The Heart of Worship Graeme Sterne 2005

I’m coming back to the heart of worship And it’s all about You I’m coming back to the heart of worship And it’s all about You. It’s all about you Jesus. I’m sorry Lord for the thing I’ve made it, ‘Cos it’s all about you. It’s all about You Jesus

Worship is not… Singing Bowing down to the ground Praying for long hours Going without food Meeting in a church Meditating Giving money

These are outward actions that come from something much deeper The heart of worship is surrender Romans 12:1,2 Hosea 6:6

True worship happens when you give yourself completely to God Yielding to the Spirit Following Christ Being a disciple Going all out for God Sanctification Islam???

When God gets a hold of your life he does not want to trim a branch here and there. He wants the whole tree – all of it! C.S. Lewis

Barriers that block total surrender Fear – of letting go Pride – don’t want to admit I need help Ignorance – don’t know what it involves

Barrier 1: Fear of letting go We want to keep control We are scared of what surrender might mean We know in our heads that we should trust God but our feelings pull in another direction

Perfect love casts out fear The languages of love: * Touch * Gifts * Saying it * Doing things together * Serving

God proves His love for us … Never lets us out of His sight Cares about every detail of our lives Gives us capacity to enjoy things Turns all things for good Has gone to prepare a place for us Is patient with us Helps us with our burdens

Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest Come to me all you who are weary and burdened and I will give you rest. Take My yoke upon you and learn from Me for I am gentle and humble in heart and you will find rest for your souls. For My yoke is easy and My burden is light. Matt 11:28,29

Paradoxes in Christianity Slaves are free people If you lose your life you gain it If you try to hold onto your life you lose it If you give you will receive Surrender is a noble thing to do

Barrier 2: Pride Rich young ruler Isaiah 30:15 (and back to v. 1 ff) “What friend we have in Jesus” We have a strong internal drive to stay in control

We have a strong internal drive to stay in control We accept our humanity intellectually but emotionally we clutch onto control When faced with our limitations we react with - irritation - anger - resentment - impatience - envy - self-pity

Barrier 3: Ignorance Surrender is not: Passive resignation Giving up rational thinking Repressing our personality Entering a spiritual existence and leaving this life behind

Surrender is: Best demonstrated in obedience e.g. Peter in the fishing boat Reacting to a challenge with prayer e.g. David & Goliath, Daniel, Mary Letting God do His work e.g. Abraham, Rebecca, Saul Reflected in relationships e.g. Jesus in the garden

Surrender is: A deliberate choice to listen to God instead of our own feelings A deliberate choice to put God’s interests first A deliberate decision to obey not matter what the history, circumstances or consequences

The blessings of surrender Peace Isaiah 30:15 Freedom John 8:32 Power Romans 8:5-11 “The greatness of a man’s power is in the measure of his surrender” William Booth (Founder of the Salvation Army)

We were designed to serve – who will it be? You cannot fulfill God’s purposes for your life while focusing on your own plans