Misplaced Worship

Good morning church! I am so excited to be with you this weekend. I know God has some amazing things in store today.

I pray that today, I am able to share what is on my heart but more importantly what the Word of God has to say. I actually preached this sermon in Portland and Pastor David asked me to share it again. So I’m just following orders. Also, if you went to Portland, you are dismiss!

Have you ever misplaced anything? Oh boy I have. You may know, I build furniture as a hobby. Pastor build boats, I build bookcases, desks and other things. Not long ago, I was painting a cabinet with my headphones on, as I was painting one of my AirPods slip out and fell right into the bucket of paint I was using. Immediately, I understood the gravity of the situation. I dip my hand in the paint, fished out the headphone, ran to the sink and wash it. Believe or not it was still working- I dip it in rice and begin to pray! The thing still works! Praise the Lord!

I know you can relate. We all have misplace something important to us and the same can be said about our worship. So here is my main point:

Main Point: Our placement of worship reveals what matters most in our Hearts.

It is appropriate to start with a definition of worship. I sure do not mean singing. Worship can be 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)

We can literally worship anything- we can have a whole hearted commitment to:

Sports

School

A relationship

A skill

A career

Even Ourselves - our desires.

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

I know for some of you. Currently, you are most committed to your fantasy football league right now. Lucky you, if you had Christian McCaffrey or Josh Allen this past weekend. However, the reality stands that...

Main Point: Our placement of Worship reveals what matters most in our Hearts.

If you have your Bibles, met me in 2 Cor. 11.

The background of this passage is Paul rebuking those in church of Corinth that had given into the “super apostles.” (2 Cor. 11:5) These were false teachers who would come after Paul to steal new converts and preached that the Gospel preached by Paul was inadequate, incomplete and it needed to be supplemented. Funny enough, what was lacking in the gospel that Paul preached, often led to monetary gain, fame and success for these “super apostles.” They were skillful speakers and impressive but had all the wrong motives. Their motive was not to worship Jesus but truly they were worshipping themselves and misleading other to do the same, to forget the way of the cross.

Paul on the other hand have been showing the church of Corinth what it meant to worship Jesus. The Apostle Paul understood that worship demands devotion, rejection and expression.

One of my dilemmas in preparing this sermon is that when you first read these verses, you do not see Paul addressing worship as we know it. I cannot emphasize enough that worship goes deeper than our musical abilities.

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 has a clear directive, which is to protect the church by keeping it pure. These super apostle were doing the opposite because they would use the name of Christ to increase their following. Therefore, Paul uses the the example of marriage to enhance the level of commitment that its required in our relationship with God.

Paul recognized that the church was being deceived. They were starting to devote themselves to anything other than Christ. That is the main issue, no matter what fills up the blank, if it is not Christ then it is an idol that is less than worthy.

This has not changed. Just like the Corinthians were being deceived to devote to anything other than Christ, we are constantly bombarded with different options to misplace our worship. Paul was concerned and even jealous because the church of Corinth was not committed to Christ like they should have, their devotion was divided by “idols” that would demand their devotion.

The problem with deception is that is subtle. In fact, the word deceive (exapataō) can also mean to cheat or beguile. Eve was not deceived with a blatant lie with a subtle question… did God really say?

Church, where are you being deceived? where are you being cheated or beguile to not give your full devotion to Christ?

Main Point: Our Placement of Worship reveals what matters most in our hearts.

Which leads me to principle #2

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.”

Man that hurts. Paul is telling the church that while they knew the truth, they were still entertaining other “possibilities” of what God really say. I know in my life, I have often entertain ideas about God that were in opposition to God’s Word because they were easier to digest.

This reality calls to learn the character of God because if we do not know who God is according to what Scripture says, then we will have a tendency to embrace deception “easily enough.” When you learn the character of God, you quickly realize that God is worth worshipping and this type of worship demands that we reject the things that are false.

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

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.

Are there things in the Bible that I may not understand or things that I may not like? Yes, there are many things that in my selfishness or my limited understanding I do not like, but that does not take away from God’s perfect, loving, righteous, merciful and gracious character. In fact, when you put that in perspective- my limited capacity to understand how this world works versus the infinite capability of God to uphold the universe, to hold the tension between His sovereignty and free will. The tension of forgiveness and justice. Reminds me of a very peculiar discourse between God and Job.

Job 38:4–7 “4 “Where were you when I laid the earth’s foundation? Tell me, if you understand. 5 Who marked off its dimensions? Surely you know!

Just that alone should bring us to our knees in humility before an amazing God. In order to worship God fully, we need to be devoted to the one true God. Not a version of a God that I create or the God that I edit based on what culture says today.

You see, now a days, with a bit of technology I can edit a picture to look or say whatever I want. We can do the same with God. We rather edit Him to our western culture and to make Him fit our notion, rather than coming with humility to the Scriptures, realizing that God is who He is. That is why He is God

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

No only we do not have an option but principle #3

Principle #3 Worship to God demands expression.

2 Corinthians 11:5–6 “5 I do not think I am in the least inferior to those “super-apostles.” 6 I may indeed be untrained as a speaker, but I do have knowledge. We have made this perfectly clear to you in every way.”

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. Now you may know that Paul actually had a very impressive resume yet in Phil. 3:4-8

Philippians 3:4–8 NIV

4 though I myself have reasons for such confidence. If someone else thinks they have reasons to put confidence in the flesh, I have more: 5 circumcised on the eighth day, of the people of Israel, of the tribe of Benjamin, a Hebrew of Hebrews; in regard to the law, a Pharisee; 6 as for zeal, persecuting the church; as for righteousness based on the law, faultless. 7 But whatever were gains to me I now consider loss for the sake of Christ. 8 What is more, I consider everything a loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord, for whose sake I have lost all things. I consider them garbage, that I may gain Christ

Paul confess that even the best spiritual resume is garbage when we put Christ in perspective.

He uses this phrase: “ I will keep on doing what I am doing...” but what is Paul doing? Paul was worshipping God by the way He lived. The expression of his daily live was what set him apart from these false apostles.

I want to emphasize worship is more than a song, worship is more than a style.

“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 (since the Bible consistently shows these types of bodily expression in worship). The ultimate expression of worship is our day to day lives.

Who you worship determines what you do.

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

Illustration:Real horse vs a fluffy unicorn)

Exodus 24 tells us a story:

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.”

Now between chapter 24 & 32, God gives Moses several instructions about the tabernacle, the altar, the courtyard, priestly garments and a lot more- I encourage you to go and read it. But then we get to Exodus 32.

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.””

Here is an artistic representation of this moment. Literally, we have the presence of God that looks like a consuming fire and they are asking for a golden calf?? What?

This is the same God that had just rescued them from the Egyptians, who provided clean water from bitter stream and mana & quail for their provision and again provided water from a rock . Yet in 40 days, they decided- we need a golden calf that we can touch and feel and worship.

(Start Pads) Church have you forgotten what God has done in your life and have you turn to worthless idols that give you a sense of security and control?

Because the truth is that...

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

If you are in need of prayer or you are in need to confess, we have prayer ministers that would love to pray with you and encourage you to worship the one true God will all that you are.