Enough Misplaced Worship

What is up Shearer Hills. Man, I am so excited to be with you this weekend. I know God has some amazing things in store today.

First of all, thank you Caleb for the opportunity to speak and share with you some scripture that I believe God has placed on my heart for you today.

Very quickly allow me to introduce myself:

I am youth pastor in San Antonio TX.  Costa was born in Costa Rica, hence the nickname. I has been married to Sandy Araya for 8 years and they have two wonderful kiddos: Erick and Emmy. I have been teaching and leading students for over 11 years in different capacities. And my passion is to convince you that following Jesus is the best decision that anyone can make. He enjoys sports, woodworking and watching a good thriller movie (Inception.)

The theme of the weekend is enough. So let me give you where we are going this weekend:

Session 1: Enough misplaced worship. (2 Cor. 11:1-15)

Session 2: Enough misplaced bragging (2 Cor. 11:16-33)

Session 3: Not Enough unearned Grace (2 Cor. 12:1-10)

As you may tell we are going to be in the second letter to the Corinthians and in the next three sessions we are going to cover a chapter and half. My goal is not just to teach you what I want to say but to teach you the message that was intended in the Scriptures. we need to place high value in what the Scriptures teach us & the message that it was intended when it was first communicated.

Now before we jump into the sermon, I have a video that I want to show you that will give you a good background for the next three sermons. Its long but I edited it down to make it less long. BTW, the Bible Project is a great source for Bible study and learning more about each book’s context and major themes. Let’s watch

Video- 4min

Alright, that’s the sermon. Let’s pray and go home. Jk, we are just starting but let us pray.

If you have your Bibles, meet me at 2 Cor. 11:1. We will begin with the first 12 verses. Here is my main point:

Main Point: Our Placement of Worship reveals what Matters Most in our Hearts.

We need to start with a definition of worship? Because I sure do not mean singing. Worship is expressed through music but it goes beyond that.

What is worship?

Is a wholehearted commitment to what we deemed most important.

“Worship leads to the conviction that worship is a lifestyle, not a moment in time (see 1 Corinthians 10:31). Our lives are to be dedicated to the worship and service of God. Worship is to be more than a temporary, experience-oriented activity on Sunday, after which we revert to a “normal” life the rest of the week. True worship is constant, inner praise to the God of Scripture, expressed in prayer, in song, in service, in giving, and in living. (Gotquestions.org)

You can literally worship anything.

Sports

School

A relationship

A skill

A career

Yourself- your desires.

Whatever is most important to you, that is what you are most committed to.

Main Point: Our Placement of Worship reveals what Matters Most in our Hearts.

So as we jump into the first 15 verse of 2 Cor. 11 we will see some principles that relate to worship towards God. Here is principle #1

Principle #1 Worship to God demands devotion.

2 Cor. 11:1-3 “1 I hope you will put up with me in a little foolishness. Yes, please put up with me! 2 I am jealous for you with a godly jealousy. I promised you to one husband, to Christ, so that I might present you as a pure virgin to him. 3 But I am afraid that just as Eve was deceived by the serpent’s cunning, your minds may somehow be led astray from your sincere and pure devotion to Christ.”

Paul is using the example of marriage to enhance the level of commitment that its required in our relationship with God

We are not playing house. Anyone?

We are constantly bombarded with different options to misplace our worship.

Paul was concerned because the church of Corinth was not commit to Christ like the should have. Their devotion was divided by idols that would demand their worship.

Would you heartily give you worship to God?

Main Point: Our Placement of Worship reveals what Matters Most in our Hearts.

Principle #2- write this down.

Principle #2 Worship to God demands rejection.

2 Cor. 11:4 “4 For if someone comes to you and preaches a Jesus other than the Jesus we preached, or if you receive a different spirit from the Spirit you received, or a different gospel from the one you accepted, you put up with it easily enough.”

We all worship something.- you can choose who you give your time, money, passion and more but you cannot avoid worshipping something/Someone.

In fact, Paul is telling the church of Corinth. ENOUGH!

Enough placing you worship in the wrong thing. Enough letting deception, and lies about God cloud your worship.

Worship demands that we reject the things are are false.

If there is one thing that you take away from this weekend, is to learn the character of God.

I get upset and frustrated when an atheist or someone who has been hurt by the church, blames God and says: “I cannot believe in a God that....” but that is the problem. We haven’t taken the time to reject the lies about God and truly worship Him for His character.

Is there things in the Bible that I may not understand or things that I may not like? Yes, but that does not take away from God’s perfect, loving, righteous, merciful and gracious character.

Worship to God demands that we reject worship to things that are not worth worshipping but when we being to understand who God is, there is no option but to worship HIM.

Main Point: Our Placement of Worship reveals what Matters Most in our Hearts.

Principle #3 Worship to God demands expression.

We will jump down a few verses for the sake of time, here is what Paul continues to tell his audience:

2 Cor. 11:12-15 “12 And I will keep on doing what I am doing in order to cut the ground from under those who want an opportunity to be considered equal with us in the things they boast about. 13 For such people are false apostles, deceitful workers, masquerading as apostles of Christ. 14 And no wonder, for Satan himself masquerades as an angel of light. 15 It is not surprising, then, if his servants also masquerade as servants of righteousness. Their end will be what their actions deserve.”

Here is where it gets interesting. Paul compares himself to those who are false apostles.

He uses this phrase: “ I will keep on doing what I am doing...” but what is Paul doing? Was Paul singing a song? was he going to church like we do today? Not necessarily.

Paul was worshipping God by the way He lived.

I want to emphasize students, every principle so far has talked about worship and worship is more than a song.

“Worship leads to the conviction that worship is a lifestyle, not a moment in time (see 1 Corinthians 10:31). Our lives are to be dedicated to the worship and service of God. Worship is to be more than a temporary, experience-oriented activity on Sunday, after which we revert to a “normal” life the rest of the week. True worship is constant, inner praise to the God of Scripture, expressed in prayer, in song, in service, in giving, and in living. (Gotquestions.org)

Now, while i am a proponent of expressions of worship- like lifting hands, kneeling, singing and so much more. The ultimate expression of worship is our day to day lives.

Who you worship determines what you do.

Main Point: Our Placement of Worship reveals what Matters Most in our Hearts.

Allow me to end with this illustration and a story you may be familiar with.

Illustration: Where we place something valuable. (Real horse vs a fluffy unicorn)

Israelites at the foot of the mountain worshipping a golden calf with God’s presense in the distance.

Exodus 24:12-18 “12 The Lord said to Moses, “Come up to me on the mountain and stay here, and I will give you the tablets of stone with the law and commandments I have written for their instruction.” 13 Then Moses set out with Joshua his aide, and Moses went up on the mountain of God. 14 He said to the elders, “Wait here for us until we come back to you. Aaron and Hur are with you, and anyone involved in a dispute can go to them.” 15 When Moses went up on the mountain, the cloud covered it, 16 and the glory of the Lord settled on Mount Sinai. For six days the cloud covered the mountain, and on the seventh day the Lord called to Moses from within the cloud. 17 To the Israelites the glory of the Lord looked like a consuming fire on top of the mountain. 18 Then Moses entered the cloud as he went on up the mountain. And he stayed on the mountain forty days and forty nights.”

Exodus 32:1 “1 When the people saw that Moses was so long in coming down from the mountain, they gathered around Aaron and said, “Come, make us gods who will go before us. As for this fellow Moses who brought us up out of Egypt, we don’t know what has happened to him.””

Main Point: Our Placement of Worship reveals what Matters Most in our Hearts.

Challenge:

Where will you place your worship starting today?

Do need to commit (inwards decision), reject (sin or false ideologies of God) or express (in your lifestyle) your worship to God?

Enough misplaced worship in less than valuable idols.