WORSHIP - Worship is living with Jesus as Lord

Last week, we focused on the discipline of fellowship. We saw that doers make fellowship a priority. When we are with other believers in fellowship, often times, we crave worship. When we cannot gather corporately with others, worship is one of the first things we miss. This is because we were made to worship.

But what is worship, really? Is it just what we do corporately as a body of believers on the weekend? Does it have to involve music and singing? And why do we worship anyway? 

This week, we will see that worship, as a discipline, is about a lot more than music and corporate singing. 

Romans 12:1 says, 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.

Worship is more than a segment of a church service or when you sing alone in your car and in the shower. Those are acts of worship, but our serving, giving, jobs, school work, words, thoughts, and creative works can be acts of worship too. All of these things, including corporate worship during a church service, can also fail to be true, acceptable worship to the Lord. This is because worship is not just about what we do on the outside; true worship is very much about what is deep in our hearts.

True worship is a life that is lived solely for God.

True worship is an attitude. 
True worship is a heart position. 
True worship is a lifestyle.

For doers, true worship never stops.

SCRIPTURE
Romans 12:1 | 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.

Exodus 34:14 | You must worship no other gods, for the LORD, whose very name is Jealous, is a God who is jealous about his relationship with you.

Philippians 2:5-11 | You must have the same attitude that Christ Jesus had. Though he was God, he did not think of equality with God as something to cling to. Instead, he gave up his divine privileges; he took the humble position of a slave and was born as a human being. When he appeared in human form, he humbled himself in obedience to God and died a criminals death on a cross. Therefore, God elevated him to the place of highest honor and gave him the name above all other names, that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, and every tongue declare that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Matthew 22:34-38 | But when the Pharisees heard that he had silenced the Sadducees with his reply, they met together to question him again. One of them, an expert in religious law, tried to trap him with this question: Teacher, which is the most important commandment in the law of Moses? Jesus replied, You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, all your soul, and all your mind. This is the first and greatest commandment.


DISCUSSION

1. To you, what is worship? How do you do it?
2. Read Romans 12:1. What does it say is the way to truly worship God?
3. One day, everyone and everything will worship Jesus as Lord. When will that be? Why is it important to choose to worship Jesus now, rather than waiting until then?
4. Whether they mean to or not, everyone worships someone or something. We worship what or whoever we put as most important in our lives. What are some things, people, or goals in your life that you sometimes worship instead of Jesus?
5. Part of living a life of worship is loving God more than anything and anyone else.

• Heart: What does a heart that loves God above anything and anyone else look like?
• Soul: What does a life that loves God more than anything and anyone else look like? (Think about how time is spent, life goals, job, hobbies, etc.)
• Mind: What does a mind that loves God more than anything and anyone else look like?
• Now what about you? Do your heart, soul, and mind reflect a love for God