June 29, 2025

TRUE WORSHIP: WHAT IT’S ABOUT

In American Christianity, worship has become more about ME than it is about THEE. We’ve becomeconsumers of worship rather than givers of worship.

Romans 12:1-2, “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. 2 Don’t copy the behavior and customs of this world, but let God transform you into a new person by changing the way you think. Then you will learn to know God’s will for you, which is good and pleasing and perfect.” (NLT)

1. Worship is about __________________________.

Paul’s audience in the ancient world understood sacrifice. But Paul says our worship should be a LIVING sacrifice. What does that mean? It is me actively surrendering my life to Jesus.

Leon Morris states, “The sacrifice of which Paul writes demands not the destruction but the full energy of life. It is positive and dynamic.”

Our worship today is not a bloody sacrifice… Thank God! But it should be sacrificial in the sense that it costs me something. It costs me my time, my dignity, my reputation, my self-preservation.

Question: Is there any areas of your life that you have yet to surrender to Christ? A relationship? A preference? Finances? Time? Are you running away from a calling?

2. Worship is about __________________________.

Paul said, “Fix your attention on God!” I get so caught up in everything that’s going on around me, that I forget that worship is really ALL about God.

Psalm 115:1, “Not to us, O Lord, not to us but to your name be the glory, because of your love and faithfulness.” (NIV)

Worship is a vertical act, not a horizontal show. When we think about worship, we shouldn’t ask the question, “Did I like it?” The most important question is “Did God receive it?”

Research demonstrates that whatever music we loved when we were around 14 years old is most likely what we will still love later on. This explains why every generation has a different way of filling in this blank: "You know, we just need to sing some more songs like ___________.”

Trying to find a style of music that "works" for everyone is an impossible task. But if we remember that worship is about sacrifice and it’s all about God, we are better equipped to model what it looks like to be submissive in areas of taste for the greater good of expanding the Kingdom.

HOMEWORK: This week, take 90 seconds a day with no music, and just tell God who He is and what He means to you. Literally time this.