In Spirit
and Truth
In John 4, a woman meets Him at
the well. She was in a bad situation morally & socially. She & Jesus
begin a conversation about drinking water, but it quickly moves to the
spiritual. Very quickly, the woman beings to realize there is something very
unique about the person she is talking to. 4:19 – a prophet? In 4:20, she moves the discussion to the
proper place of worship. She understood one of the most obvious differences
between Samaritans and Jews centered on worship.
I. Why the Jews and Samaritans did not
worship together:
A.
Samaritans accepted only the Pentateuch as the word
of God.
1.
Jews – all of OT as the authoritative word of
God.
2.
Samaritans worshipped on top of Mt. Gerazim.
3.
Jews worshipped in Jerusalem.
B.
4:20-24 – Jesus capitalizes on a way to
further discuss spiritual truth.
1.
4:21-22 – the debate would soon be over.
C.
Jews & Samaritans were focused on the wrong
question.
D.
4:22 – There is a relationship between
knowledge & worship.
1.
In worship we reflect our acknowledgement of who He
is & what He has done.
E.
4:23-24 – in worship – God demands both
the heart & mind.
II. The
concept of worship.
A.
4:24 – worship means:
1.
To prostrate oneself in homage; to do reverence; to
adore.
B.
Days of Shakespeare: worship was actually spoken as worth-ship.
1.
Psa. 96:8 - we are worth-ifying Him.
C.
When we worship…we rationally respond by:
1.
Acknowledging His goodness & greatness &
graciousness.
2.
Praising Him for what He is; thanking Him for what
He has done.
III. God
cares about how we worship Him.
A.
Lev 10:1-3 – Nadab/Abihu.
1.
God was not treated with reverence or respect.
B.
2 Sam. 6:6-7 – Uzzah.
1.
6:7 – Uzzah did not respect God for what He
said.
IV. But…the
mechanics are not enough.
A.
Correct form of worship was never intended to be an
end w/in itself.
B.
1 Sam. 15:22; Malachi 1 - They failed to see God as
Who He is.
V. Emotionalism is NOT spirituality.
A.
Emotion isn’t everything.
1.
Must not base someone’s spirituality on the basis
of emotion.
2.
But emotions are part of true spirituality.
B.
Feeling in worship is appropriate, but it must be
based upon belief.
C.
Psa. 100:4 – worship produces emotion: joy;
gratitude; awe; and reverence.
1.
It is truth that gives birth to this feeling.
VI.
Encounters with God are no casual thing.
A.
Ex. 20:18-19 – God’s presence at Sinai. They feared for their lives.
B.
Isa 6:1-5 – Isaiah – woe is me for I am ruined.
C.
When we come to worship we encounter God.
1.
A serious occasion! How do we approach it?
A.
Rev. 1:10-20 See 1:10-16 – John’s reaction to
Jesus.
Conclusion:
A.
We need to take an honest look at our present
situation and see if the problem of indifference truly exists among us.