LIFE OF CHRIST
John 4:23-24
SO, WHO’S RIGHT?
Life of Christ #12
Worship is a big
issue today. Many churches have gone to
what is called contemporary worship. This almost always involves a praise or
worship band or team. When a transition
is made from traditional hymns to contemporary music, there is usually
dissension in a church. Some churches
have gone to two services, one with traditional music the other with
contemporary music.
Most people are
not neutral about their position on worship.
They like to worship a certain way, and think that their way is
right. In our own family, we have those
who prefer the contemporary worship and others that prefer traditional worship
hymns and anthems, a more classic sound.
So, who’s right?
·
Is the traditionalist right who
wants to worship with classic hymns, anthems, and written prayers?
·
Is the traditional Evangelical
Christian right, who worships with traditional hymns of worship and experience,
such as “Holy, Holy, Holy”, and the “The Old Rugged Cross”?
·
Is the contemporary Christian
right, who likes to worship with a praise band, often with a fairly rocky
sound?
·
Or is someone else right, whose
worship I have not mentioned?
It may surprise
you to find out that I have an answer for you this morning based on the next
event in our chronological study on the Life of Christ.
Our Lord left
Most Jews would
have gone around.
You are probably
familiar with this story.
And when you have
heard preaching on this story, the point of the sermon was usually something
about leading people to Christ or salvation. Those types of sermons are very
fitting and should be preached. I have preached them myself.
A question by the
Woman at the Well, however, can also lead to a discussion of what true worship
really is. That is what I would like to
share with you this morning as we answer the question concerning worship, “So,
who’s right?”
We need to
summarize the story before we discuss worship.
Vs. 5-6, 8 - Jesus arrives near a city called Sychar. Jesus, having a human body, was tired and sat
at the well. The disciples went into town to buy food.
Vs. 7 – Jesus asked the woman for a drink of water.
Vs. 9 – The woman was surprised. Jewish men did not talk to Samaritan
women. She was wondering why Jesus would
do this.
Vs. 10 – Jesus basically tells the woman that if she knew who Jesus was, she
would ask for water and He would have given her “living water”. The “living water” would refer to the Holy
Spirit who indwells every person who trusts Christ as Savior.
Vss. 11-12 – The woman wondered how Jesus could draw water from a deep well without
a pot or bucket, or something to contain the water. She wanted to know if he
were greater than Jacob who drank there.
Vss. 13-14 – Jesus tells the woman that they which drink of the well water will
thirst again. The water Jesus gives is
special.
One never thirsts
again spiritually, but has the well of everlasting life
Vs. 15 – The woman is interested, but still doesn’t get it. She wants the water
so she won’t get thirsty or have to come to the well and draw water anymore.
Vs. 16 – Jesus has her interest, now He is going to start to reveal Himself to
her. “Go. Get your husband and come back, and I will tell you all about it.”
Vss. 17-18 – The woman probably bows her head in shame and admits that she has no
husband. Jesus agrees and tells her that she has had five husbands. And she’s living with someone right now who
is not her husband!
Vs. 19 – The woman gets on the right track.
She perceives him to be a prophet.
Vss. 25-26 – The woman mentions that the Messiah is coming, and that he will tell
all things. She was wondering, could
Jesus be the Messiah. Jesus answered in the affirmative. He was the Messiah!
Vss. 28-29 – The woman believed and went to tell others.
The woman’s faith was a
real faith.
When the woman
perceived Jesus to be a prophet in verse 19, she had a question. Many feel that she was trying to divert Jesus
from dealing with her soul, that she was changing the subject.
But this isn’t
necessarily so.
She very well
could have been wondering about this issue all her life, and now had someone to
ask for an answer.
Vs. 20 – The woman asked the same question that people are asking today. “When
it comes to worship, who’s right?”
The Samaritans
worshipped on
Vs. 21 – Jesus begins his answer by saying that in a short time, the place of
worship would not be on
Vs. 22 – Jesus makes it clear to her that the Samaritan religion is confused,
not right. Salvation is from the Jews,
because Jesus is the Jewish Messiah, who would die for the sins of the world.
Vss. 23-24 – Now Jesus tells us who is right when it comes to worship.
True worshippers
are wanted by God.
A true worshipper
does not necessarily use a specific type of worship, hymn, chorus or
service. A true worshipper worships God
in spirit and in truth because God is Spirit and must be worshipped in spirit
and in truth.
The question we
need to ask ourselves, then, is not, “Is my style of worship right?”, but “Am I
a true worshipper?”
If you are a true
worshipper, I believe there is latitude in the way you can worship. I believe
God accepts variety.
Let’s look at two
facts about a true worshipper this morning.
A TRUE WORSHIPPER
WORSHIPS IN SPIRIT
A TRUE WORSHIPPER
WORSHIPS IN TRUTH
A TRUE
WORSHIPPER WORSHIPS IN SPIRIT
John 4:24 - God is a Spirit: and they that
worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
Notice that when
we worship God in spirit, spirit is spelled with a small “s”. The Holy Spirit is not being referred to
here, although we will see in a few minutes that the Holy Spirit is important
in our worship.
Jesus is referring
to the human spirit here. The place and
style of worship is not as important as worshipping God sincerely inside of
us. If we truly worship God with our
inner spirits our whole lives will be affected.
So how do I go
about worshipping in Spirit?
I MUST LOVE IN
SPIRIT
I MUST BE LOYAL IN
SPIRIT
I MUST LEAN IN
SPIRIT
·
I MUST LOVE IN SPIRIT
If I am going to
truly worship God, I must love Him.
It is impossible
to truly worship God unless you truly love Him.
Why should I love
God?
I should love God
because He is my creator.
I should love God
because He is God.
I should love God
because He loves me and has given me everlasting life. Isaiah 53:3-6,
1 John 4:10, 19, 1
Peter 1:8
·
I MUST BE LOYAL IN SPIRIT
Here’s where we
Christians run into trouble.
We love God in our
Spirits, but we tend to love other things and people more so.
If I am going to
truly worship God in my Spirit, I must be loyal in my Spirit to my God.
Deuteronomy 6:4-5
In the early
church, there was a great church in
But Jesus goes on
to say that this great church had a problem. And this problem was in the spirit
of the individual member.
Revelation 2:4 - Nevertheless I have somewhat
against thee, because thou hast left thy first love.
We often fail to
worship in our spirits because we love someone or something more than we love
the Lord Jesus! We can’t worship because
another God has replaced Jesus in our spirits.
·
I MUST LEAN IN SPIRIT
We are human and
need help in our spirits if we are going to worship properly. It is when we are
so loyal to God that we are completely yielded to Him that our spirits will be
controlled by the Holy Spirit. The
results will be that we will truly worship in our spirits. Ephesians 5:18-20
In your spirit,
lean on the Holy Spirit, and you will worship in spirit.
A TRUE WORSHIPPER
WORSHIPS IN SPIRIT
A TRUE
WORSHIPPER WORSHIPS IN TRUTH
There are at least
three ways that a true worshipper will worship God in Truth.
·
THE TRUTH OF SALVATION
There are many
ways people take to get to God.
All of them are
wrong but one.
Jesus very clearly
states in John 14:6 …I am the way, the
truth, and the life: no man cometh unto the Father, but by me.
Jesus is the
truth.
If you have Jesus
as your Savior you have truth.
If you do not have
Jesus as your Savior you do not have truth.
You will only
worship God in truth if you have come to God’s way through faith in Jesus
Christ.
·
THE TRUTH OF SANCTIFICATION
If you are a true
believer in the Lord Jesus, God has sanctified you, or set you apart for Him.
1 Corinthians
6:11 - And such were some of you: but ye are washed, but ye are sanctified,
but ye are justified in the name of the Lord Jesus, and by the Spirit of our
God.
Because God has
set us apart for Him, that is sanctified us, we are to walk in the truth of
sanctification. We are to live holy,
Godly lives, as a result of the truth of sanctification taking root in our
spirits.
1 Peter 1:15-16 - But as he which hath called you
is holy, so be ye holy in all manner of conversation; [16] Because it is
written, Be ye holy; for I am holy.
·
THE TRUTH OF SCRIPTURE
God’s Word, the
Bible is our authority.
If I am going to
worship God in truth, I will do so by learning, loving, leaning on, and
listening to the Word of God.
I can not worship
God in truth and be disobedient to His Word.
Psalm 119:11 - Thy word have I hid in mine
heart, that I might not sin against thee.
Jeremiah 15:16 - Thy words were found, and I did
eat them; and thy word was unto me the joy and rejoicing of mine heart: for I
am called by thy name, O Lord God of hosts.
So, who’s right
when it come to worship?
I believe that
everyone is right who truly follows the principles for worship laid down in
John 4:23-24.
The style of
worship is not as important as the condition of a person’s heart.
Are you a true
worshipper?
A TRUE
WORSHIPPER WORSHIPS IN SPIRIT
I MUST LOVE IN
SPIRIT
I MUST BE LOYAL IN
SPIRIT
I MUST LEAN IN
SPIRIT
A TRUE
WORSHIPPER WORSHIPS IN TRUTH
THE TRUTH OF
SALVATION
THE TRUTH OF
SANCTIFICATION
THE TRUTH OF
SCRIPTURE
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