The Purpose and Power of Worship: A Living Sacrifice

Well, hey, I’m KJ Scriven and welcome to Strengthen Your Walk™. We’re continuing our conversation around worship. Now, scripturally, the first time the word worship is mentioned in the scripture, it’s actually when Abraham is sacrificing his son Isaac, which never actually happens. But that’s the first time we see the word worship. We always see synonymous with the word worship, we see this word sacrifice that keeps popping up. Also in scripture as well in Leviticus, chapters one through seven, it is described there is a ritual that always tends to include sacrifice. But in the New Testament, Jesus becomes the perfect sacrifice and now we have access to God, but we still see this concept of sacrifice, but not in the literal sense.

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 So, in Romans chapter 12, we see this. Paul is speaking to the church at Rome and he says these words here. Romans 12:1, he says, “Therefore brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God, I urge you to present your bodies as a living,” here it is, “sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God; this is your true worship.” Now this is the Christian Standard Bible version and I love that. He says, “This is your true worship to present your bodies as a living sacrifice in view of the mercies of God.” Now, let me show you something. This is just a good study tip for you. Whenever you’re reading the scripture, you notice the first word, he says, is “Therefore brothers and sisters.”

And so, whenever you see the word, “therefore” in scripture, it’s there for a reason, okay? That means that he’s referencing something before. And here was what is referenced in the chapters before. We’re in chapter 12, so there’s 11 chapters before where he’s describing a lot of theological truths and now he’s transitioning into the practical of how we live this out, okay? So in Romans 5:8 for example, he says that, “While we were yet sinners, Christ died for us.” In Romans 8:1, he says, “There is now no condemnation to those who are in Christ Jesus.” These are beautiful theological realities that Jesus has done for us.

In Romans 8:15, he says that “we have been adopted as the children of God and now we don’t have to be fearful as slaves, but we can be children of God and we can refer to him as Abba Father.” That term, “Abba” is a term of endearment. It’s not just saying “father”, it’s like saying “daddy or papa or pop pop” or whatever you call that person, that father figure in your life; that we get to have that level of intimacy with God. And so, he’s saying, “Look at all of these Biblical theological truths that Jesus has accomplished for us at the cross of Calvary.”

So he’s saying, “Brothers and sisters, in view of the mercies of God,” notice that is plural, he says, “in response to the mercies of God, now respond to that by giving your life to God as a living sacrifice.” So, worship is not just our songs, but we see here that worship is our entire life. When he says “give your bodies”, he’s saying, “give your whole life to God in devotion as a living sacrifice,” meaning a life of constant submission and laying down your life. And he says, “This is the type of worship that God is pleased with.” He says, holy and pleasing, God is pleased with this type of worship. So be encouraged, all of your life is worship. Even the mundane things is your devotion to God. Thanks for joining us for Strengthen Your Walk™.

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