Worship Gathering Devotional
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Devotional Worship - The Heart of Worship
Time and time again, you all have heard me say one of my favorite and most convicting verses in my time as a Worship Pastor.
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
These two verses build upon all of the chapters prior.
The Context
The Context
Paul has shown how humanity has rejected God and we have been separated from Him.
23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God,
Paul has elaborated that if we believe that Jesus Christ is truly our Lord and Savior then we should die to sin and be alive to God.
11 So you also must consider yourselves dead to sin and alive to God in Christ Jesus.
We now are no longer slaves to sin, but to righteousness. We are now released from the law and saved through faith in Jesus Christ and through His grace.
And His grace has extended to all. Not just the Jews.
The Jews have rejected God. The Jews are the ones who have crucified Him.
However, Paul says that even though Israel is the one who seems like the enemy because they crucified Jesus, God still has a plan for them and they are still beloved. They are disobedient but so were you he says.
Some important themes:
The Universality of Sin
Justification by Faith
Union with Christ
Life in the Spirit
God’s Mercy, Grace, and Sovereignty
And Paul has mentioned already several times that we are:
Not meant to abuse the grace that God has given.
That nothing can separate us from the love of Jesus Christ
And how we meant to conform into the image of Him. To be like Jesus Romans 8:28
Romans 8:29 (ESV)
29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son
I am giving you a brief, small summary, and so much more is said in this and more in the chapter prior. However, what truly is amazing is seeing God’s plan in action. And Paul is letting the Romans know this truth.
But long story short, at the end of this chapter 11, right before my favorite two verses, Paul breaks out into verbal worship. He says some quotes from Isaiah 40:13 and Job 41:11:
33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways!
34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord,
or who has been his counselor?”
35 “Or who has given a gift to him
that he might be repaid?”
36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.
The Why
The Why
Why must we be a living sacrifice?
Why must we be a living sacrifice?
1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.
Because it is a direct response of being saved and of being alive in Christ. This is how we respond to His mercy and His grace that He has bestowed to us.
This is not just a verse for worship leaders, or people on a worship team. This is a verse for everyone that calls upon the name of the Lord. This is what following Jesus Christ means.
So I challenge you this, what must you sacrifice for God? How are you worshipping Him with your life?
Why Must we not be conformed to the world?
Why Must we not be conformed to the world?
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
How were we originally conformed when God first made us?
In His Image.
27 So God created man in his own image,
in the image of God he created him;
male and female he created them.
What does this mean to be made in the image of Him?
Many say that this shows our purpose and what we are supposed to do. Westminster Shorter Chatechism says “Man’s chief end is to glorify God and to enjoy him forever”
Many say that this idea of image is basically to resemble God. To resemble the one who was the perfect image of God, Jesus. It says in Colossians 1:15
15 He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.
Romans 8:29 says
29 For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers.
So my answer to the question, which one is it? Yes. Both are true and both are essential for us as worshippers for Jesus. Our purpose is to glorify God and to enjoy Him forever. Our purpose is to resemble God and to be like Jesus
So we go back to Romans 12:2
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
The What on Being a Living Sacrifice
The What on Being a Living Sacrifice
To be a living sacrifice, you must first know whom the one who sacrificed His life for us. You must be reminded of how Jesus is the one who humbled Himself to the point of death on a cross. Remind yourself, once again that it is now Jesus and His spirit who works in you with your faith in what He’s done on the cross. In your faith that He is Lord. To be a living sacrifice, is not about you, it is about Jesus Christ.
However, like we said earlier, once you are aware and reminded of that, we must respond to His Grace and Mercy. We must die to ourselves, die to sin, and live a life that is less of us, and more of Him. To be a living sacrifice, it means to align our hearts, minds, desires, and actions to God. It means turning away from sin and living a life that resembles Jesus. It means to love one another and to be unified in Christ. As worshippers, we must live a life of obedience.
If you are on this team, we can’t just be worshippers through our gifting of music, technology, organization, or creativity. We must be genuine worshippers with our lives. Are you a worshipper with your life? Or are you just a worshipper through your talents? This is something that God continues to sanctify me and continue to change my heart and make me more like His son. What a joy it is to worship God with your gifts. But God has asked us to worship Him with our life.
The How on Being Transformed
The How on Being Transformed
What is your relationship with God’s word? I love in Psalms, how the first two verses of this book or worship songs to God states what we must do day and night:
1 Blessed is the man
who walks not in the counsel of the wicked,
nor stands in the way of sinners,
nor sits in the seat of scoffers;
2 but his delight is in the law of the Lord,
and on his law he meditates day and night.
The how is simple, but you must be diligent. The word of God truly has the power to help you be a living sacrifice as this is what transforms you and renews your mind as Romans 12:2
2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.
Meditate on His word day and night.
As we are on the worship team, we must reflect and embody and lead these principles.
“The worship to which we are called in our renewed state is far too important to be left to personal preferences, to whims, or to marketing strategies. It is the pleasing of God that is at the heart of worship. Therefore, our worship must be informed at every point by the Word of God as we seek God’s own instructions for worship that is pleasing to Him.”—R.C. Sproul
