We are back in Romans after a 3-month break. In chapter 10, Paul reiterates that faith in Jesus

Christ is the only requisite for salvation. What the Israelites had fought so hard for and for so

long, Christ alone can fulfill it. If you can confess Jesus as Lord and believe in your heart the

resurrection of Christ, then you can be saved. How do we rest in that? How does placing our

faith in Jesus Christ lead us to live?

Today we come to a close to our Worship Series. And I have the honor or pressure, to

give the last sermon on this series. I pray that this series was helpful and that we’ve all

come to learn more about worship these past two months; and that we will apply what

we have learned about worship.

Worship begins with an understanding that it is about God and it is to be on His terms. Unrestrained reverence and enthusiasm are both needed in worshiping God. King David danced and worshiped in the streets celebrating the return of the Ark which represented God’s living presence. In essence, God’s presence will be restored in our lives through worship. King David did not restrain himself in his worship as he was able to focus all of himself onto God, the lover of His soul. I pray for us to experience the same through our worship.

Are you taking owernship of the Church or are you a consumer? What does God call us to be?

There is tremendous power in worship. Worship has the power to heal, deliver, and comfort. In this sermon, we will see the impact of when one worships. Worship, here used synonymously with singing, has three important impact in our lives: praise gives us access to God; praise focuses our attention on God; praise makes the enemy flee. In response to today’s sermon, we seek to make worship (singing praise) a necessary component of our lives.

Worship has to do with giving God our best. Not only is Jesus our #1 priority, He is also deserving of our excellence. If Jesus really is the most precious thing to us (as we learned last week, “One Thing”), then we must learn to give our absolute best to Him. To worship God is to fight the tendency for self-preservation, but we must move toward giving our all. Much like Mary breaking the jar of precious perfume, we pray to release the fragrant worship unto God.

Worship is simple, focused devotion to Jesus. Making Jesus our One King means to choose Him above all else. As many of us are busy (preoccupied) with life, the necessity of pulling away from our duties and be in the presence of Jesus is so needed. I pray for us to strive to make Jesus that “One Thing”. In response to the message, we pledge to set aside some time daily to commune with Him.

Worship simply means “deeming the worth [of something]”. We do not properly worship God because we fail to seat Him in His rightful place in our lives. We have allowed other things in life to take His place as most important. To worship God, to see God, all the “other kings” must die. Without fully surrendering and yielding to Him, we cannot properly worship Him. What are the kings in your life? What brings you joy? What brings you comfort and peace? Is it health? Is it a healthy bank account? Is it job security? Today, we enthrone Him as THE King in our lives.

On the last day of the Advent, we explore the account of the magistrates in Matthew 2. The wise men completed their long journey of following the great star they saw in hopes to finding the person whom the great star referred to. Upon finding the Child, they worshipped Him and adorned him with the gifts they had brought. We want to glean from the magi’s response to the birth of our Savior—to come to Him, honor Him, and worship Him. May we worship Jesus during this Christmas season.

I will be speaking about the object of our hope who is Jesus Christ. Our culture tries to find hope in the things of this world but any attempt at lasting hope can only be found in the person of Christ. And anyone is able to experience this hope because of God’s grace and mercy. For this reason, we shall give glory to God.