Sunday, 8th June 2014
Rev Daniel Poon
Today Rev Daniel shared with us in the Book of Romans about what is true worship.
“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. Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind. Then you will be able to test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Romans 12:1-2)
1. True Worship is to offer our bodies as living sacrifices – God wants us to offer ourselves wholeheartedly, just like it says in Psalm 147:10-11, “His pleasure is not in the strength of the horse, nor his delight in the legs of the warrior; the Lord delights in those who fear him, who put their hope in his unfailing love”. When we give our heart to Christ, we are no longer in charge of our own body, mind, and spirit, instead God will show us the way of living. “I have been crucified with Christ and I no longer live, but Christ lives in me. The life I now live in the body, I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me.” (Galatians 2:20)
2. True Worship is to worship by the renewing of our minds – We need to know that the world is our enemy and we are facing spiritual warfare all the time, therefore it’s important to always renew our minds and let God comes to our first priority. “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, love for the Father is not in them. For everything in the world—the lust of the flesh, the lust of the eyes, and the pride of life—comes not from the Father but from the world.” (1 John 2:15-16)
3. True Worship should be done according to God’s Will – God wants us to offer according to His way, not ours; too often we want to do this and do that for God, but we should always come back to seek God and know what is His Will. “The multitude of your sacrifices — what are they to me?” says the Lord. “I have more than enough of burnt offerings, of rams and the fat of fattened animals; I have no pleasure in the blood of bulls and lambs and goats. When you come to appear before me, who has asked this of you, this trampling of my courts? (Isaiah 1:11-12)
Rev Daniel reminded us that we should always offer our true worship from deep inside our hearts. “God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” (John 4:24)