Monday, January 13, 2025
Therefore, brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship. Romans 12:1
Living A Life of Christ-Centered Worship
We began a series last week called Core about our core values as a church. Yesterday we learned about our first Core Value, Christ Centered Worship.
Christ-Centered Worship - We value worship as a whole-life response, both corporately and individually, to who He is, what He has done, and what He will do.
We learned about the mercies of God yesterday. The mercies of God that he lavishes on us are how he reveals himself to us. These mercies poured into our lives create a desire in us to give it all back to him.
Here are some eternal truths about those mercies that Pastor Jim gave us yesterday:
1. All people are sinners and need to be saved from their sin. (Rom. 1:18-3:20; 5:12-19)
2. The Old Testament Law, though good and holy, cannot counteract the power of sin. (Rom. 2:12-29; 3:9-20; 5:20; 7:1-25; 9:30-10:8)
3. Through the righteousness of God, sin is judged, and salvation is provided. (Rom. 3:21-26; 5:12-19; 6:1-10; 7:1-6; 8:1-4)
4. The atoning death of Jesus Christ is central to God’s plan of salvation. (Rom. 3:21-26; 4:23-25; 5:6-11,15-19; 6:1-10; 7:4-6; 8:1-4)
5. Justification is by faith alone. (Rom. 1:16-4:25; 9:30-10:21)
6. There is a certain hope of future glory for those who are in Christ Jesus. (Rom. 5:1-8:39)
7. Those who have accepted Christ by faith and who enjoy the presence of the Holy Spirit are enabled to live a new life. (Rom. 2:25-29; 6:1-7:6; 8:1-39)
8. God works all things according to His plan. (Rom. 9:1-11:36)
9. God fulfills his promises to both Jews and Gentiles. (Rom. 1:18-4:25; 9:1-11:36)
The way we live out Christ-Centered Worship in our lives is complete surrender. We surrender every part of ourselves, every second of the day, everything we say and do, everything we are, in every circumstance. When we surrender to him, we live in this beautiful exchange. Acts 17:28a says For in him we live and move and have our being… He gives us the very breath in our lungs. We do not live and move and have our being without him. He pours his mercies into us along with life and in complete surrender we give it back to him in worship through our whole lives – in thoughts, in words, in actions, in attitudes.
This great exchange also allows us to walk with Him – stepping where He steps. In living a life of worship, we live and love how he lives and loves and give that to the rest of the world. In full surrender we walk where He walks and our faith informs every word, action, thought, or deed we have or do. We live and move and have our being in Him every step of the way, glorifying Him in worship with our whole life because he is worthy of all honor and praise and glory.
