Sermon: What God Truly Wants From Us
A Sermon on a Surrendered, Obedient and Transformed Life
Main Text: Micah 6:8; Matthew
22:37–39; John 14:15; Romans 12:1–2
Supporting Scriptures: 1 Samuel 15:22; Psalm 51:16–17; Isaiah 1:16–19;
Matthew 5:23–24, 43–44; Colossians 3:12–14; Romans 12:17–21; Hebrews 12:1–2;
Matthew 6:33
Introduction
— What Does God Really Want From Me?
Beloved, there is a question that
every Christian should ask—not only when we first come to Christ, but
throughout our walk with Him:
“What does God truly want from
me?”
We live in a generation where it is
possible to be very busy with religion and yet very far from God in the heart.
We can attend church every week. We
can pray. We can fast. We can give offerings. We can sing loudly. We can serve
in ministry. We can attend conferences, prayer meetings and overnight services.
We can even be known by other people as spiritual.
But the question remains:
Has our heart truly been
surrendered to God?
God is not merely looking for
religious activity. He is looking for a transformed life.
The message of Scripture is
remarkably consistent: God wants our hearts, our obedience, our love, our
holiness and our relationship with Him.
Micah 6:8 asks:
“What does the LORD require of you
but to do justly, to love mercy, and to walk humbly with your God?”
Jesus summarized God’s commandments
in Matthew 22:37–39: love God with all your heart, soul and mind, and love your
neighbour as yourself.
And Jesus said in John 14:15:
“If you love Me, keep My
commandments.”
So today, let us move beyond the
question, “What can I do for God?” and ask the deeper question:
“What kind of person is God
calling me to become?”
1. God Wants Our Hearts, Not Just
Our Religious Activity.
One of the
greatest dangers in Christianity is learning how to perform religion without
allowing God to transform the heart.
Religion can be
learned. Religious routines can be repeated. Christian language can be
mastered. But genuine repentance and transformation cannot be reduced to
performance.
The prophet
Samuel told Saul:
“To obey is
better than sacrifice.” — 1 Samuel 15:22
This is powerful
because Saul had something to offer God. The problem was not that he had
nothing religious to present. The problem was that he had disobeyed God.
This teaches us
something important:
God is more
concerned with the condition of the heart than the appearance of religious
activity.
We must ask
ourselves:
·
Am I obeying God, or merely appearing spiritual?
·
Am I surrendering my life, or simply increasing
my religious activities?
·
Am I allowing God’s Word to correct me?
·
Is there something in my life that I know God
wants me to surrender?
Psalm 51:16–17
says that God does not ultimately delight in sacrifice as a substitute for a
broken and contrite heart.
David understood
that God does not want gifts that are used to hide rebellion.
The danger of outward religion
We can become more
concerned about how people see us than how God sees us.
We may ask:
“Did people see me
praying?”
But God asks:
“What happened in your
heart when nobody was watching?”
We may ask:
“Did I attend church?”
But God asks:
“Did you obey My Word?”
We may ask:
“How much did I give?”
But God asks:
“Was your giving an
expression of love and worship?”
The issue is not that
prayer, fasting, giving or church attendance are wrong. These can be beautiful
expressions of faith. The issue is when religious practices become substitutes
for obedience.
God does not want us
merely to look transformed. He wants to transform us.
2. God Wants Obedience That Flows
From Love
Jesus did not
separate love from obedience.
John 14:15 says:
“If you love Me,
keep My commandments.”
Biblical
obedience is not simply fear-driven rule keeping. It is the response of a heart
that loves God.
If I truly love
God, His Word matters to me.
If I truly love
God, I want my decisions to honour Him.
If I truly love
God, I cannot deliberately hold onto what He is calling me to release.
Love for God
Jesus says in Matthew 22:37:
“You shall love the Lord your God with all
your heart, with all your soul, and with all your mind.”
Notice the word all.
God does not ask for one compartment of our
lives while we keep the rest for ourselves.
He wants our:
·
thoughts,
·
relationships,
·
finances,
·
ambitions,
·
words,
·
sexuality,
·
work,
·
private life,
·
public life,
·
time,
·
future.
The question is not merely, “Do I believe in
God?”
The deeper question is:
“Does God have authority over my life?”
Love for
people
Jesus immediately connects loving God with
loving our neighbour.
Matthew 22:39 says:
“You shall love your neighbor as
yourself.”
Therefore, our relationship with God must
become visible in how we treat people.
We cannot say, “I love God,” while
deliberately nurturing hatred, bitterness and unforgiveness toward others.
1 John 4:20 gives a very serious warning
about claiming to love God while hating a brother or sister.
Our faith becomes visible through our
relationships.
3. God Wants Us to Forgive and
Overcome Evil With Good
This is one of
the hardest parts of Christian obedience.
Jesus says in
Matthew 5:44:
“Love your
enemies… pray for those who persecute you.”
Romans 12:17–21
teaches us not to repay evil for evil and concludes with the powerful command:
“Do not be
overcome by evil, but overcome evil with good.”
This does not
mean that wrongdoing is acceptable.
It does not mean
that we should ignore injustice or refuse appropriate boundaries.
It means that we
refuse to allow someone else’s wrongdoing to determine the character of our own
hearts.
Someone may hurt
you, but you do not have to become bitter.
Someone may lie
about you, but you do not have to become a liar.
Someone may
mistreat you, but you do not have to abandon Christ’s character.
Someone may
offend you, but you can choose forgiveness.
Forgiveness
is not weakness
Forgiveness does not mean
saying that what happened was right.
Forgiveness means releasing
personal vengeance to God and refusing to allow resentment to control your
heart.
Colossians 3:12–14 calls
believers to put on compassion, kindness, humility, gentleness, patience and
forgiveness—and above all, love.
Ask yourself today:
Is there someone I have
refused to forgive?
Is there someone whose
failure I repeatedly rehearse in my mind?
Is bitterness becoming part
of my identity?
Sometimes we are asking God
for a breakthrough while holding tightly to an offence that He has asked us to
release.
God wants to heal the heart,
not merely change the circumstances around it.
4. God Wants Repentance and
Sanctification, Not Repeated Performance
Repentance is
more than saying, “I am sorry.”
Biblical
repentance involves a change of direction.
It means
acknowledging sin, turning away from it, and choosing God’s way.
1 John 1:9
reminds us that when we confess our sins, God is faithful and just to forgive
and cleanse us.
But forgiveness
is not an invitation to deliberately remain in the same pattern forever.
Romans 6 teaches
that grace is not a licence to continue in sin.
Titus 2:11–12
teaches that God’s grace trains us to deny ungodliness and live godly lives.
What
is sanctification?
Sanctification is the ongoing
process by which God makes us increasingly like Christ.
It affects our:
·
thoughts,
·
attitudes,
·
speech,
·
relationships,
·
desires,
·
habits,
·
priorities,
·
character.
Christianity is not simply
receiving forgiveness and then remaining unchanged.
It is a journey of becoming more
like Christ.
Galatians 2:20 captures this
beautifully:
“It is no longer I who live, but
Christ lives in me.”
The question is therefore not only:
“Have I received Christ?”
It is also:
“Is Christ being formed in me?”
Are we becoming more patient?
More truthful?
More humble?
More forgiving?
More self-controlled?
More loving?
More obedient?
That is evidence of transformation.
5. God Wants Us to Seek Christ,
Not Merely What Christ Can Give Us
Another danger is
becoming more interested in God’s gifts than in God Himself.
Some people seek
God primarily for:
·
healing,
·
financial breakthrough,
·
promotion,
·
marriage,
·
deliverance,
·
success,
·
miracles,
·
protection,
·
solutions to problems.
There is nothing
wrong with bringing our needs to God. Scripture encourages us to pray.
But there is a
danger when the blessing becomes more important than the Blesser.
When we only seek
God because of what He can give us, our relationship becomes transactional.
We begin asking:
“What can God
do for me?”
instead of:
“What does God
want to do in me?”
Jesus warned
against a heart that seeks signs while missing the One to whom the signs point.
Hebrews 12:1–2
calls us to run the race while looking unto Jesus.
Chase
Christ, not experiences
Our faith should not depend
entirely on whether we saw a miracle this week.
Our faith should be rooted in
Christ.
If God answers the prayer exactly
as we wanted, we follow Him.
If the answer takes longer,
we follow Him.
If the season is painful, we
follow Him.
If nobody applauds us, we
follow Him.
If the miracle has not yet
happened, we still follow Him.
Because Jesus is not
merely the One who gives us blessings. He is Lord.
Matthew 6:33 gives us the
correct priority:
“Seek first the kingdom of
God and His righteousness.”
The first pursuit is not the
miracle.
The first pursuit is God’s
kingdom and His righteousness.
6. God Wants a Relationship With
Us
At the centre of
everything is relationship.
God is not
looking for people who merely know religious information about Him.
He wants people
who walk with Him.
Think about
friendship.
A genuine
relationship involves communication, trust, time, openness and love.
Our relationship
with God also involves:
·
prayer,
·
His Word,
·
obedience,
·
repentance,
·
worship,
·
trust,
·
surrender,
·
fellowship with His people.
The goal is not
simply to know about God.
The goal is to
know Him and to be known by Him.
This changes how
we pray.
We stop treating
prayer merely as a list of demands and begin treating it as communion with our
Father.
It changes how we
read Scripture.
We stop asking
only, “What promise can I claim?” and begin asking, “What is God
teaching me, correcting in me and calling me to obey?”
It changes
worship.
Worship becomes
more than singing. It becomes a life surrendered to God.
Romans 12:1 calls
us to present our bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God.
7. A Personal Examination: What
Is God Asking Me to Surrender?
Before we close,
I want us to become quiet before God.
Do not think
about your neighbour.
Do not think
about another church member.
Do not think
about another believer who needs to hear this message.
Think about
yourself.
Ask:
1. Is there hidden sin in my life?
Is there something I
deliberately hide from people but cannot hide from God?
2. Is there unforgiveness in my heart?
Is there someone I need
to forgive?
3. Am I using religious activity
to avoid obedience?
Am I praying more
but obeying less?
Am I giving more
but refusing to change?
Am I serving more
while becoming increasingly bitter?
4. Have I made blessings more
important than God?
Do I seek God
because I love Him—or mainly because I need something from Him?
5. What area of my life has not
been surrendered?
Perhaps it is
your relationship.
Perhaps your
finances.
Perhaps your
temper.
Perhaps your
private thoughts.
Perhaps pride.
Perhaps sexual
purity.
Perhaps
unforgiveness.
Perhaps ambition.
Perhaps the
desire to control everything.
Whatever it is,
God is not exposing it to destroy you.
He exposes
what He wants to heal.
Repentance is not
God’s way of humiliating us.
It is His way of
bringing us home.
Conclusion — God Is Asking for
Your Heart
Let us return to
the question we began with:
What does God
truly want from us?
He wants more
than our religious activity.
He wants our
hearts.
He wants:
·
surrender instead of self-rule,
·
obedience instead of empty performance,
·
repentance instead of hidden sin,
·
holiness instead of compromise,
·
love instead of hatred,
·
forgiveness instead of bitterness,
·
relationship instead of mere religion,
·
Christ instead of the pursuit of signs,
·
transformation instead of appearance.
Micah 6:8 gives
us a simple picture:
Do justly.
Love mercy.
Walk humbly with
your God.
And Jesus gives
us the heart of obedience:
Love God with all
your heart, soul and mind, and love your neighbour as yourself.
The Christian life
is not about becoming impressive before people.
It is about
becoming faithful before God.
So do not merely
ask:
“Lord, what
can You give me?”
Ask:
“Lord, what do
You want to change in me?”
Do not merely
ask:
“Lord, bless
my plans.”
Ask:
“Lord, make my
plans submit to Your will.”
Do not merely
ask:
“Lord, remove
my problems.”
Ask:
“Lord,
transform me through this season.”
And above all:
Chase Christ.
Seek His kingdom. Walk in obedience. Love people. Pursue holiness. Remain
humble.
When Christ
becomes the centre, everything else finds its proper place.
Closing Prayer
Father, in the name of Jesus,
We come before You today with
humble hearts.
Forgive us for the times we have
substituted religious activity for genuine obedience.
Forgive us for praying while
refusing to change.
Forgive us for giving while
holding bitterness in our hearts.
Forgive us for seeking Your
blessings more than we have sought You.
Forgive us for the hidden things
we have protected instead of surrendering to You.
Lord, search our hearts.
Reveal anything in us that is not
pleasing to You.
Give us the courage to repent.
Give us grace to forgive.
Give us strength to overcome evil
with good.
Teach us to love You with all our
heart, soul and mind.
Teach us to love our neighbours,
even when it is difficult.
Make us holy.
Make us humble.
Make us obedient.
Make us more like Jesus.
Lord, do not allow us to become
satisfied with outward religion while our hearts remain unchanged.
Take away pride, bitterness, hypocrisy,
unforgiveness and secret compromise.
Give us a clean heart and renew a
right spirit within us.
Help us to seek first Your
kingdom and Your righteousness.
May our prayers come from
surrendered hearts.
May our worship come from
obedient lives.
May our giving come from love.
May our service come from
humility.
And may our lives become a
testimony of the transforming power of Jesus Christ.
We do not want merely to look
like Christians.
We want to belong completely to
Christ.
We surrender our hearts, our
homes, our relationships, our work, our future and our desires to You.
Have Your way in us.
In Jesus’ mighty name, Amen.
Final Take-Home
Statement
God
is not asking us to become busier in religion; He is calling us to become
deeper in relationship, stronger in obedience, sincere in repentance, faithful
in love, and increasingly like Christ.
One Question to Leave With the
Congregation
“If God looked
beyond everything I do publicly and examined my heart privately, what would He
be asking me to surrender today?”
Source
This sermon is adapted from the Path of Divine
Truth article “Understanding What God Truly Wants From His People”
(January 18, 2026), with the material reorganized into a 30-minute sermon
structure and expanded with transitions, reflection questions and a closing
prayer.
Original article: https://pathofdivinetruth.blogspot.com/2026/01/understanding-what-god-truly-wants-from.html
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