Podcast Summary: The Church of Eleven22

Episode: "How Great Thou Art - Worship is War: Wk 3"

Date: September 28, 2025

Host/Speaker: Pastor (name not specified, but not Pastor Joby Martin; he is referenced throughout)
Primary Scripture: Psalm 145

Episode Overview

This week’s message centers on the theme “Worship is War,” using the hymn “How Great Thou Art” and Psalm 145 as focal points. The sermon explores how worship, far beyond songs and singing, is an active, soul-level battle for attention, affection, and allegiance in a distracted and broken world. The speaker unpacks four ingredients of God-honoring, Christ-exalting, war-making worship:

• Worship that is personal
• Surrendered
• Generational
• Grateful

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Origin and Meaning of “How Great Thou Art”

(00:04–06:10)

• Story of Carl Boberg: The episode opens with the dramatic story of Carl Boberg, who penned the poem “O Stor Gud” after being caught in a thunderstorm and witnessing God’s majesty in creation.
  • “Perspective in this life is everything. Carl has a divine encounter through a storm.” (04:35)
• Impact of Worship: The point is made that Boberg’s church attendance and focus on God shaped how he interpreted the storm—not as a nuisance, but as an encounter with God.
• Modern Popularity: The hymn became widely known after being featured in Billy Graham crusades and later recorded by Elvis Presley.
  • Quote: “And then in 1967, no other than the King himself, Elvis Presley recorded How Great Thou Art, and that’s how it became world famous...” (06:05)

2. Worship as War: The Battle for Attention and Affection

(06:10–13:10)

• Daily Spiritual Conflict: Worship is described as spiritual warfare, a daily struggle for where we place our hearts, minds, and desires.
  • “Worship is soul warfare. It’s happening on a deeper level than our consciousness at all times.” (09:44)
• Exclusive Worthiness of God: Only God can bear the weight of true worship. Attaching this devotion to anything or anyone else leads to disappointment or destruction.

3. Four Ingredients of War-Making Worship

A. Worship is Personal
(13:10–22:45)

• Psalm 145: The text emphasizes David’s declaration, “I will extol you, my God and King...”
  • “He doesn’t say that you are a God. He says you are my God.” (14:05)
• Relational Depth: God wants us to recognize how deeply and personally He knows us (Luke 12:7).
• Illustration: The speaker compares God’s knowledge of us to a parent’s familiarity with their child’s hair—a deeply involved, intimate relationship.
  • Quote: “God wants you to know how well He knows you.” (16:30)
• Gospel Application: Drawing from Matthew 13:44, the parable is flipped to show not only that God is our treasure, but that we are valuable treasures to God, who gave everything to redeem us.
  • “Jesus Christ...gives up all of His blood. He gives up all of His breath. He gives up His very life, satisfying the demands of death. But He does not stay dead. Three days later, He resurrects from the grave...You are mine. I have purchased you. You have been bought with a price.” (19:20)

B. Worship is Surrendered
(22:45–36:50)

• David’s Example: Despite being king, David recognizes and surrenders to the greatness of God.
  • Quote: “I may be a king, but I am not THE King. There is someone who is greater than I am.” (24:17)
• Sanctification: True relationship with God is transformational, not just informational.
  • Puritans’ Phrase: “This person has now been seized by the power of a great affection.” (25:08)
• No Man’s Land Story: The preacher uses the metaphor of borderland/no man’s land in Africa to demonstrate how many Christians live in a spiritually stuck place, trusting neither God nor the world, rather than surrendering fully.
  • “They would rather be stuck than surrendered.” (29:40)
• God’s Majesty and Power: God is not distant, weak, or tame—we serve a warrior King (Isaiah 42:13, Amos 4:13, Jeremiah 20:11).
  • “The Lord is with me like a dread champion. Therefore my persecutors will stumble and not prevail.” (32:10)
• Devotional on Majesty: The preacher reads a powerful, poetic reflection on the majesty of God.
  • Memorable Moment (Poetic Reading): “He did not begin when the beginning began. He began the beginning...He will not be forgotten. He shall never be moved. His name is above every name on earth and in heaven...He is all-knowing, all-powerful, all-loving and good. He is tenacious in dispensing his grace. He is ferocious in battle. He is undefeated, irrevocable, supreme in all his ways. He is majesty.” (35:10–36:30)

C. Worship is Generational
(36:50–48:14)

• Passing Down Worship: Psalm 145: “One generation shall commend your works to another.”
  • “God is worthy of more praise than one generation can give Him.” (37:33)
• Revival Among Young People: The greatest revivals and awakenings are marked by transformation among 15–25 year olds. The speaker reflects on current spiritual renewal happening among youth and young adults.
  • Statistics at Eleven22: Massive growth in student ministry—1860 students surrendered to Christ and 2,669 baptisms in two years.
    • “What fills the altar are young adults...What a thing of grace God is doing.” (40:40)
• Encouragement to Younger Listeners: The world tries to define your worth by performance or others’ opinions, but your true value comes from God’s declaration over you.
  • Quote: “Every day you wake up and this world is lying to you...I want you to know that God Almighty has declared you with worth and value and significance. And you do not have to believe the lie.” (46:00)
  • “Jesus Christ is worth it. He is worth your surrender. He is worth your devotion. He is worth your affections. He is worth your time. He is worth it.” (47:35)

D. Worship is Grateful
(48:14–56:50)

• Gratitude List Practice: The community is invited to reflect by making a gratitude list—one item for each year of their lives.
  • Personal Examples: The speaker shares his own gratitude list, ranging from spiritual blessings (salvation, family) to the everyday (lasagna, peanut butter & chocolate).
  • “Pastor Joby says that gratitude is the enemy of entitlement. And so I want to be grateful...I’m trying to teach my brain how to think.” (51:10)
• Science of Gratitude: Practicing gratitude rewires our brains, focusing us on God’s goodness.
• Ultimate Gratitude—God Himself: The greatest gift is not what God gives, but God Himself. The speaker reads a “Grateful For” list, naming attributes of God (holiness, sovereignty, mercy, patience, victory, etc.).
  • Quote: “God, I am grateful to you for you...He opens His hand and He satisfies the desire of every living thing. I am grateful for the glorious splendor of His majesty. And I am grateful that He is the Alpha and the Omega, the beginning and the end, the one who was and is and is to come.” (55:10)

Memorable Quotes & Moments

• On God’s Personal Love:

  • “The wildest and the most beautiful part of the Gospel...is that he knows us. And he wants you. He doesn’t just know us, he wants us.” (18:10)

• On Surrender vs. Stuck:

  • “People would rather be stuck than surrendered because in the stuck place, they at least feel like they’re in control. But they’re totally alone.” (29:40)

• On the Reality of Spiritual Battle:

  • “Make no mistake about it. That lion is not in your world. You are in his. You want breakthrough in your life? Wake up every day and remind yourself that God is not a character in your story, that you play a part in His.” (33:05)

• On Gratitude and the Christian Life:

  • “Gratitude is the enemy of entitlement.” (51:10)
  • “The highest form of gratitude is to be grateful to God for God—He is the greatest gift.” (54:30)

Important Timestamps

• 00:04–06:10 — Story of Carl Boberg and the Hymn’s Origin
• 06:10–13:10 — Worship as Soul Warfare; Worthiness of God
• 13:10–22:45 — Ingredient 1: Personal Worship (God Knows You)
• 22:45–36:50 — Ingredient 2: Surrendered Worship (Transformation & True Surrender)
• 36:50–48:14 — Ingredient 3: Generational Worship (Passing Down Faith; Revival)
• 48:14–56:50 — Ingredient 4: Grateful Worship (Gratitude List; Ultimate Gift Is God)

Summary Table: Four Ingredients of War-Making Worship

| Ingredient | Description & Key Scripture | Example/Illustration | |----------------|------------------------------------|------------------------------------------------------------------| | Personal | “I will extol you, MY God and King” (Ps. 145:1)| God knows you intimately; you are His treasure (Luke 12:7, Matt. 13:44) | | Surrendered | “King David surrenders to THE King” | No man’s land in Africa / Borderland metaphor; true freedom is surrender| | Generational | “One generation shall commend your works to another” (Ps. 145:4) | Spiritual revival among youth; passing down worship & legacy | | Grateful | “Great is the Lord and greatly to be praised” (Ps. 145:3) | Gratitude list exercise; ultimate gratitude for God Himself |

Final Challenge & Reflection (56:30–End)

• Congregation is invited to spend several minutes in stillness, writing their own gratitude lists and meditating on what it means to be grateful for God Himself.
• Prayer:
  • “God, we are grateful to you. For you. We are grateful for you...You have our highest allegiance and so we want you to fill us with the peace of the kingdom of God...” (56:50)

In Essence:
True worship is a spiritual battleground, fought personally and communally, with God as both our treasure and our champion. Worship shapes generations, demands our surrender, and overflows with gratitude—not just for God’s gifts, but for God Himself.

“He is worth it. He is worth your surrender. He is worth your devotion. He is worth your affections. He is worth your time. He is worth it.” (47:35)