Title: The focus of worship
Introduction
This month we are doing a 4 part series on worship
1.The focus of worship
2.The foundation of worship
3.The features of worship
4.The fruit of worship
Today is Part 1 – The focus of worship
I’d like to begin with the Definition of focus
Dictionary.com gives this definition for focus
Focus is “A central point, as of attraction, attention, or activity:”
So focus is
•a central point of attraction
•a central point of attention
•a central point of activity
If you want to know the focus of your worship
Ask yourself
•What one thing are you most attracted to?
•What one thing are you most attentive to?
•What is your favorite activity?
Our answer tells us what the focus of our worship is
Because
•We worship what we are most attracted too
•We worship what we are most attentive too
•We worship what is our favorite activity
For "Where your treasure is there will be your heart also."
Paraphrase: where your treasure is there is your worship also
2 Timothy 3:2-4 tells us
“In the last days people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, …lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God…”
Why will people be lovers of themselves, lovers of money and lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God in the last days?
Romans 1:25 tells us the reason why
“They exchanged the truth of God for a lie, and worshiped and served created things rather than the creator- who is forever praised. Amen. (Romans 1:25)
The bottom line is that most people would rather choose to focus their worship on created things rather than on their creator.
Most people
•Are more attracted to created things
•Are more attentive to created things
•Are more actively engaged with created things…than they are with their creator
And Romans 1:25 is clear:
Those who exchange the worship of their creator for the worship of his creation are worshiping a lie. For “They exchange the truth of God for a lie”
Do you struggle with keeping the focus of your worship on God?
Did you struggle this morning to focus your worship on God during our time of singing?
Have you ever asked yourself the question…Why is it so hard for me to keep the focus of my worship on God?
Here is your answer according to Romans 1:25; You have exchanged the truth of God for a lie…
For every time you try to focus your worship on God you are being lied too.
Who is lying to you?
•The Devil lies to you.
•The world lies to you
•The flesh lies to you
How and why is the devil lying to you?
Every time you try to focus your worship on God the Devil will start to lie to you
The Bible calls the Devil a liar and the Father of lies.
He lies to you and he lies to me every time we try to focus our worship on God in order to…
Make us feel condemned
The devil knows that when you feel condemned it makes it harder for you to focus your worship on God. He lies to us about our past and uses our past to condemn us and the worse our past the more he can use against us. He also lies to us about God. He tells us that the condemnation we are feeling is really from God.
Just as you wonder if it can possibly get any worse…
The world joins the Devil in lying to us;
The world’s lies are different than the Devil’s lies. The Devil’s lies are condemning lies. The World’s lies are competing lies. The world lies to us in order to compete for our worship
…to change the focus of our worship.
The world uses lies to get people to focus their worship on anything else but God.
Remember 2 Timothy 3:2-4
“In the last days people will be lovers of themselves, lovers of money, …lovers of pleasure rather than lovers of God…” (2 Timothy 3:2-4)
The World lies to us all the time. Love yourself rather than love God. Love money rather than love God. Love pleasure rather than love God
1 John 2:16 says
“Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world – the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does- comes not from the Father but from the world.” (1 John 2:16)
Then thirdly our flesh also lies to us;
The lies of our flesh are different than the lies of the Devil and the lies of the world.
While the lies of the devil are condemning lies and the lies of the world are competing lies. The lies of the flesh are censuring lies
When you go to focus your worship on God your flesh tries to censure your worship.
'For the sinful nature desires what is contrary to the Spirit, and the Spirit what is contrary to the sinful nature. They are in conflict with each other, so that you do not do what you want.'
Galatians 5:17
Your flesh ties to censure what the Spirit wants to do through you in worship. The Spirit wants to help you to really focus on the worship of God. The Spirit will suggest ways that will help you focus on the worship of God. In return your flesh will try to censure every suggestions of the Spirit. The flesh says “You can’t do that…” That's a lie: I can do all things through Christ that gives me strength.
How can we keep the focus of our worship on God…
When the Devil condemns our worship with lies from our past; the World competes for our worship with lies from our present and the flesh censures our worship with its lies.
How can we keep the focus of our worship on God?
Jesus tells us the answer in John 4:24
“God is Spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth.”
!f we are to keep the focus of our worship on God we must do so with the help of the Holy Spirit and His truth.
'Its not by might nor by power but my Spirit says the Lord Almighty."
Zechariah 4:6
Only with the help of the Holy Spirit can we overcome the Devil, the world and the Flesh
Only with the help of God’s truth can we overcome the lies of the Devil, the lies of the world and the lies of the flesh
For when the Devil condemns us with his lies…
Romans 8:1 says
“There is now no condemnation for those who are in Christ Jesus.”
And John 3:17-18 says
“For God did not send his Son into the world to condemn the world but to save the world through him. Whoever believes in him is not condemned.”
When the World competes for our worship with its lies the Word says
“Choose this day who you will serve but as for me and my house we will serve the Lord.” (Joshua 24:15)
When the flesh censures our worship with its lies; The Word says;
Praise the Lord o my soul; all my inmost being, praise his holy name. “ psalm 103:1
Conclusion
If you don’t like where the focus of your worship is you can change it.
God the Holy Spirit is here to help you and the truth of God’s Word is here to help you.
