The Way of Worship | Kevin Whitacre

Summary: The true Biblical worship of Jesus Christ will rock your world!

-- Message Notes --

A Threefold Vision.

A New Facility.

A place to exalt Jesus.
A place to gather as family.
A place to make disciples.
A place to build bridges with the community.

A Place of Good News.

A New Network.

Planting churches.
Revitalizing stuck churches.
Sharing resources.
Equipping Christians.
Reaching the Valley together.

A New Name.

Identifying with our community.
Emphasizing our mission.
Inspiring us to make a difference.

The Church of the Valley

Romans 11:36–12:1 (ESV) For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen.1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

Biblical Worship Will Disrupt Everything in Your life.

1 - It is consistently disrupting.

Romans 12:1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship.

-Your comfort.
-Your limitations.
-Your sense of human reason.
-Your calendar & time.
-Your desires & values.
-Your resources.
-Your religion & tradition.
-Your good reasons.

2 - It is eternally compelling.

Matthew 13:44–46 (NLT) “The Kingdom of Heaven is like a treasure that a man discovered hidden in a field. In his excitement, he hid it again a sold everything he owned to get enough money to buy the field.45“Again, the Kingdom of Heaven is like a merchant on the lookout for choice pearls.46When he discovered a pearl of great value, he sold everything he owned and bought it!

3 - It is God defined.

John 4:23 (NIV) Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks.

Exodus 20:3 You shall have no other gods beside me.

Matthew 22:37–38 (ESV) 37 And he said to him, “You shall love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind. 38This is the great and first commandment.

** taken from Deuteronomy 6 – shema. LISTEN!!!

My commitment to Worshipping Jesus Christ is always going to answer the Question – Who do I love the Most?

4 - It is Christ exalting.

Philippians 2:9–11 (ESV) Therefore God has highly exalted him and bestowed on him the name that is above every name, 10 so that at the name of Jesus every knee should bow, in heaven and on earth and under the earth, 11and every tongue confess that Jesus Christ is Lord, to the glory of God the Father.

Colossians 1:15–18 (ESV) He is the image of the invisible God, the firstborn of all creation.16For by him all things were created, in heaven and on earth, visible and invisible, whether thrones or dominions or rulers or authorities—all things were created through him and for him.17And he is before all things, and in him all things hold together.18And he is the head of the body, the church. He is the beginning, the firstborn from the dead, that in everything he might be preeminent.

John 16:13–14 (ESV) When the Spirit of truth comes, he will guide you into all the truth, for he will not speak on his own authority, but whatever he hears he will speak, and he will declare to you the things that are to come. 14 He will glorify me, for he will take what is mine and declare it to you.

5 - It is life changing.

Isaiah 6:5–8 (ESV) And I said: “Woe is me! For I am lost; for I am a man of unclean lips, and I dwell in the midst of a people of unclean lips; for my eyes have seen the King, the Lord of hosts!” 6Then one of the seraphim flew to me, having in his hand a burning coal that he had taken with tongs from the altar.7And he touched my mouth and said: “Behold, this has touched your lips; your guilt is taken away, and your sin atoned for.” 8And I heard the voice of the Lord saying, “Whom shall I send, and who will go for us?” Then I said, “Here I am! Send me.”

Romans 12:2 (ESV) Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect.