SUMMARY: Meaningless offerings
OVERVIEW: God identifies the numerous ways Judah has broken its covenant with him. God does not want their meaningless offerings or worthless assemblies
BIG IDEA: Worship is a heartfelt expression of love for God; it is not a game or a To-Do list.
KEY VERSE: Isaiah 1:18 (God to Sodom and Gomorrah)
“Come now, let’s settle this,” says the Lord. “Though your sins are like scarlet, I will make them as white as snow. Though they are red like crimson, I will make them as white as wool.”
IF GOD WROTE YOU A LETTER
Don’t go through the motions in your faith. Don’t play the church game, smiling and serving with a happy attitude, offering timely cliches and nodding on cue so that everyone praises you and assumes we have a healthy relationship when we have none at all. You are smart enough to know you are not fooling me, yet not wise enough to recognize you can’t win this game. So stop playing church and be honest with me and those around you.
I love you today, right where you are. Stop thinking you have to earn my love. I have already given it to you, and I want to make you into the person you long to be. But part of your journey includes being honest with me and others. Confess your sin to me—all of it—and open up to trustworthy friends at church. Let us come alongside you to encourage you and help you when you are down. You will find freedom in being authentic, and we will enjoy walking with you as you learn more and more about what it means to know me and follow me.
NEXT STEP
Take time today to be still before God. Ask God to search your heart. Ask God to reveal any ways in which you are living a lukewarm life as a follower of Jesus. Then, surrender those areas to God and focus on one of those areas today and the rest of the week.
LYRIC VIDEO