HOLY SPIRIT WORSHIP
ROMANS 12:1-2
READ ROMANS 12:1-2
INTRODUCTION… Beginning with Questions
What does Romans 12:1-2 mean and how does it impact our worship?
What is true worship?
Does John 4:23 when Jesus says to “worship in Spirit and in Truth” connect with these verses?
What role does the Holy Spirit play in our worship?
I. A COMPELLING REASON (verse 1)
Whether you realize it or not, Romans 12:1-2 is all about worship. Verse 1 gives us all the reasons we need to worship God. Do we need reasons to worship? In a perfect world, where everyone loved God to the utmost and always came to church to worship for all the right reasons, no probably not. In a perfect world, everyone would be here every Sunday on time, would attend the praise time before the service, would worship God with all their hearts in the service, and then would continue in worship in Sunday School. In a perfect world, our bible studies would be overflowing with people wanting to know about God. This is not a perfect world and so some of us need a reason to get out of bed in the morning and get here to church.
Let me give you the ultimate reason. Verse one makes such a convincing argument about why we should worship God. Really, the compelling reason is only 5 words long: “IN VIEW OF GOD’S MERCY.” The focus of the Apostle Paul at the beginning of this passage about worship is the compelling reason that God had mercy and continues to have mercy on us. In looking at worship, we first have to bring into focus all of the mercies of God and His love for us. Do you realize that we did not deserve to have Jesus come and save us--- this was all God’s idea! Do you realize that “while we were still sinners, Christ died for us” (Romans 5:8)? We did not earn any of this, but salvation and forgiveness and a relationship with God are a free gift to anyone who asks.
We have to keep the mercy of God in full view when we think about worship. Why? Because it demonstrates how worthy He truly is. The English word “worship” comes from the old English word “worth-ship,” a word that denotes the worthiness of the one receiving the high honor and praise (Nelson’s New Illustrated Bible Dictionary pg 1321). If anyone is worthy of praise and songs and prayer and thanksgiving and to have an entire building dedicated to Him—it is the Lord God.
When you worship God, you are saying to Him that He is worthy to receive all our love and thanks and devotion because of who He is and what He has done in your life. It is all because of God’s mercy. True worship comes out of a heart that sees the mercies of God and is humbled and full of thanksgiving. True worship comes from a person who knows that God’s grace and mercy fills their life and is the only way they’re getting into Heaven. Why do you come here to church on Sunday mornings? Why sing hymns? Why pray? Why celebrate the Lord’s Supper? Five words: “IN VIEW OF GOD’S MERCY.”
II. A PERFECT GIFT (verse 1 and 2)
What then is our response to be in view of all this mercy from God? Paul seems to indicate that our response should be to worship God. Give Him honor. Give Him praise. Give Him love. Give Him devotion. Yet, how do we do that? How does this kind of worship play out in our daily lives or on Sundays?
Paul tells us without a doubt that we are to “offer our bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God.” Paul is telling us that what God wants most is for us to give ourselves to Him. Paul is telling us that the response God wants from all the mercy and love and grace He pours out on us is a heart devoted to Him and given over freely. The most perfect gift you could ever give God is yourself. The most perfect gift you could ever give God is a life dedicated to Him and in submission to His will.
ILLUSTRATION… Olney Hymns, William Cowper, from Cowper’s Poems, Sheldon & Company, New York
Submission
O Lord, my best desire fulfill,
And help me to resign
Life, health, and comfort to Thy will,
And make Thy pleasure mine.
Why should I shrink at Thy command,
Whose love forbids my fears?
Or tremble at the gracious hand
That wipes away my tears?
No, rather let me freely yield
What most I prize to Thee;
Who never hast a good withheld,
Or wilt withhold, from me.
Thy favour, all my journey through,
Thou art engaged to grant;
What else I want, or think I do,
‘Tis better still to want.
Wisdom and mercy guide my way,
Shall I resist them both?
A poor blind creature of a day,
And crush’d before the moth!
But ah! my inward spirit cries,
Still bind me to Thy sway;
Else the next cloud that veils the skies
Drives all these thoughts away.
The most perfect gift you could ever give God in response to His grace and mercy is yourself. God wants us to follow Him and pattern our life after His will and His Holy Word as a response to His love that He has given. Jesus said it best in John 14:15, “If you love me, you will, do what I command.” The Apostle John said the same thing in 1 John 2:15-17: “Do not love the world or anything in the world. If anyone loves the world, the love of the Father is not in him. For everything in the world--the cravings of sinful man, the lust of his eyes and the boasting of what he has and does--comes not from the Father but from the world. The world and its desires pass away, but the man who does the will of God lives forever.”
That really leads us to the explanation that is needed of this perfect gift. Because of God’s mercy, our worship to Him is offering ourselves as a spiritual sacrifice. I have touched on the fact that submission to God is part of it. Yet, that’s not all.
III. A CHANGED OFFERED LIFE (verse 2)
Verse 2 of Romans 12 expands on this idea of a submitted life to God.
ILLUSTRATION… Turning Point (from Our Daily Bread)
The surrender of one’s will to Jesus is essential to a life of joy and victory. Oswald Chambers called this “giving up my right to myself.” We hold nothing back—no earthly life, no material gain, no pride-filled position—but simply say, “Jesus, do with my life whatever You want.” Many Christians hold back from yielding all to Christ because they fear that it will bring terrible consequences, the death of a loved one or some other great loss.
F. B. Meyer reflected on a turning point to his spiritual life and how he overcame this fear. “The devil said, ‘Don’t do it!. There is no knowing what you may come to.’ At first I thought there was something to it, then I remembered my daughter, who was a little willful then, and loved her own way. I thought to myself as I knelt, Supposing that she were to come and say—‘Father, from tonight I am going to put my life in your hand. Do with it what you will.’ Would I call her mother to her side and say, ‘Here is a chance to torment her’? .I knew I would not say that. I knew I would say to my wife, ‘Our child is going to follow our will from now on. Do you know of anything that is hurting her?’ ‘Yes, so and so.’ ‘Does she love it much?’ ‘Yes,’ ‘Oh, she must give it up. But we will make it as easy for her as we can. We must take from her the things that are hurting her, but we will give her everything that will make her life one long summer day of bliss.’“
My first thought after reading that quote was “what does that have to do with the sermon?” But I think FB Meyer had it right—God does not ask us to be different from the world to torment us or make us stand out in a crowd… but because He loves us and desires the best for us. His command to us to “not conform to this world” means that He is saving us from sinful situations and is creating a victorious life for us.
I guess it all comes down to one more basic question, then. Are you living out Romans 12:2? Is your life different than those people who aren’t Christians? You see, it really does matter what you watch, what you listen to, what you puff, drink, snort, eat, sniff, and chew. It really does matter what you think. It really does matter what words come out of your mouth on a daily basis. It really does matter how you treat your spouse, neighbors, and friends. It matters because as Christians we are to offer ourselves (our lives) to God in worship. We are offering ourselves in spiritual worship to God. Worship is not something that only happens on Sundays, but is your lifestyle. It does God no good for you to be a Sunday Christian. He wants your whole life dedicated to Him. He wants your entire mind given over to Him. He wants your lifestyle to reflect His commands and in doing so you give back to Him all the worship you possibly can.
One last thing, I titled this sermon “Holy Spirit Worship.” You can only do any of what we have talked about this morning if you have the Holy Spirit helping you. You can only submit to God through the strength given to you by the Holy Spirit. The transformation that will occur will be with the Holy Spirit’s help. True spiritual worship can only happen when the Holy Spirit is present.
CONCLUSION
