WELCOME
Good morning First Baptist. We welcome you to worship this morning. Be sure to remember your brothers and sisters in Christ throughout the week as you pray for them, and as the Holy Spirit brings their faces to your mind. Be sure to also connect with them in the ways that are possible. And if you have any questions or would like to talk to someone, please don’t hesitate to contact the church through the church telephone and leave a message. (519-733-4144)
Songs
Call to Worship
In the beauty of this place, we have come to pray, to worship, to receive healing and hope.
We come from the struggles and triumphs of the week, needing to feel the soothing presence of God.
Lord, be with us this day. Calm and soothe our souls. Cause us to rejoice that you have provided a special place where we may gather to talk of your presence and love; to sing your praises; and to be empowered to go forth to serve you. AMEN.
Songs
Prayer
Confession:
God of patience and mercy, we come to you, offering “lip service” to serving you, but when things get difficult; when we are called to do something which is hard for us, we shy away from the duty and the opportunity. We turn our back on service out of fear of failure. Forgive us, gracious Lord. Heal our fears and our weaknesses. Strengthen us and give us courage to truly be your disciples, not counting the rewards, but rejoicing in the work. In Jesus’ name, we pray. AMEN.
Assurance of Forgiveness:
This day the Lord reaches out to you in healing, love, and compassion. Receive the blessings which God offers to you. Be healed and made whole. Be ready to serve. AMEN.
LOP*SID*ED
The One Thing We Seek: A Lopsided Devotion to God
Today's Message: Pastor Dave Page
Psalm 27 was written in hard moments in David’s life. Scholars say that either Psalm 27 was written when David was fleeing from the jealousy of Saul, (fleeing for his life; Saul was jealous of David and out kill him) or others say that Psalm 27 was written when David was on the run from his son, Absalom, who had conspired to take his throne. In Monarchies throughout the ages, the way to take the king’s throne was generally by killing the king. So either way, David – is in one of the many times in his life he finds himself overwhelmed by his circumstances.
Scripture Reading: Psalm 27:4
4 One thing I ask from the Lord,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
In the midst of turmoil and uncertainty, David’s words present this striking declaration of devotion and desire. King David, amid his trials and triumphs, expresses a singular pursuit: a longing to dwell in the house of the Lord and to behold His beauty.
This is the third message in our Lop*sid*ed message series. Where we are together as the church, and as individual Jesus followers, thinking about The Kingdom of God, His righteousness, what does that look like for us in this age that we find ourselves in? When we find ourselves amid a world where culture says you are the kingdom, you come first – The Kingdom of Me. What does that look like for our Church? Especially when church congregations and denominations are in decline around the world. When the basic trust of pastors and religious institutions are eroding; what does it look like to be the Church in this time ahead?
This is what we want to explore with you. How does living a life that is disproportionately devoted to God’s values and purposes can transform our lives, our families, and our church?
Recent data tells us that increasingly across age demographics, from teens through to those later in life, there is a desire among the western culture to grow spiritually. There is a belief in a spiritual dimension and a belief in a higher power. In addition to this, there is other data that says, “roughly half of teens (52%) are very motivated to continue learning about
Jesus. Overwhelmingly, Christian teens today say that Jesus still matters to them. 76 percent say, “Jesus speaks to me in a way that is relevant to my life.” ” * Barna Group. Our young people remain refreshingly open to Jesus as an influence in their lives.
Here is an important question for us to consider together then; With the general population saying that the have a positive perception of Jesus, how then can it be that the western world is increasingly and rather quickly becoming more post-Christian?
The answer appears to lie in the chasm between how people perceive Jesus and how they view his followers and the institutional Church. The really big differences appear when it comes to how much less likely Atheists and unbelievers are to call “Christianity a faith they respect (15%), and how much more likely they are than Christians to describe the faith as judgmental (48%) and hypocritical (49%).” *Barna Group.
When you look at a report like this, you would have to conclude that many of the reasons people distance themselves from Christianity seem to be fairly legitimate. For us as the Church, we need to understand that at varying levels there is a need for reconciliation, and at a minimum, some reputational repair on behalf of the Christian Church. One reason this matters so much is that the data also tells us that Churches, pastors and Christians are still well-positioned to offer meaningful introductions to the way of Jesus. When barriers to churches and religious institutions exist, barriers to knowing of Jesus will exist also. We need to remember that the data first showed how Jesus still speaks to the core longings of teens and adults today.
One thing we need to make sure that we are getting right takes us back to this lop*sid*ed business. Remember, when you look at data like this, people are watching us, and many of those people have a decidedly negative view of the Church already, so when they see you and I going through our everyday lives – what do they see? Do they see a lopsided life, disproportionately devoted to God’s values and purposes or do they see a singular focus of devotion?
David’s “one thing” reveals a profound singularity of focus. In the midst of his various desires and needs, David identifies one ultimate pursuit – to be in God’s presence, to dwell in His house, and to experience His beauty. This single-minded devotion contrasts sharply with our often fragmented lives, where many things vie for our attention. Church don’t miss this; part of what the culture out there feels is mistrust and apprehension based on the belief we are not always being genuine. They know, because of their lived experience with us, where our focus is.
Imagine a person at a grand art gallery surrounded by many extraordinary paintings. While each artwork has its own merit, the person’s focus is drawn irresistibly to one masterpiece that captivates their heart and mind. In the same way, David’s “one thing” is not just one of many desires but the singular masterpiece of his spiritual life – God Himself. Just as the art lover’s focus is drawn to what they value most, so should our hearts be drawn to our relationship with God. People will know fairly quickly if that’s a genuine posture of our lives or not. People are watching you.
The Desire to Dwell in God’s Presence
There is this other part of what David is saying that’s quite relevant to our conversation as well. David’s longing to “dwell in the house of the Lord” reflects a deep desire for continuous communion with God. David’s wants and needs; he has a strong desire to do life together with God at the center. It’s not a fleeting thing, here for a time and then gone, but a longing to live his life permanently in God’s presence, experiencing the fullness of His love and grace.
Now the world around you might look at this request and say – really? That’s it? That’s what you want more than anything? To dwell in God’s presence? But that is precisely what David means, and for good reason. Look specifically at what he says:
That I may dwell in the house of the Lord all the days of my life, to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.
What a lame request many would say. Beauty is a fleeting thing after all. And ‘seek’ – that is the Hebrew word bqr, meaning to carry out an examination of something being offered. In other words, what David is saying is that his greatest desire is to be so close to God in his life. He is ‘lopsidedly’ focused on the beauty and majesty of God and seeks everything to be known about Him.
Church, can there be a greater request to be made in one’s life? Is there any cause or material thing that should overshadow what David longs for? There isn’t. No matter what the messaging of this world seems to convey! Deep down, I think many in the world are searching for a longing like this. Too often when people around us buy into the messaging of materialism, consumerism and me-me-me, what they find is emptiness.
When the Bible was translated into Latin, the Latin Vulgate, and became more widely accessible, they translated this idea of ‘one thing’ into Latin and it came out like this ‘unum neccesarium.’ It’s something that Jesus himself was insistent upon, always.
At the Home of Martha and Mary
38 As Jesus and his disciples were on their way, he came to a village where a woman named Martha opened her home to him. 39 She had a sister called Mary, who sat at the Lord’s feet listening to what he said. 40 But Martha was distracted by all the preparations that had to be made. She came to him and asked, “Lord, don’t you care that my sister has left me to do the work by myself? Tell her to help me!”
41 “Martha, Martha,” the Lord answered, “you are worried and upset about many things, 42 but few things are needed – or indeed only one. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her.”Luke 10:38–42.
Poor seething Martha! Her perspective was so wrong. How embarrassed she would feel in retrospect for having scolded her sister – and Jesus to boot! But Jesus loved her and, affectionately repeating her name, chided her:
“ ‘Martha, Martha,’ the Lord answered, ‘you are worried and upset about many things, but only one thing is needed. Mary has chosen what is better, and it will not be taken away from her’ ” (vv. 41, 42).
This is a powerful statement. The ‘one thing’ that is ‘needed,’ the thing that is ‘better,’ is to be focused on God. As David puts it, “to gaze on the beauty of the Lord and to seek him in his temple.”
Jesus provides wisdom for all of us here. It is all too common, and too easy, for the noise and distraction of the world around us to drag us away from a God-centered focus in life. You know, ironic as this may sound, this can be a epidemic among preachers of the Word.
In another recent survey, Ministers of the gospel sited that the God’s word and a God focus was not always at the center of either their devotion or their ministries. The reason they say, is that they are too busy. Senior pastors, youth pastors, missionaries, and church leaders often admit to this issue. The programs and the unending needs are so pressing that reading and hearing the Word of God, a God Focused life, too often gets neglected. And again, people around us can sense, and maybe even experience, when this is so. Even in our desire to serve the Kingdom, we can get wound tight like Martha to give everything to a particular area of calling or interest (be it evangelism, injustice, administration, marriage and family, care for the poor, or whatever), and to allow that interest to so dominate their lives that they have little time to let God’s Word speak to them. Without the benefit of the Word and focus, eventually, the creativity and vitality they once gave to their area of ministry sours. They have unwittingly lost the ‘one thing,’ the ‘better’ thing that Jesus promised would not be taken from Mary. David knew this long before Christ came to our earth, and so, more than anything, the ‘one thing’ he longed for was a singular focus on God.
Application:
Let me give you two fairly specific application points to consider:
1. Prioritize Your Devotion
Start each day by centering your thoughts on God. Establish a morning routine that includes prayer, Scripture reading, and meditation to realign your priorities. Regularly ask yourself if your daily activities reflect a focus on God or if other concerns are overshadowing your devotion.
2. Cultivate Continuous Fellowship with God
Develop habits that help you remain connected to God throughout the day. This could include brief, mindful prayers, listening to worship music, or reading devotionals during breaks. Make a conscious effort to maintain an awareness of God’s presence in all aspects of your daily life. That’s lopsided for sure!
Do you know what happens if you do simple yet consistent things like this?
What We Focus on Grows!
There is overwhelming data on the Neuropsychology of this fact and scripture tells us the same thing.
“Remain in me, as I also remain in you. No branch can bear fruit by itself; it must remain in the vine. Neither can you bear fruit unless you remain in me” (John 15:4 NIV).
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is – his good, pleasing and perfect will” (Romans 12:2 NIV).
How we think about things over time impacts our brain. Think of your thoughts as a road that you are driving on. The more we entertain a thought, whether positive or negative (i.e. “God loves me” vs “I’m just so worthless”), the more we believe them then the more entrenched that road becomes in our brain. When you commit to taking the time to engage these thoughts you can refocus them onto what God says, “I do love you, you are highly valued!” When our thoughts are not consistent with God’s thoughts the father away from God we tend to get and the more visible this can be for others.
Life is short. We have so many choices available to us today. We need to choose very deliberately. Life does not automatically arrange itself into proper priorities. Amidst a thousand other duties we must make a relationship with God through Jesus Christ, the. ‘one thing,’ the ‘better’ thing, the primary focus of our hearts and lives.
Can I share personally with you? My experiences, seasons of change, some of them great, some of them difficult – I have experience a lot in my 53 years on earth. But one thing has never failed, one thing makes me feel that my life has been of value, one thing that has heightened my joys, one thing that has calmed my fears, one thing that has guided me in times of trouble, and strengthened me in times of weakness, is the presence of God. His faithful and loving presence. It is the presence of God in David’s soul, both for King David and for Pastor David,
this only do I seek:
that I may dwell in the house of the Lord
all the days of my life,
to gaze on the beauty of the Lord
and to seek him in his temple.
I pray that for each of us, may we, like David, seek the one thing worth pursuing and find our lives enriched and transformed by our relationship with God.
Let’s Pray.
Prayer
Heavenly Father, we thank You for the profound invitation to seek You above all else. Help us to focus our hearts on You, to dwell in Your presence daily, and to be captivated by Your beauty. Transform us through this pursuit and guide us in reflecting Your love and grace in all we do. Like David and Mary, let us embrace the ‘one thing’ of seeking God above all else.
God, how amazed we are at the solutions Jesus offers to us when we question their importance to him and his kingdom. We are still so much like those early disciples. We want you to know how hard we work. We want to be praised and recognized for our efforts and successes and we want you to pass over our failures as though they were inconsequential. Help us to reach out to others, not with thought of importance or gain, but in love and compassion; truly caring for each one we meet. When we have done this, we will have truly give our hearts and our service to our Lord. AMEN.
Song
Benediction
Go in confidence and peace, joyfully serving the Lord who walks with you. Bring hope to the hopeless, joy to those who sorrow, peace to the afflicted. Be true witnesses to the love of God through Jesus Christ.