Our reasonable worship
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship” (Romans 12:1). This is the theme of this sermon.
You noticed correctly, there is a word missing. Next reasonable Worship, is our worship one logically. This word is derived from the Greek "logic". Service for the glory of God is logical, reasonable, and meaningful. I explain why.
From a human point of view, we look at everything with human logic. For example, if I serve God, I can expect something from him. God's logic is very different. God loves you and me unconditionally. A logical worship in God's view is a service of love to us humans, without which we could earn it. And my worship? He alone shall honor God, the Lord. My worship should glorify him and include my thanks to him. Just such a service is called Paul reasonable and logical, An unreasonable illogical worship would my personal interests and my pride in the foreground. I would serve myself. That would be idolatry.
You can better understand logical worship when you look at Jesus' life. He gave you a perfect example.
The Living Divine Service of the Son of God
Jesus' earthly life was filled with thoughts and actions, to give glory to God alone, to fulfill His Father's will and to serve us human beings. Jesus miraculously satisfied the hunger of thousands with bread and fish in the wonderful multiplication of bread. Jesus drew the hungry to find in him the true food that will forever satisfy their spiritual hunger. Jesus also worked this miracle to make you attentive and happy for God and his kingdom. With this gusto on him, he leads you to live with him and to do that which corresponds to the will of the Father in heaven. He gave us a meaningful example with his practical life. He served God, his Father, logically or in other words, every day out of love, joy and reverence.
This logical service of Jesus included his ordeal at the end of his life. He was not looking forward to suffering itself, but to what his suffering as a logical service in many people will show for change. This led him to exuberant joy in his resurrection and you may take part in it.
“Christ, Jesus, rose as the firstfruits,” as it says in 1.Kor 15,23 called!
He is truly risen, he lives and is still ministering today! Jesus' life, his death on the cross, his resurrection, his life at the right hand of his Father is still today "the living and logical worship of the Son of God" to us humans. At all times, Jesus honored his Father. Do you understand this? This understanding initiates a profound change in you.
“At that time Jesus began to say: I praise you, Father, Lord of heaven and earth, because you have hidden these things from the wise and learned, and revealed them to little children.” (Mt 11,25).
If we count ourselves among the wise and wise men of this world, we would have a problem. These insist on their own wisdom and wisdom and thus miss God's revelation.
However, here is the speech of babes. It refers to people who admit to be totally dependent on God and dependent on his help and do not want to do anything on their own. In other words, God's beloved children are his favorites. They entrust their lives to him. They understand that Jesus has served us humans, all, with his life, and is still working to serve us. Together with him we can do great things, because we follow God's will and let his power work in us.
That is, if you do not let God serve you, as he offers you in your life, you are not yet underage, totally dependent on him. You are unwilling to to be humble to him and willing to serve courageously. His love service to you, his logical worship would have sang and passed you by without a sound.
They are waiting for Jesus to speak to you personally. I am confident you hear God's call. By the grace of his reasonable worship, he can attract you to himself, anyone who has himself called by the Father. Gently, like a whisper of the wind or with violent shaking, hear his voice. We come to the second point.
Our ego
Yes, our dear self, and me again. With this statement, I don't mean to belittle anyone. It's a fact: each of us is, without sugarcoating it, an egoist. A small one or a big one. One who, as Paul says in Ephesians 2:1, was dead in his sins. Thank God, he let you and me hear his voice. Only through his logical worship are we redeemed, saved from guilt and the burden of sin.
I heard his voice as a little boy through my mother. She gave the voice of Jesus a face and heart. Later I also heard his voice in the roundabout way, until I, as an egoist, seemingly abandoned by all good spirits, went to the pig trough of the prodigal son and caused him grief. This means:
I said to myself, I am sure of myself and do not need applause or rebuke from anyone. In doing so, I sought recognition. To work almost day and night to feed the family, but beyond, to afford that or that extra thing my heart craved. Of course, always with the appropriate reason.
Nothing could shake me. Except God! When He held up a mirror to me, He showed me what I looked like from His perspective. Spots and wrinkles. These are the marks I had brought upon myself. They are impossible to ignore. The Lord Jesus loved me despite these transgressions. No more and no less. His voice moved me to change my life. At night, after work, while reading the Bible, and during the day at work, He gently took me by the sleeve, guided me on the path to change my life, as my logical act of worship. Away from my accustomed lifestyle and ringing cash register, away from the profession of indulging in all sorts of delicacies, away from the more that could never be enough. I was dead! We all have some sort of "stain on our hands" and wish we could undo some of it. That, in short, is what our selves look like; put another way, we were all dead in our transgressions. (Eph 2,1)But God leads you and me to be content with what we have and to do what He leads us to do. You experience firsthand the changes that logical worship brings about.
My logical worship
He is written down in Romans. Paul wrote a booklet of eleven chapters under the guidance of the Holy Spirit before going to practice in Chapter 12, with an obvious and unmistakable urgency.
“Therefore, I urge you, brothers and sisters, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and pleasing to God—this is your true and proper worship.” (Röm 12,1).
This verse is a reminder and applies to here and now. We can not put the call on the back burner now. It is based on eleven chapters. These express how God serves you. From his point of view, logically - unconditionally. He wants to achieve that His mercy, His heartfelt mercy, His grace, all this is His undeserved gift, leading you to radically change your life. You can receive all of this through Jesus alone. Take this gift. They are sanctified by this, that is, they belong to God holistically and live in a new life with Him. That's your rational, logical worship. Also, unconditionally, in his honor alone, with all your thinking and actions.
Christ's followers at all times are in danger of being persecuted and killed as witnesses of their faith. But not only this, but are ridiculed as a sect pendant, especially ridiculed as a pious and marginalized in employment in life. That's a sad truth. Paul speaks to Christians here, who perform worship through their lives, their loving ways of life.
How can you be more reasonable. logical worship look like?
That's a good question? An answer to that is given by Paul:
“Do not conform to the pattern of this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, so that you may test and approve what God’s will is—his good, pleasing and perfect will.” (Röm 12,2).
I experience logical worship where I allow Jesus to change my life step by step. God gives us redemption from death once and for all, but gradually he releases you completely from your old self. That does not happen overnight.
I now pay more attention to these little steps, where I can cultivate friendship and hospitality. Where I have time to listen to what you want to tell me, where I can help you and go the extra mile with you. I have voluntarily let go of my old self and am going to enjoy the time with my friend, Jesus.
Even my dear wife, children and grandchildren should not be neglected. I now have more open ears and a more open heart for their expectations and concerns. I see better the needs of my neighbor.
"Take care of the needs of the saintsPractice hospitality. (Röm 12,13).
A small sentence - a big challenge! That is logical worship, That's my job. I can squeeze around out of human logic for convenience. The logical conclusion would be: I have not fulfilled my reasonable worship, disobeyed God's will, and once again have been made equal to this world.
Another logical conclusion: I can't say that this process is quick and easy. How did Jesus fare in the Garden of Gethsemane. When he was sweating and his beads of sweat felt like they were blood. “Serve the needs of the saints. Practice hospitality.” This is not an easy, carefree undertaking, this is logical worship that makes us sweat from our pores. But if I pay attention to the changes in my life, I will gladly accept the needs of my fellow human beings out of love. My change is not yet complete. Jesus continues to work with me and I am happy that I can give glory to God in different ways.
Maybe you feel like Jesus in the garden of Gethsemane. Jesus prayed and challenged his closest disciples:
"Pray so that you will not fall into temptation." (Lk 22,40).
Without prayer and a close relationship with Jesus, progress is simply impossible. Hospitality and meaningful worship can be a challenging path for both of us, and not always easy. Therefore, persistent prayer for wisdom, guidance, and strength is essential, as described in Röm 12,12 is written at the end. Paul makes another point:
"Do not repay anyone evil for evil. Be careful to do good to everyone. If it is possible, as far as it depends on you, live at peace with everyone." (Röm 12,17-18).
They live together with their neighbors. From them you get the fine pinpricks that hurt to the core. Maybe you find it difficult to forgive. Your heart hurts! If you do not forgive and ask for forgiveness, your heart hurts for years and decades. You are asked to with Jesus help, in his name, to forgive from the bottom of your heart and to repay evil with good! Otherwise you will make life difficult for yourself and you will be so hurt because you cannot free yourself from this spiral that is pulling you down. – “I forgive, so I create peace. I am unconditionally taking that first step!” Jesus' sheep hear his voice. That includes you. They pursue peace as a logical worship
Finally:
Jesus came to earth to serve you unconditionally out of love. His worship is perfect. He lived a perfect life according to his father's wishes. That which is God's will is good, pleasing, and perfect. That's what Jesus wants, which is good for you.
Let the love guide you to act as Jesus intended for your life. This is logical unconditional worship and the answer God expects from His beloved children. You serve God alone, give him honor and gratitude and serve your neighbor. The Lord bless you in your rational, logical worship.
by Toni Püntener
