The Highest Form Of Worship Series

My goal for the message this morning is to see you worship God this day and place your future on the altar of sacrifice before God because, “Worship in it’s highest form is “giving your future to God in radical obedience”.

There are steps you take to get to the place where you offer your life in radical worship. To really….really…really….really worship you must take some steps. Let us take these steps together.

1. Worship is “Your expression of thanks to God for what He has done.

Do you remember the story about the 10 lepers? Leprosy was the absolute worst disease to have; it slowly destroys your sense of touch which disables your body’s natural reflexes to protect your self. A person with leprosy might have an open sore and never know about it unless they saw it with there eyes.

The disease was so severe that if you were a leper you had to ring a bell and shout “Unclean” whenever you were around people. In short, if you were a leper your life was stolen from you by disease and survival was your biggest challenge. The only way that you could be made clean was by presented yourself to the priest for inspection. He was the only one who could pronounce you as healed and you could then enter back into society.

One day as Jesus entered a village on the border of Galilee and Samaria a group of 10 lepers called out to him, “Jesus, Master, have mercy on us.”

Jesus called back to them, “Go show yourselves to the priest.”

And in the faith the men began their journey for inspection. As they were walking they began to realize that a miracle was taking place in their bodies. The power of God was working on them and each and every one of those 10 lepers were healed.

9 of them started running for the priest, 1 of them started running towards Jesus shouting, “PRAISE GOD.” He fell down at Jesus feet, thanking him for what he had done.

And what Jesus can’t figure out is where the other 9 are that were healed. Wasn’t it the same miracle, were not there lives restored, Jesus said WHERE ARE THE OTHER 9,

Jesus expected that when he did something great for someone that they would say “Thank you”

When you remember all the amazing things that God has done for you, YOU WORSHIP!

2. Worship is expressing your adoration for who God is.

Every time that you discover God, you adore Him.

Ill Peter met Jesus….He gave him an incredible fishing experience….the boats were filled….Peter fell down and worshipped and said, “I am a sinful man….Disciples….when He calmed the sea….”they worshipped”….He calmed the storm and walked into their boat…. He rescued them…….and showed them how powerful He really was. They said, “even the wind and waves are subject to Him”. Every time they discovered a “wow about Jesus” they worshipped.

Worship is saying, “God I adore you for who you are.”

2007 has been an amazing year for me because Ethan was born. Every time that he does something new, or smiles or laughs I just am in awe of how awesome God is. It’s a whole new side of God that I never knew before, and there isn’t really any other response than to worship God.

When you discover who God is, you worship. Until then your hands are in your pockets and you think too much about song order and musical phrasing. When you discover God, all that you can do is worship.

3. Worship is often times, “Your Posture Before God.”

I remember about a year and half when Debbie Cook was speaking at our Church and she told the story of how she was at a prayer meeting in Jamaica and she was just lying on the ground and God was speaking to her.

And so Debbie got us all to lie down on the ground in the middle of Church and try to hear from God. I’m not sure about the rest of you, but I wasn’t able to here from God that morning. It was pretty funny though.

Body language counts for a lot. A majority of the things that people think about you don’t come from the words you say, but from your body language.

For example, when you talk to someone and your arms are crossed that might think that you are bored, uninterested or defensive.

Your Posture before God says a lot to. He can see you, you know. He’s reading your body language and it means something to him.

But not only does your body language send messages to God, it also sends messages to you.

For example, prayer is very different when you are on your knees than when you are sitting down.