The mind and heart of worship - seen in the Lord Jesus

Christ came as a worshipper

Where is Christ in Romans 12? I said, in our earlier talk, that faith turns away from the self and fixes its eyes on Christ. There’s little mention of Christ in this chapter, but he’s far from absent.

Isn’t he the one giving the grace in verses 3-8?

And isn’t it his teaching (in the Sermon on the Mount) that shapes the love instructions in verses 9-21?

More than that, can’t we find examples from the life of Christ recorded in the gospels to match every detail of those love commands?

Indeed, the only reason that we can worship the living God acceptably (true and proper worship) is because he first offered his life to the Father in that way. Satan tempted him to bow down and worship him. And the reply?

Matthew 4:10 NIV

Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’”

The very Son of God lived as a worshipper:

not conforming to the patten of this world (he rejected the kingdoms of the world and all their splendour)

but being transformed by the renewing of his mind (led by the Spirit of God as morning by morning he wakened his ear to the mercies of God and to his instruction). And from that instruction, he was not rebellious; neither did he turn away.

Instead, he tested and approved the will of God; discerning it and delighting in it.

Psalm 40:8 NIV

I desire to do your will, my God; your law is within my heart.”

To do that will, he could say, was his food - that is, it was a matter not just of necessity but delight. His heart delighted in doing the will of God as you and I delight in the best of foods.

And so his Father filled him with the knowledge of his will, by the Holy Spirit - that which is good, pleasing and perfect. He knew it and he did it.

Good

In Colossians 1:10, I suggest to you that we have a very similar triad to the one we’ve been studying in Romans 12:2.

Colossians 1:9–10 NIV

For this reason, since the day we heard about you, we have not stopped praying for you. We continually ask God to fill you with the knowledge of his will through all the wisdom and understanding that the Spirit gives, so that you may live a life worthy of the Lord and please him in every way: bearing fruit in every good work, growing in the knowledge of God,

And, here, we find that the good - that is the good work which God wills for us to do - is akin to fruit. So it’s natural. Good fruit is the natural product of a good tree. Indeed, Jesus himself taught that “every good tree bears good fruit” (Mt 7:17-18). And later he applied the lesson:

Matthew 12:35 NIV

A good man brings good things out of the good stored up in him, and an evil man brings evil things out of the evil stored up in him.

And what a good treasure was stored up in him and was brought forth from him - and men recognised it. “Good teacher” (Mark 10:17) - he was good in word. But not only in word, he had the deeds to back his words up. For Peter preached of:

Acts 10:38 NIV

how God anointed Jesus of Nazareth with the Holy Spirit and power, and how he went around doing good and healing all who were under the power of the devil, because God was with him.

Pleasing

And so, even as he went about doing the good, he also did what was pleasing - well pleasing in the sight of God and approved of also by men (though not by all men).

And what is it that pleases God? What pleases God is walking by faith! Indeed, without faith it’s impossible to please God (Heb 11:6). On the contrary:

Hebrews 10:38 NIV

And, “But my righteous one will live by faith. And I take no pleasure in the one who shrinks back.”

This is what the ancients were commended for (Heb 11:2): people like Abel, Enoch, Noah, Abraham. They were commended - that means they pleased God. Why? Because they walked by faith - that is faith which acts justly and which loves mercy and which walks humbly with its God.

How much more, Jesus, the pioneer and perfecter of faith who, for the joy set before him, endured the cross scorning its shame. Thank God he didn’t shrink back from the cross.

No, here was one who, by faith, had received the promises of God. And that faith produced hope, as he patiently endured the opposition of sinful men, waiting expectantly for the promised vindication. And that hope produced love, as he delighted in those promises and in sharing them with others.

Consider him, brothers and sisters, whom it pleased the Lord to crush at Calvary. Can you imagine the sorrow of the Father’s heart? And yet there was pleasure too - this was his righteous one, his unique Son, the one in whom he was well-pleased. The cross was the way of faith, so that God was pleased to see his Son acting justly, loving mercy and walking humbly all the way to Calvary. Praise God that Christ walked humbly and obediently to the cross, loving his enemies, blessing those who hated him, and proclaiming aloud the justice of God!

Matthew 12:17–21 NIV

This was to fulfill what was spoken through the prophet Isaiah: “Here is my servant whom I have chosen, the one I love, in whom I delight; I will put my Spirit on him, and he will proclaim justice to the nations. He will not quarrel or cry out; no one will hear his voice in the streets. A bruised reed he will not break, and a smoldering wick he will not snuff out, till he has brought justice through to victory. In his name the nations will put their hope.”

Perfect

Perfect indicates that what God wills achieves a purpose; it has a set goal, a finish, an end. And until that point there is a progressive growth in the knowledge of God and of his will.

This is what we call sanctification - the work of the Spirit of God - and its goal is glorification. The work of sanctification is perfected, finished in glorification.

And by sheer grace, the Lord Jesus submitted himself to that process. “For them I sanctify myself” (John 17:19). And so he, the all-knowing Son of God, grew in wisdom and in stature - growing in the knowledge of God even as he walked in the good things the Father had planned for him, things which were well-pleasing to the Father.

And the goal was always before him, the end ever in view - his food was to do the will of the Father and to finish his work (John 4:34). That end, as we know, lay through sufferings - that the author of our salvation might be made perfect through what he suffered (Heb 2:10).

Hebrews 5:8–10 NIV

Son though he was, he learned obedience from what he suffered and, once made perfect, he became the source of eternal salvation for all who obey him and was designated by God to be high priest in the order of Melchizedek.

Growing in his knowledge of God until his faith had been brought to perfect completion.

Faith perfected in obedience, through suffering. And God’s love made perfect in him.

Lifted up was he to die / It is finished was his cry / Now in heaven, exalted high / Hallelujah! What a Saviour!

Now, in view of God’s mercies, we have the opportunity to offer our bodies as a living sacrifice. Praise God that the sacrifice of atonement was a once for all sacrifice. We need not repeat it, nor can we add anything to it. It is perfect and finished forever. But, in grateful response to his sacrifice of death, the living sacrifice continues until God brings to completion the good work which he has started in us.

Brothers and sisters, won’t we discern and delight in doing God’s will - the good, the pleasing and the perfect - faith working itself out in love:

towards God’s people in ministry; and

in mission towards the world.

That, by the mercy of God, is our true and proper worship.