Invited into Perfect Worship

This morning's service was centered on the idea of worship, which was defined for the message as that which gives God pleasure. Now this is a bit different definition than I'm used to, but I think it works, particularly if we pick up on some of John Piper's ideas. God primarily takes pleasure in His own glory, and "God is most glorified in us when we are most satisfied in Him." John Piper. God takes pleasure in seeing His children delight themselves in that which is the very best, which is, of course, God Himself. When we delight ourselves in something, our very delight ascribes worth to that which we delight in. And ascribing worth to a thing is the original meaning of the English word worship

What was most particularly thought provoking was the text on the closing slide, which indicated that there is only one person who truly pleases God, namely Jesus Christ. It is Jesus Christ alone who truly pleases God, who truly obeys God, who truly in word and deed ascribes to God the true worth of God. In effect, it is Jesus Christ alone who truly worships.

But what is amazing is that God imputes to us the right-ness of Jesus Christ. Meaning that we are invited into the true and perfect worship of God, so that God delights in us because of our incorporation into Jesus Christ. Just as we do not know how to pray as we ought, but the Holy Spirit Himself prays on our behalf, so too we do not know how to worship as we ought, but the Son Himself worships on our behalf. In this way God receives the proper ascription of worth that He deserves and in which He delights, regardless of how inept we are at worship.

And in the end, we are swept up into the eternal perfect community of Father, Son and Holy Spirit -- into the perfect heavenly worship and the perfect heavenly delight!!