Next week is Mother’s Day. I’m accepting suggestions from the husbands for what I should preach next Sunday. I’m also accepting suggestions from the wives for what I should preach on Father’s Day.
Two Sunday’s ago, we looked at the revelation for worship, that is God’s goodness and His greatness that causes us to revere, honor and value Him above all else in our lives. Last week, we looked at the attitudes of worship, which are habits of thinking that foster our reverence for God. These attitudes include (anyone remember?) the lordship of God, the humility of mankind and the servanthood of worshippers.
This morning, we will look at the activities of the worshipper. We will answer the question, "What does a person do to worship God?" Or, "What and how do we turn the definition of worship into life experience?"
The text for this morning is Romans 12:1-2.
The Apostle Paul wrote this letter to the church in Rome in 56 or 57 AD. Paul wrote the first eleven chapters to explain the mercy of God and the last five chapters to instruct us on how we ought to live in light of God’s mercy.
Paul explained in the first eleven chapters of Romans, that because we live in disregard for God and His ways, we are sentenced to eternal separation from God. But God, in His mercy, issued a pardon through sending His Son, Jesus Christ, to die in our place. Some will accept God’s pardon and receive mercy, but those who refuse God’s pardon will face His judgment and be eternally separated from God.
In 1830, George Wilson was convicted and sentenced to death for robbing the United States Mail. President Andrew Jackson issued a pardon for Wilson, but Wilson refused to accept the pardon.
The matter went to Chief Justice Marshall, who concluded that Wilson would have to be executed. "A pardon is a slip of paper," Marshall wrote, "the value of which is determined by the acceptance of the person to be pardoned. If it is refused, it is no pardon. George Wilson must be hanged."
A.W. Tozer, writing about God’s mercy, noted, "[God] has always dealt in mercy with mankind and will always deal in justice when His mercy is despised."
For those who have not received God’s mercy through Jesus Christ, the first thing to do is to accept the pardon by trusting in Jesus’ death on the cross to restore your relationship with God. And for those of us who have received God’s mercy through Jesus Christ, our appropriate response is a life of worship, a life that honors God.
In chapter 12 of Romans, Paul writes that the first response to God’s mercy is "to offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and please to God." Worship is the first response to God’s mercy.
With the remaining time, let’s look at the four goals of worshippers that Paul urges us toward in light of God’s mercy. After we look at these four goals, we will look at the three actions that turn these goals into realities in our lives.
In order to remember the four goals of a worshipper who honors God, I’ve organized them using the acrostic, K.L.A.P., with a "K" instead of a "C." To clap or applaud God is a gesture of giving honor to God. I hope this acrostic will help us to remember how to worship and honor God with our lives. Let’s begin.
The K in KLAP stands for "keep God’s mercy in view at all times." We see this in verse 1a.
Luis Palau wrote in "Experiencing God’s Forgiveness," about a mother who approached Napoleon seeking a pardon for her son. The emperor replied that the young man had committed a certain offense twice and justice demanded death.
"But I don’t ask for justice," the mother explained. "I plead for mercy."
"But your son does not deserve mercy," Napoleon replied.
"My Emperor," the woman cried, "it would not be mercy if he deserved it, and mercy is all I ask for."
"Well, then," Napoleon said, "I will have mercy." And he spared the woman’s son.
God’s mercy includes His goodness and His greatness. The Creator has the power and every right to carry out judgment upon mankind’s disregard for God and His ways. Yet, His choice to offer forgiveness through Jesus Christ woos us back to Himself. If God never answers another one of our prayers, He would still deserve our worship, because of His mercy through Jesus Christ.
Romans 5:8 tells us, "But God demonstrates his own love for us in this: While we were still sinners, Christ died for us." That is God’s mercy. And when we keep God’s mercy in view, we are drawn to worship Him.
The L in KLAP stands for "live your life holy and pleasing to God." We see this in verse 1b.
To live a life that is holy and pleasing to God means to live a life where our allegiance belongs to God and our thoughts, words and actions show that we belong to Him. Holy means, "set apart to God," and pleasing means, "having God’s approval."
1 Peter 3:15 gives us the same encouragement, "But in your hearts set apart Christ as Lord." When we set apart Christ as Lord, He determines for us what is acceptable and pleasing to God.
I can still remember a popular girl in high school, named Wendy, who was not afraid to cuss. But when she heard a Christian classmate cuss on the tennis court, she told me that she didn’t think cussing is right for a Christian. I was going to church at the time, but I don’t think I was a Christian yet. And Wendy said, "Somewhere in the Bible, God says if we use our tongue to praise God, we shouldn’t use it to cuss."
Paul is saying, with the same body that we worship and serve God, we should not use it to carry out actions that displease God. We do not honor and worship God with our words on Sundays only. Paul says we honor and worship God with our entire bodies in all that we do and from Monday through Sunday.
The A in KLAP stands for "align your mind with the mind of God." We see this in verse 2a.
Our behaviors are determined by the beliefs we hold in our minds. And our beliefs are shaped by repeated exposure.
Consider the atheistic impact of Communism on people through repeated exposure of their teaching that there is no God. We should not be surprised that people coming from communist countries have a difficult time believing in God.
Or consider the immoral impact of America’s media through glorifying premarital or extramarital sex. We should not be surprised that marriages are ending in divorce or unwed mothers continue to climb in numbers in the United States.
The reason why we need to renew our minds in order to worship God is because what we believe determines how we behave. If we want to behave in ways that please God, we have to have godly beliefs. Otherwise, our behaviors to please God will be short-lived, and we will frequently exhibit sudden ungodly behaviors.
We cannot repress our thinking. We need to renew our mind. By repeated exposure to God’s truth through Bible reading, Bible study, Bible teaching on Sundays, on the radio or from cassette tapes, we can, over time, displace the old with the new.
The K in KLAP stands for "keep God’s mercy in view at all times." The L in KLAP stands for "live your life holy and pleasing to God." The A in KLAP stands for "align your mind with the mind of God." The P in KLAP stands for "prove God’s goodness in your life." We see this in verse 2b.
Steve Brown noted, "When you see a turtle on a gatepost, you know it didn’t get there on its own." Turtles cannot climb vertically up a post. Someone had to put the turtle there. And the turtle on top of a gatepost points to that someone.
Likewise, the Christian’s life ought to point to God’s will that is good, acceptable and perfect. When Christians complain and criticize constantly, they do not prove God’s goodness in their lives. They are not living lives of worship.
Someone has said, "The most hopeless people in the world are wealthy people without Jesus. They have wealth but no peace of mind. Poor people at least hope that if they gain wealth, they can also gain peace."
The world runs after prestige, power and possessions in hope of attaining peace of mind. God’s will for us is peace with Him through Jesus Christ to attain peace of mind. God’s will is good, acceptable and perfect.
K.L.A.P. symbolize the four goals of worshippers. A worshipper keeps God’s mercy in view at all times. He lives his life holy and pleasing to God. She aligns her mind with the mind of God. And a worshipper proves God’s goodness in his or her life.
But in order to reach these four goals, we need to be involved in three worship settings: Closet worship, common worship and corporate worship. I’ll define each worship setting and identify how they help us reach the four goals of a worshipper.
The first is closet worship, which is found in Matthew 6:6, "But when you pray, go into your room, close the door and pray to your Father, who is unseen. Then your Father, who sees what is done in secret, will reward you."
Closet worship gives us undistracted time with God. We can read the Bible or a devotional book. We can listen to or sing hymns or praise songs. We can make a list of things we are thankful for. We can ask for forgiveness for the things we’ve done wrong. We can ask for wisdom to deal with life’s problems.
Some people call closet worship "quiet times with God" or "devotion times with God." Closet worship helps us to focus on God’s mercy, to renew our allegiance to God and to renew our mind with God’s Word, the Bible. Closet worship allows us to listen to God’s voice of guidance, calm and courage.
When I worked at Chiron Corporation, I would get to work 15 minutes early and do my closet worship in my parked car. One of the youth I worked with from the youth group at Cumberland used to do her closet worship in a bedroom closet. She was one of six sisters in a three-bedroom apartment.
The second is common worship, which is found in John 4:24, "God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth."
To worship in spirit means to relate to God, Who is spirit, and to worship in truth means to live according to God’s truth. Common worship or everyday worship doesn’t require a closet or a church building. Common worship is what Brother Lawrence writes about in The Practice of the Presence of God.
Whether we are brushing our teeth, driving to work or finishing up a project, we can either have a hurried and self-important view, or we can have God’s mercy and our belonging to God in view. Instead of letting wandering thoughts into our minds, we can keep in mind what we learned from our closet worship time. Instead of complaining to others about life, we can tell others about God’s goodness in our lives.
Common worship turns life’s challenges, temptations, or irritations into opportunities to seek God’s truth for interpreting situations and implementing solutions. Common worship recognizes that God sees even our smallest act of faithfulness during the week, and that such faithfulness honors God.
The third is corporate worship, which is found in Hebrews 10:23-25, "Let us hold unswervingly to the hope we profess, for he who promised is faithful. And let us consider how we may spur one another on toward love and good deeds. Let us not give up meeting together, as some are in the habit of doing, but let us encourage one another--and all the more as you see the Day approaching."
Closet worship is like the practice for the athlete. Common worship is the playing of the game. Corporate worship is like the huddle to regroup and receive instruction for the next play or the next inning. Corporate worship is Sunday Worship Service, Wednesday night prayer meeting or a Bible study fellowship.
On this Sunday, communion reminds us of God’s mercy. The songs we sang and this sermon align our mind with the mind of God. When we have Christian Share time, we prove to others God’s will in our lives is good. The refreshment time allows us to encourage one another, which pleases God.
If people ever ask you, "How do you worship God?"
You answer, "I K.L.A.P. I keep God’s mercy in view at all times. I live my life holy and pleasing to God. I align my mind with the mind of God. And I prove God’s goodness in my life. And I do all this through closet worship, common worship and corporate worship"
And they’ll say, "Say what?"
And you say, "Just watch my life, from Monday through Sunday."
