True Worship

True Worship: A Lifestyle of Praise and Service

Big Idea: Worship is not an event but an ongoing commitment to serve God and love others, transforming every moment into an act of praise and obedience.

Good morning,

I pray that this series has been beneficial for you to this point, we only have 2 more Sunday before we gear up for our next series, it will be a little longer as we look at putting on the full armor of God. So start inviting people to that as well!

Last week we looked at true discipleship, expanding our view of community and seeing the importance in living together, helping each other grow, and living life as Christ did with His disciples, in fellowship and love for each other in accordance with His Will and His ways.

Today we move to our next area of focus and that is Worship.

If I went around and asked you how you would define worship I am sure we would get some different answers. For some its our Sunday Morning Service, for others it may be tied to our music, or some of us may not be able to define it at all. Worship is actually all of those things.

The biblical definition of worship encompasses a comprehensive response to God's nature and actions, rooted in recognizing His unique status as Creator and Lord. Worship involves honoring God for who He is and giving thanks for what He has done. It is not limited to specific rituals or locations, as Jesus emphasized in His conversation with the Samaritan woman that true worship is to be done "in spirit and truth". This concept of worship extends beyond mere religious activities to encompass all spheres of life3. It is fundamentally a posture of the heart, reflecting a life devoted to glorifying God. The biblical understanding of worship distinguishes itself from pagan concepts by not being an attempt to appease or gain favor from a deity, but rather a genuine response to God's attributes and activities. This response should permeate daily life, breaking down the artificial separation between sacred and secular.

That brings us to our passage for today found in Romans 12.

Romans 12:1–2 NIV

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

Context

As always we have to look at our context here and when we see the word Therefore we know that we have to lake a look back as this word is transitional. When we see therefore, we have to ask what is it there for? It calls us to look back at the previous 11 chapters where Paul gives us so many rich theological truths and the great plan of salvation. Romans is seen as one of the, if not the, most gospel centric books in the Bible. Romans is split into 4 quarters framed by an introduction and conclusion. The Introduction is lengthy, lasting from Romans 1-17 as Paul introduces himself to the Romans for the first time. Not only introducing himself but also his message. 1st qtr (1-4) deals with God’s wrath against human sin and his justification (salvation) of sinners through Christ. 2nd Qtr (5-8) focuses not so much on our justification through Christ as mush as us having righteousness in Christ. 3rd qtr (9-11) Paul explains how Israel will be saved. Romans 1-11 is an exposition of doctrine, 12 starts the application. 4th qtr (12-16). Romans is our clear guide to the central truths of the “gospel of God.”

As we arrive at the chapter 12 and the final quarter of his letter begins, we see Paul begin to summarize everything that has come before in his letter. Our verses today summarize the overall application in both positive and negative.

Transition: So if worship is more than a song—if it's a lifestyle—what does that actually look like in our everyday lives? Paul gives us the first step in Romans 12:1–2. It starts with offering ourselves. Worship begins with sacrifice—not of animals, but of self. Let’s explore what it means to present our bodies as a living sacrifice to God.

1. Sacrificing Self is Worship

Romans 12:1–2 NIV

Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.

After all of Pauls teachings through the first 11 chapters we come to time

Therefore, what is it there fore?

He is urging us, the greek word here means “to call alongside, to help”

This is the positive call

God’s mercy is found in His divine graces of love, grace, righteousness and faith

Calling back to the idea of sacrifice, but no longer needing sacrifices of goats and bulls.

This is a selfless act. We are to be willing, as He was willing for us.

Offering ourselves is worship

Giving up the things if this world, dying to our old self, committing fully to him. All are acts of Worship.

We are to be transformed, metamorphoo, our minds are to change, how we see the world is now through Him.

Each day as we wake up and commit ourselves to the Lord, that is Worship

Illustration: The Blank Check

Imagine going to your bank and writing a blank check. You leave the "amount" line empty and simply sign your name. That’s a bold move. You're saying, “Take what you need, I'm all in.”

That’s what true worship looks like. It’s handing God a blank check with your life. You're not just giving Him an hour on Sunday, or the parts you're comfortable surrendering. You're giving Him permission to use all of you—your time, your talents, your relationships, your plans, for His glory.

When Paul says in Romans 12:1 to "offer your bodies as a living sacrifice," he’s calling us to do just that: sign over our lives completely. Not a portion. Not what’s convenient. But everything.

Jesus didn’t give us partial love on the cross, He gave all of Himself. In worship, we do the same: we give Him all of us.

Transition: But worship doesn’t stop with surrender. When we offer ourselves to God, He turns our attention outward. As our minds are renewed, we begin to see others the way He sees them. And that leads us to the next truth: worship is not only about sacrifice, it’s about service. Let’s look at how serving others becomes a living act of worship.

2. Serving Others is Worship

Hebrews 13:15–16 NIV

Through Jesus, therefore, let us continually offer to God a sacrifice of praise—the fruit of lips that openly profess his name. And do not forget to do good and to share with others, for with such sacrifices God is pleased.

As we have been discussing, serving others is worship

Selfless living is worship

This is the Will of God, that we live in this way!

As we sacrifice ourselves, we serve others, we serve God

Christ exemplifies trus worship through His life of service, love, and sacrifice. His actions reflect the heart of worship that goes beyond ritual to include compassionate actions towards others, inviting us to follow His model in our daily lives.

True worship is evidenced not only in our songs and prayers but also in acts of service and kindness that reflect God’s love and grace in the world around us.

Transition: Serving others leads us into a deeper expression of worship: compassion. True worship reflects the very heart of God, especially in how we treat the vulnerable, the hurting, and the forgotten. James reminds us that real religion, true worship, is measured by how we care for others. So let’s look at how compassion completes the picture of worship in action.

3. Showing Compassion is Worship

James 1:26–27 NIV

Those who consider themselves religious and yet do not keep a tight rein on their tongues deceive themselves, and their religion is worthless. Religion that God our Father accepts as pure and faultless is this: to look after orphans and widows in their distress and to keep oneself from being polluted by the world.

Worship is showing compassion

Pure, faultless, vulnerable

This can be shown in how we treat others, and how we treat ourselves

Worship is all encompassing

Music, praising, prayer

Taking notes, spending time in His Word, growing closer with Him

Not worrying about what the world says, or how the world reacts, but focusing in on Christ.

Christ Connection

Jesus is the perfect picture of true worship. His entire life was an offering, a living sacrifice of obedience to the Father. He didn’t simply attend worship; He was worship in motion. In the wilderness, He worshiped by resisting temptation. In the streets, He worshiped by healing the sick and feeding the hungry. On His knees, He worshiped in prayer. And on the cross, He gave the ultimate act of worship, laying down His life so that we could be reconciled to God.

Jesus showed us that worship is not confined to a temple or a song, but lived out in compassion, service, and surrender to God’s will. And now, through His death and resurrection, He invites us to follow Him, not just on Sundays, but with every moment of our lives.

Because of Christ, worship becomes our response to the gospel, offering our whole selves to the One who gave everything for us.

Conclusion

Worship is not confined to a sanctuary, a sound system, or a Sunday morning setlist. True worship is what happens when the gospel transforms your heart, and your whole life becomes a living sacrifice to God.

Paul urges us to offer our bodies, our time, our energy, our choices, as living sacrifices. That’s not a momentary act. It’s a daily decision. Every conversation, every act of service, every time we say “yes” to God and “no” to the world, it’s all worship.

Jesus didn’t just teach worship; He lived it. He worshiped the Father by loving His disciples, healing the broken, feeding the hungry, and dying for sinners. He turned dinner tables, desert places, and even the cross into altars of worship. If we are His followers, our lives should do the same.

So as you leave today, don’t wait until next Sunday to worship.

Worship God by loving your family well.

Worship God by showing kindness to a stranger.

Worship God by sacrificing your comfort for someone else’s need.

Worship God in your work, in your rest, in your words, and in your witness.

Let your life be a song of praise to the One who gave you mercy. Let your heart be the altar. Let your love be the offering. And let your worship never stop.