WorshipGod Conference Part 1

So I had the awesome opportunity to go to the WorshipGod Conference at Covenant Life Church this past Wednesday to Friday. The worship and the teaching there were very impactful and insightful. I really liked how Gospel centered all the messages and songs were. The Gospel must take on a greater importance in our lives. It is because of the Gospel we have life through our Saviour Jesus Christ. It is because of the Gospel we can be free from sin and have a peace in Him. It's because of the Gospel we can go to God the father. I tend to forget these fundamental things which are essential for Gospel-centered living.

The first speaker at the conference was John Piper. You may know him as the author of "Desiring God" and "Don't Waste Your Life". His talk was so incredibly deep and thought provoking! Here goes my attempt to explain some of his talk to you.

His first talk was titled "God of Worship" and is taken from Romans 3:25-26. He first laid down the different mindsets or outlooks an individual can have on the world. The first is the "secular mindset", the one that everyone is born with where they view man as the center of all things. Life is about my expectations, my rights, my desires. My desires are the measure of all things. The opposite is the "Biblical mindset" where God is the center and His rights and His goals are the center. We are dependant. These mindsets determine our perception as to the purpose of the universe. The Biblical mindset affirms that the purpose of the universe is to bring glory to God.

Piper posed this question: "What is the problem God is solving in the sending of His Son? Most people answer by saying that our salvation was the main purpose of the coming of Christ. Piper however posed another view. Remember David, when he sinned by killing Uriah and taking Bathsheba? Nathan the prophet went to David and told him about his wrongdoing. David then repented and God forgave him. When God allows sin to go unpunished, it does not satisfy God's righteous nature. As a just God, He cannot tolerate any kind of sin. Piper gave an illustration: If a murderer went before a judge and apologized for killing a man and the judge allowed the murderer to walk free, how would that be just? In the same way, God had to vindicate His own righteousness by doing one of two things, either send us all to hell or send His only Son to die for the remission of all sins. Our salvation was a secondary objective to the vindication of God's righteousness. Through this, we see that God's love for us is based on His love for His glory. We are no longer the foundation of our salvation.

Then people ask, "Is Jesus an ego maniac? And in being an ego-maniac, is that love? We look to Matthew 10: 37-39.

"He who loves father or mother more than me is not worthy of Me. And he who loves son or daughter more than Me is not worth of Me. And he who does not take his cross and follow after Me is not worthy of Me. He who finds his life will lose it, and he who loses his life for My sake will find it."

To answer the question, it is in fact love. The only eternal happiness is a happiness focused on the glory of God. God's unswerving faithfulness to uphold and display His perfection through the cross is for my enjoyment. Therefore, we experience the greatest joy when we are glorifying God. When God's exhaltation is your joy, your joy will never fail.

Now exult in Christ's exaltation!!!!