In Spirit And Truth

WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH

John 4:15-26

Last week we covered the first 15 verses of this chapter and I am not going to cover those verses again. Instead, I want to bring your attention to some of the primary lessons out of the verses that were read.

First, look with me at vs. 15. Jesus has just told this Samarian woman that if she knew who He was, and the “living water” He could give her, she would ask Him for something to drink instead of Him asking her.”

So she says in vs. 15: “Sir, give me this water, so I will not be thirsty, nor come all the way here to draw.”

Now, her request sounds legitimate, but is it? She has never met this Jewish man before; and the water He is offering her will keep her from ever being thirst again and it will spring up to eternal life! “Yea right!”
It is almost like she is mocking Christ. “Sure, give me this water so I won’t be thirsty again! (Sarcastically)

She is only doing what others will do and are still doing today. People have always mocked Christ.

Well, Jesus is going to get her attention, look at vs. 16: He said to her, “Go, call your husband, and come here.” The woman answered and said, “I have no husband.” Jesus said to her, “You have well said, ‘I have no husband’; 18 for you have had five husbands, and the one whom you now have is not your husband; this you have said truly.”

If it was funny before it isn’t now! She had just met this man!
How did He know about her husbands? How did He know about her past?
What else did He know?

And this is what people today, perhaps even some of us, need to learn or be reminded of- Jesus knows!

Hebrews 14:13 says that” no one is hidden from His sight; all things are open and laid bare before His eyes.
Matthew 6:4 and vs. 6 tells us that our “Father sees those things done in secret.”
And the irony is, people make fun of Christ, they mock Him and disrespect Him, and yet, it is only in Christ and because of Christ and through Christ that anyone can be forgiven of those things that cause them to be condemned in the eyes of God.
People might laugh now, and make crude jokes about Him, but without Christ and what He has to give, like this woman, it will ultimately no longer be funny.
This woman needed the “living water” that Christ was and is willing to give; perhaps someone here this morning needs it too.

So, now this Samaritan woman starts to realize that this Jewish man is something more than just a man; vs. 19: “Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 20 “Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.”

And starting in vs. 21 Jesus says that everything is going to change. Look what He says:

Jesus said to her, “Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall you worship the Father.

Worship is not about geography; it is not about location.
Have you ever noticed how many people think it is?
When Muslims pray, what direction do they face? Toward Mecca. Why?
When Jews pray, what direction do they face? Toward Jerusalem. (If they want to become wise they are to pray toward the south; rich toward the north; and individual can turn his feet towards Jerusalem and then turn his head a different direction – Talmud).
Every year just before Easter in New Mexico, dozens and dozens of people make a pilgrimage to Chimayo to the shrine there. Why?
And if you go into one of the shrines or the sanctuary of some of their churches they will tell you to be quiet because “God is here!”

If God is there, does that mean that He is not in some other place?

And if He is not where I am, does that mean He doesn’t see what I am doing; that I don’t have to be faithful?

God has always wanted to be among His people, that was true when Adam and Eve were in the garden; and that was the primary reason why He had the tabernacle built in the wilderness and the temple built in Jerusalem.

But when it got to the point that worshiping God was a meaningless gesture; when it got to the point that the building was more important than He was, the temple was destroyed and guess where God dwells now?

Look at this from Eph 2:19-22: So then you are no longer strangers and aliens, but you are fellow citizens with the saints, and are of God’s household, 20 having been built upon the foundation of the apostles and prophets, Christ Jesus Himself being the corner stone, 21 in whom the whole building, being fitted together is growing into a holy temple in the Lord; 22 in whom you also are being built together into a dwelling of God in the Spirit.

1 Cor 3:16 Do you not know that you are a temple of God, and that the Spirit of God dwells in you? 17 If any man destroys the temple of God, God will destroy him, for the temple of God is holy, and that is what you are.

1 Cor 6:19 Do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit, who is in you, whom you have received from God?

2 Cor 6:16 Or what agreement has the temple of God with idols? For we are the temple of the living God; just as God said, “I will dwell in them and walk among them; And I will be their God, and they shall be My people.

It is not about geography or location; you don’t have to go to a high mountain or a shrine to get close to Him because, if you are a child of God He already dwells in you.

Now Vs. 22. Jesus speaks to the woman and He says: You (plural) worship that which you do not know; we (plural) worship that which we know, for salvation is from the Jews.

The only writings that the Samaritans acknowledged were the first 5 books of the Old Testament; so their worship would be on the basis of inadequate knowledge.
But it was different for the Jews; they worshipped in the divinely chosen place and in the divinely prescribed manner; priests; sacrifices; rituals.

Now, vs. 23: But an hour is coming (things are changing), and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; . 23 For such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers. 24 “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Jesus says that “true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth.”
“Spirit” here expresses the character of the worship; it is not an unfeeling, unthinking ritual.
So much of the Jewish and Samaritan worship was ritual and in the beginning they did what they did because it was commanded by God; but before long they were just going through the motions. It didn’t mean anything to them. They did what they did, not because they wanted to, but because they had to. We saw a glimpse of this when Jesus cleansed the temple in John 2.
To worship in spirit is to willingly and sincerely worship from the heart and not because “I have to.”

And “true worshippers” worship the Father in truth: truth in this verse is the truth revealed in God’s word.

God has never left it up to man to decide how God is going to be worshipped. (Man will come up with all kinds of crazy ideas, most of which are pleasing to man; holding rattlesnakes; declaring immunity to illness or disease; healing; speaking in tongues; dancing, glorifying man, violating sound teaching.)
“True worshippers” must worship according to what He has authorized.

Now, if “true worshipers” are to worship in “spirit and truth” if an individual doesn’t worship in spirit and truth, what is he?

And notice vs. 23: For such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.

God knows and seeks those who worship sincerely and according to truth; but He rejects those who worship falsely.

24 “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

Vs. 25 The woman said to Him, “I know that Messiah is coming (He who is called Christ); when that One comes, He will declare all things to us.” 26 Jesus said to her, “I who speak to you am He.”

Now, from vs. 20-24 you find the word “worship” in some form or another 9 times; that is the topic of discussion.

People often think that “worship” consists of “just coming to church.” (Singing the songs; taking communion; praying; and hearing the sermon – and that is something you only have to do once a week.)

Look at 1 Peter 2:4: And coming to Him as to a living stone, rejected by men, but choice and precious in the sight of God, 5 you also, as living stones, are being built up as a spiritual house for a holy priesthood, to offer up spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ.

For those who are in Christ worship isn’t limited to the assemblies on Sunday morning.
Our daily lives; how we live is to be a sacrifice or worship to God!

Look at this in Rom 12:1-2: I urge you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies a living and holy sacrifice, acceptable to God, which is your spiritual service of worship. 2 And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what the will of God is, that which is good and acceptable and perfect.

For those who are in Christ, the way we live, the things we do is to honor God; pay homage to Him and our worship through the way we live is to be done in “spirit and in truth.”

So, in John 4:24 Jesus says that we are to “worship God in spirit and truth.”

That word “worship” in the Greek is the word “pros-koo-ne-o” and it literally means “to kiss the hand towards”; blow a kiss.
Now, when you or I do that toward someone what are we expressing: love; devotion; we are ascribing value or worth to that individual.

But if someone blows a kiss to us and doesn’t mean it, how does it make you feel?

When you or I do that toward God; we just go through the motion of honoring God; how do you think it makes God feel?

Well, we get an idea. Look at this verse in Matthew 15:1: Then some Pharisees and scribes came to Jesus from Jerusalem, saying, 2 “Why do Your disciples transgress the tradition of the elders? For they do not wash their hands when they eat bread.” 3 And He answered and said to them, “And why do you yourselves transgress the commandment of God for the sake of your tradition? 4 “For God said, ‘Honor your father and mother,’ and, ‘He who speaks evil of father or mother, let him be put to death.’ 5 “But you say, ‘Whoever shall say to his father or mother,” Anything of mine you might have been helped by has been given to God, ” 6 he is not to honor his father or his mother.’ And thus you invalidated the word of God for the sake of your tradition. 7 “You hypocrites, rightly did Isaiah prophesy of you, saying,

8’This people honors Me with their lips, But their heart is far away from Me. 9’But in vain do they worship Me, Teaching as doctrines the precepts of men.’ “

24 “God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”

If you or I have just been going through the motions of worshiping God, we need to repent.
If God can tell we don’t mean it, it may be the people we are around know we don’t mean it as well.

When you consider all that He has done for us physically and spiritually, no one and no thing is worthy of our sincere, truthful worship than God is.

Now, in this chapter Jesus offers this Samaritan woman “living water” that “will spring up to eternal life.”

His offer still stands today. It is available for any who will repent of their sinful walk; confess Jesus as Lord, and be baptized into Christ for the remission of our sins; and living faithful to Him even unto death. If that is your desire…