1. Making the “god” of MY Choice ( 5 ) “Why knee-knocking awe is replaced by a yawn of familiarity”

2. Hebrews 12 : 28, 29 Idolatry is a foolish practice Adherents may be sincere but wrong A god that is comfortable Without cunning the idol will perish and man's folly exposed Is not a practice of the ancients Prevalent today

3. A troubling fact The redesigning of the biblical god The God of the Bible is not denied, just revised "Religion" has become a convenience, a panacea, a license We have created gods

4. Modern worshiping assemblies "You may find much good, such a vibrant fellowship or inspirational teaching or emotional music, but too much of it happens on the horizontal plane, with only a courteous nod toward the vertical...The purpose of the whole enterprise, it seems, is to guarantee that everyone feel comfortable and entertained"

5. How can we recover what has been lost? How can we restore reverence? Two critical points will help us restore the reverence and awe for our Holy God: A process of repentance which calls us back to reverence A guide which offers us infallible instruction.

6. To "repent" means to turn from one way (practice) and toward another (Acts 3:19; 2 Corinthians 7:10). Biblical repentance is an on-going (constant) practice (1 John 1:6-10) Repentance !

7. There is a constant battle and we must practice daily repentance (2 Corinthians 10:5). A great challenge—to let go of the god of our creation and restore reverence to the God of all creation This requires us to repent of self- centeredness Daily Repentance !

8. Three steps to Repentance REMEMBER! The restoration of reverence begins where its loss started—with the memory of who God is, what He expects, and how we are to approach Him. (2 Peter 3:1-2) We must not forget the greatness of the biblical God. (Psalm 1:2; Genesis 39:9).

9. Three steps to Repentance REMEMBER! FOCUS! Keep a singular focus upon the Almighty as the One seated in heavenly splendor and ruling the Universe. This singular focus be expressed in our worship.

10. "Sometimes what passes for worship is more human-centered than God-centered. We want to make sure everyone 'gets something' out of the experience…this tends to be the standard most of us use to judge whether a service was 'meaningful‘ …Was I inspired? Were the sermon and music to MY liking? Were MY needs met? If not, well there's always another church down the street to try next Sunday…the desire to be sensitive to the needs of…believers or seekers. But what difference does it make if God is not at the center?"

11. Three steps to Repentance REMEMBER! FOCUS! This singular focus will be expressed in our worship. Worship is FOR God, not man.

12. Worship is FOR God, not man It is easy to understand why God is redesigned…so He will sanction any kind of "wowing" worship practice. After all, if the focus of our worship is to elicit "Wows!" from the audience then God must be a god of the "Holy wow!"

13. Worship that is designed FOR man is idolatry (Exodus 20:3) Worship that unseats God as its primary focus is sin (2 Timothy 3:2) Worship that is focused upon pleasing man is blasphemy (Malachi 3:13-14) Repentance leads us to restore the focus of worship

14. Worship is FOR God, not man We need to guard against redesigning God as a god of worship that satisfies selfishness.

15. Three steps to Repentance REMEMBER! FOCUS! STRUCTURE!

16. Structure in worship … We must have structure. God has revealed the structure of worship that He desires. Idolatry seeks to redesign this structure! (1 Corinthians 11:17) Worship cannot be left to the whimsical nature of man. Worship cannot become man’s self-expressions of his various talents.

17. Our idolatrous culture redesigns God ' s patterns. It scoffs at traditions, rituals, and patterns. Those who seek to idolize will redesign a god who will accept less than what the biblical God has commanded

18. Prepare with respect for the Lord God Almighty’s presence (Exodus19:10). Prepare with consecration (Exodus 19:10). Prepare with willing obedience (Exodus 19:10bff). Prepare with the appointed time (Exodus 19:11). Biblical illustration ( Exodus 19 : 10 - 14

19. Reverence can be restored! Those who repent, refocus, and follow God's structure find that the lost reverence is restored (Isaiah 57:17-19; Psalm 51:12).

20. There is a great desire to restore reverence but… …How are we to know what true repentance is? …How are we to know which focus is the right one? …How are we to know which structure is right?

21. There is but ONE true God Let all cast away the gods of their imaginations. Let us turn to the one, true God and submit to His directions in our life. You may not "like" what the God of the Bible teaches, commands, and condemns, but do you really have another option? There is but ONE true God!

22. Making The God Of MY Choice : “Restoring the Reverence ( 2 ) ” Our next lesson…