What shall I render to the LORD for all his benefits to me? I will lift up the cup of salvation and call on the name of

the LORD, I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his

people. Precious in the sight of the LORD is the death of his saints. O LORD, I am your servant; I am your servant, the son of

your maidservant. You have loosed my bonds. I will offer to you the sacrifice of thanksgiving and call on

the name of the LORD. I will pay my vows to the LORD in the presence of all his

people, In the courts of the house of the LORD, in your midst, O

Jerusalem. Praise the LORD! (Psalm 116:12-19)

For I received from the Lord what I also delivered to you, that the Lord Jesus on the night when he was betrayed took bread, and when he had given thanks, he broke it, and said, "This is my body which is for you. Do this in remembrance of me."

In the same way also he took the cup, after supper, saying, "This cup is the new covenant in my blood. Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me." For as often as you eat this bread and drink the cup, you proclaim the Lord's death until he comes. Whoever, therefore, eats the bread or drinks the cup of the Lord in an unworthy manner will be guilty concerning the body and blood of the Lord. Let a person examine himself, then, and so eat of the bread and drink of the cup. For anyone who eats and drinks without discerning the body eats and drinks judgment on himself.”

1 Corinthians 11:23-29

When Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of

goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God… He has appeared once for all at the end of the ages to put away sin by the sacrifice of himself. And just as it is appointed for man to die once, and after that comes judgment, so Christ, having been offered once to bear the sins of many, will appear a second time, not to deal with sin but to save those who are eagerly waiting for him. (Hebrews 9:11-14, 26-28)

FOCUS REALIGNMENT: It’s All About God!• The Local Church - A Church Focused On God: – It’s ironic, but some churches are out of focus… Focusing on

“self” …Existing for man’s glory, not God’s• Much activity, many religious works, but God is an afterthought • Churches cater what they offer to “ME” – Programs, activities, sports,

social opportunities, recreation, entertainment, exercise, food, etc

• Churches even cater worship to “ME” – Traditional? Contemporary? Mixed? No Worship? They will offer something I prefer.

• Churches cater teaching to “ME” – Unpopular and difficult doctrines are ignored as well as repentance and sacrifice.

– But the church belongs to God, exists for His glory (Eph. 3:20-21)• It is Jesus’ church… He purchased it with His blood (Acts 20:28)• We don’t exist to satisfy the physical needs and interests of men• Should we really base the church on what people are looking for or

should we look for people who are really looking for God?• What motivates us? Personal pride & glory? Numbers? Prestige?

FOCUS REALIGNMENT: It’s All About God!• The Local Church - A Church Focused On God: – This means we will pursue God’s authority for everything we

believe and practice (Ephesians 5:23-24)• Authority is a foreign concept to many – Feelings, popularity, assumptions

are the norm. This standards are based in men, not God! • If it isn’t authorized by God, no matter how religious it seems or how

many times I praise His name, it’s not really about God!• Perhaps we feel a change is an improvement… something else would

work more efficiently It’s not my church, it’s God’s church!• Jesus is the head of the church (Col. 1:18) – He directs the activity of the

body. His commands and orders are carried out by the body.

FOCUS REALIGNMENT: It’s All About God!• The Local Church - A Church Focused On God: – The church exists for God’s purpose, not man’s (Eph. 4:11-16)

• We don’t get to decide our mission, it’s God’s mission we carry out! • We exist to equip saints for the work of ministry so the body of Christ will

be built up into maturity in Him Becoming like Jesus! • The purpose of the Lord’s church is not physical – We do not exist for

social and recreational reasons. We don’t even exist to answer all of the physical and social needs of society.

• God’s purpose for us is spiritual and the way He gives us to carry out this purpose is spiritual. Sometimes it overlaps into answering

physical needs of saints, but this is secondary and not primary (1 Tim 5:16)

– This focus motivates us to responsibility and accountability in carrying out the work of the local church (Romans 12:6, 11)• Do we approach church as spectators or entertainees? Is it a club? • Backwards: Look for churches to serve them, instead of them serving. • Not about how great we can do, but what God can do through us. We

don’t feel good enough, so we hold back. Focusing on self?

FOCUS REALIGNMENT: It’s All About God!• As Individuals- A Life Focused On God: – Self-centeredness is a daily struggle for us (James 3:14-16)

• Our ME CENTERED culture drives this – my pursuit of happiness, my -rights, what’s best for me, look out for number one, etc

• As a result, God often gets what is leftover of our lives. Spirituality and spiritual activities an afterthought. Priorities are focused on self

• We fight against God when what we want and what God wants go in separate directions. We submit when its comfortable for us.

– A God centered life means being committed to drawing near to God on a daily basis (Hebrews 10:22; 11:6)• What does it mean in a marriage to be centered around your spouse? • We constantly learn about God and pursue Him… Grow in understanding

His nature, character, and desire… What God like, what He hates• Not knowledge just to know, but that we may know God and get close in

our attitudes, desires, & pursuits (Hos 6:6; Rom 10:1-3)• Like David, a man after God’s own heart, and His closeness to the Lord.

FOCUS REALIGNMENT: It’s All About God!• As Individuals - A Life Focused On God:

– Being “all about God” will result in the complete surrender of our will to the will of the Lord (Gal. 2:20)• Do we pick and choose which ones of God’s laws we will obey… which

principles we will pursue… how fully we will serve God? • Some parts of God’s will we find convenient and even beneficial. The real

test comes with those parts that contradict what we want & desire• The partially surrendered life is the un-surrendered life. Ultimately we

are still serving self. As a result, there is no joy & fulfillment… it’s a weariness… it’s a burden… its empty… going through the motions

– Servants who belong to God (Rom 6:18, 22; 1 Cor. 7:22-23)• Slavery is almost always negative in our minds – No rights, freedom • We are free in regards to sin, guilt, and Satan’s dominion; but we are still

very much servants, slaves of Jesus Christ and righteousness • We don’t own our lives… we are not our own masters. We live for Him! • Even Jesus lived focused on serving His Father (John 5:19; 8:28, 54; 9:4-5)