When Everything Becomes Worship

Read this quotation from John Piper with the vicarious perfect obedience of Jesus in mind.

"I believe it can be shown Biblically that all our behavior should be motivated by a thirst for more and more satisfaction in God ...When our whole life is consumed with pursuing satisfaction in God, everything we do highlights the value and worth of God. Which simply means that everything becomes worship" (From the sermon "What is Worship? - Part 2" by John Piper, delivered at the 1994 Philadelphia Conference on Reformed Theology, Apr. 8-9, 1994).

Scripture shows that all of Jesus' behavior was motivated by the pursuit of satisfaction in His Father (John 4:34). His food, his sustenance, his satisfaction, was always to do the will of the Father. This is just another way of saying that everything Jesus did was entirely God-centered. Everything he did was always done in the context of finding his complete satisfaction in God. As amazing as that is in itself, it is even more amazing to learn that Jesus' pursuit of satisfaction in God was a vicarious pursuit (Romans 5:18-19). He did not just pursue satisfaction in God for himself. He also pursued it for us! All Jesus' behavior was motivated by the pursuit of satisfaction in God (John 4:34) "in our place" because all our behavior was motivated by the pursuit of satisfaction in the creature (Romans 1:23). Our pursuit meant that we were under the wrath of God. So in great grace and mercy Jesus pursued satisfaction in God in our room and stead. Therefore, we can say that Jesus’ pursuit of satisfaction in God was a saving pursuit. He pursued it that we might be saved and satisfied in God. The Goodnews of the Gospel is that Jesus lived the life we should have lived and died the death we should have died, so that we who are sinners might worship God in spirit and in truth (John 4:23), so that all of life might become worship for God-belittling sinners. Amazing Grace!