06 A Worshipful Response Series

A few weeks ago, our Montgomery County boys’ basketball team punched their ticket to the state tournament in dramatic fashion. With the game tied and only seconds remaining, MOCO launched a deep three—as the buzzer sounded, the ball banked through the rim. Game over. The crowd went crazy. The Arena erupted. And it should have! It was one of those moments that just demands a response. Here’s what it looked like: [Show Video]

That shot didn’t just win the game; it sent our team to Rupp Arena for the Sweet 16, where they made an incredible run all the way to the Final Four. The response was electrifying. Our community rallied around them, celebrating every victory along the way. And why? Because some things in life are so significant, so thrilling, that staying silent just isn’t an option.

Think about other moments in life that stir up an undeniable response. A couple finds out they’re expecting a baby after years of waiting—tears, hugs, pure joy. A college student walks across the stage on graduation day after years of hard work—applause erupts. Or think about a soldier on deployment returning home to their family—the moment they step through the door, no one just sits quietly.

Some realities are so significant that they demand a response. In the same way, when we truly begin to grasp the magnitude of who God is and what He has accomplished through Christ, the natural and necessary response is worship. You see, worship isn’t a ritual. It’s not just something we do because we’re supposed to. It’s a lifestyle we live. We give ourselves in worship of our holy God. Here’s the core truth I want us to take home today: Worship is our joyful response to Christ’s finished work.

To set the stage, let’s turn to God’s Word; to both the book of Leviticus and the book of Hebrews. First, we’ll look at a few verses from Leviticus 21, where God calls His people—specifically the priests—to honor and revere His holiness in their worship. Then, we’ll read from Hebrews 12, where we see the contrast between worship under the Old Covenant and the incredible privilege we now have through Christ in the New Covenant.

Follow along with me beginning at Leviticus 21:1 – “Then the Lord said to Moses, ‘Speak to the priests, the sons of Aaron, and say to them: “No one shall defile himself …”’” and verses 2-5, God then gives specific instructions about how they were to remain set apart—avoiding certain forms of defilement, particularly in relation to the dead.

And then, look with me at verse 6 – “They shall be holy to their God and not profane the name of their God, for they present the offerings by fire to the Lord, the food of their God; so they shall be holy …” And in verse 7, the priests were given regulations about marriage, ensuring that even their personal lives reflected the holiness required of those who serve before the Lord.

Verse 8 continues: You shall consecrate him, therefore, for he offers the food of your God; he shall be holy to you; for I the Lord, who sanctifies you, am holy.

Now, let’s turn to Hebrews 12, beginning in verse 18 where we’re given this comparison between Mt. Sinai, where the Law was given, and Mt. Zion, where the Love of God is displayed. Hebrews 12:18 – “For you have not come to a mountain that can be touched and to a blazing fire, and to darkness and gloom and whirlwind, and to the blast of a trumpet and the sound of words which sound was such that those who heard begged that no further word be spoken to them. For they could not bear the command, “If even a beast touches the mountain, it will be stoned.” And so terrible was the sight, that Moses said, “I am full of fear and trembling.” But you have come to Mount Zion and to the city of the living God, the heavenly Jerusalem, and to myriads of angels, to the general assembly and church of the firstborn who are enrolled in heaven, and to God, the Judge of all, and to the spirits of the righteous made perfect, and to Jesus, the mediator of a new covenant, and to the sprinkled blood, which speaks better than the blood of Abel.”

Now skip down to verse 28 – “Therefore, since we receive a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us show gratitude, by which we may offer to God an acceptable service with reverence and awe; for our God is a consuming fire.”

These passages show us that worship is not just something we do—it’s a response to the reality of who God is and what He has accomplished. From the holiness He required of Israel’s priests to the awe-inspiring invitation we now have to draw near to Him through Christ–worship is our joyful response to Christ’s finished work.