1 00:00:00,000 --> 00:00:15,860 Welcome to Walk in the Truth podcast. How do we know where to find answers to the toughest 2 00:00:15,860 --> 00:00:21,080 questions in life? While the simplest answer is the Bible, where do we start this search 3 00:00:21,080 --> 00:00:27,300 and how do we discover this truth? Today, in this teaching podcast, John Meador, lead 4 00:00:27,300 --> 00:00:32,440 pastor of Cross City Church, takes a specific text of the Bible and helps us find truth 5 00:00:32,440 --> 00:00:41,600 for the life we're searching for. So happy that you're with us this morning and kicking 6 00:00:41,600 --> 00:00:49,800 off our Next Step series. Next Step really involves four practices that change everything. 7 00:00:49,800 --> 00:00:53,000 And that's a pretty big promise, isn't it? Four practices that change everything. But 8 00:00:53,000 --> 00:00:58,600 we're going to begin today talking about the practice of worship as we worship God together. 9 00:00:58,600 --> 00:01:02,960 Take your Bibles and turn to Romans chapter 11, if you were at Romans 11. We're going 10 00:01:02,960 --> 00:01:06,760 to start in verse 33. We're going to read through just the last three verses of that 11 00:01:06,760 --> 00:01:11,920 chapter, the first two of Romans chapter 12. And I want to talk to you about your corporate 12 00:01:11,920 --> 00:01:16,880 worship. I want to talk to you about how you worship God. And I'm going to tell you today 13 00:01:16,880 --> 00:01:23,960 that the practice of worshiping God will change everything in your life. The absence of worshiping 14 00:01:23,960 --> 00:01:30,840 God will cause everything in your life to be less than what God has called you to. Romans 15 00:01:30,840 --> 00:01:36,280 chapter 11, beginning in verse 33, let's stand together. I'm going to read just several verses 16 00:01:36,280 --> 00:01:41,120 and we always stand in honor of the reading of God's word. Romans chapter 11, beginning 17 00:01:41,120 --> 00:01:47,520 in verse 33. And we need to begin today realizing that Paul is saying something that he doesn't 18 00:01:47,520 --> 00:01:53,460 normally say in a way he doesn't normally say it. Paul probably is not an emotional 19 00:01:53,460 --> 00:02:00,080 kind of guy, very reasonable, very rational, very logical kind of thinker. His theological 20 00:02:00,080 --> 00:02:05,960 books are amazing. In Romans, there's a book of theology. But there is one portion of Romans, 21 00:02:05,960 --> 00:02:10,880 this verse we're going to read, where Paul burst out. I want you to see that he's bursting 22 00:02:10,880 --> 00:02:17,000 out saying something, moved by all that he's been reading and all he's been writing. And 23 00:02:17,000 --> 00:02:22,240 we need to be moved by the same thing. He says in verse 33, all the depth of the riches, 24 00:02:22,240 --> 00:02:29,280 both of the wisdom and the knowledge of God, how unsearchable are his judgments, how unfathomable 25 00:02:29,280 --> 00:02:34,800 his ways. For who has known the mind of the Lord, who has become his counselor, who has 26 00:02:34,800 --> 00:02:41,240 given to him that might be paid back to him again? For from him and through him and to 27 00:02:41,240 --> 00:02:47,520 him are all things. Don't you love that line? For from him and through him are all things. 28 00:02:47,520 --> 00:02:51,400 I think it's one of those great lines that you need to have in your mind, your heart. 29 00:02:51,400 --> 00:02:56,720 And he ends that by saying to him be the glory forever. Amen. And then in chapter 12, therefore 30 00:02:56,720 --> 00:03:02,500 I urge you, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice 31 00:03:02,500 --> 00:03:10,160 acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. And do not be conformed 32 00:03:10,160 --> 00:03:15,920 to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind so that you may prove that what 33 00:03:15,920 --> 00:03:21,320 the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect. This is an amazing 34 00:03:21,320 --> 00:03:26,160 passage today, by the way. And as we sit down in just a moment to kind of break this passage 35 00:03:26,160 --> 00:03:30,560 down, I want you to grab pieces of this today. I want you to put them in your notes and in 36 00:03:30,560 --> 00:03:34,400 your mind and your heart today, because this is something that should live with you for 37 00:03:34,400 --> 00:03:39,960 a long, long time. Father, in Jesus' name, my prayer is that you will allow your Holy 38 00:03:39,960 --> 00:03:46,080 Spirit to illuminate the text in our minds, in our hearts, in our spiritual ears. And 39 00:03:46,080 --> 00:03:52,220 Lord, the second part of the prayer is that you will illuminate our lives. Show us where 40 00:03:52,220 --> 00:03:58,760 we fall short of this. Show us what decisions we need to make, what actions we need to take 41 00:03:58,760 --> 00:04:03,880 in order for worship to be a priority to us. Thank you for every person in this room. I 42 00:04:03,880 --> 00:04:10,040 pray for this new year and all that's ahead of us. And Lord, I know that we can only navigate 43 00:04:10,040 --> 00:04:17,040 this wisely with worship and with you. And I ask this in Jesus' name. And all God's 44 00:04:17,040 --> 00:04:22,440 people said, amen. Please be seated if you would. 45 00:04:22,440 --> 00:04:28,280 Well I'm sure like me, you've read all the articles, you've heard all the little videos 46 00:04:28,280 --> 00:04:33,520 and all the stories, maybe on social media, maybe on television, maybe in magazines where 47 00:04:33,520 --> 00:04:37,560 you're getting all kinds of great advice for 2024, right, the new year. This is the first 48 00:04:37,560 --> 00:04:42,480 Sunday of a new year. And I'm sure you're all aware of that. 2024 is uncharted. We don't 49 00:04:42,480 --> 00:04:47,920 know what's ahead of us. I can't believe it's 2024. I mean, this is a guy that was born 50 00:04:47,920 --> 00:04:51,720 in 1957, okay? Now while you're calculating that, that's just a long time. That's all 51 00:04:51,720 --> 00:04:57,840 there is to it. 2024, who thought we would be here? And 2024, we have no idea how it's 52 00:04:57,840 --> 00:05:03,280 going to go. But everybody has advice for us, don't they? Everybody has advice about 53 00:05:03,280 --> 00:05:08,480 how you're going to navigate the best possible 2024. And I've read all the articles. I've 54 00:05:08,480 --> 00:05:12,800 seen all the things that people have to say. I read an article that talks about having 55 00:05:12,800 --> 00:05:16,920 a spirit of gratitude through the year. And if you have a spirit of gratitude, it'll transform 56 00:05:16,920 --> 00:05:21,720 your life. I don't disagree with that. Someone else said in one article, read books. Just 57 00:05:21,720 --> 00:05:26,520 read books. They don't say what kind of books, just read books. Read instead of doing what 58 00:05:26,520 --> 00:05:31,440 you normally do. Someone else wrote an article on eating healthy in 2024. I'll pass that 59 00:05:31,440 --> 00:05:37,560 article on to you. I didn't really read it off. Someone else said your exercise habits 60 00:05:37,560 --> 00:05:42,840 are the most important things in 2024. That may be true. Another one said, figure out 61 00:05:42,840 --> 00:05:49,120 who you are in 2024. And to that I say, it's about time somebody does that. The one I liked 62 00:05:49,120 --> 00:05:55,280 the best was the article that said, focus on your habits instead of your outcomes. And 63 00:05:55,280 --> 00:05:59,280 I think there's a lot of reasoning behind that because you are the result of your habits. 64 00:05:59,280 --> 00:06:03,920 We have all kinds of goals, but unless we have habits to get us there, then we won't 65 00:06:03,920 --> 00:06:10,120 get there. And in some ways, what I'm talking to you about has to do with your habits, your 66 00:06:10,120 --> 00:06:15,920 spiritual habits. What you're going to do with your relationship with God, specifically 67 00:06:15,920 --> 00:06:21,440 today, the aspect of worship. There are three others that we'll talk about in the next three 68 00:06:21,440 --> 00:06:27,960 weeks, but this one is the most important one. What will you do with God when it comes 69 00:06:27,960 --> 00:06:32,880 to worship? Do you understand the importance of your worship? Do you understand the importance 70 00:06:32,880 --> 00:06:37,920 of what it means to have worship with God? I'm going to make a statement to you today 71 00:06:37,920 --> 00:06:44,200 that I hope that you'll take note of and keep in mind. If you'll make a commitment to consistently 72 00:06:44,200 --> 00:06:51,080 worship God, you'll be positively and powerfully changed no matter who you are, no matter what 73 00:06:51,080 --> 00:06:55,240 your background has been, no matter how far away you are from where you need to be. If 74 00:06:55,240 --> 00:07:01,320 you will make a commitment to consistently worship God, you will be both positively and 75 00:07:01,320 --> 00:07:09,120 powerfully changed. I'm going to spend the rest of my message convincing you of that. 76 00:07:09,120 --> 00:07:15,280 That's a very serious kind of argument because you'll never be who you're called to be without 77 00:07:15,280 --> 00:07:20,880 consistent worship. You were made to worship. You're going to worship something. You're 78 00:07:20,880 --> 00:07:28,760 going to make an idol of something. If you don't, worship God. Today, the talk about 79 00:07:28,760 --> 00:07:34,840 worship is coming from Romans chapter 11 and chapter 12. There are some principles here 80 00:07:34,840 --> 00:07:39,200 that I want to give to you that I believe have made all the difference in the world 81 00:07:39,200 --> 00:07:44,440 in how I worship God and how He changes my life from day to day. More importantly than 82 00:07:44,440 --> 00:07:50,440 that, we're going to bring a theology of Paul's worship to the tables today. With all the 83 00:07:50,440 --> 00:07:54,760 practical application he gives us in chapter 12, we're going to talk about the theological 84 00:07:54,760 --> 00:08:01,480 reason that this practical application will work in your life. First of all, I want you 85 00:08:01,480 --> 00:08:06,880 to stay with me in chapter 11 for a moment and those last three verses of chapter 11 86 00:08:06,880 --> 00:08:11,920 that we read. I want you to think with me for just a moment that really the platform 87 00:08:11,920 --> 00:08:17,480 for worship, the foundation of worship is that you would be in awe of who He is, that 88 00:08:17,480 --> 00:08:26,640 you would be in awe of God. Worship involves awe. Worship involves the adoration of someone 89 00:08:26,640 --> 00:08:34,360 that's greater than us. Worship involves having some sense, some taste of who God is that 90 00:08:34,360 --> 00:08:39,120 makes Him the worthy object of our worship instead of everything else that we could worship, 91 00:08:39,120 --> 00:08:43,640 instead of everything else that we could idolize. It's Him that we worship because we have 92 00:08:43,640 --> 00:08:51,040 an awe of Him. Again, if you look at verse 33, Paul kicks off this section of scripture 93 00:08:51,040 --> 00:08:57,120 with this emotional adverse. I call it emotional, but it's Paul from the very depths of his 94 00:08:57,120 --> 00:09:03,040 heart saying words that we need to hear. Oh, the depths of the riches, both of the wisdom 95 00:09:03,040 --> 00:09:08,760 and knowledge of God, how unsearchable are His judgments, how unfathomable are His ways. 96 00:09:08,760 --> 00:09:14,960 Paul's basically saying, I can't get to the depths of God. He's so immense, so powerful. 97 00:09:14,960 --> 00:09:21,560 I am awe-inspired at who this God is that I worship. Paul, the preeminent theologian 98 00:09:21,560 --> 00:09:26,040 of the day said, I can't explain everything about God. He's greater than I am. I can't 99 00:09:26,040 --> 00:09:32,200 explain to you everything I know about God. I just know that God is unfathomable, unsearchable 100 00:09:32,200 --> 00:09:38,320 in all of His ways. Man, that's a great way to start a thought about worship. And that's 101 00:09:38,320 --> 00:09:42,800 where Paul was. He's getting ready to talk about worship to us. But in doing that, he 102 00:09:42,800 --> 00:09:48,800 starts with the awe of God. As you work your way through verse 33, verse 34, and verse 103 00:09:48,800 --> 00:09:54,120 35, he's asking questions. He's excited he's saved. He's excited about God's sovereign 104 00:09:54,120 --> 00:10:00,280 plan of salvation that he writes about in Romans chapter 11. And he basically asks these 105 00:10:00,280 --> 00:10:05,600 three questions. Who knew God's plan? Who else could have imagined the kind of plan 106 00:10:05,600 --> 00:10:12,240 that God had? Who deserves this mercy, this love, this salvation? He's moved in his heart 107 00:10:12,240 --> 00:10:17,600 by those things before he comes to that last line that we looked at for a moment in verse 108 00:10:17,600 --> 00:10:24,600 36, for from Him and through Him and to Him are all things. Man, that's a great conclusion 109 00:10:25,180 --> 00:10:31,040 to make about God, right? What role does God have in my life? Well, from Him and through 110 00:10:31,040 --> 00:10:36,400 Him and to Him are all things. Everything I have comes from Him. Everything I'm ever 111 00:10:36,400 --> 00:10:42,240 going to receive comes through Him. And everything, all of a sudden, should go to Him. I want 112 00:10:42,240 --> 00:10:47,920 to make sure God is the center of my universe. And the only way I'm going to do that is if 113 00:10:47,920 --> 00:10:54,920 I am in awe of God and I place Him there because God does not demand that of you. He does not 114 00:10:54,920 --> 00:11:01,920 remove your will in the matter, but He calls you to be in that place where God is the center 115 00:11:02,680 --> 00:11:08,000 of your life. And all the transformed people in scripture have these kinds of outbursts 116 00:11:08,000 --> 00:11:13,120 and these kinds of exclamations about God when you read about their lives. I went through 117 00:11:13,120 --> 00:11:18,200 the Old Testament and looked at some of these outbursts that different prophets and different 118 00:11:18,200 --> 00:11:25,200 individuals make about God. And they all make this outburst after they realize that the 119 00:11:25,480 --> 00:11:31,840 theology of what they knew about God and the experience they were having about God met 120 00:11:31,840 --> 00:11:38,840 together in an experience in their lives, which is what worship is. Moses, for example, 121 00:11:38,920 --> 00:11:44,440 says, your right hand, O Lord, is majestic in power. Your right hand, O Lord, shatters 122 00:11:44,440 --> 00:11:51,440 the enemy and in the greatness of your excellence you overthrow those who rise up against you. 123 00:11:51,840 --> 00:11:57,840 David said, great is our Lord and abundant in strength. His understanding is infinite. 124 00:11:57,840 --> 00:12:04,840 It says Psalm 147. Isaiah, when he was able to see the glory of the Lord, just fell on 125 00:12:05,720 --> 00:12:11,160 his face and said, woe is me. I'm a man of unclean lips. My people are a people of unclean 126 00:12:11,160 --> 00:12:17,000 lips. John, in the book of Revelation, says, when I saw him, I felt at his feet like a 127 00:12:17,000 --> 00:12:22,320 dead man and he placed his right hand on me saying, do not be afraid. I am the first and 128 00:12:22,320 --> 00:12:27,320 the last. And what's happening is these people and their theology of God met them in their 129 00:12:27,320 --> 00:12:32,160 experience with God and it overwhelmed them just like it did Paul when he started his 130 00:12:32,160 --> 00:12:39,160 sentence with the word, oh, oh man, I've seen God and he's so big I can't explain him, 131 00:12:39,160 --> 00:12:46,160 but I know he's real and I've met him and he met me. That's what Paul is saying. That's 132 00:12:46,360 --> 00:12:51,080 what Moses said. That's what David said. That's what Isaiah said. That's what John said in 133 00:12:51,080 --> 00:12:58,080 the book of Revelation. God was not this idea. God was very, very real to them and met them 134 00:12:58,160 --> 00:13:05,160 where they were. You say, well, where do I meet God like that? Where do I have those 135 00:13:05,160 --> 00:13:11,160 kinds of experiences? I'm going to tell you three places I believe you can find those 136 00:13:11,160 --> 00:13:17,160 kinds of experiences, but before I do, I want to say this to you today. I want to say that 137 00:13:17,160 --> 00:13:21,160 you need to know him and who he really is for worship to be the highest priority of 138 00:13:21,160 --> 00:13:30,160 your life. You need to let what you read about him become real to you. So that's not just 139 00:13:30,160 --> 00:13:36,160 an idea described with words, but it's something that has passion behind it because it's more 140 00:13:36,160 --> 00:13:41,160 than just words you read on the page. It needs to be personal. It needs to be intimate. It 141 00:13:41,160 --> 00:13:46,160 needs to be overwhelming because that's who God is. And for you to see God and experience 142 00:13:46,160 --> 00:13:54,160 God in a very real way means you are in some way overwhelmed by who he is. God should never 143 00:13:54,160 --> 00:13:59,160 be an idea that bores you. God's ways should never be something that makes you yawn. God 144 00:13:59,160 --> 00:14:06,160 's ways are those that make you say, oh, how unsearchable are his ways, how unfathomable 145 00:14:06,160 --> 00:14:11,160 his judgments are. So what are the three places where you can meet God where I believe all 146 00:14:11,160 --> 00:14:17,160 of us can? First of all, I would just say this to you today that I experience awe when 147 00:14:17,160 --> 00:14:24,160 I contemplate his universe. Now I know that's something that all of us can connect with 148 00:14:24,160 --> 00:14:30,160 in some way, but I really do experience the awe that leads me to worship when I experience 149 00:14:30,160 --> 00:14:35,160 the universe. There's something powerful to me about going outside early in the morning 150 00:14:35,160 --> 00:14:40,160 and everything is quiet, all the lights are off, and to look up in the sky and to see 151 00:14:40,160 --> 00:14:46,160 the stars and the solar system, to see the moon, to see the reflection of all that brilliant 152 00:14:46,160 --> 00:14:49,160 light that God placed in the heavens. And the reason this moves me so much is not because 153 00:14:49,160 --> 00:14:54,160 of the beauty of a dark sky and the bright stars against that darkness, and it's not 154 00:14:54,160 --> 00:14:58,160 because of the amazing personality of the moon or anything else that I see. It's not 155 00:14:58,160 --> 00:15:01,160 because of some of the brighter stars that are in our universe either, even though I 156 00:15:01,160 --> 00:15:06,160 love, like anybody else, to look into a telescope and just marvel at all that. It's not because 157 00:15:06,160 --> 00:15:11,160 all those things were up there that I'm in awe. It's because I know the creator that 158 00:15:11,160 --> 00:15:17,160 made those that I'm in awe. It's because all those weren't there as an act of nature. 159 00:15:17,160 --> 00:15:25,160 They were an act of revelation and creation. Because God put all those in place and because 160 00:15:25,160 --> 00:15:32,160 God has spoken to us about those things and because God is the real one who has held this 161 00:15:32,160 --> 00:15:39,160 universe together, then I am in awe whenever I see what his creation has brought about. 162 00:15:39,160 --> 00:15:45,160 It's during those times, times when I look at creation, that I am in awe of God, amazed 163 00:15:45,160 --> 00:15:52,160 at God, and feel very, very close to God because he has also made me and he's also made you. 164 00:15:52,160 --> 00:15:57,160 I experienced this early in the morning. I experienced this in the mountains when I go 165 00:15:57,160 --> 00:16:01,160 skiing and I get up on that ski lift and I go to the top and I look at all those mountain 166 00:16:01,160 --> 00:16:06,160 ranges and all that beautiful snow that we have so much up in Texas, you know, and I 167 00:16:06,160 --> 00:16:11,160 go up there and I look at that and I think, God, you're amazing, you're awesome. I stand 168 00:16:11,160 --> 00:16:16,160 on the edge of the Grand Canyon and look at how he created that. When I'm in an airplane 169 00:16:16,160 --> 00:16:21,160 and I look from a height and see even the curvature of the earth and say, isn't God 170 00:16:21,160 --> 00:16:27,160 amazing that he's given us so much, he's created so much. I'm in awe of God during those times. 171 00:16:27,160 --> 00:16:32,160 Those are times that you ought to look at the God who made heaven and earth and have 172 00:16:32,160 --> 00:16:38,160 the same kind of exclamation that Paul had. It is unfathomable to me that God could create 173 00:16:38,160 --> 00:16:44,160 all this and hold all this together somehow, but he does and he's the one that did it. 174 00:16:44,160 --> 00:16:50,160 Paul said this in 1st Timothy chapter 1 verse 17. He said, now to the King eternal, immortal, 175 00:16:50,160 --> 00:16:56,160 invisible, the only wise God, be glory and honor forever and ever again. Amen. And I 176 00:16:56,160 --> 00:17:02,160 think about that verse a lot when I look at creation. The second time in place I think 177 00:17:02,160 --> 00:17:10,160 we can find awe with God is when we worship with others who hold him in awe. Think with 178 00:17:10,160 --> 00:17:16,160 me for just a moment. Why would God from the beginning want his people to come together 179 00:17:16,160 --> 00:17:22,160 and worship him as a group and not just as individuals? And someone will say, well, I 180 00:17:22,160 --> 00:17:28,160 love to worship God by myself. So do I. And if you ever heard me sing, you'd know why 181 00:17:28,160 --> 00:17:34,160 I like to worship God by myself in song. It wouldn't help your worship any. But you might 182 00:17:34,160 --> 00:17:42,160 look on my face when I'm singing to God in gratitude and realize God is very real to 183 00:17:42,160 --> 00:17:48,160 me because there's that man standing on the front singing with joy on his face because 184 00:17:48,160 --> 00:17:54,160 he knows the God he sings to is real. And you may look across the room and see someone 185 00:17:54,160 --> 00:18:01,160 who just went through a tragedy in their life, heartbreak, hardship. And here they are. They're 186 00:18:01,160 --> 00:18:08,160 worshiping God because they know God is ultimately the giver and the taker of life. You see, 187 00:18:08,160 --> 00:18:12,160 there's something powerful about being in a room filled with people who are worshiping 188 00:18:12,160 --> 00:18:17,160 God, whether it's a large room or a small room is really immaterial. But God has from 189 00:18:17,160 --> 00:18:24,160 the beginning said, I want my people to gather together in worship. And the reasons behind 190 00:18:24,160 --> 00:18:30,160 that are encouragement and the fact that God is worthy of our praise and our worship, a 191 00:18:30,160 --> 00:18:35,160 reminder that we all see God in powerful ways in our lives. And we may not see him today 192 00:18:35,160 --> 00:18:40,160 or last week, but somebody else next to us did. And it brings encouragement to us. In 193 00:18:40,160 --> 00:18:46,160 1 Chronicles 29, David gathers Israel together as they open the tabernacle and prepare for 194 00:18:46,160 --> 00:18:50,160 the temple. And David blessed the Lord, the Bible says, in the sight of all the assembly. 195 00:18:50,160 --> 00:18:55,160 And David said, blessed are you, O Lord God, Israel, our father forever and ever. Yours, 196 00:18:55,160 --> 00:18:59,160 O Lord, is the greatness and the power and the glory and the victory and the majesty. 197 00:18:59,160 --> 00:19:04,160 Indeed, everything that is in the heavens and the earth, yours is the dominion, O Lord. 198 00:19:04,160 --> 00:19:08,160 You exhaust yourself as head over all. Can you imagine David standing up in front of 199 00:19:08,160 --> 00:19:13,160 all those people and saying, look at what all God has done. Be encouraged through all 200 00:19:13,160 --> 00:19:18,160 the hardships and challenges of life. God is still on his throne. He's the one we 201 00:19:18,160 --> 00:19:26,160 worship. The pandemic affected us in a great way. I believe as the church of Jesus Christ 202 00:19:26,160 --> 00:19:31,160 in America, maybe more particularly than other places in the world. It's a time when 203 00:19:31,160 --> 00:19:37,160 we didn't meet for a period of time, but for a longer period of time, we're hesitant to. 204 00:19:37,160 --> 00:19:42,160 I know all the medical reasons and all the contagiousness of COVID. I realize all that's 205 00:19:42,160 --> 00:19:48,160 real. But most people who study the church of Jesus Christ, especially those who study 206 00:19:48,160 --> 00:19:53,160 the church in America have said that what happened to the church is they began to value 207 00:19:53,160 --> 00:19:59,160 content over the experience of worshiping God. And they began to make the experience 208 00:19:59,160 --> 00:20:05,160 of worshiping God more of an option for them. We can always get content. We can always go 209 00:20:05,160 --> 00:20:12,160 online. We could always hear the message later. But in some ways, many people made that the 210 00:20:12,160 --> 00:20:19,160 priority. But there's something powerful about being there in the moment where other people 211 00:20:19,160 --> 00:20:27,160 are there with you and you have an actual experience of worshiping God. Now we don't 212 00:20:27,160 --> 00:20:32,160 really have this kind of reasoning with anything else. We want to make it home by the time 213 00:20:32,160 --> 00:20:37,160 the football game kicks off, right? Even though I can look at it later. I want to experience 214 00:20:37,160 --> 00:20:46,160 it as it unfolds, right? You need to experience worship as it unfolds. Because it's a journey 215 00:20:46,160 --> 00:20:51,160 that all of us have together as we move towards God. We take advantage of the open door of 216 00:20:51,160 --> 00:20:55,160 the veil, rent from the top to the bottom, coming boldly before the throne of grace, 217 00:20:55,160 --> 00:21:00,160 coming to the altar and kneeling, coming away from that time of praying, saying, God heard 218 00:21:00,160 --> 00:21:05,160 me. God is going to answer that prayer in some way. Listening our voice up, shouting 219 00:21:05,160 --> 00:21:11,160 even about the God of the universe who meets with us and who gives us grace. I find that 220 00:21:11,160 --> 00:21:18,160 when you worship God among a group of people who love God, who revere God, who exalt God, 221 00:21:18,160 --> 00:21:29,160 you find yourself experiencing God in the midst of that. Amen. Yeah. If you think God 222 00:21:29,160 --> 00:21:34,160 doesn't enjoy being in the presence of people who love him and who worship him, then you've 223 00:21:34,160 --> 00:21:42,160 got it wrong. He loves it. He loves it. Thirdly, I've experienced all of God when he's met 224 00:21:42,160 --> 00:21:50,160 me in my pain, my heartbreak. How many of you have experienced pretty deep pain in your 225 00:21:50,160 --> 00:21:56,160 life? Would you raise your hand if you have? That's nearly all of us, I think. I've experienced 226 00:21:56,160 --> 00:22:03,160 God when I didn't think I would experience anything good. Paul wrote about the thorn 227 00:22:03,160 --> 00:22:10,160 in the flesh that he had on his life. A messenger of Satan buffeted him, as the Bible puts it. 228 00:22:10,160 --> 00:22:15,160 For a tough time in his life, most say it was probably a physical ailment he dealt with, 229 00:22:15,160 --> 00:22:19,160 but don't rule out the fact that it could have been just wicked people who were opposing 230 00:22:19,160 --> 00:22:24,160 him. All of the above was probably taking place with this guy named Paul, who was the 231 00:22:24,160 --> 00:22:30,160 preeminent apostle of the day. He prayed, God, take this away from me. Remove this thorn 232 00:22:30,160 --> 00:22:35,160 in the flesh. God never did remove the thorn in the flesh, but he did give him something 233 00:22:35,160 --> 00:22:43,160 better. God met him in his pain. Paul said this in 2 Corinthians 12, verse 9. He said, 234 00:22:43,160 --> 00:22:49,160 and he has said to me in regard to that prayer, Lord, remove this thorn in the flesh. He has 235 00:22:49,160 --> 00:22:55,160 said to me, my grace is sufficient for you, for power is perfected in weakness. Most gladly, 236 00:22:55,160 --> 00:23:01,160 therefore, I would rather boast about my weakness, that the power of Christ may dwell in me. 237 00:23:01,160 --> 00:23:07,160 Amen. Look at me for a moment. If you're going through hard times and dark times, let me 238 00:23:07,160 --> 00:23:11,160 tell you, that's some of the best time in your life where God meets with you and gives 239 00:23:11,160 --> 00:23:18,160 you grace that nobody else can give you. Nobody else can give you that. And it's a time when 240 00:23:18,160 --> 00:23:25,160 you can be in awe of God and walk away worshiping God. Have all the people on the planet that 241 00:23:25,160 --> 00:23:32,160 could have reached out to me or helped me? They didn't. But God, you were there. And 242 00:23:32,160 --> 00:23:38,160 your presence and your peace was so strong that I am in awe of the fact that you know 243 00:23:38,160 --> 00:23:43,160 who I am and you know what I'm going through and you are there with me in that moment. 244 00:23:43,160 --> 00:23:47,160 You want to be in awe of God. Look for him when you're going through hardship and difficulty 245 00:23:47,160 --> 00:23:52,160 and take the awe that you get from that hardship or take that awe that you get from being in 246 00:23:52,160 --> 00:23:57,160 nature and seeing the glorious creator in nature or take the awe you get while you're 247 00:23:57,160 --> 00:24:02,160 in the assembly of people who worship God. Take that awe and you make that motivational 248 00:24:02,160 --> 00:24:09,160 fuel for your worship of God day in and day out. You make it a diet in your life, a steady 249 00:24:09,160 --> 00:24:16,160 diet. You want to be healthy? Worship God. You want to exercise? Well, worship God. Worship 250 00:24:16,160 --> 00:24:23,160 God. Paul begins by saying you must have an awe of God. And as you have that awe of God, 251 00:24:23,160 --> 00:24:28,160 there's something else that's going to happen. And when you get to chapter 12 verse 1, he 252 00:24:28,160 --> 00:24:33,160 says you're going to be moved by his mercy. We're talking about change. The message is 253 00:24:33,160 --> 00:24:37,160 about change, things that change your life. Worshipping God takes place when you have 254 00:24:37,160 --> 00:24:43,160 an awe of God, but it doesn't just stop there. You need to be moved by his mercy. You see 255 00:24:43,160 --> 00:24:47,160 what it says in chapter 12 verse 1, it says, therefore I urge you brethren, by the way, 256 00:24:47,160 --> 00:24:50,160 every time you see a therefore, you know what you're supposed to do, right? You're supposed 257 00:24:50,160 --> 00:24:57,160 to find out what it's there for. That's why chapter 11 is so important. Don't just read 258 00:24:57,160 --> 00:25:01,160 a chapter that starts with the word therefore without looking to find out what it's there 259 00:25:01,160 --> 00:25:07,160 for. And everything Paul's going to say in chapter 12 verse 1 and 2 is based on the worship 260 00:25:07,160 --> 00:25:14,160 that he's expressing in chapter 11. And that will be true of you as well. Chapter 12 verse 261 00:25:14,160 --> 00:25:19,160 1 says, therefore I urge you brethren by the mercies of God that you present your body 262 00:25:19,160 --> 00:25:29,160 a living and holy sacrifice, accepted of God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 263 00:25:29,160 --> 00:25:34,160 I want you to see the word mercy there for just a moment. It means to have compassion 264 00:25:34,160 --> 00:25:44,160 and pity on someone. Therefore I beseech you or urge you brethren by the mercies of God, 265 00:25:44,160 --> 00:25:50,160 by the compassion, by the pity of God, to present your body a living and holy sacrifice. 266 00:25:50,160 --> 00:25:56,160 Jesus uses the idea of compassion and pity in the story of the prodigal. And you all 267 00:25:56,160 --> 00:26:00,160 know the story of course that the prodigal asks for the inheritance from the father and 268 00:26:00,160 --> 00:26:05,160 goes off and spends it and rides its living. And then when he's at the end of himself, 269 00:26:05,160 --> 00:26:10,160 literally he says, I know what I'll do. I'll come back to my father and say, I need to 270 00:26:10,160 --> 00:26:15,160 come home. I can't even eat food here. I don't have anything at all. I've been totally 271 00:26:15,160 --> 00:26:21,160 embarrassed. I'll just be like one of your servants. And of course as the story goes, 272 00:26:21,160 --> 00:26:26,160 the prodigal son comes home and the surprise of the whole story Jesus tells when he tells 273 00:26:26,160 --> 00:26:32,160 the prodigal is the response of the father. Because most of us would say he does not deserve 274 00:26:32,160 --> 00:26:37,160 to come home. The older son said he does not deserve to come home. That father ought to 275 00:26:37,160 --> 00:26:43,160 teach him a lesson right there. But the surprise of the story is that that's not what the father 276 00:26:43,160 --> 00:26:50,160 does. Instead the father shows compassion and pity and forgiveness and restores him 277 00:26:50,160 --> 00:26:54,160 completely. Kill the father calf. We're going to have a party because my son who was lost 278 00:26:54,160 --> 00:27:03,160 is now found. He was gone and now he's back. That's compassion. So Paul says, I urge you 279 00:27:03,160 --> 00:27:10,160 brother and by the mercies of God that you present your body a living and holy sacrifice. 280 00:27:10,160 --> 00:27:16,160 He's saying, I want you to think about all the responses God could have towards you. 281 00:27:16,160 --> 00:27:23,160 He's a righteous God and we're not righteous so. He's an angry God that has wrath against 282 00:27:23,160 --> 00:27:30,160 the ungodly and we're ungodly so. He's a holy pure God and we're not holy and we're not 283 00:27:30,160 --> 00:27:39,160 pure so. But God is also compassionate, loving, merciful, forgiving God. Because God surprises 284 00:27:39,160 --> 00:27:47,160 us the way Jesus said a compassionate father would surprise the prodigal son. And when 285 00:27:47,160 --> 00:27:53,160 God surprised Paul, a religious terrorist, by the mercies of forgiveness, he said that's 286 00:27:53,160 --> 00:27:57,160 what you're going to do when you worship him. You're going to come and realize the mercies 287 00:27:57,160 --> 00:28:08,160 of God and you're going to say, you loved me, you forgave me, I present myself to you. 288 00:28:08,160 --> 00:28:15,160 That's worship. It's worship. Don't you know the prodigal son was different after he saw 289 00:28:15,160 --> 00:28:22,160 the love of the father? How could he not be? Aren't we different when we come to God expecting 290 00:28:22,160 --> 00:28:27,160 one thing and God pours out his mercy and his forgiveness and his compassion. He surprises 291 00:28:27,160 --> 00:28:37,160 us by all the amazing things that we don't even think about and that moves us to surrender. 292 00:28:37,160 --> 00:28:43,160 You see this whole other level of worship, being in awe of God and then moving to the 293 00:28:43,160 --> 00:28:51,160 place where we are motivated by the mercies of God, we surrender ourselves to him. See 294 00:28:51,160 --> 00:29:00,160 the scripture again says, present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice. All these things 295 00:29:00,160 --> 00:29:06,160 lead us to what worship truly is, presenting your bodies a living and holy sacrifice. It 296 00:29:06,160 --> 00:29:11,160 basically says I'm so moved by your love, so moved by your presence, so moved by how 297 00:29:11,160 --> 00:29:18,160 amazing you are, how awesome you are and you still love me. I'm so moved by all that. If 298 00:29:18,160 --> 00:29:27,160 you love me, I'll give myself to you. I'll give myself to you. You see you don't bring 299 00:29:27,160 --> 00:29:35,160 a sacrifice to a worship service. You are the sacrifice in a worship service. You don't 300 00:29:35,160 --> 00:29:45,160 just bring something that you think God deserves. God is asking you for you. You say, Lord, 301 00:29:45,160 --> 00:29:54,160 here I am. I give you my heart. I give you my life. I give you everything I have. I am 302 00:29:54,160 --> 00:29:59,160 going to give you a personal surrender of myself. And it's not the surrender of obligation. 303 00:29:59,160 --> 00:30:04,160 It's not the surrender of fear. It's not the surrender of wondering what will happen if 304 00:30:04,160 --> 00:30:08,160 you don't surrender yourself. It's the surrender of gratitude that says you have left me. I 305 00:30:08,160 --> 00:30:18,160 am yours. More than 45 years ago, I stood at a wedding altar. My father, who's a pastor, 306 00:30:18,160 --> 00:30:24,160 was doing the wedding service and I stood there waiting for my wife, her name is Kim, 307 00:30:24,160 --> 00:30:30,160 to walk down the aisle. And man, I about lost it when she walked down the aisle. She was 308 00:30:30,160 --> 00:30:36,160 absolutely beautiful. Is absolutely beautiful. But you know what was going on in my heart 309 00:30:36,160 --> 00:30:43,160 is that same kind of thought that you love me enough to marry me. Commit yourself to 310 00:30:43,160 --> 00:30:52,160 me. You love me. I'm going to surrender myself to you. I'm going to love you. Hopefully you've 311 00:30:52,160 --> 00:30:57,160 experienced that in a good way on this planet. But God intends for you to experience that 312 00:30:57,160 --> 00:31:07,160 in an eternal way with Him. You love me. You have me. The true end of worship is walking 313 00:31:07,160 --> 00:31:13,160 away different because you've surrendered yourself to the one who loves you, God. 314 00:31:13,160 --> 00:31:19,160 Well, there's a third piece of this that I need to get to. And that is to be changed 315 00:31:19,160 --> 00:31:24,160 by His presence. I talked about change. We talked about practices that would change everything 316 00:31:24,160 --> 00:31:29,160 in your life. And that's where this change comes from. In verse two it says, 317 00:31:29,160 --> 00:31:35,160 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, 318 00:31:35,160 --> 00:31:39,160 so that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good, acceptable, and perfect. 319 00:31:39,160 --> 00:31:44,160 We often talk about wanting to do the will of God. I just want to do what God wants me to do. 320 00:31:44,160 --> 00:31:50,160 People say. They say I'm praying about the will of God. I want to do the will of God. 321 00:31:50,160 --> 00:31:55,160 And you ought to want to do the will of God, but sometimes we forget we have to be transformed 322 00:31:55,160 --> 00:32:00,160 before we're really willing to do the will of God. In fact, God doesn't often reveal His will 323 00:32:00,160 --> 00:32:06,160 to people that are not willing to do it first. He's not often going to give us the secret 324 00:32:06,160 --> 00:32:10,160 of the next step until we're willing to say, you know, whatever that secret is, I'm going to do it. 325 00:32:10,160 --> 00:32:15,160 Whatever you lead me to do, that's what I'm going to do it. Because I have surrendered myself to you, 326 00:32:15,160 --> 00:32:20,160 so surrender comes first and then change and transformation take place. 327 00:32:20,160 --> 00:32:25,160 So how does that work? What does it mean to be transformed by the renewing of your mind? 328 00:32:25,160 --> 00:32:30,160 What does that mean? Well, first, it means it's the ultimate end of worship. 329 00:32:30,160 --> 00:32:36,160 It also means that you're going to want Him to do the transforming, the changing, 330 00:32:36,160 --> 00:32:42,160 you're going to want Him to make a bigger impression on you than anything and anyone else on the planet. 331 00:32:42,160 --> 00:32:47,160 You're going to want Him to shape you into His image. I've written this down several ways. 332 00:32:47,160 --> 00:32:52,160 Don't be conformed by making yourself impressionable to the world, Paul is saying, 333 00:32:52,160 --> 00:32:59,160 but be impressionable to God. Or don't let the world shape you into its image. 334 00:32:59,160 --> 00:33:07,160 Let God mold you into His. This is such a big issue. I don't even think we realize how big of an issue this is. 335 00:33:07,160 --> 00:33:14,160 We look around us and we see the image of the world everywhere we look with our eyes open. 336 00:33:14,160 --> 00:33:23,160 You know, the average individual today looks at eight hours and 56 minutes of media in some form today. 337 00:33:23,160 --> 00:33:28,160 Maybe it's on a computer screen at work where they're doing work on a computer, 338 00:33:28,160 --> 00:33:33,160 but also through television, through social media, through your ever-present phone. 339 00:33:33,160 --> 00:33:42,160 Most of us have between six and ten thousand images a day flashed across our vision. Six and ten thousand. 340 00:33:42,160 --> 00:33:48,160 It's real easy to be conformed to the image of this world today. 341 00:33:48,160 --> 00:33:55,160 And everything associated with all the images that we will see, advertisements, enticements, 342 00:33:55,160 --> 00:33:59,160 everything you can think of, you look at. Do you know what they do to us? 343 00:33:59,160 --> 00:34:04,160 They make us feel in a certain way. That's the design of them. 344 00:34:04,160 --> 00:34:13,160 You'll have a desire to order that on Amazon. You'll have a lust to fulfill that as you see another image. 345 00:34:13,160 --> 00:34:20,160 You'll feel pain. You'll feel panic. You will be discouraged or disheartened. 346 00:34:20,160 --> 00:34:25,160 You'll be moved this way or that way politically and you have no idea why you're being moved around. 347 00:34:25,160 --> 00:34:31,160 But what's happening is the world is shaping you into its mold. 348 00:34:31,160 --> 00:34:38,160 I would say the people of Paul's day probably had a lot less that they had to deal with when it came to 349 00:34:38,160 --> 00:34:45,160 don't be conformed to the world. But if ever there was a command that was important to the people of this day, 350 00:34:45,160 --> 00:34:54,160 it's this day. Don't be conformed to the world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. 351 00:34:54,160 --> 00:35:00,160 Somehow we're going to have to think about and look at Jesus a whole lot more than we normally do. 352 00:35:00,160 --> 00:35:08,160 A whole lot more than what we allow the world to let us see from their perspective. 353 00:35:08,160 --> 00:35:15,160 You see, when you focus on him, you're going to be focusing on the one that you want to be like. 354 00:35:15,160 --> 00:35:19,160 John Paul Bevere writing a book called The Awe of God said, 355 00:35:19,160 --> 00:35:27,160 Whose image do you aspire to be conformed to? The celebrities of our day or the one who created the universe? 356 00:35:27,160 --> 00:35:33,160 He said, Choose wisely and take heed to what you hear and give your attention to. 357 00:35:33,160 --> 00:35:37,160 Years ago, some of you will remember this song, but not many of you will. 358 00:35:37,160 --> 00:35:43,160 There's a song that I used to sing when I was a kid and we'd go to church camp and we'd sing this song a lot. 359 00:35:43,160 --> 00:35:50,160 I don't even know the name of it, but the line is, Turn your eyes upon Jesus, look forward in his heavenly face, 360 00:35:50,160 --> 00:35:56,160 and the things of earth will grow strangely dim in the light of his glory and grace. 361 00:35:56,160 --> 00:35:59,160 I didn't know who wrote that song. I didn't care for the melody of that song. 362 00:35:59,160 --> 00:36:04,160 It was kind of melancholy as a 16-year-old, what kind of discernment did I have? And very little did I have. 363 00:36:04,160 --> 00:36:07,160 But I knew that that was true. 364 00:36:07,160 --> 00:36:14,160 And the reason I knew that was true is because I'd had enough few moments and experiences where I did turn my eyes on Jesus 365 00:36:14,160 --> 00:36:24,160 and all those things of the world became less valuable, less attractive, less tempting to me as a 16-year-old young man. 366 00:36:24,160 --> 00:36:31,160 Eventually I realized I just need to always be turning my eyes upon Jesus. 367 00:36:31,160 --> 00:36:37,160 I just need to always be looking in his glorious, holy face. 368 00:36:37,160 --> 00:36:47,160 I just need to worship more than I do and need to make it a priority in my life. 369 00:36:47,160 --> 00:36:51,160 Do you want to change your life? Do you want to let God change your life? 370 00:36:51,160 --> 00:36:55,160 Worship God. Worship God. 371 00:36:55,160 --> 00:37:00,160 Come to the place where you say, You love me like that? I'm giving you my life. 372 00:37:00,160 --> 00:37:06,160 And more than that, I'm going to let you transform me into your image. 373 00:37:06,160 --> 00:37:11,160 You say, but pastor, before you close this thing, what about the Bible? 374 00:37:11,160 --> 00:37:17,160 What about the Scriptures? Because don't we use the Scriptures when we refer to this verse over and over and the answer would be yes. 375 00:37:17,160 --> 00:37:20,160 The word of God does transform your mind. 376 00:37:20,160 --> 00:37:23,160 But so does worship. The context is worship. 377 00:37:23,160 --> 00:37:27,160 The context is in every way God reveals himself to you. 378 00:37:27,160 --> 00:37:31,160 That of course is affirmed and validated by the word of God. 379 00:37:31,160 --> 00:37:33,160 That's what transforms you day in and day out. 380 00:37:33,160 --> 00:37:38,160 I know people who know everything about the Bible and they'll tell you everything you want to know about the character of God, 381 00:37:38,160 --> 00:37:42,160 but who have not yet been transformed by him. 382 00:37:42,160 --> 00:37:48,160 You can know it, but it's not transforming you if you don't come in awe of God, 383 00:37:48,160 --> 00:37:52,160 if you don't begin to worship him, if you don't surrender to him. 384 00:37:52,160 --> 00:37:54,160 And that's what my call is to you today. 385 00:37:54,160 --> 00:37:58,160 Surrender to him as you worship him. 386 00:37:58,160 --> 00:38:00,160 Follow him. 387 00:38:00,160 --> 00:38:06,160 Make him the most important habit you have in your New Year. 388 00:38:06,160 --> 00:38:10,160 Just a few moments, we'll close the service with a prayer. 389 00:38:10,160 --> 00:38:12,160 Three invitations I would give you. 390 00:38:12,160 --> 00:38:19,160 First of all, we have decision stations that are at the back of each of our worship center areas as you move towards the doors in just a few moments. 391 00:38:19,160 --> 00:38:24,160 If you'd like to talk with someone and we would love to talk to you about what we've talked about today, 392 00:38:24,160 --> 00:38:27,160 we'd love to help you with decisions you may make. 393 00:38:27,160 --> 00:38:34,160 You know, it's really important for you to know this, that Jesus Christ died on the cross to pay for our sins, 394 00:38:34,160 --> 00:38:39,160 to give us a place in heaven and a relationship with him. 395 00:38:39,160 --> 00:38:44,160 And unless you by faith put your trust and confidence in him, you really won't have the opportunity to do that. 396 00:38:44,160 --> 00:38:46,160 You'll never know the awe of God. 397 00:38:46,160 --> 00:38:54,160 You'll never really be able to know who he is and what he's done in your life until you accept the greatest gift he could give you, and that is his son. 398 00:38:54,160 --> 00:38:57,160 So we want to talk to you about that decision. 399 00:38:57,160 --> 00:38:59,160 Maybe there's something missing in your life. 400 00:38:59,160 --> 00:39:01,160 You've never really had a relationship with him. 401 00:39:01,160 --> 00:39:06,160 You've never really realized if you've ever had your sons forgiven or not, we want to talk to you about that. 402 00:39:06,160 --> 00:39:07,160 Stop at the decision station. 403 00:39:07,160 --> 00:39:16,160 Secondly, I invite you to bring folks back next week as we get into the next practice that will change everything. 404 00:39:16,160 --> 00:39:18,160 And we'll do that each week this month. 405 00:39:18,160 --> 00:39:22,160 It'll be something I think you'll value as we talk about this week after week. 406 00:39:22,160 --> 00:39:28,160 Thirdly, I invite any guest to come back to the guest reception room right outside the center exit door. 407 00:39:28,160 --> 00:39:32,160 There is a glassed-in room, and I'll be in that room in just a few moments. 408 00:39:32,160 --> 00:39:34,160 I'd love to meet you personally. 409 00:39:34,160 --> 00:39:43,160 If you're going to hang around for the food trucks, I have free tickets to the food trucks, which I mean people are attracted to me like, I don't know, like bees on honey, flies on honey. 410 00:39:43,160 --> 00:39:46,160 When they know I have these free food truck tickets, I'd love to meet you though. 411 00:39:46,160 --> 00:39:48,160 I seriously would love to shake your hand. 412 00:39:48,160 --> 00:39:49,160 Thank you for being here today. 413 00:39:49,160 --> 00:39:53,160 It's important to me that you know who we are, what we're about. 414 00:39:53,160 --> 00:39:57,160 Would you stand with me as we have the closing word of prayer? 415 00:39:57,160 --> 00:39:59,160 Father, I want to thank you today. 416 00:39:59,160 --> 00:40:04,160 It's a privilege of being in this room to worship you with your people. 417 00:40:04,160 --> 00:40:15,160 Father, my prayer is that every one of us will seek to experience you, that our theology will collide with our experience and that we will be in awe with you. 418 00:40:15,160 --> 00:40:19,160 And that Father, it will flavor our lives. 419 00:40:19,160 --> 00:40:24,160 It will create a desire to know you more and walk with you closer. 420 00:40:24,160 --> 00:40:34,160 I pray for those making decisions today, decisions to worship, decisions to surrender as Lord and Savior to you. 421 00:40:34,160 --> 00:40:37,160 Surrender our lives, our future, Father. 422 00:40:37,160 --> 00:40:39,160 We ask you today to move in hearts. 423 00:40:39,160 --> 00:40:41,160 Thank you, Father, for all these here today. 424 00:40:41,160 --> 00:40:46,160 I pray you'll give them wisdom as they leave this place today to live life as you called them to live it. 425 00:40:46,160 --> 00:40:48,160 In Jesus' name, Amen. 426 00:40:48,160 --> 00:40:58,160 God bless.