Renewing Our Center 2nov2014

8/10/2019 Renewing Our Center 2nov2014

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RENEWING OUR CENTER

Every now and then we need to take some time and ask how our

lives are centered. What is it that we live for Who are we most

!assionate a"out What takes #reatest !riority in our life $ow

does what I do% re&ect my love and devotion for what means most

to me 'nd most of us who come to worshi!% would like to "elieve

that God himself is whom we live for. There are those times in life

when we sim!ly need to !ause and (renew our center%( )) "ein#

focused on the *ord.

This morning were going to compare Self Centered People to

Christ Centered People so that we can learn the difference and

hopefully walk away from this message with a desire to be a

Christ Centered Person!

Today Well look at the comparisons of being SELF

CENTERE !s" C#R$ST CENTERE"

These two battle each other in the life of the Christian every day! And

yes Christians can be a self centered as anyone else! n fact" sometimes

they are! #e can claim to ge a Christian" which most of do" and still live a

life that is self centered!

$eing C%&ST C'(T'&') is the antithesis of the path the world is on" itis diametrically opposed to the way the world lives %ere is the word that

describes the world * S'+, C'(T'&') S'+, C'(T'&') is the

essential bias of the unregenerate heart and it is the potential weakness of

the regenerate heart ,or the unsaved" life is lived rather selfishly (o matter

what garments of humanistic philanthropy or benevolence they may cloak it

in" it is" never the less" S'+, C'(T'&') S'+, C'(T'&') living is self

damaging in the short term" and ultimately self destroying in the long term

Salvation is -ods way of turning you from a S'+, C'(T'&')" self


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damaging and self destroying life to a C%&ST C'(T'&') way of life

+iving a Christ centered life is neither form nor method" it is source


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+. IN E'C$ O, U- I- ' (-EE O, RE*IGION.( There are many di/erent

reli#ions around this world today. There are also many di/erent thin#s

that !eo!le will !lace their faith in. One way to 0nd out who you

worshi! is "y askin# how do you s!end your time. What is it that you

are !assionate a"out 1any !eo!le live for their 2o"s. -ome !eo!le are

!assionate a"out makin# money% or "ein# noticed. Others worshi!

their family. There isn3t anythin# they would not do for their children.

The a!ostle 4aul makes the claim that inside every human "ein# is a

knowled#e of God and that we had "etter "e careful with that

knowled#e% "ecause we have "een created to worshi! him5 (The wrath

of God is "ein# revealed from heaven a#ainst all the #odlessness and

wickedness of men who su!!ress the truth "y their wickedness% since

what may "e known a"out God is !lain to them% "ecause God has

made it !lain to them. ,or since the creation of the world God3s

invisi"le 6ualities )) his eternal !ower and divine nature )) have "een

clearly seen% "ein# understood from what has "een made% so that men

are without e7cuse( Rom. +8+9%:;. The $eidel"er# Catechism% a

reformed confession s!eaks to the heart% with its "e#innin# 6uestion5

(What is your only comfort in life and in death There is another

reformed confession from the 4res"yterian Church% called the

Westminster Confession and it "e#ins with this 6uestion5 (What is the

chief end of man( 'nd the answer is5 (That I may #lorify God and

en2oy him forever( The soul !ur!ose of every man% women and child

is to #lorify God and en2oy hm forever. We have "een created to


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worshi! God and have him in the center of our lives.


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God attem!tin# to restore himself as man3s center. ,irst8 (@ou shall

have no other #ods "efore me.( I often marveled at the thunderstorms

descri"ed in 4salm :9. $ave you ever "een cam!in# in a tent% when

the weather was hot and haAy and humid% creatin# a !retty #oodatmos!here for thunderstorms 1ost !eo!le welcome storms then

"ecause they are often followed "y cooler air that cleans out the

humidity. Ima#ine "ein# in a tent where the thunder clouds decide to

!ark ri#ht over to!. The sounds of clashin# thunder are deafenin#. 'nd

there is always the threat of li#htenin# strikin# down "ranches and

trees and landin# who knows where. That could "e a very fri#htenin#

e7!erience.


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1oses was receivin# this second commandment $e made Israel a

#olden calf. What could some of our #olden calves "e today( I have a

hunch that our televisions could serve as #olden calves today% "ecause

we s!end an awful lot of time "owin# in front of our televisions. In thethird commandment God says5 (@ou shall not misuse my nameB( God

wants to "e taken seriously% and that includes anyone who uses his

name% and anyone who calls themselves a (Christian.( 'nd fourth8

(O"serve the -a""ath ayB( '#ain% this has everythin# to do with

kee!in# God at our center. 'nd God #ave many instructions

surroundin# -a""ath rest. In hearin# these four commandments%

instead of restorin# our center% what we 6uickly come to realiAe is how

far we3ve "een !ushed o/ from center.

>. GO3- *'W REE'*- $OW ,'R O,, WE 'RE. In our day to day

routine% we seem to have limited worshi! to what ha!!ens in the

church on -undays. It3s no wonder that the church has allowed worshi!

wars to distract their attention from almi#hty God. 1any #rew u! with

a rhythm of #oin# to church twice on -undays "ut today many more

"elieve that it3s enou#h to #o to church even once a month.

enominational !u"lishin# houses are "ein# careful how they structure

their church school materials% realiAin# that teachers no lon#er commit

themselves to "ein# in church every -unday for an entire season. D

satellite tv) Indonesia a lot of !ro#rammes% re#ardin# "i"le% they

!refer to watch it rather than #o watch tv.

Go to a s!orts "ar on any #iven ,riday evenin# and listen to the

conversations that are takin# !lace with the !eo!le around the ta"le


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ne7t to you. What kind of lan#ua#e is "ein# used These are ordinary

!eo!le in an ordinary !lace% more often than not% youn#er !eo!le and

sin#le youn# adults lookin# for a !lace to han# out. The lan#ua#e that

they use or don3t use will tell you very 6uickly whether God is even intheir lives let alone how much he is centered in their "ein#. There are

an overwhelmin# ma2ority of !eo!le who sim!ly do not see the need to

worshi! God% let alone !lace him in the center of our lives. (The fool

says in his heart% There is no God3 They are corru!t% their deeds are

vile5 there is no one who does #ood.( F4salm +>8+ Today3s academic

culture has !laced self in the center. We are a self)centered culture that

has !ushed God outside of our circles% and !laced him on the sidelines

of life. Universities and schools have no !lace for God. Courts and

2udicial systems have no !lace for God. The "usiness world is very

tou#h to work and com!ete in and has an entire "usiness ethic of its

own. Television news s!ecialiAes in "roadcastin# chan#e and unrest

and fear. Commercials "reed dissatisfaction with what you have. 'nd

when we read God3s law a#ainst our !resent day to day life% it has a

way of revealin# 2ust how far o/ center our culture has "ecome. 'nd

that3s the very reason =esus came into this world% to renovate our

hearts.

H. =E-U- C'1E TO RENO'TE OUR $E'RT-. $e came to reali#n our

or"it. $e came to reintroduce us to our ,ather in heaven and reconcile

with him. When asked what was the #reatest commandment to man%

this was the *ord3s res!onse. (The most im!ortant one%( answered=esus is this8 ($ear% ; Israel% the *ord our God% the *ord is one. (*ove

the *ord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all

your mind and with all your stren#th.( F1ark +:8?; What3s interestin#

is that =esus did not talk a"out somethin# that we needed to do


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e7ternally. Nor did he talk a"out thin#s that we had to make sure that

we did not do. Instead% he focused on our insides% on our most "asic

structures and characteristics of humanity. $e talked a"out the need to

transform our insides. =esus "rou#ht a messa#e to our minds% and amirror to our "odies% and a ma#nifyin# #lass to our hearts% and a

makeover to our souls.

There is a transformation that takes !lace when we invite =esus into

our hearts% and for#iveness is 2ust the "e#innin# of that 2ourney. When

we invite =esus into our center% our hearts and souls and minds and

stren#th "e#in to chan#e. Worshi! s!reads this makeover into all of

life% as we "ecome a new creation. 4aul says5 (God made him who had

no sin to "e sin for us% so that in him we mi#ht "ecome the

ri#hteousness of God( : Corinthians H8:. 'nd this is where we need to

follow =esus. ,ollowin# =esus hel!s restore our center in two ways.

. ,O**OWING =E-U- 1'JE- WOR 'N EE RENEWE. That3s what

many churches with furniture in front attem!t to !roclaim. 1any

churches have three !ieces of furniture in front% which include a"a!tismal fount% markin# our "e#innin# in Christ3s ri#hteousness. 'nd

it is only the "e#innin#. It includes a !ul!it which re!resents God3s

word.


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Emmaus% where he came u! alon#side two disci!les. They were still

#rievin# his death% "ut had heard rumors of his resurrection. They

invited =esus into their home to eat with them% and when =esus took

"read% #ave thanks and "roke it% their eyes were o!ened. They saw=esus as havin# risen from the dead and he e7!lained all of scri!ture to

them with such incredi"le insi#ht.

There are times when we should cele"rate communion to serve as

reminders of the facts that we worshi! a risen *ord and that everythin#

we do durin# each day of the week should "e done in his name.

Communion hel!s us have our centers restored% #ivin# God the #lory in

everythin# we do. The '!ostle 4aul says5 ('nd whatever you do%

whether in word or deed% do it all in the name of the *ord =esus #ivin#

thanks to God the ,ather throu#h him( Colossians ?8+K. The focus of

communion must also invite us to follow our risen *ord.

In "oth word and deed% God has invited us to#ether to "ecome

reali#ned in our center% "y followin# his -on% =esus Christ. The

invitation is there% as =esus says5 (,ollow 1e.(

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Renewing Our Center 2nov2014