WHY ARE WE HERE?                                                                   9-14-03

To Become Worshippers

John 4:19-24 (24)

Our reading from the Bible this morning begins in the middle of a culturally unacceptable conversation.  Jesus is talking with a woman    at a public well near the village of Sychar.  This was a place where women gathered to get water for their family’s needs for the day. Usually they came before they began their daily tasks.

But Jesus came at midday, and found a solitary woman there, a   Samaritan woman, part Jew, part Gentile.  She was also a woman who could not keep a marriage together.  Five times she had tied the knot, but it had always proven to be a slip-knot. And now she had given up on   marriage and was just living with a man.  She likely was not accepted by the other women of the village, so she came alone to get her water.

This was an encounter arranged by God Himself.  Jesus needed a drink of water, and the woman needed a drink of living water, the spiritual kind that only Jesus could supply.  So they talk, and Jesus begins to reveal to her Who He is, that He is the Messiah for Whom Israel has been waiting. 

Let’s begin reading at v.19 (thru v.24).

“God is seeking worshippers” Jesus says, “worshippers who will worship in spirit and in truth.”

WHAT IS WORSHIP?  What is it that God desires from us?

In its narrowest sense, worship is bowing in reverence.  Both the O.T. Hebrew word and the N.T. Greek word carry that idea: the bowing of one’s heart and often one’s body in reverence and humility and submission.

In a broader sense, worship is anything we do that brings delight to God.

Genesis 22 contains the first use of the word “worship” in the Bible.  Abraham has gone with his young son, Isaac, to Mt. Moriah.  As they get to the foot of the hill – it was more like the Dishman Hills than it was like Mount Rainier—they leave the servants there.  Abraham says to them: “Stay here with the donkey while I and the boy go over there. We will worship and then we will come back to you.”

He was about to lay his son on an altar and give him totally to God.  He was about to relinquish all of his rights to his son, a son for whom he had waited so long.  That act of laying down all his hopes, all his dreams, all of his expectations, he calls that worship.

Romans 12 begins Therefore, I urge you, brothers, in view of God’s mercy, to offer your bodies as living sacrifices, holy and pleasing to God—this is your spiritual act of worship.  Offering ourselves to God is an act of worship – presenting ourselves fully to God.

Worship is more than singing.  It is more than music.  It is more than a mood, or a feeling, or a bodily position.  It is a lifestyle, a life that is lived to bring delight to God, to bring pleasure to God.  And that is, in fact, our primary purpose in life – to worship God, to bring Him pleasure.

Listen to these words from Ephesians 1:11 In him we were also chosen, having been predestined according to the plan of him who works out everything in conformity with the purpose of his will, in order that we, who were the first to hope in Christ, might be for the praise of his glory.

In him we were also chosen…in order that we…might be for the praise of his glory.

God created us to worship, and we will worship.  If we do not worship God, we will come up with something or someone else whom we will worship. Something will have first place in our lives.  It may not be an idol of wood or metal or stone; it may be our bank account, our portfolio, our home, our toys.  It may be sports; it may be entertainment; it may be pleasure or comfort.  It may be our spouse, or our child; it may be our job, or our education, or our title.

But we will bow down to something.  And God knows that it is best for us if we bow down to Him rather than bowing down to something else that will rob us of His fellowship and His blessing.

I want us to focus for a bit on the narrower meaning of worship – the bowing of our heart in reverence and submission to God.  And I want us to look at…

HOW TO WORSHIP

In John 4:24, Jesus said we are to worship in spirit and in truth.

Worship In Spirit.

The woman with whom Jesus was talking here wanted to discuss the right place to worship: “We say here, you say there.”  And Jesus tells her that worship is not a matter of place, but a matter of the heart: “Samaria, Jerusalem – that’s not the issue,” He says.  Worship comes out of your spirit, not out of your surroundings.

We sit here today nearly 2000 years and 6700 miles removed from either the Jewish Temple in Jerusalem or the Samaritan Temple on Mt. Gerizim.  If worship were a matter of place, then we would be hopelessly out of luck.  But if it’s a thing of the spirit, then we can worship whenever we live, and wherever we live.

God is Spirit.  He is not confined to places.  God is Spirit.  What He wants from us is not the offering of an animal laid on an physical altar of sacrifice.  What He wants from us is our spirit bowed in reverence and humility and submission before Him.  We are to worship in spirit.

The clapping of our hands, the lifting of our hands, the singing and shouting and dancing, the playing of instruments – none of those is worship.  They may be vehicles of our worship.  They may be expressions of our praise to God.  But then again, they may just be a form we are going through.  They may be Jerusalem and Gerizim – not condemned by Jesus, but beside the point.  Without a heart bowed in reverence before God, they are only form.  We worship in spirit.

Worship In Truth. 

Here was a gentle rebuke to this woman.  The Samaritans accepted the first 5 books of the Old Testament, they accepted the Law.  But they rejected all the rest.  They rejected the words of the prophets, the historical books, the books of Psalms and Proverbs.  Theirs was an incomplete worship, for they missed the truth.

The Jewish Rabbis of Jesus’ day taught that the Samaritans’ worship was not founded on love and knowledge, but on ignorance and fear.

In our own post-modern society, many believe that there is no such thing as objective truth.  Everything is subjective to them; it is not truth but belief that counts.  And what I believe is just as valid as what you believe.  Unless, of course, we are talking about whether that man getting on the bus has a bomb strapped to his body under that trench coat, or just some packages.  Then belief does not matter; it’s truth that matters.

The Bible talks about true worship, false worship, and mixed worship.  Let’s look at each of these.

False worship. 

Turn with me to the book of Isaiah in the Old Testament, chapter 44.  (pg.516). The verses we are going to look at are part of a passage that is comparing Jehovah God with the gods of the nations surrounding Israel.  The passage begins: This is what the LORD says—Israel’s King and Redeemer, the LORD Almighty: I am the first and I am the last; apart from me there is no God. Who then is like me? Let him proclaim it. Let him declare and lay out before me what has happened since I established my ancient people, and what is yet to come— yes, let him foretell what will come.

Then down in v.14 it says: (read 14-19)

False worship – worshipping a man-made god carved from wood.

Go a couple of chapters further, Isaiah 46.  Beginning in v.5 (thru v.10).

False worship is also found in Matthew 4:8.  Satan is tempting Jesus, and here is the exchange between them:

Again, the devil took him to a very high mountain and showed him all the kingdoms of the world and their splendor. “All this I will give you,” he said, “if you will bow down and worship me.”  Jesus said to him, “Away from me, Satan! For it is written: ‘Worship the Lord your God, and serve him only.’

Satan is still saying that to us today: “Just bow down and worship me.  Listen to what I say; do what I urge you to do; what I am offering you will fulfill your deepest desires; holiness is a thing of the past; no one is following that old-fashioned book any more; even pastors don’t live like it says; I have a better way for you.”

And we can choose to do what Jesus did and command him to leave us because our worship is reserved only for the Lord our God, or we can bow down to Satan and do his bidding – false worship.

Mixed worship.

There are some frightfully contemporary verses found in the book of     2 Kings 17 (pg.274). 

The people of Northern Israel have been overrun and carried away into captivity.  Some of them have been left in the land, and other non-Jewish people have been imported.  As they come, they bring their idol worship with them.  Here is what it says beginning in v.24 (thru v.41).

Repeatedly it says: They worshipped the Lord, but…

And then the last verse of that chapter: Even while these people were worshiping the LORD, they were serving their idols. To this day their children and grandchildren continue to do as their fathers did.

Mixed worship.  “Yes, we worship the Lord, but…”  It sounds like a lot of what I see and hear today among many of those who consider themselves Christians.  We worship the Lord, we think.  At least we go through the motions.  But at the same time we serve our idols.  Is that what you are doing?  "Yes, I worship the Lord, but…”

True worship.

Let me read for you a couple of examples of this in the Bible:

2 Chronicles 7:1-3 When Solomon finished praying, fire came down from heaven and consumed the burnt offering and the sacrifices, and the glory of the LORD filled the temple. The priests could not enter the temple of the LORD because the glory of the LORD filled it.  When all the Israelites saw the fire coming down and the glory of the LORD above the temple, they knelt on the pavement with their faces to the ground, and they worshiped and gave thanks to the LORD, saying,

“He is good; his love endures forever.”

2 Chronicles 29:27-30 Hezekiah gave the order to sacrifice the burnt offering on the altar. As the offering began, singing to the LORD began also, accompanied by trumpets and the instruments of David king of Israel.  The whole assembly bowed in worship, while the singers sang and the trumpeters played. All this continued until the sacrifice of the burnt offering was completed. When the offerings were finished, the king and everyone present with him knelt down and worshiped.  King Hezekiah and his officials ordered the Levites to praise the LORD with the words of David and of Asaph the seer. So they sang praises with gladness and bowed their heads and worshiped.

Revelation 4:9-11 Whenever the living creatures give glory, honor and thanks to him who sits on the throne and who lives for ever and ever, the twenty-four elders fall down before him who sits on the throne, and worship him who lives for ever and ever. They lay their crowns before the throne and say:  “You are worthy, our Lord and God, to receive glory and honor and power, for you created all things, and by your will they were created and have their being.” 

Revelation 7:11-12 All the angels were standing around the throne and around the elders and the four living creatures. They fell down on their faces before the throne and worshiped God, saying:  “Amen! Praise and glory and wisdom and thanks and honor and power and strength be to our God for ever and ever. Amen!”

We are to worship in spirit, and in truth rather than in error.

Let me quickly give you 4 additional important things the Bible says about how we are to worship.

Heb. 12:28 with reverence and awe; cf. 5:7

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our “God is a consuming fire.”  Don’t forget that.  If all you see is a God of love and mercy and grace, your worship will be defective.  Is He a God of love?  He sure is.  Is He a God of mercy?  He sure is.  Is He a God of grace, and patience, and goodness?  Absolutely.  But He is also a consuming fire, a God of judgment.

Only when we see God as He actually is rather than seeing a God Whom we have crafted to our liking, only when we see Him as a consuming fire will we worship Him with reverence and awe.

Students, be careful that in your enthusiasm and your excitement you miss reverence and awe.  Adults, be careful that in your tradition and familiarity and conservatism you miss reverence and awe.  This verse says that there is worship that is acceptable to God and worship that is unacceptable to Him.  He wants us to worship acceptably.

Psalm 96:9 in holiness, trembling; cf. 29:2

Worship the LORD in the splendor of holiness;

tremble before him, all the earth.

Some versions add the word “His” just before holiness.  But He is always holy.  It is we who need to give attention to holiness, not Him.

When the Jewish priests went into the Temple to minister before the Lord, they had to first stop at the Brass Laver, that giant wash basin.  They had to cleanse themselves before they began to offer sacrifices. Why should we expect anything different when we enter into His presence and begin to offer to Him our worship?

Psalm 24:3 says Who may ascend the hill of the LORD? Who may stand in his holy place? He who has clean hands and a pure heart,

who does not lift up his soul to an idol.  Worship and holiness go together.  Without holiness there can be no acceptable worship.

You can sing as sweetly as you can, close your eyes and lift your hands, and those around you will think you are worshipping with your whole heart.  But until you deal with the sin in your heart you are not worshipping Him in holiness, and it is not acceptable to Him. Isa. 29:13.

Psalm 100:2 with gladness; cf. 95:1-7

Shout for joy to the LORD, all the earth. Worship the LORD with gladness; come before him with joyful songs.

Reverence does not mean somberness and sadness.  To worship Him acceptably does not mean there is no gladness, no rejoicing, no shout of joy.  All of those are acceptable, and even commanded.  But it is to come from our spirit and not just from our emotions.

Hab. 2:19-20 in silence; cf. Rev. 8:1

Woe to him who says to wood, ‘Come to life!’ Or to lifeless stone, ‘Wake up!’ Can it give guidance? It is covered with gold and silver; there is no breath in it. But the LORD is in his holy temple; let all the earth be silent before him.”

Some of the greatest times of worship I have ever experienced have been when a silence has descended on us as worshippers, and in that silence we know that God has come among us.  Don’t be afraid of silence.  Even in your private times with God, don’t be afraid of silence.  Worship Him without an audible sound, but your heart reaching out and touching God.

Prayer of repentance.

“Come, Now Is The Time to Worship”