4:19 The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. 4:20 "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship." 4:21 Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. 4:22 "You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. 4:23 "But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. 4:24 "God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth." 4:25 The woman said to Him, "I know that Messiah is coming" (who is called Christ). "When He comes, He will tell us all things." 4:26 Jesus said to her, "I who speak to you am He." (New King James Version)

This morning's message is from part of the conversation between Jesus and the Samaritan woman.

This conversation started with Jesus saying to the Samaritan woman, "Will you give me a drink?" It advanced to Jesus' promise of "whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life." To this woman who simply asks, "Give me this water", Jesus goes deeper into her personal life saying, "Call your husband and come back." Then the woman avoids Jesus' probing by changing the subject from her own problem to a religious issue of the time. The same kind of thing happens when you are doing evangelism work even now. Especially when you start talking about sin, people avoid the subject by raising issues like "Why are there many denominations within Christianity?"

Jesus did not avoid her question, but answered her question. And through the teaching of "God is spirit, and His worshippers must worship in spirit and truth," He turned her mind to the salvation that Christ gives. Indeed, because she changed the subject, we can learn an important lesson about worship.

Worship In Spirit

This morning, let's think about what Jesus means by "Worship in spirit" and "Worship in truth." When it says "in spirit" there is an argument that Jews are to worship in Jerusalem and the Samaritans are to worship at the mountain called Mount Gerizim. This argument is not just about the place of worship. The magnificent temple in Jerusalem, the grandiose ceremonies held there, the laws that support those ceremonies, and the system that the Jews used, is compared to the Samaritan way of a simple religious system which was rooted in other religions. Jesus didn't give in to either of them. Jesus said, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem."

Worship in spirit is different from worshipping gods of human religions or traditions which were based in Jerusalem and on Mt. Gerizem. Jesus told the Pharisees and the teachers of the law who worshipped at Jerusalem this. "These people honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. They worship me in vain; their teachings are but rules taught by men." Jesus' teaching of worship in spirit was the teaching of sincere worship from the heart compared to the worship styles and the laws of the Pharisees and teachers of the law at the time.

There are many people who presently think that worship is only a formality. A person who moved to a Catholic church from a Protestant church said this. "The huge church's solemn atmosphere, the chant echoing there, the lit candles and the people who pray kneeling - those things which the Protestant churches don't have - they soothe me. That makes me feel truly worshipful." I am puzzled whenever I hear those words, "I feel worshipful." Worship is supposed to be given to God, actually, but sometimes the focus changes to the feelings of worship.

Of course, there is a side of worship in which we will be nourished by the Word which I will talk about later. It is true that you feel unsatisfied when God's Word is not taught in worship and the people of God are not nourished by the Word of God. The problem lays on the preachers and on the congregations who expect a good sounding message rather than the Word of God. If we are seeking only our own satisfaction through being in an ecstatic atmosphere and merely enjoying the music can we call it worshipping God in spirit who is spirit?

What Jesus criticized was the worship which is centered on people which limits God to the style humans made and serves only the human pride. Are we worshipping God with a humble spirit?

Worship In Truth

To worship in truth means to worship according to the truth, centered on the Word of God and based on this knowledge. Jesus didn't take any side, favoring the Jews or the Samaritans regarding worship. "A time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem."

He acknowledged that the Jews were more knowledgeable about God. "You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know." Even if you know about God, if you don't worship God in the right manner, that will be formalism. But if you don't know God, even praising God sincerely will be idle worship.

Once John Stott said this. "...Word and worship belong indissolubly to each other. All worship is an intelligent and loving response to the revelation of God, because it is the adoration of His Name. Therefore acceptable worship is impossible without preaching. For preaching is making known the Name of the Lord, and worship is praising the Name of the Lord made known. Our worship is poor because our knowledge of God is poor. And our knowledge of God is poor because our preaching is poor."( Between Two Worlds, p.82) But unfortunately, many churches dissolve God's Word from their worship.

According to John MacArthur, the Los Angeles Times Magazine reported on one Lutheran church that had line dancing following worship and the pastor was dancing, too. That day's topic of the sermon was "Christian sex - rated R." Another church had their pastoral staff have a wrestling match during a Sunday service. It is unbelievable but, by these campaigns, the church has been revitalized and the attendance has been steadily rising. (The Coming Evangelical Crisis, pp.175-6)

You may say these things are just some methods used to attract people. But then, how shall we worship in spirit? Relevance is considered, but reverence has been forgotten. How about us. We claim that we are a Bible believing church, but once the sermon starts, some fall asleep and some start reading the bulletin as if to say that you don't care about the Word. I saw some writing down seriously and thought that they were taking notes, but actually they were writing letters. The worse case is that some walk out sometimes. Some are actuallly gone during the offering time and come back after that.

These are facts we can't laugh at, right? Isn't worship becoming entertaining? God saved you, allowed you to worship and invited you into His presence, yet you act just as visitor, guests of a play or as if you're observing what's going on, don't you? It shouldn't be so. We are taught the Word, we grow in the Word and each of us will worship God.

The Samaritan woman said, "I know that Messiah" (called Christ) "is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us." Jesus said to her. "I who speak to you am he." He already came into the world. We know Him. The truth is in Christ. We have been taught the truth in Christ. Through the salvation of Christ, our sins have been forgiven, and we have entered into fellowship with Him. Therefore, we should worship Him in spirit and truth.

Prayer

Dear Father. Thank you for giving us the time to examine ourselves: how we worship You through the Word. We have learned a little about worshipping this morning. Teach us through the Word, what meaning the weekly worship has, how important it is, and how it is according to Your will to worship old and young together. Please exalt our worship and make it according to Your will. We pray these things in the name of Jesus who taught us to worship in spirit and Truth and made it possible. Amen

(Preached at SDJCC, Oct. 13, 1996)