week, weeks before that, we looked at the church and we said that the church [47:06] exists for the mission of Jesus, but the how is that our true worship like Paul had, our [47:13] worship of God propels that mission in our lives. Mission isn’t about seeking a feeling. [47:23] Mission is not about seeking a moment. Mission is about living a life. Mission is about [47:29] looking at Revelation chapter 7 verses 9 when John gets this revelation of the throne of [47:36] God, and he says, after this I looked and behold a great multitude that no one could

[47:41] number from every nation, from all tribes and peoples and languages standing before [47:47] the throne and before the lamb clothed in white robes with palm branches in their hands [47:52] and crying out with a loud voice, salvation belongs to our God who sits on the throne [47:57] and to the lamb.

[48:02] See mission is that we see that picture. We see that vision of the end of time as we know [48:11] it. In the beginning of the kingdom as God knows it and saying that’s the vision for [48:17] my life, that is where I’m going. See worship is the ends of mission and the mission is [48:25] the means by which God will accomplish this. And in this current day he looks to us and [48:31] says do you want to worship me? Do you want to worship me? Do you want to worship me? [48:36] He says then trust me, even when life’s not looking great, even when the times are hard,

[48:43] even when you don’t think that you have all that you want, even when you don’t feel beautiful, [48:48] even when your kids are screwing up and your wife doesn’t love you exactly the way that [48:52] you want to be loved in exactly the form that you think you deserve it, even when that’s [48:57] not happening, trust me, trust me, because this is where history’s going. [49:06] And that is where you must find your delight if you trust the gospel. Because if you don’t, [49:22] then you are left with a life in pursuit of granders and feelings and treasures.

[49:36] That will never ever satisfy you. So where are your gods? What are you pursuing?

[49:51] Jesus has accomplished every pursuit that will ever satisfy you. Trust him, trust him. [50:02] And in his mission, how you use your time, how you use your financial resources, and [50:15] how you expel your energy for the gospel in your family, your friendships, and especially [50:29] in your church community reveals where your heart is worshiping. [50:40] And what it takes to get you off that track is what Jesus seeks to redeem you from. Trust [50:51] him.

[50:53] As the band comes up, there’s so much more that we’re going to cover in groups this [50:59] week, so please go to them. As they come up, we’re going to reflect on a time of communion. [51:07] And this really, what communion is, is a time of tangible worship that God has given us [51:14] so that we can in a moment with others express repentance or a change in our lives. [51:22] Of who our God is. To the real God. That’s Jesus Christ. [51:29] If you’re a follower of Jesus, I invite you to come forward and partake and reflect on

[51:36] his death and his resurrection. If you’re not a follower of Jesus, I say please don’t.

[51:44] But if today you’re in a place where you don’t feel like you can partake of communion this [51:49] morning, understand that we’re not judging you. You’re not going to be chastised here. [51:54] This is a safe place of worship. Rather, we simply invite you to experience continued [52:01] redemption in your life. Continued love for Jesus and one of the ways that he gave us [52:08] to express that inside of our hearts is through communion. Very important aspect of worship. [52:15] But if you feel that there’s something keeping you from this table this morning, up here,

[52:21] back there. If you feel that there’s an idolatry in you that you want to kill but you don’t [52:27] know how, I’d love to talk to you. I’d love to pray with you and for you. Your hope’s [52:43] in the back. Jesus loves you no matter who you’re following, but he’s done everything [52:50] you need so that you can follow him.