OPENING PRAYER

Spend 5 to 15 minutes in prayer about the following:

• What it means to worship a God who is worthy
• What gets in the way of your daily worship?

BIBLE

Read John 9

• What did you learn about yourself?
• What did you learn about God?
• What will do differently based upon what you read?

MEMORY VERSE

Read the following passage out loud. Repeat it five times. Make sure to say the verse address both before and after the passage

Psalm 119:11

I ________  ________________ ________ ________ in ___ __________ that I __________ not ______ ____________ ______.

Psalm 119:11

STUDY

Like so many elements of contemporary Christianity, worship has morphed to mean something completely different than it did 2,000 years ago. Today, the words “worship” and “music” are virtually synonymous. When we talk about worship, more often than not, we are talking about the style and content of the songs played at the beginning and ending of a church gathering.

Biblically, however, worship is all about one thing, and one thing only: Ascribing to God His intrinsic worth. As a matter of fact, the English word, “worship” comes from an old-English term that meant, “worth-ship.”That is, the purpose of worship is to assign worth to God.

So, if singing Christian songs is not what the Bible calls worship, what is? Paul nails the idea of biblical worship in Romans 12:1-2. God read it now, and then come back to this study.

Worship is a response

Let’s break that passage down. Paul begins with the phrase, “...in view of God’s mercy.” This is the first concept about worship we need to understand: Worship is always a response to what God has already done. True worship is never offered in the hopes that God will reveal Himself. Instead, it is the natural reaction of those who have encountered the Living God.

Worship requires sacrifice:

How do we respond to the God who has saved us? Paul says you are to “offer our bodies as living sacrifices.” This means we are to surrender our self-directed will and adopt God’s direction.

Worship pleases God:

Paul says to offer your body because that sacrifice is, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.”

Worship makes you different than the rest of the world:

When you worship God, you, “Do not conform to the pattern of this world.” Instead, you are “transformed by the renewing of your mind.”

Worship reveals God’s will to us:

Authentic worship is simply a surrendering to God’s will. When we do that, God reveals more of His will to us. This is why Paul says that, ”you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is.” When we offer ourselves to God, wholly and completely, we become more sensitive to how God thinks and feels.

What are the elements of worship you see in 1 Chronicles 16:7?

                                                                                                           

                                                                                                           

                                                                                                           

                                                                                                           

                                                                                                           

                                                                                                           

 

CLOSING PRAYER