Romans 12:1-2 - Worship In A Nutshell
In A Nutshell • Sermon • Submitted • Presented
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Thank everyone for the generosity for VK
I’ve worn glasses/contacts since I was in 1st grade
I’ve had many eye exams through the years
I know what it’s like to not see clearly
Even when your eyes are as bad as mine…
With the correct prescription…
You can see just fine
But if your prescription is incorrect
You aren’t able to see anything clearly
Assumptions are a lot like glasses
When they’re correct, you see things as they are
When they’re incorrect, you won’t see anything clearly
I believe many people believe many wrong things…
Because we have made many wrong assumptions
And when your beliefs are based on wrong assumptions…
It’s like building on top of a weak foundation…
Or leaving the trail in an unfamiliar forest
Things are likely to go terribly wrong
It’s so important to differentiate between facts & assumptions
But that’s a very difficult thing to do…
Because we often assume our assumptions are facts
And it’s impossible to question an assumption…
When you don’t even realize you’ve made one
Let me give an example…
One we are familiar with in the COC:
Many believers in the world have made some assumptions about baptism
One of which is:
They assume baptism is a work
Paul tells us we aren’t saved by works…
Therefore baptism has nothing to do with our salvation
Hopefully you get the idea of how a simple assumption…
Can lead to very drastic conclusions?
I want to look at another assumption many of us may be making
One which may be negatively affecting…
Our relationship with God & others
What Is Worship?
What Is Worship?
What comes to your mind when you hear the word “worship”?
Maybe singing praises to God
Maybe bowing down in prayer to Him
You could define worship in a number of ways:
To show reverence, devotion, & allegiance
To exalt, glorify, & praise
If someone said, “I’m going to worship”…
What would that mean to you?
You’d probably interpret that to mean…
They are going to the church assembly
And to get more specific…
You’d probably assume they were going to do…
The “5 Acts of Worship”…
As they’ve been commonly called in the COC:
Singing, Praying, Communion, Giving, Preaching
All of that would likely be our assumption
But the questions we’re asking in this lesson are:
Is it possible that we could be making…
Some wrong assumptions about “worship”?
Is it possible that we have taken a narrow/limited view of worship?
Is it possible that the Scriptures might present…
A grander & more encompassing view of worship?
And is it possible that assuming a narrower/limited view of worship…
We could be negatively impacting/hindering our walk with God?
In this lesson, we’re going to look at worship…
In A Nutshell
In A Nutshell
When studying the concept of “worship” in the NT…
You’ll find that there are several words in the Greek language…
That are similar, but still unique…
Showing the nuance of the concept of worship
The most common word for worship (over 60 times in NT)…
Means to bow down in reverence & submission
This word is found 9 times in just 5 verses in John 4…
Where Jesus is discussing proper worship…
With a Samaritan woman
20 So tell me, why is it that you Jews insist that Jerusalem is the only place of worship, while we Samaritans claim it is here at Mount Gerizim, where our ancestors worshiped?” 21 Jesus replied, “Believe me, dear woman, the time is coming when it will no longer matter whether you worship the Father on this mountain or in Jerusalem.
22 You Samaritans know very little about the one you worship, while we Jews know all about him, for salvation comes through the Jews. 23 But the time is coming—indeed it’s here now—when true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth. The Father is looking for those who will worship him that way. 24 For God is Spirit, so those who worship him must worship in spirit and in truth.”
It didn’t take long after Jesus ascended into heaven…
For unbelievers in the Greco-Roman world…
To start labeling Christians as atheists
Why?
Because to everyone else…
Religion & worship were tied to:
A Temple
Images & Idols
Sacrifices
Public Festivals & Rituals
To the world, Christians didn’t have any of those things
Therefore, they must not believe in or worship any gods
I tell you that because what Jesus told the Samaritan woman…
Leads to the Christians behaving in such a way:
In Christ, there will be no need for:
A Temple
Because those who belong to Jesus ARE God’s new temple
Images or Idols
Because in Christ we are restored to being God’s Image
Sacrifices
Because Jesus is our once for all sacrifice…
And we now offer spiritual sacrifices to God
Public Festivals & Rituals
Because we have private gatherings…
Where we celebrate our Lord & His salvation
5 you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.
19 So then you are no longer foreigners and noncitizens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints and members of God’s household, 20 because you have been built on the foundation of the apostles and prophets, with Christ Jesus himself as the cornerstone.21 In him the whole building, being joined together, grows into a holy temple in the Lord, 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling place of God in the Spirit.
Jesus was telling the Samaritan woman…
That a time was coming when you wouldn’t need…
A specific location to worship God
Instead, God’s worshippers can worship Him anywhere…
As long as they are worshipping Him in Spirit & Truth
I believe “in spirit” is referring to…
The Spirit dwelling within the worshiper
And I believe “truth” in which we worship God…
Is referring to the truth of Jesus’ identity as the Messiah
Worship no longer requires a certain location
The temple where God’s Spirit lives…
And where we must worship Him…
Is in our very own bodies:
19 Or do you not know that your body is the temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and you are not your own? 20 For you were bought at a price. Therefore glorify God with your body.
Growing up in the church…
I heard on multiple occasions…
The idea that worship only takes place:
On Sundays
Within the Church Assembly
If you aren’t at church on Sunday…
Then you have missed worship
I want to be careful but firm when I say this:
That idea is completely foreign to the NT
You can’t “miss” worship
Worship isn’t an event that takes place…
At a certain time & in a certain place
Worship can (and SHOULD) take place anytime, anywhere
Our bodies are God’s temple
Wherever we go, God’s Spirit comes with us
And whenever we speak or act for His glory…
And declare our devotion & allegiance to Him…
We are worshipping God
We often refer to what we are doing right now as a “worship service”
It’s not wrong to use that language…
But we do need to recognize that it isn’t in the NT
There is no such thing as a “worship service” in the NT
That’s not to say that they didn’t worship together on Sundays
They certainly did
But they didn’t consider the Sunday gathering…
To be the only time they worshiped
They didn’t just worship on Sundays
In fact, they probably roll over in their temporary graves…
Every time one of us even suggests such a thing to be the case
They lived worshipful lives
Everyday & every moment was an opportunity to worship God
That’s not to say that everything is worship
Worship isn’t something you accidentally do
Worship is words & actions…
Done intentionally for the purpose…
Of praising, glorifying, & honoring God
That includes things said & done:
At Home
At School/Work
In Public
In Private
In Our Relationships
When Angry, Jealous, or Wronged
When Tempted to Sin
Worship isn’t an event that consists of a measly 5 Acts
Worship is a way of life
The Scriptures don’t call us to “attend worship”
The Scriptures call us to “become worshippers”…
By living worshipful lives
15 Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. 16 And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.
The author of Hebrews is referring to sacrificial offerings to God
What are the sacrifices that Christians offer to God?
What type of worship do we offer to God?:
Lips that openly profess (proclaim allegiance to) His name
Doing good to others
Sharing with others
How do Christians worship God in a way that pleases Him?
We confess our love, devotion, & allegiance to Him
We do good to others
We share with others
That’s how we worship!
James tells us the same thing:
27 Pure and genuine religion in the sight of God the Father means caring for orphans and widows in their distress and refusing to let the world corrupt you.
Another way to translate that word “religion” is “worship”
Pure worship to God is:
Helping those in need
Saying “no” to temptation & sin
That’s how Christians worship God
According to the NT…
Worship isn’t about attending a service
Worship is about SERVING
Let’s finally get to our final & main Nutshell text:
1 Therefore I exhort you, brothers, through the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God, which is your reasonable service. 2 And do not be conformed to this age, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, so that you may approve what is the good and well-pleasing and perfect will of God.
The word for “service” is a word…
That has to do with a priest’s work in the temple
As priests of God…
It is our duty to serve in His Temple (our bodies)…
By presenting our bodies as living sacrifices to Him
What is a living sacrifice?
We die daily, yet we live
We surrender ourselves entirely to God’s will…
By refusing to be conformed to the world…
But instead, being transformed by having our minds renewed
And we live in ways that are good, well-pleasing…
And in accordance with God’s perfect will
That is our priestly service/worship to God
Conclusion
Conclusion
Worship is more than what we do on Sundays
Singing, praying, eating, & learning together…
Are all great & important ways in which we worship God
But they are not the only way
To suggest that they are…
Is an extremely narrow…
And unscriptural view of worship
God isn’t interested in a weekly performance
He wants temples & priests…
Who are continually praising, exalting, & glorifying Him:
In the way they love their spouse
In the way they raise their children
In the way they treat their neighbor
In the way they reject sin
When we do these things with the goal of bringing honor to God…
We are worshipping God…
In exactly the way He wants to be worshipped
Why Does It Matter?
Why Does It Matter?
I hope no one walks away from this lesson…
Believing that I’m trying to minimize Sunday
That’s not even close to the point I’m trying to make
The goal is to maximize Monday - Saturday
I believe the teaching that worship is a Sunday-only event…
Is not only false, but harmful
What you believe shapes you, whether you realize it or not
If you believe worship is relegated to the Sunday assembly only
That’s going to affect how you view…
The rest of your week…
And the things you do throughout it
But if you believe that worship is a lifestyle…
Which is exactly how the NT authors viewed it…
Then you’ll see every moment…
As an opportunity to praise & glorify God
Having a proper view of worship reminds us:
We are God’s Temple (at all times!)
Our bodies are God’s dwelling places (at all times!)
We are God’s priests (at all times!)
We are living sacrifices that are offered to God (at all times!)
And every thought, word, action has the potential…
To praise, glorify, honor, and declare our allegiance to Him
The point is simple:
God deserves more than just your Sunday
Worship Him everyday:
With your thoughts
With your words
With your actions
Worship Him:
In your prayers & your songs, yes
But also By loving others
By doing acts of kindness, compassion, & generosity
By rejecting sin
Whatever you do, so long as it is aligned with God’s will,
Is worship if it is done to honor, exalt, glorify, and declare allegiance to Him
Worship God in prayer & ask Him to help us to worship Him everyday
Worship God in prayer & ask Him to help us to worship Him everyday
