True Christian Worship

True Christian Worship True Christian Worship Ron Bresett / General Worship / Romans 12:1–2   Introduction If we were to ask church goers from any evangelical congregation ‘What is Christian worship?’ I’m sure we would get several different responses among which two would be most prevalent. Some might say that worship is what we do on Sunday mornings at church. The activities that we participate in on a Sunday morning. Others would say that worship is music or would equate worship with music or singing. While Christian worship includes both of these responses as outward expressions of worship, they fall short of what the Bible reveals about true Christian worship. And we will look at several passages today that will help us understand what Christian worship is...worship that is acceptable to God. My main text today is Romans, chapter 12, verses 1-2. Please turn to that passage in your Bibles. As you do so, please stand out of reverence for God’s Word as we read this passage together. Romans 12:1–2 ESV 1 I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. 2 Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. And now a short prayer to ask God’s blessing. › Father, your people have gathered here today around your Word to hear from You and not the ramblings of the man. So, Lord Jesus, may your Spirit come and speak now to the hearts of those who hear your Word explained. Help me to faithfully proclaim your truth as it is revealed in your Word. Accomplish your purposes in our lives as a result. In Christ’s name we pray, Amen. From time to time, I find Phillips Paraphrase of the New Testament to be a helpful resource when studying a NT passage, particularly with the sense and meaning of the Greek construction and today’s passage is no exception. So, if you will allow me, I’d like to read JB Phillip’s wording of Romans 12:1-2 in case you find it helpful too. 12:1-2 - With eyes wide open to the mercies of God, I beg you, my brothers, as an act of intelligent worship, to give him your bodies, as a living sacrifice, consecrated to him and acceptable by him. Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould, but let God re-mould your minds from within, so that you may prove in practice that the plan of God for you is good, meets all his demands and moves towards the goal of true maturity. - JB Phillips Paraphrase As we move toward discovering what acceptable Christian worship is in the eyes of God, I have 4 main headings from this text that we need to walk through together. The first two are from verse 1 and the remaining two are from verse 2. 1. Paul’s Appeal (v. 1) 2. The Fitting Response to God’s Mercy (v. 1) 3. The Activities of Spiritual Worship (v. 2) 4. The Result of Spiritual Worship (v. 2) Paul’s Appeal English Standard Version Chapter 12 I appeal to you therefore, brothers › Give short background on Book of Romans We have to remember who Paul was addressing. He was writing to the believers in Rome. The MacArthur Bible Handbook Background and Setting Paul’s primary purpose in writing Romans was to teach the great truths of the gospel of grace to believers who had never received apostolic instruction. The MacArthur Bible Handbook Background and Setting Unlike some of Paul’s other epistles (e.g., 1, 2 Cor., Gal.), his purpose for writing was not to correct incorrect theology or rebuke ungodly living. The Roman church was doctrinally sound, but, like all churches, it was in need of rich theological teaching and practical instruction Paul begins verse 1 with a strong urging or pleading to his readers and says “therefore”. Therefore refers immediately back to the last phrase of the doxology of praise he just made prior to this verse, where Paul states: Romans 11:36 ESV 36 For from him and through him and to him are all things. To him be glory forever. Amen. Since all things are for God’s glory, we must respond by offering ourselves for that purpose…right? I also think that Paul’s urging here finds its motivation more broadly from the entire argument of the preceding 11 chapters of Romans which reveal the magnitude of God’s grace toward sinful mankind. It’s essential to the understanding our text to refresh ourselves on the highlights of those key doctrines addressed in the first 11 chapters because they are the underpinning or foundation for what Paul says in Chapters 12-16. First, we see, • Mankind’s sinfulness declared - Sin separates every human from God Romans 3:9–12 ESV 9 What then? Are we Jews any better off? No, not at all. For we have already charged that all, both Jews and Greeks, are under sin, 10 as it is written: “None is righteous, no, not one; 11 no one understands; no one seeks for God. 12 All have turned aside; together they have become worthless; no one does good, not even one.” Romans 3:23 ESV 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, That’s devastating news! But wait…Next we see, • Justification by faith revealed - Complete freedom from judgment and the bondage of sin comes by faith alone in Jesus Christ Romans 1:16–17 ESV 16 For I am not ashamed of the gospel, for it is the power of God for salvation to everyone who believes, to the Jew first and also to the Greek. 17 For in it the righteousness of God is revealed from faith for faith, as it is written, “The righteous shall live by faith.” Romans 3:21–26 ESV 21 But now the righteousness of God has been manifested apart from the law, although the Law and the Prophets bear witness to it— 22 the righteousness of God through faith in Jesus Christ for all who believe. For there is no distinction: 23 for all have sinned and fall short of the glory of God, 24 and are justified by his grace as a gift, through the redemption that is in Christ Jesus, 25 whom God put forward as a propitiation by his blood, to be received by faith. This was to show God’s righteousness, because in his divine forbearance he had passed over former sins. 26 It was to show his righteousness at the present time, so that he might be just and the justifier of the one who has faith in Jesus. Now this is the best news possible and the remedy for our separation from God! From here we see... • Sanctification ongoing - Through Christ’s atonement, believers are released from sin’s power and set apart for the service of God Romans 6:1–4 ESV 1 What shall we say then? Are we to continue in sin that grace may abound? 2 By no means! How can we who died to sin still live in it? 3 Do you not know that all of us who have been baptized into Christ Jesus were baptized into his death? 4 We were buried therefore with him by baptism into death, in order that, just as Christ was raised from the dead by the glory of the Father, we too might walk in newness of life. • Reconciliation accomplished - The sacrifice of Jesus Christ renews the relationship between God and man for those who believe Romans 5:1 ESV 1 Therefore, since we have been justified by faith, we have peace with God through our Lord Jesus Christ. Romans 5:10–11 ESV 10 For if while we were enemies we were reconciled to God by the death of his Son, much more, now that we are reconciled, shall we be saved by his life. 11 More than that, we also rejoice in God through our Lord Jesus Christ, through whom we have now received reconciliation. Brothers and sisters in Christ, with this doctrinal foundation in place, it’s no wonder that Paul breaks out into thanksgiving and praise to God at the end of Chapter 11. Romans 11:33–35 ESV 33 Oh, the depth of the riches and wisdom and knowledge of God! How unsearchable are his judgments and how inscrutable his ways! 34 “For who has known the mind of the Lord, or who has been his counselor?” 35 “Or who has given a gift to him that he might be repaid?” When’s the last time the wonder and beauty of God’s grace gripped your heart? Paul bases the motivation of his appeal in our text, on the mercies of God. See the next phrase in verse 1... English Standard Version Chapter 12 by the mercies of God, The word ‘by’ is the Greek preposition ‘dia’ which in this context conveys the fundamental idea that ‘the mercies of God’ are what makes the following request ‘present your bodies...’ possible. But note the use of the word ‘mercies’. What is mercy? Mercy is getting what you don’t deserve and that’s exactly Paul’s point in the first 11 chapters of this book and God’s mercy toward us is the motivation to which Paul appeals for what can best be described as the only fitting response to God’s mercy. John Calvin in his commentary on Romans says: Commentary on the Epistle of Paul the Apostle to the Romans Chapter 12 this exhortation teaches us, that until men really apprehend how much they owe to the mercy of God, they will never with a right feeling worship him, nor be effectually stimulated to fear and obey him. So, what is the only fitting response to God’s mercy? What does Paul urge us to do? The Fitting Response to God’s Mercy English Standard Version Chapter 12 to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship Notice the priestly language used by Paul…sacrifice....worship…this language hearkens back to the Old Covenant sacrificial system. Under the Old Covenant, God accepted the sacrifices of dead animals. But now, because of Christ’s ultimate sacrifice, the Old Testament sacrifices have no effect. Hebrews 9:11–12 ESV 11 But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) 12 he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. SOUL & BODY Paul tells us to present or offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. The word ‘body’ here has in mind the whole person (both the physical body and the inner person with all of its facets). Let’s recall that Paul is addressing believers here, so their souls already belong to God, who redeems and regenerates the soul of every believer. You can’t be a living sacrifice if you haven’t been made alive unto Christ. It’s Christ living in us in the Person of the Holy Spirit, that makes possible the offering of ourselves to God. Galatians 2:20 ESV 20 I have been crucified with Christ. It is no longer I who live, but Christ who lives in me. And the life I now live in the flesh I live by faith in the Son of God, who loved me and gave himself for me. LIVING SACRIFICE Practically speaking, the major focus on the presentation of our body as a living sacrifice relates directly to Paul’s admonition in Romans 6:13 about our conduct as live out life in this world. Romans 6:13 ESV 13 Do not present your members to sin as instruments for unrighteousness, but present yourselves to God as those who have been brought from death to life, and your members to God as instruments for righteousness. About this struggle against sin, Richard Lenski, a prominent, conservative Lutheran pastor from the early 1900’s writes: in this physical world it is our body which meets the sinful contacts and impacts by which the power of sin invades our entire being. Let us not forget that Satan’s lies use our ears as a means of entry, also our eyes through the printed page, to mention only this use of the bodily avenues. After our whole body has been presented to God by a voluntary act, all these roads into our being are to be open only to God. R. C. H. Lenski, The Interpretation of St. Paul’s Epistle to the Romans (Columbus, Ohio: Lutheran Book Concern, 1936), 747. So God wants our arms and legs and tongues, ears and eyes and sexual organs to become instruments of righteousness. The sacrifice, then, is not only living, it is moving about and doing things in the world. News Flash! We are to be the walking dead. No, I’m not talking about zombies from TV or the movies. I’m talking about being believer-priests who continually engage themselves, with whole-heartedness, to the pursuit of holiness or moral purity in their ‘new nature’ while putting to death (renouncing) the sinful deeds which originate from their ‘old nature’. This is being set apart to God. Obedience from the heart is what’s acceptable to God. SPIRITUAL But Paul continues on to tell us how God views the activity of being a living sacrifice. He tells us that being a living sacrifice is our spiritual worship to God. The word ‘spiritual’ is used in the ESV to translate the Greek adjective ‘logikos’. Logikos means reasonable or rational and it’s used in only one other place in the New Testament. In 1 Peter 2:2 Peter uses the word to describe the milk of the Word and that translation fits the context. 1 Peter 2:2 ESV 2 Like newborn infants, long for the pure spiritual milk, that by it you may grow up into salvation— The ESV, NASB, and Holman Christian Standard translate the Greek word as ‘spiritual’. The NIV translates it as ‘true and proper’. The KJV uses ‘reasonable’. I think that ‘reasonable’ fits the context better considering the content of verse 2 and the fact that Paul could have used another Greek word that he’s used before that means ‘spiritual’ but he didn’t in this case. The New International Greek Testament Commentary: The Epistle to the Romans Exegetical Comments So for both linguistic and contextual reasons, it seems best to understand Paul’s statement here in 12:1 as follows: that it is eminently reasonable, both intellectually and spiritually, for believers in Jesus, because they experienced “the mercies of God,” to dedicate themselves wholly to God—in fact, “this is your proper act of worship as rational people.” WORSHIP The primary word (verb) in the New Testament for worship ‘proskuneo’ is always used when the object of worship (whether it was Christ, some other person, or a physical idol) is physically present to prostrate oneself before in reverence. The Greek noun ‘latreia’, translated ‘worship’ in verse 1 of our text is the second-most-used word for worship in the New Testament. It conveys the idea of priestly service. In fact, it’s translated as ‘service’ in John 16:2 where Scripture says: John 16:2 ESV 2 They will put you out of the synagogues. Indeed, the hour is coming when whoever kills you will think he is offering service to God. It’s also translated as ‘worship’ in Romans 9:4 and Hebrews 9:1 and both passages make reference to the priestly service in Old Covenant worship. The interesting thing about this word’s usage is that it’s never used to describe false worship or the worship of idols but is used to describe worship during Christ’s physical absence from the earth. Charles Ryrie comments that: Ryrie’s Basic Theology A. The Words Involved Perhaps the reason this word is used of the believer’s worship rather than the first one is simply that since Christ is not visible today our worship is to be shown in service. So, we can see that our typical use of the term ‘worship’ doesn’t fully fit the biblical definition of what God desires of us as worship. Certainly, our reasonable service to God isn’t isolated to just music or the activities that we participate in when we meet together. These are expressions of our worship just as the way we act at school around friends or when no one is watching. It includes our attitudes at work, how we spend the money we make, how we treat people, what websites we visit, how much we eat, how much time we spend on social media, the words we speak and the tone with which we speak them. The list goes on and on because there is no area of life on this earth that’s off limits to God. Let me ask you a question. Are you truly worshiping God with your life? God has always required whole-hearted worship. Even in the Old Testament. Listen to Isaiah 29:13: Isaiah 29:13 ESV 13 And the Lord said: “Because this people draw near with their mouth and honor me with their lips, while their hearts are far from me, and their fear of me is a commandment taught by men, Jesus even repeated this verse to the Jewish religious leaders of His day in Matthew 15. They followed the outward forms or expressions of worship but missed the key component…the heart. Empty ritualism doesn’t bring closeness to God. But you may say, Ron, I’m not sure I understand how my life is a sacrifice. And practically, how do I present my body to God as a sacrifice? I think the best answer is to see the connection between verses 1 and 2. My suggestion is that verse 2 is the realistic explanation of the more symbolic verse 1. Verse 1 talks about sacrifices and worship. Verse 2 talks about your mind being renewed and doing the will of God. The explicit link to show you that Paul is thinking this way is the repetition of the word “acceptable” in verses 1 and 2. Verse 1: “Present your bodies . . . holy and acceptable to God.” Verse 2: Use your renewed mind to prove what is the will of God, what is good, acceptable and perfect. So there is probably a close link between offering your body to God as an acceptable sacrifice to God, and doing the acceptable will of God. John Piper https://www.desiringgod.org/messages/all-of-life-as-worship Let’s take a look at verse 2. Romans 12:2 ESV Do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewal of your mind, that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. The Activities of Spiritual Worship Notice the activities of spiritual worship in the first half of verse 2. We have 2, present tense (on-going action), imperative verbs here. An imperative is a command we are expected to obey. The first is negative; or telling us not to do something. DO NOT BE CONFORMED to this world (or age) This is where I find Phillips Paraphrase helpful in capturing the concept of what Paul is trying to say. Don't let the world around you squeeze you into its own mould When Paul says ‘world’ he means the system of beliefs and values of the contemporary culture. The sum of contemporary thinking and values forms the moral atmosphere of our society and it’s dominated by Satan. 2 Corinthians 4:4 ESV In their case the god of this world has blinded the minds of the unbelievers, to keep them from seeing the light of the gospel of the glory of Christ, who is the image of God. And if we aren’t actively vigilant, our fallen nature or ‘old man’ can be easily enticed to ‘buy-in’ or value the prevailing moral atmosphere. Make no mistake that this is a very real, spiritual battleground. It’s a good thing that Pastor Jim just finished a series on spiritual warfare. Those lessons are vitally important as we navigate through life. In 1 Peter 1:14, Peter gives a similar command to Paul’s when he says: 1 Peter 1:14 ESV As obedient children, do not be conformed to the passions of your former ignorance, And John tells us just how serious the implications are if we ignore this command: 1 John 2:15 ESV Do not love the world or the things in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. God’s plan and desire for His children is not being conformed to the values and thinking of this fallen world. Instead, Paul gives a positive command that tells us that we are to be TRANSFORMED by the renewal of our mind The Greek word for ‘transformed’ is where we get the English word ‘metamorphosis’. It’s a present tense (on-going) command that we obey. It’s also a passive verb which indicates we are being acted upon. Who do you think is actively transforming our minds in this case? Answer: The Holy Spirit…HOW?…as we meditate on and study Scripture…and through the faithful ministry of other believers. We have to understand that God has ordained the means by which He transforms His children. First, Sufficiency of the Holy Spirit 2 Corinthians 3:18 ESV And we all, with unveiled face, beholding the glory of the Lord, are being transformed into the same image from one degree of glory to another. For this comes from the Lord who is the [Holy] Spirit. Romans 8:29–30 ESV For those whom he foreknew he also predestined to be conformed to the image of his Son, in order that he might be the firstborn among many brothers. And those whom he predestined he also called, and those whom he called he also justified, and those whom he justified he also glorified. Next is the... Sufficiency of the Word of God 2 Peter 1:3–4 ESV His divine power has granted to us all things that pertain to life and godliness, through the knowledge of him who called us to his own glory and excellence, by which he has granted to us his precious and very great promises, so that through them you may become partakers of the divine nature, having escaped from the corruption that is in the world because of sinful desire. He also works through the... Sufficiency of the Body of Christ Ephesians 4:11–16 ESV And he gave the apostles, the prophets, the evangelists, the shepherds and teachers, to equip the saints for the work of ministry, for building up the body of Christ, until we all attain to the unity of the faith and of the knowledge of the Son of God, to mature manhood, to the measure of the stature of the fullness of Christ, so that we may no longer be children, tossed to and fro by the waves and carried about by every wind of doctrine, by human cunning, by craftiness in deceitful schemes. Rather, speaking the truth in love, we are to grow up in every way into him who is the head, into Christ, from whom the whole body, joined and held together by every joint with which it is equipped, when each part is working properly, makes the body grow so that it builds itself up in love. God uses all of these means to accomplish the transformation of our mind. The purpose is not so much right thinking (although that’s very important), His purpose is to change what we value. What we value will display itself in our thinking and our conduct. David captures the essence of this when he says in Psalm 119:11: Psalm 119:11 ESV I have stored up your word in my heart, that I might not sin against you. David valued God. He loved God more than all the blessings God provided and all the pleasures the world offered. So much so, that he applied himself to what he valued most. And we have a responsibility to actively cooperate with the Holy Spirit’s work in our Progressive Sanctification. That’s made very apparent here in Romans 12:1-2; and Peter reminds us again in 2 Peter 1:5-8 2 Peter 1:5–8 ESV For this very reason, make every effort to supplement your faith with virtue, and virtue with knowledge, and knowledge with self-control, and self-control with steadfastness, and steadfastness with godliness, and godliness with brotherly affection, and brotherly affection with love. For if these qualities are yours and are increasing, they keep you from being ineffective or unfruitful in the knowledge of our Lord Jesus Christ. Philippians 2:12–13 ESV Therefore, my beloved, as you have always obeyed, so now, not only as in my presence but much more in my absence, work out your own salvation with fear and trembling, for it is God who works in you, both to will and to work for his good pleasure. The active battle to resist being pressed into the world’s mold; the continual, active cooperation with the Holy Spirit’s work in transforming our minds and thus our values; is our Spiritual Worship…and it yields a huge spiritual result. Let’s look at the last part of verse 2. The Result of Spiritual Worship English Standard Version Chapter 12 that by testing you may discern what is the will of God, what is good and acceptable and perfect. This is a very significant statement. It shows that in order to discern the will of God for [our] lives believers cannot just depend on their conscience. Conscience is indeed very important, but it must constantly be sent back to the school of Scripture to receive instruction from the Holy Spirit. It is in this manner that believers become and remain aware of God’s will. William Hendriksen and Simon J. Kistemaker, Exposition of Paul’s Epistle to the Romans, vol. 12–13, New Testament Commentary (Grand Rapids: Baker Book House, 1953–2001), 406. Which will are we able to discern? God’s Decretive of Preceptive will? Certainly, it’s His preceptive will found in Scripture because His decretive will is not fully revealed to us. Deut. 29:29 says: Deuteronomy 29:29 ESV “The secret things belong to the Lord our God, but the things that are revealed belong to us and to our children forever, that we may do all the words of this law. God’s decretive will isn’t something that we sin against. It’s His eternal plan that will take place regardless of what we do. The preceptive will of God is found in His written Word and it can be disobeyed and is disobeyed by us every day. R.C. Sproul writes: Can I Know God’s Will? The Preceptive Will of God The precepts, statutes, and commandments that He delivers to His people make up the preceptive will. They express and reveal to us what is right and proper for us to do. The preceptive will is God’s rule of righteousness for our lives. By this rule we are governed. And what does Paul say are the contents of God’s preceptive will that He wants us to be and do? It’s identified at the end of verse 2 in our main text. The answer is: “that which is good and acceptable and perfect.” That means all of it! The more we live in accordance with this will and value it highly, the more also, through the experience, we will learn to know that will, and rejoice in that knowledge! Can you rejoice today that you know, treasure, and obey God’s precepts from the heart? Paul says in 1 Thess. 4:7-8: 1 Thessalonians 4:7–8 ESV For God has not called us for impurity, but in holiness. Therefore whoever disregards this, disregards not man but God, who gives his Holy Spirit to you. Conclusion Jesus told the woman at the well in John 4 that John 4:23–24 ESV the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. Jesus was telling her that God requires worship from the heart and grounded in the revealed truth about who God is and what He requires. This has been God’s mandate from the beginning. Our spiritual worship is a continual renewal where old values die and new ones come to life. It’s the dying of old ways of treasuring the TV and food and money and you fill in the blank…and the awakening of new spiritual taste buds. As I begin to wrap up, listen to Paul’s heart from Philippians 3: Philippians 3:8–11 ESV Indeed, I count everything as loss because of the surpassing worth of knowing Christ Jesus my Lord. For his sake I have suffered the loss of all things and count them as rubbish, in order that I may gain Christ and be found in him, not having a righteousness of my own that comes from the law, but that which comes through faith in Christ, the righteousness from God that depends on faith— that I may know him and the power of his resurrection, and may share his sufferings, becoming like him in his death, that by any means possible I may attain the resurrection from the dead. Please listen. The essence of spiritual worship is being satisfied in God and cherishing Christ as gain...and Romans 12:1-2 isn’t saying anything different. Based on what God has done for us through Christ, obedience from a heart of gratitude is a “No Brainer”. The question each of us must answer then is this: Is Jesus your treasure or is he just a trophy on a shelf? Let’s pray. O Lord, we give you our lives. May our heart, our minds, and our desires be yours. May our hands and feet and voices move as you would choose. May our moments and days flow in endless praise. Amen. —based on “Take My Life and Let It Be” by Frances R. Havergal (1874) Page 18. Exported from Logos Bible Software, 3:13 PM March 17, 2018.