RENEWING OUR CENTER

Every now and then we need to take some time and ask how our
lives are centered. What is it that we live for? Who are we most
passionate about? What takes greatest priority in our life? How
does what I do, reflect my love and devotion for what means most
to me? And most of us who come to worship, would like to believe
that God himself is whom we live for. There are those times in life
when we simply need to pause and "renew our center," -- being
focused on the Lord.

This morning were going to compare Self Centered People to

Christ Centered People so that we can learn the difference and
hopefully walk away from this message with a desire to be a
Christ Centered Person!
Today Well look at the comparisons of being SELF
CENTERED vs. CHRIST CENTERED.
These two battle each other in the life of the Christian every day! And
yes. Christians can be a self centered as anyone else! In fact, sometimes
they are! We can claim to ge a Christian, which most of do, and still live a
life that is self centered!
Being CHRIST CENTERED is the antithesis of the path the world is on, it
is diametrically opposed to the way the world lives. Here is the word that
describes the world - SELF CENTERED. SELF CENTERED is the
essential bias of the unregenerate heart and it is the potential weakness of
the regenerate heart. For the unsaved, life is lived rather selfishly. No matter
what garments of humanistic philanthropy or benevolence they may cloak it
in, it is, never the less, SELF CENTERED. SELF CENTERED living is self
damaging in the short term, and ultimately self destroying in the long term.
Salvation is Gods way of turning you from a SELF CENTERED, self

damaging and self destroying life to a CHRIST CENTERED way of life.

Living a Christ centered life is neither form nor method, it is source.

1. IN EACH OF US IS A "SEED OF RELIGION." There are many different

religions around this world today. There are also many different things
that people will place their faith in. One way to find out who you
worship is by asking how do you spend your time. What is it that you
are passionate about? Many people live for their jobs. Some people are
passionate about making money, or being noticed. Others worship
their family. There isnt anything they would not do for their children.
The apostle Paul makes the claim that inside every human being is a
knowledge of God and that we had better be careful with that
knowledge, because we have been created to worship him; "The wrath
of God is being revealed from heaven against all the godlessness and
wickedness of men who suppress the truth by their wickedness, since
what may be known about God is plain to them, because God has
made it plain to them. For since the creation of the world Gods
invisible qualities -- his eternal power and divine nature -- have been
clearly seen, being understood from what has been made, so that men
are without excuse" Rom. 1:19,20. The Heidelberg Catechism, a
reformed confession speaks to the heart, with its beginning question;
"What is your only comfort in life and in death? There is another
reformed confession from the Presbyterian Church, called the
Westminster Confession and it begins with this question; "What is the
chief end of man?" And the answer is; "That I may glorify God and
enjoy him forever?" The soul purpose of every man, women and child
is to glorify God and enjoy hm forever. We have been created to

worship God and have him in the center of our lives. But sin has
pushed us off our center.
2. SIN HAS RUINED OUR CREATED CENTER. We have been knocked off
balance. One of my children has a hoola-hoop, which she stands inside
of, and is able to keep that hoop up in the air, traveling around her
body for hours. I tried it and I cant even keep it up for two full
revolutions. Unlike the planets in outer space, I seem to have lost my
ability to keep an orbit. I seem to have lost my sense of balance. And
thats what sin does to us. It chases God out of our center. If you read
the Bible, youll notice that story after story is about people who are
ruined by sin and unable to totally and completely worship their God.
Sin pushed Adam and Eve off their center. They took fruit from the tree
of good and evil and they ate from it, knocking God out of their center.
Cain was so annoyed at Abels worship that it kindled a jealousy and
anger strong enough to kill. God was so disturbed with all of mankind,
that he made a plan to set out and destroy everyone, except Noah and
his family, along with the animals in the Ark. Abraham told his lies;
Isaac had his problems and Jacob stole birthrights; Moses and Aaron
had their wrestling matches with God as did the Israelites, and every
time again people were being thrown from their center. The Apostle
Paul quoted from Psalm 14 when he said; "There is no one righteous,
not even one; there is no one who understands, who seeks God. All
have turned away, they have together become worthless; there is no
one who does good, not even one." Rom.3:10-12. But God did not give
up. He invited Moses to visit with him on top of a mountain and there
God proceeded to give him the ten commandments.
3. GODS LAW TRIED TO RESTORE OUR CENTER: And if you listen to
each of the commandments, and especially the first four, youll notice

God attempting to restore himself as mans center. First: "You shall

have no other gods before me." I often marveled at the thunderstorms
described in Psalm 29. Have you ever been camping in a tent, when
the weather was hot and hazy and humid, creating a pretty good
atmosphere for thunderstorms? Most people welcome storms then
because they are often followed by cooler air that cleans out the
humidity. Imagine being in a tent where the thunder clouds decide to
park right over top. The sounds of clashing thunder are deafening. And
there is always the threat of lightening striking down branches and
trees and landing who knows where. That could be a very frightening
experience.
But the Psalmist who prayed Psalm 29 was saying much more. He was
calling on all the angels in the heavens to ascribe to the Lord glory and
strength. We have all been summoned to worship. Four times in the
opening two verses, four times in the closing two verses and in each of
the seven verses in between, "the voice of the Lord" is mentioned. The
Psalmist was making a bold statement against the Canaanite god Baal,
who was said to be in control of thunder and lightening, of fertility and
rains. As well as Israel worshiping the God of history, they also
worshiped the God of creation, of nature, of the rains and the thunder
and lightening that came from within. The entire Psalm tried to bring
Israel back to their center in responding to the first command. You shall
have no other gods before me. The second commandment is even
more specific.
Second: "Do not make idols, for I am a jealous God." This has
everything to do with keeping God at our center. When Moses came
down from the mountain with the ten commandments in his hands,
what did he find the people of Israel doing? What did Aaron do while

Moses was receiving this second commandment? He made Israel a

golden calf. What could some of our golden calves be today" I have a
hunch that our televisions could serve as golden calves today, because
we spend an awful lot of time bowing in front of our televisions. In the
third commandment God says; "You shall not misuse my name!" God
wants to be taken seriously, and that includes anyone who uses his
name, and anyone who calls themselves a "Christian." And fourth:
"Observe the Sabbath Day!" Again, this has everything to do with
keeping God at our center. And God gave many instructions
surrounding Sabbath rest. In hearing these four commandments,
instead of restoring our center, what we quickly come to realize is how
far weve been pushed off from center.
4. GODS LAW REVEALS HOW FAR OFF WE ARE. In our day to day
routine, we seem to have limited worship to what happens in the
church on Sundays. Its no wonder that the church has allowed worship
wars to distract their attention from almighty God. Many grew up with
a rhythm of going to church twice on Sundays but today many more
believe that its enough to go to church even once a month.
Denominational publishing houses are being careful how they structure
their church school materials, realizing that teachers no longer commit
themselves to being in church every Sunday for an entire season.

satellite tv- Indonesia a lot of programmes, regarding bible, they

prefer to watch it rather than go watch tv.

Go to a sports bar on any given Friday evening and listen to the

conversations that are taking place with the people around the table

next to you. What kind of language is being used? These are ordinary
people in an ordinary place, more often than not, younger people and
single young adults looking for a place to hang out. The language that
they use or dont use will tell you very quickly whether God is even in
their lives let alone how much he is centered in their being. There are
an overwhelming majority of people who simply do not see the need to
worship God, let alone place him in the center of our lives. "The fool
says in his heart, There is no God They are corrupt, their deeds are
vile; there is no one who does good." (Psalm 14:1) Todays academic
culture has placed self in the center. We are a self-centered culture that
has pushed God outside of our circles, and placed him on the sidelines
of life. Universities and schools have no place for God. Courts and
judicial systems have no place for God. The business world is very
tough to work and compete in and has an entire business ethic of its
own. Television news specializes in broadcasting change and unrest
and fear. Commercials breed dissatisfaction with what you have. And
when we read Gods law against our present day to day life, it has a
way of revealing just how far off center our culture has become. And
thats the very reason Jesus came into this world, to renovate our
hearts.
5. JESUS CAME TO RENOVATE OUR HEARTS. He came to realign our
orbit. He came to reintroduce us to our Father in heaven and reconcile
with him. When asked what was the greatest commandment to man,
this was the Lords response. "The most important one," answered
Jesus is this: "Hear, 0 Israel, the Lord our God, the Lord is one. "Love
the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all
your mind and with all your strength." (Mark 12:30) Whats interesting
is that Jesus did not talk about something that we needed to do

externally. Nor did he talk about things that we had to make sure that
we did not do. Instead, he focused on our insides, on our most basic
structures and characteristics of humanity. He talked about the need to
transform our insides. Jesus brought a message to our minds, and a
mirror to our bodies, and a magnifying glass to our hearts, and a
makeover to our souls.
There is a transformation that takes place when we invite Jesus into
our hearts, and forgiveness is just the beginning of that journey. When
we invite Jesus into our center, our hearts and souls and minds and
strength begin to change. Worship spreads this makeover into all of
life, as we become a new creation. Paul says; "God made him who had
no sin to be sin for us, so that in him we might become the
righteousness of God" 2 Corinthians 5:2. And this is where we need to
follow Jesus. Following Jesus helps restore our center in two ways.
6. FOLLOWING JESUS MAKES WORD AND DEED RENEWED. Thats what
many churches with furniture in front attempt to proclaim. Many
churches have three pieces of furniture in front, which include a
baptismal fount, marking our beginning in Christs righteousness. And
it is only the beginning. It includes a pulpit which represents Gods
word. But that word is not limited to preaching. It is now something
that we can read, that many of us have studied, that many of us have
shared and most of us have learned to live. And it includes the Lords
Supper table as something that we remember, that we are reminded of
and that we relive. Some have Lords Supper every week, others once
a month and still others every six weeks or four or five times a year.
When the Lords Supper is remembered four times a year, it often
focuses on the forgiveness of our sins, and rightfully so. When Jesus
rose from the dead, he walked out of Jerusalem along the road to

Emmaus, where he came up alongside two disciples. They were still

grieving his death, but had heard rumors of his resurrection. They
invited Jesus into their home to eat with them, and when Jesus took
bread, gave thanks and broke it, their eyes were opened. They saw
Jesus as having risen from the dead and he explained all of scripture to
them with such incredible insight.
There are times when we should celebrate communion to serve as
reminders of the facts that we worship a risen Lord and that everything
we do during each day of the week should be done in his name.
Communion helps us have our centers restored, giving God the glory in
everything we do. The Apostle Paul says; "And whatever you do,
whether in word or deed, do it all in the name of the Lord Jesus giving
thanks to God the Father through him" Colossians 3:17. The focus of
communion must also invite us to follow our risen Lord.
In both word and deed, God has invited us together to become
realigned in our center, by following his Son, Jesus Christ. The
invitation is there, as Jesus says; "Follow Me."