“CENTERED” ON CHRIST
Part 1 — Pastor Waymond Burton
Part 1 — Pastor Waymond Burton
I. PERSONAL “CENTER”
Your psychological, moral and emotional anchor. The governing place from which your life is interpreted, your priorities are established, your decisions are made, and your behavior is produced.
Your psychological, moral and emotional anchor. The governing place from which your life is interpreted, your priorities are established, your decisions are made, and your behavior is produced.
- Your “center” is what you protect first, sacrifice last, and defend the hardest.
- One of the greatest deceptions of the Christian life is believing our professed convictions accurately represent our governing convictions.
- We are experts at the center we claim to have and blind to the center we actually live from.
II. Colossians 1:16-18 Berean Standard Bible
16 For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him.
17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
18 And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence.
Preeminence
unrivaled supremacy, unrivaled priority, most important, first in all things
16 For in Him all things were created, things in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities. All things were created through Him and for Him.
17 He is before all things, and in Him all things hold together.
18 And He is the head of the body, the church; He is the beginning and firstborn from among the dead, so that in all things He may have preeminence.
Preeminence
unrivaled supremacy, unrivaled priority, most important, first in all things
- For many American Christians, we are comfortable with making Jesus prominent in our lives but not preeminent.
- We cannot claim Christ as Lord while treating Him like an advisor whose counsel we are free to reject.
III. Romans 8:28 Christian Standard Bible
28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
28 We know that all things work together for the good of those who love God, who are called according to his purpose.
- Your professed “center” is what you say matters most.
- Your functional “center” is what actually governs your life.
IV. Matthew 6:31-33 New Century Version
31 Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’
32 The people who don’t know God keep trying to get these things, and your Father in heaven knows you need them.
33 Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well.
31 Don’t worry and say, ‘What will we eat?’ or ‘What will we drink?’ or ‘What will we wear?’
32 The people who don’t know God keep trying to get these things, and your Father in heaven knows you need them.
33 Seek first God’s kingdom and what God wants. Then all your other needs will be met as well.
- Worship is not a song we sing.
- Worship is what we serve, trust, and organize our life around.
V. WHERE DID MY CENTER COME FROM?
1. Our sinful nature - This is the default setting which is why being centered on Christ is never accidental.
2. Our family - Centers are passed down like a curriculum. Family patterns handed down to you when you were too young to question them.
3. Our pain - Pain builds centers, betrayal, rejection, abuse, loss, disappointment. The vow to never feel that again can become a throne.
4. Our culture - Screens, feeds, entertainment, politics, saturate us with ungodly philosophies and builds a center. Nobody enrolls in it; we are simply immersed in it.
5. Our habits - A thousand small choices over time like a path through a field. What we rehearse, we become.
1. Our sinful nature - This is the default setting which is why being centered on Christ is never accidental.
2. Our family - Centers are passed down like a curriculum. Family patterns handed down to you when you were too young to question them.
3. Our pain - Pain builds centers, betrayal, rejection, abuse, loss, disappointment. The vow to never feel that again can become a throne.
4. Our culture - Screens, feeds, entertainment, politics, saturate us with ungodly philosophies and builds a center. Nobody enrolls in it; we are simply immersed in it.
5. Our habits - A thousand small choices over time like a path through a field. What we rehearse, we become.