It All Hinges On This - Humble Worship Before Jesus

Worship is supposed to be expensive. Not expensive like a ticket price—expensive like it costs your pride. When we bring Jesus “something that costs us nothing,” we stay in control. When we pour ourselves out, the consuming fire of God refines what He touches.

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ozp0dxuMTas

At some point during our time of worship, somebody—usually Aaron—comes and breaks the bread. We call it what it is: the body of Christ. It’s a privilege to behold His body in humility, and to see it broken. The bread is unleavened. There’s a lot in that. Scripture talks about the leaven of the Pharisees—the leaven of religion that says it has to be a certain way. So when we come up, we gratefully take a piece of the bread. If you want to take a bigger chunk to serve your family, do it. If you’re the head of a household, go serve your family, pray together, and partake together. We do this on our own, and we do it together, because communion isn’t a performance. It’s communion.

And while we’re here, I want you to hear this clearly. Anything you can find in the Bible as an expression of worship—you’re free to do here. Jumping, clapping, dancing, singing, shouting, laying on your face. All of it. We’re not playing for you. We’re playing for Him. Don’t sing for me. Don’t sing for the person next to you. Respond to Jesus as if nobody else is in the room. That’s when the worship environment becomes beautiful, It's Humble Worship Before Jesus.

Here’s what’s been on my heart. Worship is supposed to be expensive. Cheap worship produces a cheap response. It won’t last. David teaches us this at the end of his life in 2 Samuel 24. He goes to buy the threshing floor so he can worship the Lord, and the owner basically says, “Take it. I’ll give it to you.” David was a king. If anybody could have taken the gift, it was David. But David says this in 2 Samuel 24:24: “No, I insist on paying you for it. I will not sacrifice to the LORD my God burnt offerings that cost me nothing.” That’s not poetry. That’s the standard.

If your worship costs you nothing but your attendance, then you still missed what worship is. For some people, using your voice is expensive. For some people, standing up is expensive. For some people, laying on your face before God is expensive because it comes at the expense of your pride. It comes at the expense of being seen. It comes at the expense of your dignity. And I’m telling you—if you walk in your own dignity your whole life, you’ll never access the poverty of spirit that Jesus calls blessed.

Scripture says God is a consuming fire. Hebrews 12:28–29 says, “Let us offer to God acceptable worship, with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.” That means when He consumes something, He refines it. So when we say “consuming fire,” we’re not just singing a line. We’re describing who He is, and what He does.

So I want to challenge you. Don’t act like a fool to impress anybody. If you’re doing it for me, you’re doing it wrong. This isn’t about creating a culture. This is about understanding something simple: when worship is expensive, there isn’t enough “me” left to hold onto. And when I’m spent, I find myself holding onto Him. That’s where breakthrough lives.

Sometimes the discomfort you hate is the doorway to the wholeness you’ve been praying for. Sometimes what’s between you and freedom is your need to stay composed. Sometimes what’s between you and healing is your insistence on being in control. Worship can be the moment you finally stop protecting your pride and start pouring your life out.

And I want to say something else. Nothing is impossible for God. He can overcome anything from the highest heavens to the deepest places of your heart. But there’s one place He won’t bulldoze. He’s not going to force His way through your will. He’s a gentleman. He invites. He calls. He speaks. And then He waits for you to yield.

So let’s do it. Let’s say no to our flesh and yes to the Spirit. Romans 12:1 calls this worship: “present your bodies as a living sacrifice… which is your spiritual worship.” A sacrifice costs something. That’s why it matters. That’s why it lasts.

And if God sets you on fire, something is going to burn. The things that burn are the dead things you’ve rejected. They become fuel for the fire. The question isn’t whether God wants to move. He does. The question is whether you’re willing to be spent.

Because it all hinges on this: will you bring Him what costs you nothing, or will you bring Him your life?

Serving Davenport, Bettendorf, Rock Island, Moline, and the greater Quad Cities area, Riverside Church is a spiritual family pursuing Jesus together.

Browse our full teaching library at onechurchqc.org/teachings, learn about our heart at onechurchqc.org/vision, or visit onechurchqc.org for service times and directions.

If you’re looking for a local church where you can grow, belong, and serve, we would love to welcome you this weekend.