Connect Church
Worship That Changes Everything
  • Days Of Elijah
  • Open The Eyes Of My Heart
  • I Surrender All
  • Make Room
  • Throughout this series, we have talked about worship from different angles.
    We have learned worship can happen in the valley. Worship can become distorted when something else takes God's place, remember the golden calf. We learned worship is not dependent upon our circumstances. But as we close this series, we come to an important question:

    What happens after the song is over?

    If worship is only what we do for twenty minutes on Sunday morning, then worship has very little opportunity to change our lives. But Paul tells us that real worship follows us out of the sanctuary and into everyday life.
    True worship is not just lifting our hands. It is surrendering our lives.
    My purpose for this series is to get you to think about your relationship with God outside of this sanctuary.
    To conclude this series, let’s go to the Book of Romans, chapter 12. We will read two verses today and these are very familiar to many of you.
    Before we read these two verses. Let me set it up for you.
    The book of Romans was written by the Apostle Paul to Christians in Rome, likely around A.D. 57. It was near the end of his third missionary journey. And unlike many of Paul's letters, Romans was written to a church he had not yet personally visited.
    The first 11 chapters of Romans focus primarily on what God has done for us. Paul talked about things like:
    Humanity's need for salvation
    Salvation by grace through faith
    Freedom from sin
    Life in the Spirit
    God's faithfulness to His people
    These first 11 chapters focused on all that God truly did for each of us. We use these chapters to walk people down a road towards salvation. We use these verses to teach someone about what Christ has done for them.
    Then Romans 12 marks a major turning point. Paul moves from doctrine to application.
    The transition begins with one powerful word: “Therefore.”
    Paul is essentially saying, Because of everything God has done for you, this is how you should live.
    Worship in the Old Testament was closely connected to sacrifice. People brought animals to the altar, and the sacrifice died as an offering to God. Paul takes that familiar image and transforms it:
    “Present your bodies as a living sacrifice.”
    The sacrifice is no longer something merely placed on an altar. The worshiper becomes the offering.
    And unlike an Old Testament sacrifice that died once, a living sacrifice must continually choose surrender.
    So, Romans 12:1–2 teaches us that worship is not confined to a song, a sanctuary, or a Sunday service. True worship is the daily surrender of our entire lives to God.
    Look at Romans 12:1-2
    Romans 12:1–2 NIV
    1 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. 2 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.
    This morning I want to break these two verses down, word for word. My prayer is by the end of this sermon you will get a better picture of what a worship God with everything you have.

    1. True Worship Requires a Living Sacrifice

    Romans 12:1 NIV
    1 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.
    Worship begins with remembering God’s mercy.
    Paul says, “in view of God’s mercy…”
    Before Paul asks us to give anything, he asks us to remember everything that God has already given.
    We don’t surrender our lives to earn God’s mercy. We have already received God’s mercy. You didn’t have to do anything. God’s mercy was already there. So, we surrender because we have already received His mercy.

    Grace always comes before surrender.

    God never has said, “Give me everything and then I might love you.”
    What He does say and has said is, “I have loved you. I have saved you. I have shown you mercy. Now give me your life.”
    Then, after remembrance, Paul moves to the offering stage. He says…
    Romans 12:1 NIV
    1 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.
    Offer your bodies as a living sacrifice.
    In the Old Testament times, the worshiper brought something valuable to God. Now, Paul is taking the sacrifice a step further. He tells them, “you are the sacrifice.”
    Not just your Sunday, not just your singing, not just your church attendance, but all of it. You entire life.
    Paul says to give your time, your relationships, your finances, your decisions, your attitudes, your future, your body, your mind. All of it.
    When you give God all of your worship, you are saying, “God, everything I have belongs to you.”
    But there is something unique about a living sacrifice. A living sacrifice can crawl off the altar.
    When we get in a powerful worship service it is easy to surrender our lives to God. But it is harder to remain surrendered on Monday morning when you are in traffic trying to get to work. It is harder to remain surrendered when you are stuck in a difficult conversation. It is harder to remain surrendered when our obedience costs us something. It is harder to remain surrendered when God asks us to forgive someone that has caused us pain. It is harder to remain surrendered when nobody is watching us.
    True worship is not a one time decision. It is a daily surrender.
    Jesus said in Matthew 16:24
    Matthew 16:24 NIV
    24 Then Jesus said to his disciples, “Whoever wants to be my disciple must deny themselves and take up their cross and follow me.
    Ask yourself this question, what area of your life have you kept off the altar?
    We sing I surrender all, but do we truly mean all.

    2. True Worship Requires a Transformed Mind

    Look at verse 2 again.
    Romans 12:2 NIV
    2 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.
    In this verse, Paul gives us two very different processes.
    First, he says do not conform.
    To be conformed means to be pressed into a pattern. The world is constantly trying to shape the way we think. If you don’t believe just watch the news or look at all the feeds on your social media pages. They place ads in front of you to get you to buy what they think you want to buy. They tell you what they want you to hear. Everyone has an agenda. That is why you can’t take what the world wants to feed you. You have to keep your mind aligned with what God wants to feed you.
    Then Paul says, “be transformed.”
    The Greek word Paul uses for “be transformed” is metamorphoō. It is where we get our word metamorphosis.
    Think about the process of a caterpillar becoming a butterfly.
    A caterpillar doesn't simply try harder to look like a butterfly. It doesn't put wings on and pretend to be something different.
    There is a transformation that takes place from the inside out.
    The caterpillar enters the chrysalis, and a process of complete change begins. What it was is being transformed into what it was created to become.
    And eventually, the transformation that happened on the inside becomes visible on the outside.
    That's the picture Paul gives us.
    God isn't simply interested in making us look more religious.
    He isn't just trying to change our behavior while leaving our hearts and minds untouched.
    God wants to transform us from the inside out.
    As our minds are renewed by God's Word, our thinking begins to change. And when our thinking changes, our attitudes change. Our attitudes affect our actions. And eventually, the transformation happening inside us becomes visible in the way we live.

    Conformity says, “Change so you can fit in." Transformation says, “Change because God is making you new."

    The world wants to press you into its mold, but God wants to bring about a metamorphosis. The world works from the outside in. God works from the inside out. And that transformation begins with the renewing of our minds.
    Our minds need continual renewal.
    How does this happen?
    It happens as we spend time in God’s Word. It happens as we pray and worship. It happens as we listen to the Holy Spirit. It happens as we surround ourselves with godly people. It happens as we replace lies with the truth.

    What you continually put into your mind will eventually shape your life.

    Don’t just ask, “what am I do?” But ask yourself, “what am I thinking?”
    Because our actions often reveal what has been happening in our minds.
    And this is a continual process. My third point is this…

    3. True Worship is Daily Obedience

    Look at the last part of verse 2.
    Romans 12:2 NIV
    2 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.
    This is where true worship becomes practical. A surrendered life does not simply say, “God, I love you.” It says, “God, I will obey you.”
    How do you demonstrate your worship to God?
    Worship is demonstrated through obedience.
    We can sing about trusting God. But worship becomes real when we trust Him with our decisions. We can sing about surrender. But worship becomes real when God asks us to give something up. We can sing about forgiveness. But worship becomes real when we forgive someone who hurt us.

    Obedience is Where Our Worship Becomes Visible

    John 14:15 NIV
    15 “If you love me, keep my commands.
    Our obedience does not replace worship. Our obedience reveals our worship.
    That’s because when we are obedient to God, it shows Him that we want to follow His good, pleasing, and perfect will.
    When you surrender everything to God, that is when God’s will is discovered.
    We hear people ask the question all the time. God, what is your will for my life?
    Romans 12 gives us a great picture of how we can know God’s will for our life. It reminds us that God’s will becomes clearer as our lives become more surrendered.
    We want God to reveal the whole plan to us. But God is asking us, “Will you obey Me in the next step?”
    You don’t have to know everything about tomorrow in order to obey God today.
    And when you leave here, your worship shouldn’t stop. Worship continues long after the service is over and we turn the lights out and all of us go home so we can start a new week.
    Worship goes with us.
    Worship is how we treat our family. Worships is how we speak to our coworkers. Worship is how we handle our money. Worship is how we respond when we are frustrated. Worship is how we serve others. Worship is how we forgive. Worship is how we make decisions. Worship is how we live when nobody is watching.
    Worship is not simply a moment we experience. It is a life we live.
    Paul calls us to be a living sacrifice. This means you have a choice. You can stay on the altar and be a sacrifice and say, “God I will obey your plan for my life.” Or you can get up and walk away from the altar and live the life you want to live. It is completely up to you.
    True worship is what we place upon the altar. And God is not asking for a part of your life. He is asking for all of it.
    So, let me close this series with perhaps the greatest question we can ask ourselves:

    Does My Worship Continue After the Music Stops?

    Because worship doesn’t end when the music stops, it starts when the obedience begins.
    True Worship is a surrendered life.
    So, here my invitation to you this morning. Here is where you can make a decision.
    Is there any area of your life that you have kept off the altar?
    Maybe you have given God your Sunday, but not your Monday. Maybe you have given God your songs, but not your decisions. Maybe you have given God your words, but not your obedience.
    Today, God is calling us back to surrender.
    Do you truly mean it when you say, “I surrender all?”
    Right now, where you are, bow your head and ask yourself that question. “Have I truly surrendered all to him?”
    *Pause*
    Now, ask God that question. “God, have I truly surrendered my all to you.”
    *Pause*
    Make this your prayer this morning.
    “Lord, I give You my whole life. Transform my mind. Guide my steps. Help me to worship You not only with my words, but with the way I live.”
    Who can I pray with this morning?
    Raise your hand.
    Let me say one final thing before we move on.
    The greatest act of worship you may offer God this week is not a song you sing, but an act of obedience you choose.

      • Romans 12:1–2ESV

      • Romans 12:1ESV

      • Romans 12:1ESV

      • Matthew 16:24ESV

      • Romans 12:2ESV

      • Romans 12:2ESV

      • John 14:15ESV

  • The Potter's Hand

      • Exodus 25:1–2NIV2011

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