Word of Salvation – December 2010
TRUE WORSHIPPERS, John Haverland
Text: John 4:19-26
Readings: Psalm 115, Deut 12:1-14, John 4:1-26
Theme: Jesus directed the Samaritan woman away from the place of worship to a worship of God the Father in spirit and in truth.
Purpose: To explain that New Testament worship is directed to the Father in dependence on the Spirit and based in the truth about Christ.
****************************
One of the main things we do as a church is to gather together on Sundays for worship. These services are central to our life and fellowship as the people of God; in many ways they are the center-piece of what we do as the church; in worship we are “in our element” as it were; and this is our preparation for what we will be doing in heaven for all eternity.
Since our worship services are so pivotal we do well to pause and consider what we are doing and why and how. We will consider this subject from this familiar account we have read in John 4.
Context: Jesus was on his way from Judea in the south to Galilee in the north.
Many Jews, when making this journey, would cross the Jordan River and go up the east side of the river to avoid traveling through Samaria, because the Jews and Samaritans hated each other.
Jesus, however, wanted to travel through Samaria.
At midday he and his disciples were in a town called Sychar. Jesus rested by Jacob’s well and talked to a woman who had come to draw water.
His conversation with her is a fine example of how to witness to an unbeliever. He directed the conversation towards spiritual matters, speaking about “living water”, and about who he was. He was not afraid to talk to her about her life and morals, pointing out that she had five husbands and was now living with a man!
At this point the woman raised a question about the right place of worship. Scholars differ on her motive for asking this question. Some think it was a genuine inquiry. It seems more likely that she wanted to change the subject; this conversation about her personal life was getting too close to the bone!
That is quite typical for unbelievers; people are ready to discuss the externals of religion but not the state of their own soul. They are ready to talk about general matters of religious controversy but don’t get too direct and personal.
Her question led Jesus to speak about the subject of worship. He told her that worship is NOT ABOUT LOCATION .
If you want to buy a house real estate agents will tell you that there are three important things to consider: 1) Location, 2) location, and 3) location!
That is how the Jews and Samaritans thought about temple worship! The location was all-important. The Lord had told the people of Israel that they ought to worship him in one central location (Deut 12). But for hundreds of years the Jews and the Samaritans had debated where this should be!
The Jews believed that the right place was Jerusalem; the Samaritans believed it should be Mt Gerizim. This debate generated a lot of heat and hostility.
The biblical evidence was clearly in favor of the Jerusalem; the Lord told David and Solomon that this was where the temple should be built. But the Samaritans did not accept this because they only had the first five books of Moses and they did not specify the location.
Jesus did not get drawn into this debate. He responded by saying that the location was not important. “Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem.” (vs 21)
The word translated “time” is the Greek word for “hour”. Jesus used this term to refer to his death, resurrection, and ascension. These events were the crucial turning point from the old covenant to the new.
In the old covenant God specified one central place of worship; in new covenant worship we may worship the Lord anywhere.
In the early church they gathered in the temple courts and in people’s homes. In Africa they often worship under large trees. In PNG they hold services under a tin roof. In countries where Christians are persecuted they will worship out in the forests to avoid detection. In our own country Christians worship the Lord in church buildings or in school halls.
The place is unimportant; worship is not about location; what is important is our attitude and approach, and above all that worship is Trinitarian.
1. First, it is DIRECTED TO GOD THE FATHER
Worship is theocentric; it is God centered. We do not come together to praise ourselves, or any human person; we come together to give glory to God. “Not to us, O Lord, not to us, but to your name be the glory.” (Ps 115:1)
Our worship is to God the Father .
What we are doing is a family affair. God is our Father and we are his children, his sons and daughters.
This means that worship is covenantal; it involves all the people of God, from the youngest to the oldest. We do not have services that are aimed at one segment of the church or one group, but we want everyone to be together. Worship is for the young, the middle aged and the elderly. It is for children and grandparents and everyone in between, because we worship our Father as a family.
This also means that worship is intimate. We can draw close to God because of our family connection. We call him, Abba, Father. There is awe and reverence and respect in worship but also warmth and familiarity.
As we worship God as our Father we also remember that he is a spirit .
The NT gives us four specific descriptions of God: “God is light” (1 John 1:5), “God is love” (1 John 4:8,16), “God is a consuming fire” (Heb 12:29), and God is spirit.
That God is spirit means that he has no physical form. He is not material. He does not live in a temple and he doesn’t anything from us (Acts 7:48; 17:25).
This is why God has commanded us not to make idols or images of him. We must not worship him using any physical form because that will limit him and also distract us in worship. What begins as an aid in worship all too quickly becomes the object of worship.
That God is spirit also means that he is omnipresent – he is present everywhere. He is not confined to one place. That is why we can worship him anywhere and everywhere.
Worship must be directed to God the Father.
2. Secondly, it is in DEPENDENCE ON THE SPIRIT
Jesus said (vs 23); “a time is coming and has now come when the true worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.”
To worship “in spirit” is to worship spiritually, from the heart.
True worship is not just a matter of being in church, although it is a good habit to be here. True worship is not merely a matter of being physically present, of turning up, of being seen, of going through the motions, of making a good impression.
It is not a matter of form or tradition, however good and long-standing our traditions might be.
It is not a matter of external ceremonies and rites and rituals.
Jesus condemned this sort of worship when he spoke about the Pharisees; “These people honour me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me.” (Mark 7:7)
True worshippers will worship the Father in spirit.
Worship must come from our soul or spirit.
It must come from within, not just be outward.
It must be spiritual, not just external.
It must involve the mind, not be mechanical.
Does that describe your worship? Does it come from the heart? Is it genuine? Is it real? Is it sincere? Do you prepare for worship? Do you think about what you are doing? Are you a true worshipper?
Worship in spirit is only possible for people who have been born again by the Holy Spirit. Unbelievers cannot worship in spirit.
In the previous chapter John described the conversation Jesus has with Nicodemus where he emphasized the necessity of this spiritual rebirth; “No one can see the kingdom of God unless he is born again.” (3:3). We can also say; No one can worship God in spirit unless he is born again.”
Once we are born again we need the ongoing help of God’s Spirit. By ourselves we are incapable of worshipping God properly. We are sinful and self-centered and weak. We need the Spirit of God to help us pray to him and to praise him. We are dependant on God’s Spirit all the time.
Are you aware of that? Does that describe your approach to worship? Before you come do you ask God to fill you with his Spirit so that you may worship him in spirit, from the heart, in dependence on him?
Worship is directed to God, and it comes from a heart changed by the Spirit.
3. Thirdly, it is IN THE TRUTH ABOUT CHRIST
“True worshippers will worship the Father in spirit and in truth .”
This was so of Old Testament worship ; that also had to be in truth. For the people of Israel the truth about God was presented in ceremonies and offerings and sacrifices. It was in types and shadows and pictures. All of these were true and they presented the truth about God; but it was preliminary, anticipating what was to come.
The full reality came with Jesus. He said (vs 23); “A time is coming and has now come…”
The coming of Jesus brought about a change in worship because he was the Messiah that the Jews and the Samaritans were expecting! He was the Christ! He was the Anointed One.
What was predicted by the prophets would be fulfilled in him; the shadows would become reality; the types would be fulfilled.
Our worship of God today is much richer and fuller and more complete than the worship of Israel in the OT because we are worshipping in this year of our Lord, Anno Domine (AD) 2010.
It is more complete because Jesus was and is the truth. To worship God in truth is to worship him in the truth we know about Jesus.
John explained; “For the law was given through Moses, grace and truth came through Jesus Christ.” (1:17)
Jesus himself said; “I am the way, the truth and the life.” (14:6)
Jesus came to reveal and explain the truth about God the Father. He did that building on all that God had revealed about himself in the Scriptures through the prophets and through the history of Israel. We know much more about the triune God than did Abraham, Moses, or David.
Jesus is not here any longer because he has ascended into heaven. But he has sent us his Spirit, who is the Spirit of truth . (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13) The Holy Spirit is the agent of the Lord Jesus. Through the Scriptures he helps us to know the truth and to understand it. With his help we can worship the Father in truth.
Worship must have a solid basis in the truth; it must have a firm historical and doctrinal foundation.
Worship can be very emotional, but it must be more than simply emotion.
It can produce strong feelings, but it must be more than mere feeling.
We worship God with our emotions, our body, our soul, and our mind.
We worship God in spirit and in truth.
Worship like this will honor God, will convert the lost, and will build up believers in the faith.
We can worship the Lord our God anywhere as his people; the location is unimportant.
What is important is that our worship is directed to God, given from the heart in dependence on the Holy Spirit, and based on the truth revealed to us in Jesus Christ.
These are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks.
Are you this kind of worshipper?
Amen