The Foundation Of Worship Series

Title: The Foundation of worship

Text: Ephesians 1:3-8, 13-14

Introduction

Today is the second of a 4 part series on worship. Last week we began our series by looking at the Focus of worship. We saw that the focus of worship should always be on God.

And that’s easier said than done.It’s not easy to keep the focus of worship on God; especially when you have the lies of the Devil, the lies of the world and the lies of the flesh all working together trying to stop you from focusing your worship on God.

The Devil says to you “I’ll try to keep the focus of your worship off God by condemning you.”

…Bringing up the sins of your past. The world says to you “I’ll try to keep the focus of your worship off God by competing for your worship.…here is something else you might like to worship instead. The flesh says to you “I’ll try to keep the focus of your worship off God by censoring your worship...you should not get excited about worshiping God

Today in part 2 of our series on worship we are going to look at the Foundation of worship. When we truly understand what the foundation of worship is we will never again have a problem with focusing our worship on God.

The foundation of worship will help you overcome the condemning lies of the devil. The foundation of worship will help you overcome the competing lies of the world. The foundation of worship will help you overcome the censoring lies of the flesh.

The foundation of worship is given to us in Ephesians 1:3

“Praise be to the God and Father of our Lord Jesus Christ, who has blessed us in the heavenly realms with every spiritual blessing in Christ.”

The foundation of worship is …knowing that you belong to Christ.

And nothing will help you to focus your worship on God more than knowing what it means to belong to Christ

Therefore we really need to know what it means to belong to Christ. In Ephesians chapter 1:4-8 it tells us what it means to really belong to Christ

To really belong to Christ means first of all that…

1. I am chosen in Christ (v4-6)

“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will – to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”

I can focus better on worshiping God only if I know I am chosen in Christ.

Because to be chosen in Christ means

•I’m holy and blameless in God’s sight

•I’m adopted into God’s family

I’m sure the Devil is right now lying to some people here today by telling them "That’s all very true for those people God has chosen to be in Christ…but guess what; you are not one of those whom God has chosen to be in Christ." Therefore the Devil lies and also says to us "You will never be holy and blameless in his sight.You will never be adopted into the family of God."

Its time to expose this lie from the devil for what it is. We need only to understand from the passage how God chooses a person to be in Christ to know that the devil is a liar.

“For he chose us in him before the creation of the world to be holy and blameless in his sight. In love he predestined us to be adopted as his sons through Jesus Christ, in accordance with his pleasure and will – to the praise of his glorious grace, which he has freely given us in the One he loves.”

God chooses a person to be in Christ according to 4 criteria’s

•God chooses a person to be in Christ- according to His love

•God chooses a person to be in Christ according to His pleasure

God chooses a person to be in Christ according to his will

•God chooses a person to be in Christ according to His grace

Let’s now expose the lie of the devil

Criteria #1

•God chooses a person to be in Christ- according to His love

Does God not love everyone? Yes he does. (John 3:16) But I am a sinner?

God demonstrated his own love for us in this while we were yet sinners Christ died for us. (Romans 5:8)

Criteria #2 and Criteria #3

•God chooses a person to be in Christ according to His pleasure

•God chooses a person to be in Christ according to his will

Does God take pleasure in sending people to hell? No he does not! Is it not God’s will that everyone be saved?