SLIDE 1: Finalized Preaching Outline: More Than a Song

INTRO (4 Minutes)

SLIDE 2: INTRO – WHO I AM / WHY THIS MATTERS

Intro“Hi, I’m Blake — one of the worship pastors here. Husband to Megan… dad to Coasten, Atlas, and little Amariah.”

Light humor: “Our home is basically books… outdoor adventures… music… great food…and Legos everywhere — usually under my feet.”

Quick honor of Megan: “My wife is a stay-at-home mom and homeschooler for our boys — an incredible cook, deeply relational, helps our family stay healthy, grounded, and encouraged… and she makes our home feel like a refuge. She’s truly my best friend.”

Worship background:“I grew up a worship pastor’s kid. Started playing drums at 11.I felt called into worship ministry at a Bible camp in high school — that’s where the Holy Spirit became real to me.I went to North Central University to study worship… and I’ve now been leading worship for about 12 years.”

Honest tension:“And in those 12 years, I’ve had many incredible worship experiences and encounters with God that have marked me forever.

I’ve also stood on stage having experienced many times where I’ve felt totally unqualified to be in a position of leading worship. Times where I’ve experienced heavy seasons, valleys, and storms. Times where I’ve wrestled with God, questioned what in the world is going on, and wondering if he chose the right guy for the job.

So if worship has ever felt confusing or intimidating — I’m right there with you.”

Lead-in to purpose: “Today we’re talking about the meaning of Worship. My goal today isn’t to give you worship theory — it’s to hopefully demystify worship.To show you that worship is not just for musicians or emotional people. And it’s definitely more than songs, stages, lights.”

Transition: “To understand worship the way God sees it, we have to untangle it from the way culture has shaped it and understand what God has to say about worship in the Bible.”

1. DEMYSTIFYING WORSHIP + THE BIG IDEA (5 Minutes)

SLIDE 4: Angels Singing Story:“In college my Dad and I attended a small concert at my school, North Central University. All Sons and Daughters, a popular Christian band at the time, were heading up the night. I’ll never forget what happened that night as we gathered together to worship the name of Jesus in the chapel space, about 400+ people filling the room.

David Leonard and Leslie Jordan were leading a song called “Great Are You Lord”, a song we’ve sung here at Bridgewood and all of a sudden, I began to hear an other wordly sound all around me. The hairs on my skin stood up, and a chill went down my body.

I was hearing what sounded like thousands of angels singing with us in the room, glorifying the name of Jesus. I turned to my dad, eyes wide, and noticed that he too was in shock and awe. He looked at me, and I told him what I was hearing. He said, “Blake, I’m hearing them too!”

We both were amazed and continued worshiping God, undone by this special glimpse of heavenly worship.

Quick connection:“Maybe you’ve had a moment like that — a mountain-top encounter with God…or a moment where His grace became real in a way you couldn’t deny.

Or maybe you’ve never had a moment like that, but you eagerly desire to experience the presence of God.

I think that all of us would like to say that’s our experience in a worship service 99% of the time, but encounters with God and mountaintop moments don’t always happen that way.”

SLIDE 5: Demystifying worship: “I think we tend to make worship far more complicated than God ever did. We tie worship to platforms, lights, song choices, preferences, styles…and if worship only happens in the 20 minutes before the sermon, we’re missing 99% of what God intends.”

SLIDE 6: Big idea setup: “What if worship is more than a song? More than going through the motions? More than even a once-in-a-lifetime moment in Christian concert?”

Big Idea: Here’s what I’ve learned that the Bible says about worship. Worship is a posture of our hearts that informs every action of our lives.

Anchor statement: “Scripture teaches that worship is the ongoing surrender of the heart —a life fully lived for Jesus —that leads to real encounters with God.” The English word “Worship” comes from the old english word “worthship” — literally meaning “to give something worth” or “to demonstratively attribute value, expecially to a deity”.

Neese quote: “Zach Neese says, ‘Worship is the soil everything else grows out of.’If the soil is dry — everything we plant struggles.”

Transition to your shifts: “So if worship really is that foundational…how do we move from just doing worship…to actually living a life of worship? I believe that there are three shifts we all need to make.”

SLIDE 8: SHIFT ONE — FROM MOTION → MEANING (9-10 min)

Romans 12:1 — Worship as a Whole-Life Offering

(Preaching-Ready Bullet Manuscript)

SLIDE 9: 1. Start with Scripture — Romans 12:1

“Let’s start with what might be the clearest definition of worship in the entire Bible.”

Read Romans 12:1 slowly.

“Before Paul says anything about how to worship… he tells us the starting point. “In view of the mercies of God”…He starts with remembering mercy. Remember all of the incredible things God has done for us.”

SLIDE 11: “Worship doesn’t begin when the band starts playing…Worship begins when the heart remembers mercy.”

A phrase I use with our worship teams at Bridgewood: “Gratitude is the password — into praise.”

2. SLIDE 13:“Living sacrifice” — We don’t bring the offering… we are the offering

“In Paul’s world, worship meant putting something on an altar —an animal, grain, incense, a burnt offering.”

“Paul flips it on its head.He says: ‘Now you are the offering.’”

“Not a part of you. Not the Sunday version of you. Not the work version of you. Your whole life — your thoughts, your body, your decisions, your relationships — offered to God.”

“Worship isn’t adding one spiritual moment to your week. Worship is the offering of your entire life back to the One who saved you.”

“If someone saved my wife or kids from danger, I wouldn’t give them a polite thank-you.I’d be overwhelmed with gratitude. I’d ask what I could do to show my thanks.It would be natural — a reflex of love.”

“Paul is saying: That’s what worship is: It’s a heart and a response overflowing with gratitude, realizing that Jesus saved us from death and gave us new life.”

3. Worship Happens Daily in the ordinary places

“Paul says ‘present your bodies’ — meaning worship isn’t just spiritual, it’s a physical. Real, everyday life.

“Worship isn’t:— goosebumps— a spiritual mood— the songs you prefer— or feeling ‘touched’ during a chorus.”

SLIDE 15:“Worship happens daily, in the ordinary places:— your tone with a family member in the kitchen when the dishes haven’t been done— your patience with your kids when they’re going crazy before bed— your integrity at work when you could take the easy away out — the way you talk about people when they’re not around— the way you handle pressure when nobody sees— the way you show kindness when you’re tired.”

4. SLIDE 17:“Holy and pleasing” — Holy simply means ‘set apart’

He goes on to say “Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing”.

“I know the word holy can sound intimidating.It feels like this unreachable spiritual status.”

“But holy simply means ‘set apart.’Set apart for God. Dedicated.”

SLIDE 18: “Growing up, maybe you had that one cup or bowl or plate that nobody else used — the ‘special one.’ It wasn’t valuable because it was perfect. It was valuable because it was set apart. (Talk about my mug briefly)

“Your ordinary life — your job, your home, your habits — can be set apart for God. And that pleases Him more than you realize.”

5. SLIDE 19:True and proper worship — the most logical response

“Paul then says, “this is your ‘true worship.” The Greek word here means ‘logical,’ and ‘reasonable.’ It just makes sense.”

“In other words: In light of everything Jesus has done, giving Him your whole life is the only thing that makes sense.”

“Worship shouldn’t be something God forces from us. It’s our love and gratitude for Him pouring and spilling out of us. It’s something we can’t even contain!”

6. SLIDE 22:What worship actually looks like (Romans 12:9–21)

“Paul doesn’t leave this abstract — he gives examples.”

“He says worship looks like:— loving sincerely— honoring one another— being patient in affliction— blessing people who hurt you— refusing to take revenge— overcoming evil with good”

“None of that mentions singing. Yet all of those actions are worship.”

That doesn’t mean worship doesn’t involve singing/music/praise. Psalms are full of worshiping God with music. But Paul is offering the other side of the coin of worship.

7. SLIDE 24:Lifestyle Worship — Application question

“If your life this week was muted — no songs, no sermons, no church words —where would people see worship in the way you lived?”

“Where would your kids see it? Where would your spouse see it? Where would your coworkers see it?”

Are we just going through the motions on a Sunday? Or are we intentionally living a lifestyle of worship?

8. Shift Summary — and a bridge to Shift 2

SLIDE 25:“In order to life a lifestyle of worship, we need to make this first shift: From motion → meaning. From going through the motions on Sunday…to becoming a worshiper with your whole life.”

“And once we understand worship as a lifestyle…the next question becomes: What happens when we stop making worship about how we look to others and instead shifted to worshiping because we love God?

What happens when we stop worshiping to get something out of it…and we learn to start bring an offering to God?

That brings us to Shift Two…”From Performance to Presence”.

SLIDE 26:SHIFT TWO — FROM PERFORMANCE → PRESENCE (9-10 min)

(From Consumer → Priest)

2 Samuel 6:14-15 / Psalm 96:8-9

(Preaching-Ready Bullet Manuscript)

1.SLIDE 27: Set the stage — The Ark is coming home

“Shift Two takes us to one of the most powerful worship moments in Scripture — 2 Samuel 6:14-15.”

“The Ark of the Covenant was the physical symbol of God’s presence with His people.”

“For years, Israel didn’t have the Ark where it belonged. They didn’t have God’s presence at the center.”

Imagine if no one ever had an encounter with the Lord here at Bridgewood Church. If God’s presence was just gone from our lives and our hearts as believers. It would be devestating!

“So when David brings the Ark back to Jerusalem, this isn’t just a parade.It’s restoration. Renewal. A return of the presence of God to His people.”

“And when David worships here… he isn’t thinking about optics.He isn’t thinking about people’s opinions. ’His whole heart is laser-focused on the presence of God.”

2.SLIDE 27:Identity over Image

“ It’s implied in 2 Samuel 6:14 that David had to take off his royal, Kingly robe and to put on the linen ephod that a priest of Israel would normally wear”

“This is a HUGE cultural moment.” “Kings wore robes to show status, dignity, honor, authority.”

“Priests wore linen ephods — they were not royalty, they did not show prestige or position.” It was a humble garment to show they were there to serve the Lord in worship.

“When David removes his robe, he’s saying:‘I’m not here as a king.I’m not here as a warrior.I’m not here as a leader. I’m here as a worshiper. I’m here to serve God’”

SLIDE 29:“David is choosing identity over image. Presence over performance. Heart over role.”

3. Passionate Worship

“Verse 14 says David ‘danced before the LORD with all his might.’”

“That means sweaty, un-choreographed, unrehearsed, fully surrendered, whole-heart worship.”

“David is not worried about looking put-together. He’s worried about pleasing God.”

“His expression matched his gratitude and joy of what God. did for him and for his nation.”

4. Performance vs Presence — two very different questions

“Performance asks: ‘How do I look?’‘Who’s watching?’‘Am I doing this right?’” “But presence asks:‘Lord, are You pleased?’‘Do You have my heart?’‘Is my focus on You?’”

“When worship becomes about people’s opinions, it becomes about performance. When worship becomes about God’s heart, it becomes about presence.”

SLIDE 33:Line:“God is not moved by our performance…He is moved by our surrender.”

5. From consumer to priest — Psalm 96:8

“This is where the consumer mindset becomes exposed.”

SLIDE 34:“Psalm 96:8 says,‘Bring an offering and enter His courts.’Notice it doesn’t say, ‘Come and get something.’It says, ‘Come and bring something.’”

“We live in a consumer culture. We rate everything — movies, restaurants, Amazon products… even churches.”

“And without realizing it, we can start treating coming to church and worship like a spiritual product:— Did I like the song?— Did I feel anything?— Did the worship team give me what I needed today? Did my favorite Bridgewood speaker share the message today?”

“But Scripture says: Worship doesn’t start with receiving — worship starts with bringing.”

“Zach Neese puts it this way:‘Every believer is a priest.’ Priests aren’t spectators — they’re participants. They offer something to God.”

“In worship, we don’t watch something happen…We bring something to God.

SLIDE 35:We must move from the mindset of being consumers in church and worship to becoming who God called us to be - His Priests who bring an offering of love to Him in all we do.”

6. Hebrew expressions — worship is offering, not performance

“The Bible actually gives us really practical handles for how to express our worship to God and bring him an offering.”

In the Psalms you will hear the phrase: “Sing to the Lord”, or “his praise will be on my lips”, or “worship the Lord in the beauty of his splendor and majesty”.

These words - Sing/Praise/Worship in the original Hebrew language are actually expressions with deeper meanings and help us learn how to worship God. They help us to bring an offering to Jesus.

SLIDE 36:Zamar — making music to God “Not to impress people. To offer your voice, your thanks, your sound back to the Creator.”

Tehillah — unpolished, unrehearsed praise “Not pretty. Not perfect. Real.”

Barak — kneel or bow low “Humility is a beautiful offering to the Lord.”

SLIDE 37: Shabach — shout or declare boldly “Your testimony, your redemption story shared boldly before others, is an offering.”

Shachah — full-body surrender, face-down “Your posture is an offering.”

Anchor line:“These expressions are not ways to get something from God…They’re ways to bring something to God.”

When we encourage you to worship in these ways: we’re not just doing it because that’s what you’re supposed to do, or because we’re super spiritual people. We do it because we are offering our gratitude and giving a sacrifice of praise to Him for all he’s done.

7. Kids + worship — the freedom we forgot

“One of the things I love about kids is how unselfconscious they are.”

“Kids don’t dance with dignity.They leap. Twirl. Laugh. They don’t care who’s watching.”

“Somewhere along the way, we have stopped responding to God freely…because we become more concerned of people’s opinions than of bringing a gift to God.”

“But Jesus said,‘Unless you become like little children… you cannot enter the Kingdom.’There’s a childlike freedom God invites us into. Will we respond? Will we humble ourselves for the King of all Kings who’s worthy of it all? Is He worth it to you?”

8. Application moment — Presence over image

“I’m not saying everyone needs to dance like David.”

“But I am saying this: God is after your heart — not your image.He’s not measuring your performance. He’s receiving your offering.”

9. Shift summary + transition

Shift Two:

SLIDE 39:“From performance → presence. From consumer → priest. Not ‘How do I look?’ but ‘Lord, here’s my offering.’”

“And when worship stops being about what people think…and becomes about what God deserves…your worship goes deeper than your feelings.”

“Which leads us to Shift Three —What do we do when we don’t feel it?When we’re tired, discouraged, or empty?That’s where faith comes in.”

SLIDE 40:SHIFT THREE — FROM FEELING → FAITH (8-9 min)

(Worship in the Valley / Psalm 42:5-6)

(Preaching-Ready Bullet Manuscript)

1. Open with the universal tension — when you “don’t feel it”

“Let’s be honest — not every Sunday feels like a spiritual mountaintop.”

“Not every day feels full of passion or joy or clarity.” If every day is wonderful…you’re not human my friend!

“Sometimes you walk into church tired… discouraged… anxious… numb… overwhelmed… distracted…”

“And the thought comes:‘I’m not in the right headspace to worship today.’”

“If you’ve ever felt that — I want you to know you are not broken, you are not less spiritual, and you’re not alone.”

“But Scripture shows us a different way to worship when the feelings aren’t there.”

2. Psalm 42:5-6 — David models worship in real emotion

“Psalm 42 is one of the rawest emotional psalms in the Bible.”

SLIDE 42:“David writes things like:— ‘My tears have been my food day and night.”’

SLIDE 43:Why, my soul, are you so dejected?’— ‘I am deeply depressed.’”

“This is not a man having a great day.This is not a worship leader writing music, high on feelings.”

SLIDE 44:“David isn’t hiding his pain — he brings it honestly before God.”

SLIDE 45:“But then there’s a shift that takes place…David makes an important choice: Read Psalm 42:5 I. WILL. STILL. PRAISE. HIM.’”

SLIDE 46:“I LOVE that declaration! — I will still. It’s the worship battlecry when were’ in the valley. It’s the ‘I’m not giving up and backing down’ even though I don’t have strength to stand on my own’.

Line:“‘I will still’ means: ‘I don’t feel strong…but I choose You.’ ‘I don’t see the answer…but I trust You.’ ‘I’m hurting…but I’m coming close anyway. I’m not putting my hope in circumstances, in other people, even in my own self. I’m putting my HOPE in YOU, Jesus.

CHRISTY COME UP TO PLAY KEYS

3. Bring your real life into worship — not a church version of yourself

“Over the last couple of years my family and I have gone through some difficult storms and valleys. This season of my life has been marked by circumstances, feelings, and emotions: Grief— disappointment— burnout— anxiety— loneliness— spiritual attack— exhaustion — and even depression.”

“There have been Sundays where I stood with a guitar in my hand…and absolutely nothing left emotionally. Weeks where I’ve battled hopelessness and cynicism. Where I’ve had hope for outcomes, relationships, dreams and my hope had been deferred and made my heart sick.

Months where my wife or kids have battled major health issues and have left us exhausted and weary.

There have even been weeks where I’ve questioned everything - my faith, God, his will for my life and I’ve wanted to quit ministry altogether and give up my calling to lead worship.

“But Here’s what I’ve learned through it all. (pause, smile)

I’ve learned that God meets us differently in those seasons. Not always with our desired outcomes, prayers answered the way I’d hoped, or a joyful, and peaceful spirit…

But rather, He’s met me with His constant faithfulness, His very real love, care, and I know He’s always been with me. He has been building and forming things in me that never would have been formed if I hadn’t gone through the fire.”

“Worship in this season hasn’t been about feelings, about songs, or about outcomes — Worship has been about faith in Jesus.”

“During these times, I’ve prayed,‘God… I don’t have much today…if anything at all.’”

SLIDE 48:“And in my heart, in His Word, through the encouragement of others, I’ve sensed the Holy Spirit whisper: ‘Bring Me that.’”

“Bring Me your tiredness. Bring Me your emptiness. Bring Me your weakness.”

“It’s in those moments that I begin to realize that I’m not doing this to please people. I don’t have to feel the pressure of performance and making everything look “fine and dandy” on the outside.

Line: “God wasn’t asking you and me to manufacture passion or give a performance…He just wants me. All I have to give. Whether that’s much or little. He’s asking for honesty. God wants my heart and my love.”

SLIDE 50:Anchor line:“When we worship in the valley, it forms a deeper faith than worship from the mountain.”

4. Honesty is worship when it’s directed toward God

“One of the most freeing things about Scripture is that not every psalm has a happy ending.”

“Some psalms start in frustration and end in trust. Some start in praise and end in tension. Some don’t resolve at all.”

“And God included all of that to show us: He is not afraid of your honesty. He invites honesty.”

“Your honesty becomes worship when you bring it to Him, not run from Him.

“Worship isn’t just emotional love toward God.It’s a declaration of His lordship over your life…especially in seasons where you don’t feel anything.”

“Sometimes the most powerful worship you will ever give God is worship through tears.”

“Sometimes worship is RAISING THE BATTLECRY, I will still praise Him.” That’s when feelings begin to turn into faith.

That’s when worship becomes warfare…and that’s a topic I’m really passionate about. We’ll talk about that in the future part 2 of this message.

5. Shift Summary + emotional landing

SLIDE 53:Shift Three:

“From feeling → faith. Worship is not the overflow of emotion — worship is the overflow of surrender.”

“I don’t worship because I feel it…I worship because He deserves it.”

“And when you choose worship in the valley…God meets you in ways the mountaintop never could.”

INVITATION & RESPONSE (3-4 min)

1. Acknowledge the moment

“We’ve covered a lot today… and I know it’s a lot to take in.”

“One message isn’t meant to answer everything about worship — and that’s okay.”

“Because we get a lifetime… and then eternity… to learn how to worship our King.”

2. SLIDE 54:Resource Recommendation

“My passion and my desire is to see our people continue to discover how to live a life of worship and be equipped with the resources to continue growing. A book that has deeply shaped me and our worship teamis How to Worship a King by Zach Neese — he’s a worship pastor at Gateway Church.”

“We’ve got a QR code on the screen that will link you to the bookand a video series if you want to study this with your family or Life Group.”

“It takes so much of what we touched on today…and goes even deeper.”

3. SLIDE 55:Invitation to bring an offering, not a routine

“I want to invite you to stand with me: As we take time to respond to God in worship this morning…I want to encourage you to simply draw near to God with what you have right here and right now.

“No Guilt. No Pressure. This is our time to take off the “kingly robe” and become priests before God. To Bring Him an offering.”

“Not because I’m asking you to… not because you’ll feel guilty if you don’t…but because He’s worthy. Remember His Mercy and all He’s done for us.”

“Bring Him something real — even if it’s small, tired, or messy.”

3. Ways to respond (Hebrew words)

SLIDE 56:“For some of you, that looks like (Zamar) actually singing instead of watching.”

“Or maybe it looks like letting your praise get just a little freer than you’re used to (Tehillah) .”

“For others, it may look like kneeling or bowing (Barach/Shachah).”

“And if you have a testimony of what God has done in your life, it might look like boldly declaring God’s goodness (Shabach).”

4. SLIDE 57:Make space for movement

“If you want to come forward to kneel, this space is open.”

“If you want to stand, sit, lift your hands, or stay right where you are — all of that is welcome.”

“This is a safe place to respond to God.”

6. Closing + prayer

“God is not looking for perfect songs or perfect people.”

“He’s looking for surrendered hearts.”

“Whatever you have — bring Him that. He delights in it.”

Prayer