THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST -- "The Wonder of Worship"

THE REVELATION OF JESUS CHRIST
“The Wonder of Worship”
John 4:19-24
January 15, 2012

Last week we talked about Jesus as the Living Water of spiritual rebirth as He talked to the woman at the well in John 4:1-14. And in His continuing conversation with this woman, Jesus begins to speak of a matter that I would like to talk to you about this morning -- worship. So let’s read vs 19-24.

For many people, worship is raising their hands, or singing in the Spirit, or bowing or kneeling. To be sure, these are elements that become evident in times of worship. But true worship isn’t about actions. True worship is about attitude. And having a right attitude about worship, will move us to true worship. In this area of Scripture, we see that this Samaritan woman is troubled. Why? It’s because:

JESUS CONFRONTED HER SIN -- John 4:19-20, “The woman said to Him, " Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. " Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Our fathers worshiped in this mountain, and you people say that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship."

She didn’t react in anger or ignore what Jesus said to her nor did she argue with Him. But she sensed two things:

THAT JESUS WAS A PROPHET -- She sensed that Jesus was in touch with God, so therefore, He could help her. Secondly,

SHE SENSED HER SIN -- She sensed that she needed to take care of this sin in her life so that she could worship God. May God bring us across the paths of people like this woman. And as He does that, we will be prepared to give them the direction to Jesus Christ. But the question for her was where should she go to worship God? Samaritans could only worship at Mount Gerizim while the Jew could only worship in Jerusalem. But Jesus is about to change all of that and He points out a few things to her. First, Jesus points out that:


THE PLACE OF WORSHIP IS NOT IMPORTANT -- John 4:21-22, “Jesus said to her, ‘Woman, believe Me, an hour is coming when neither in this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, shall you worship the Father. You worship that which you do not know; we worship that which we know, for salvation is from the Jews.’” The worship of God was going to be radically changed when Jesus died and rose from the dead and the Holy Spirit would come.

Paul writes in 1 Corinthians 6:19-20 “Or do you not know that your body is a temple of the Holy Spirit who is in you, whom you have from God, and that you are not your own? For you have been bought with a price: therefore glorify God in your body.” It is for this reason that you can worship God in your car, in the church, in the shower, in prison, in a hospital, in a grocery checkout – anywhere because God lives in our hearts.

What’s important is not the PLACE of worship but the OBJECT of worship. You can be sitting in this church this morning and not be worshiping God. To worship God in a way that pleases Him, you have to have your whole being focused on Jesus. Satan will work to distract you with thoughts that have nothing to do with God. You have to resist the devil and get your attention focused on Jesus Christ.

Hebrews 13:15 says, “Through Him then, let us continually offer up a sacrifice of praise to God, that is, the fruit of lips that give thanks to His name.” Open your mouth and praise Him out loud and you’re less likely to be distracted. When you cheer for your favorite team, are you quiet about it? Hardly. You are consumed with the intensity of the game and your attention is focused. You don’t want any interruptions. How much more should we praise and worship the Lord openly and not allow any distractions to our worship? Jesus then points out that:

WORSHIP AND SALVATION IS OF THE JEWS -- John 4:23" You worship that which you do not know; we worship that which we know, for salvation is from the Jews. "But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.”

Jesus Christ was a Jew and it was through Him, a Jew, that salvation has come. The Jewish people were God’s special people. They were born by a special act of God. And God wanted 4 things. First, He wanted a people who would:

LOVE HIM ABOVE ALL ELSE -- God wanted a people who would love Him totally, completely and supremely and who would give Him their first love. God still wants that. He wanted a people who would:

WITNESS HIM TO THE WORLD -- God wanted a people who would show the world that He was the one true God. God still wants that. He wanted a people through whom: PP

HE COULD SEND A SAVIOR -- God wanted a people through whom He would send His one and only begotten Son who would be the Savior to the human race. God still wants that. He wanted a people through whom:

HE COULD SEND HIS WRITTEN WORD -- He wanted to preserve His Word for all generations to come and He wanted a people who would allow Him to do that. And God still wants that.

He searched for that people and couldn’t find anyone. He found Abraham, and it was through Abraham that God created a new people and a new nation who would be His chosen people—the Jews. But, time and time again the Jews failed God by not listening to His messengers. Finally, God sent His only Son through a virgin woman. But they rejected and crucified Him. That was the final blow. The Jews and the Romans represented the entire human race. So, the entire human race was involved in the execution His only Son. But through the death and resurrection of Jesus, God began to put together a people that is now made up of all nations on the earth who want to love and follow His Son, Jesus Christ. Finally, Jesus said that:

TRUE WORSHIPERS WORSHIP IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH -- John 4:24 "God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." Jesus spoke of several things concerning worship. First He spoke of:

A CHANGE IN WORSHIP -- Before Jesus, men worshiped God in places like the temple. But now the location meant nothing because Jesus opened the door into the very presence of God. Secondly, He spoke of:

THE NATURE OF WORSHIP -- We are to worship God in spirit seeking intimate fellowship with God. We are to worship in truth and come to God in the right way which is through Jesus Christ. We are to worship sincerely and truthfully not half heartedly with wandering thoughts and sleep eyes. Thirdly, Jesus spoke of:

THE REASON FOR WORSHIP -- God created us to worship Him and fellowship with Him. Truth and spirit are at the very core of worship that is alive and not dead. Knowing WHO we worship is crucial to true worship. When we worship in Spirit, the Spirit will lead us to truth. And we He leads us to truth, we will worship in Spirit. As we live our lives in Jesus Christ, we will be brought into truth. John 16:13 says, "But when He, the Spirit of truth, comes, He will guide you into all the truth; for He will not speak on His own initiative, but whatever He hears, He will speak; and He will disclose to you what is to come.” Keeping our focus on Jesus Christ allows the Holy Spirit to bring us into the presence of God the Father and we will then worship Him in Spirit and in truth.

CALL---The Samaritan woman was looking for something that would cleanse her from her sins. She was searching for help to get rid of the guilt of her sin. She found that in Jesus Christ. He’ll do the same for you today. Don’t ignore Jesus or argue with Him. Just surrender your life to Him – confess to Him that you are a sinner as we all are and that you want His forgiveness. Do that with your heart and He will give you a new life.

True worship comes from a heart that desires the presence of God, to love and adore Him. It comes from a heart that will set aside all things just to praise Him and fellowship with Him. Doesn’t He deserve our attention: Doesn’t He deserve the fruit of our lips, our voices singing praise and worship to Him? Can we take some time this morning and just come and worship Him.

Father, we desire to be in Your presence. Holy Spirit, as we lift our voices in praise, lead us into truth and help us to worship God in a manner that is please to Him and that will exalt Jesus Christ. Remind us daily that we can be in the presence of God and worship anytime, anywhere under any circumstances because of the cross of Calvary and the shed blood of Jesus Christ that opened the door into the Throne Room of God. In Jesus’ name I pray. AMEN