Series: Body Language wk 1: Face Down



series: Body Language wk 1: Facedown morgan young 3.2.08

As far back as I can remember I’ve always been a drummer. Of all things I do in life it’s the one thing that is most effortless---I just relax, look at the chart, listen and react—I don’t think about it a lot…

I started playing drums when I was 4 years old. I’m sure I was beating on things and people before that. But when I was four my parents bought me this ruby-red drumset. My dad made a red carpeted stage that fit in the corner of our living room right next to the “Hi Fi” so I could play along to records with headphones on.

When I was eight I started taking lessons and studied and played through all the years I was in school. Played in bands, won awards, led drum lines etc. When I was eighteen instead of buying a car I bought a drumset.

I would later be other things, but from age 4 into my twenties, more than anything else--- I was “a drummer.”

What were you? Or a more relavant question is, “Who are you?” If someone introduced you, what what they say you are?

What we say we are has everything to do with the life we live. Let me try to explain:

When I was younger I thought most about drums (except when there were girls around): thought about getting more drums, new drums, more cymbals, read drum magazines, hung out with other drummers & musicians in music stores.

I was always very aware of how “good” I was—was I better than that guy?... I was very aware of what other people thought of me: “How good do they think I am?”

When I played out with bands I subconsciously thought, “I need to prove to everyone here that I am the best drummer they’ve ever heard.”

Being a drummer had everything to do with what I thought about, what I did with my time and what I did with my money.

And that’s how life works with whatever we are: a golfer? A TV-aholic?, an addict?, a shopper, a fan of “The Office”?

As I grew up I started to take this natural ability that I seemed to have and started working on it almost from the time I woke up to the time I went to bed. When I was 15, I would not watch TV without drumsticks in my hand playing on a practice pad.

The reason I was working like crazy, trying to impress the world was because as I got into high school, I finally ran into guys that were better than me. And I couldn’t have it—I didn’t like how that felt, so I worked liked crazy to give them a run for their money…

(Let me be a little more honest:)

And as I look back on it, I realize that subconsciously I thought if I impressed people enough---if I “wowed” them enough. Maybe they wouldn’t notice that my family and home was kind of a mess—that my dad was in a bad place and wasn’t working.

Maybe they wouldn’t notice that I wasn’t as thin as I wanted to be. Maybe if I worked hard enough they wouldn’t see the extra pounds or the junked-up family—they’d just see “Morgan—the phenomenal drummer.”

It kind of worked—or it worked for a while anyhow.

Sixteen years ago this church was doing a concert and needed a drummer. And Jeremy Carter said, “Hey, I know this guys who’s a good drummer.”

Heck he may have actually said,

“Hey know this guy who’s compensating for a truckload of twisted emotional baggage—let’s give the poor schlep a shot at playing drums so maybe God can do something for his sorry butt!”

So 16 years ago Sandra and I started coming here. Oakbrook—the first church I ever attended regularly.

And since Oakbrook’s band consisted of a lot of “drum machine” tracks before I got here, a lot of people started saying to me after the services, “Hey, you’re a great drummer.”

Every week I played drums and listened to Mark’s talks—started to grow in Christ.

I remember one day I was playing drums in a service that we were serving communion. I was sitting behind the drums and I looked down and saw this image:

[pic]

I saw the bread & the cup on my drumhead and I thought about how many times I’d looked down at that drum up to that point in my life... And that was the first time something Holy had sat on that drum. I can assure you that many “other” beverages had sat there.

But now…the body & blood of Christ-on my drum—next to my drumsticks…

And the Holy Spirit used that image to make me aware of a different way of seeing myself in the world. That picture was the point where I was beginning to understand that I wasn’t

“Morgan, the drummer.” I was now,

“Morgan—the adopted son of the Most High God—who just happens to play the drums. (repeat)

For so many years that preceded that moment, I had worshiped the drums. (JLee said earlier) Worship is our response to what we value most. They were what I thought about, how I spent my time & money--- And most importantly they DEFINED WHO I WAS.

If I was the best, I felt great about myself. If I played a great gig, I felt great about myself. If I was having an “off” night, I went home feeling “less than.” Because being a drummer defined me.

Who we are—or who we THINK we are--- has everything to do with how we live this life. Or as someone said:

What we have at the center of our attention is what has us. (repeat)

In other words, follow the trail of what we think about, do with our time & money & we find what we worship.

As I began to realize that who I was had to do with CHRIST—instead of what I DID---the Holy Spirit started to help me change what I thought about, and what I did with my time and money---basically as I focused more on who I was in Christ---God slowly changed how I lived my entire life.

And the truth about anyone who has come into a relationship with Jesus Christ is that first & foremost it is about WHO we are.

I think there’s misconceptions about the mystery of becoming a Christ follower. Right after we become one, we wonder, “Ok—what do I need to DO next?” “What’s my next action step?” –we wonder if it’s going to last…

But what really happens when we accept Christ is that something happens to us that changes who we are.

Because to be saved---means being ADOPTED (repeat).

And if we get saved and want to run out and start DOING before we realize that our identity has changed, we’re missing something.

Think of your salvation as the day you got Holy Adoption Papers. (repeat)

(Your name) has been adopted by God the Father. The court fees were paid for in full, by His perfect Son, Jesus Christ—all the paperwork filled-in with dark red “ink.”

“God decided in advance to adopt us into his own family by bringing us to himself through Jesus Christ. This is what He wanted to do, and it gave him great pleasure.”

Ephesians 1:5 NLT

So after we’re saved, there are lots of things we DO: our job, our hobbies, parenting, school, get involved at church---but those activities and how good or bad we do them, should no longer define us.

Because now we are the adopted sons & daughters of God, who just happens to earn a living doing _______, who loves to do ________ hobby, who serves in Upstreet…who loves The Office.

And here’s how life works for me on this side of it:

I LOVE to play the drums. When I get to play with great musicians/singers on this stage I am having the time of my life.

But my worldview is different from when I was younger. Before I would have been trying to impress you.

Now, I often say under my breath as I sit down behind the kit, “Not mine but Thine.”

My motivation now is about cutting loose behind the drums with all the passion and talent God gave me--- to hopefully reflect my Father in heaven—not to project myself..

Before I used to drum to bring glory to ME---but now it’s my unique response to what Christ did on the cross.

And now as I cut loose, I know my ability comes from Him and it’s all for Him, it’s all about Him and the Holy Spirit is along for the ride.

I don’t play any more to impress people. I play with everything I am because as a Son of the Most High, it’s my response to God’s grace. It’s worship. Whether I’m playing U2 or Linkin Park, or Charlie Hall--it’s worship. It’s my response to my Father God.

Because I am the son of the Most High God who just happens to play the drums.

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This service is called “Face Down” and it’s about worship.

And worship isn’t just singing songs.

It’s not just what we do at church on Sunday.

Worship isn’t some thing we do.

God says that worship is supposed to be EVERY THING WE DO.

“And so, dear brothers and sisters, I plead with you to give your bodies to God because of all he has done for you. Let them be a living and holy sacrifice—the kind He will find acceptable. This is truly the way to worship Him.”

Romans 12:1 NLT

(“Body” language—come from this verse---what does this verse mean?...)

So here's what I want you to do, God helping you: Take your everyday, ordinary life—your sleeping, eating, going-to-work, and walking-around life—and place it before God as an offering. Embracing what God does for you is the best thing you can do for him.

Romans 12:1 The Message

This is one of those simple yet complex biblical truths. Romans 12:1 says My whole life is worship. (say it w/me—have fun) /////////////////

Ok—SIMPLE truth, simple sentence: “My whole life is worship.”

Complex reality—“Oh—you mean my WHOLE life---is worship.” (gulp!)

When we sing songs in church I think most people get that we’re singing for God. A lot of us sing with an attitude that says:

“God—I love you. I’m singing this song because I love You—because You saved me—You washed away my sins---You love me. God, with this voice that Simon Cowl would rip to shreds, I’m giving it up to You & for You!”

But when God defines worship in Romans 12:1 He says worship is EVERYTHING we do and EVERYWHERE we go.

Are you kidding me?...

How I am at the beauty shop? Yep.

How I am on the job site? Yep.

How I am around the house? Yep.

How I am at the ballpark? Yep.

How I am in the halls at school? Yep.

It’s like we have these “hats” that define us that we wear in different situations:

I have a work hat—this is how I am here---how I behave.

I have a play hat---that’s how I am on the golf course—my “golf” words…

I have a home hat---I’m not as polite, I’m tired…

I have a Sunday hat---I am GREAT on Sunday! I’m at my best—you oughta see me!

(This is why Jews wear the Yamika…)

We kind of have this HAT theology---but in Romans 12:1 God IN ESSENCE says—

“You no longer where hats---because now you have an adoption paper; written in Red---

you’re no longer what you do----it’s no longer about how well you perform for the world or for Me---You are now my son---You are now my daughter----and as much as you love your own kids just because they’re your own kids---somehow I love you even more, because now you’re My child---and you can’t impress me---all you can do is love me back(repeat)---and I call that worship----

So when you’re at work—love Me back.

When you’re at the ballpark—love me back.

When you’re talking with people around the water cooler—love me back.

When you’re at school—in the halls, at lunch, & in every room—love me back.

When you’re playing the drums with the abilities I gave you—love me back.

(God says) You can’t impress Me. It’s impossible. All I want and need you to do---is love Me back—with your eating, sleeping, going-to-work, and walking-around life. Spill Me onto the people you come in contact with---—in whatever you do; wherever you go, by how you live---love me back-- I call it ‘worship.’”

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So this series called “Body Language” is about this body we have. This physical body that mysteriously has the Holy Spirit of God in it…

Our “body language” is this mysterious combination of the physical body and our spiritual Holy Spirit-indwelled body—walking around this life in response to what Christ did & is doing for us.

And because we all receive adoption papers when we come into a relationship with Christ, we bow down to God daily---we live a “face down” life—we realize that who we are IN CHRIST should be reflected in what we think about, and what we do with our time & our money.

The apostle Paul calls living facedown: “dying to yourself daily.”(Philippians 1:21)

Jesus Christ summed it up in the garden by bowing down with the phrase, “Not my will but Thy will be done.” (Matthew 26:39)

To live facedown is to wake up every morning realizing that you are the son or daughter of the Most High God—with the Spirit of God IN you.

And who you ARE IN CHRIST is more important than anything you’ll do. So we live “facedown,” living out of our identity IN CHRIST—not our great Christian deeds.

When you leave here today I don’t want to give you something to do. I want you to leave here embracing who you are IN CHRIST—realizing that you take crimson adoption papers with you everywhere you go.

And just maybe, as we “renew our mind” (Rom 12:2) waking every day realizing what Christ has done for us, the Holy Spirit in us will lead us in living our whole life---a life of loving God back for what He’s done for us---living a life of worship.

What we have at the center of our attention is what has us.

(setup Psalms—rich in words—rich in how they captured life hundreds of years ago & still today. This one is about sin, grace, the power of God, and worship.)

(May want to agree with this.

May want to close your eyes & try to seek God as I read this.

May want to contemplate letting God into your heart today.

Confess)

Psalm 51 The Message

 “Generous in love—God, give grace!

Huge in mercy—wipe out my bad record.

   Scrub away my guilt,

      soak out my sins in your laundry.

   I know how bad I've been;

      my sins are staring me down.

 You're the One I've violated, and you've seen

      it all, seen the full extent of my evil.

   You have all the facts before you;

      whatever you decide about me is fair.

   I've been out of step with you for a long time,

      in the wrong since before I was born.

   What you're after is truth from the inside out.

      Enter me, then; conceive a new, true life.

Soak me in your laundry and I'll come out clean,

      scrub me and I'll have a snow-white life.

   Tune me in to foot-tapping songs,

      set these once-broken bones to dancing.

   Don't look too close for blemishes,

      give me a clean bill of health.

   God, make a fresh start in me,

      shape a Genesis week from the chaos of my life.

   Don't throw me out with the trash,

      or fail to breathe holiness in me.

   Bring me back from gray exile,

      put a fresh wind in my sails!

   Give me a job teaching rebels your ways

      so the lost can find their way home.

   Commute my death sentence, God, my salvation God,

      and I'll sing anthems to your life-giving ways.

   Unbutton my lips, dear God;

      I'll let loose with your praise.

 Going through the motions doesn't please you,

      a flawless performance is nothing to you.

   I learned God-worship

      when my pride was shattered.

   Heart-shattered lives ready for love

      don't for a moment, escape God's notice.

Make Zion the place you delight in,

      repair Jerusalem's broken-down walls.

   Then you'll get real worship from us,

      acts of worship small and large…”

(setup slides---this is what our life is in response to…”The adoption process”…)

(MS8) 5 pictures of Christ & the cross—about 10 secs on each picture—jlee will play under) >

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