In this sermon, I explored the concept of worship, its meaning, and its significance in our lives. I emphasized that worship is not just a ritual, but a profound expression of our love, attention, and devotion to God. I drew from Genesis 22:5 to illustrate the first mention of worship in the Bible, highlighting that it sets the standard for what genuine worship should be. I also stressed the importance of understanding the true meaning of worship, which is to ascribe worth to God, before we can effectively perform it. I challenged the congregation to self-reflect and ask themselves what they are truly giving to God and what He is worth to them.

Key Takeaways:
- Worship is a profound expression of our love, attention, and devotion to God. It is not just a ritual, but a deep, personal connection with the divine. ([08:21])
- The first mention of worship in the Bible, Genesis 22:5, sets the standard for what genuine worship should be. ([10:45])
- Understanding the true meaning of worship is crucial before we can effectively perform it. Worship means ascribing worth to God. ([11:30])
- Self-reflection is important in our worship. We need to ask ourselves what we are truly giving to God and what He is worth to us. ([12:25])
- Our worship should not be superficial or performative. It should be a genuine expression of our love and devotion to God. ([12:07])

Bible Passages:
1. Genesis 22:1-14
2. Matthew 22:37-40
3. Romans 12:1-2

Key Points from the sermon:
1. Worship is a demonstration of our reverence and devotion to God.
2. Genuine worship involves recognizing God's worthiness and responding with all our love, attention, and devotion.
3. Understanding the true meaning of worship is crucial to effectively worshiping God.

Observation Questions:
1. In Genesis 22:1-14, what does Abraham's willingness to sacrifice Isaac demonstrate about his devotion to God?
2. What does Matthew 22:37-40 tell us about the priority of love in our relationship with God and others?
3. According to Romans 12:1-2, what does it mean to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice?

Interpretation Questions:
1. How does Abraham's act of worship in Genesis 22:1-14 reflect the definition of worship as "subscribing worth to a person or an object"?
2. In Matthew 22:37-40, Jesus says the greatest commandment is to love God with all our heart, soul, and mind. How does this relate to our worship of God?
3. What does Romans 12:1-2 suggest about the connection between worship and transformation?

Application Questions:
1. How can we demonstrate our reverence and devotion to God in our daily lives, similar to Abraham in Genesis 22:1-14?
2. In what practical ways can we love God with all our heart, soul, and mind, as commanded in Matthew 22:37-40?
3. How can we apply the principles of Romans 12:1-2 to offer ourselves as a living sacrifice in worship to God?

Day 1: God is Worthy of All My Love, Attention, and Devotion

God is the creator of all things, the giver of life, and the source of all blessings. He is worthy of our utmost love, attention, and devotion. As we go about our daily activities, it is important to remember to keep our focus on Him and to express our love for Him in all that we do.

Deuteronomy 6:5 - "Love the LORD your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your strength."

Reflection: Reflect on your daily activities. Are there moments when you could redirect your attention and devotion towards God? How can you incorporate more expressions of love towards God in your daily routine?

Day 2: Worship is a Journey

Worship is not a one-time event, but a journey that we embark on as we grow in our relationship with God. It is a process of learning, growing, and deepening our understanding and practice of worship.

Psalm 84:5 - "Blessed are those whose strength is in you, whose hearts are set on pilgrimage."

Reflection: Consider your spiritual journey so far. How has your understanding and practice of worship evolved over time? What steps can you take to continue growing in your worship journey?

Day 3: Worship is for Real

Worship is not about putting on a show or going through the motions. It is about genuinely connecting with God, expressing our love for Him, and acknowledging His sovereignty in our lives.

John 4:24 - "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth."

Reflection: Reflect on your worship experiences. Are there times when you've felt disconnected or insincere during worship? How can you ensure that your worship is genuine and in spirit and truth?

Day 4: Understanding the Meaning of Worship

Worship is more than just singing songs or attending church services. It is about offering our bodies as living sacrifices to God, dedicating our lives to His service, and living in a way that honors Him.

Romans 12:1 - "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."

Reflection: How do you understand the concept of offering your body as a living sacrifice in worship? In what ways can you live out this understanding in your daily life?

Day 5: Worship Involves Giving All

Worship is not about giving God a portion of our lives, but about giving Him our all. It involves loving Him with all our heart, soul, mind, and strength, and surrendering every area of our lives to Him.

Mark 12:30 - "Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength."

Reflection: Reflect on the command to love God with all your heart, soul, mind, and strength. Are there areas in your life where you struggle to fully surrender to God in worship? How can you work towards giving your all in worship?

1. "My worship is for real. Last week our praise teams sang a song that really touched my soul. My worship is for our new members and all of our guests this weekend." [08:21]

2. "We just finished the teaching on leadership that focus is not just on our church but also on our personal lives. We not only focused on how to give to the next level as a church body but the Word of God provided some building blocks for us to use to move to the next level in our health, in our emotions, in our relationships, and in our finances." [09:14]

3. "We started putting back some plans in action that we had years ago. We started making trying to accomplish something because there's still time. Then we went to a message said I got a plan." [10:00]

4. "The first mention of the word worship in the biblical text is in Genesis 22 and 5. This passage sets the standard for what genuine worship is all about. I think that's the problem sometimes we don't really know what genuine worship is." [10:45]

5. "When we worship God we're saying God is worthy of all my love. My question to you is what did you give it God? If you were to take a self-examination, if you were to we would put a big mirror on the wall and you win and looked at it, what are you giving God? What is he worth to you?" [12:07]

Playing games, I got kind of frustrated during my studies this week because sometimes we played so many games. We tried too hard for them. We got people really hurt; we got people really going through stuff, needing deliverance.

We're a bit worried about what keyboard player we don't get, and we got people who need to be a little bit—don't even know they need to be. Real worship is more than music.

So what does Abraham mean when he says worship? I hope you have listened to me Wednesday, brought your papers and your pens, 'cause I'm gonna give it to you. Amen? We gonna shout, but we got to learn at the same time. Amen?

If we're not writing down, we're not growing. Let's grow with it. Real worship is submissive.

Oh, real worship is submissive. Look at it with me. Go to Genesis 22, verse 2. Real worship is submissive.

Genesis 22 says, "Take your son, your only son, yes, Isaac, whom you love so much, and go to the land of Moriah. Go and sacrifice him as a burnt offering on one of the mountains which I will show you."

The next morning, Abraham got up early. He saddled his donkey and took two of his servants with him, along with his son Isaac. Then he chopped wood for a fire for a burnt offering and set out for the place God had told him about.

Somebody said he was prepared. He was prepared for worship. That's why I told you almost I already knew where I was going. You got to come in here with your Bible, your pen, and your people so you can be prepared. You have to be prepared.

If you're not prepared to win, then you're prepared to lose. You have to be prepared. So everyone got prepared, but the context—God's command was hard and unbelievable, yet it was clear. God said, "Go worship and sacrifice your son."

Did you see what Abraham did? He didn't hesitate. He did as he was commanded. He didn't seek excuses. You know we are always looking for an excuse. God said, "Go worship."

Okay, I got my scholars. Second son, okay, but we don't start to reason and say, "What? God, did I really hear you right?" I'm going to pray one more time to make sure it was the time.

I said, "God, I want to make sure I heard you right." Just wait till you get to that point. What are you doing here when God has told you what to do, and you go back?

What? God, I want to make sure that I heard you right. And He tells you again clearly. But God, I'm just gonna—I want to just make sure that I don't want to—we're quick to put it on. I don't want to move without God. I don't want to move before God says move.

If I were to tell you what to do, He told you twice what to do, but yet you had to go, "So God, I just want to make sure I've heard you."

Well, I'm done talking. Abraham did not seek excuses. He got up early, and he went. A true heart for God is marked by obedience.

John 14:15 says, "If you love me, keep my commandments." John 14:21 says, "He who has my commandments and keeps them is the one who loves me."

Nothing says that we are here that we love Him like doing what He tells you to do. You want to show that you love God? Do what He told you to do. Do what He's called you to do.

Some of us are walking around here, "Oh, that's so sweet," but we won't accept that God has called us to do a thing. Worship is not only something a person does; worship is what we are.

Every obedient moment of our lives is an act of worship. You don't believe me? Attendance—you still went up today. It's an act of worship. God calls for us to come into His house. It's a worship day. It's an act of obedience.

That's worship. Giving—it's worship. Giving us a ministry—all that stuff. But because people have taken advantage of people, we try to downplay giving.

No one likes to talk about giving. No one wants to talk about tithing because they don't want to offend people because of how some people have handled it. It's a gray area for some people, and we have to approach it biblically with love because some people have been hurt.

Some people have been taken advantage of. It's trivial to be real; it happened. But tithing and giving is a form of worship. It's a form of showing God how much you love and appreciate Him. It's giving back to Him what He has given to you. Amen?

Witnessing—that's a form of worship. We went out yesterday, and we had us an awesome time. We met a couple of people, and we talked all about the Word.

We talked to the wheels just going on. Thinking—it was a form of worship. If you didn't go yesterday, we definitely want to get you out there. Amen?

Because this is a wonderful thing. If you've never done it, you really need to get out there. Evangelism is such a beautiful thing. That's how you save friends.

We want to get people to like us. Welcome, BIRT. Somebody meets somebody—that's for you to do something. Wait, would you approach them, and they’re eating chicken, smoking weed?

That's real life. Three studying the Bible—these are all acts of worship.

There is a difference between worshipping sometimes and being a true worshipper. There's a difference between worshipping sometimes and being a true worshipper.

You know, there was a time in the church that it was very popular to go around saying, "I'm a true worshipper. I'm a worshipper."

At the time, everybody would say, "I'm a worshipper." Are you really? Are you really a worshipper, or do you just worship sometimes?

Because from what I see, you just worship sometimes. But my goal is to get everybody to become true worshippers. Amen?