Verdaderos Adoradores

 

1. verdaderos adoradores 2. todos somos a. 3.  A quien, como, cuando, donde debo adorar? 4. fuimos creados para a. 5. adora a uno inspira a muchos 6. la a. Que dios busca desea le agrada-acepta-recompensa 7. a, no es ritual es relación, estilo de vida 8. busca una generación que no juegue con lo santo,no venda sus tesoros 9. la gran comisión-evangelsimo y misiones existe porque no hay a.

 

10.  solo puedo adorar a quien estoy dispuesto a servir 11.  la mejor adoracion no es la que se canta es la que se vive, es obediencia 12.  el resultado de tu a. En publico es el producto de tu intimidad en lo secreto 13.  la verdadera a. Toca el c. De dios 14.  de rodillas dios moldea a sus a. 15.  La hora ha llegado 16.  Adoran lo que no conocen 17. 

 

18.  cuando los verdaderos

adoradores adorarán al Padre

19.  Verdaderos,humildes,valien tes.santos, 20.  Nacidos de nuevo 21.  22.  ni en Jerusalén adoraréis al Padre. V.21  23.  adorarán al Padre 24.  el objeto de la a. Es el padre. Juan 4-23 25.  el lamerece,la demanda, no la necesita 26.  no la locación sino el objeto de la a.

 

27.  No el donde sino el como 28.  No cierto lugar-tiempoformato es una relación 29.  A quien-como adorar 30.  31.  créeme, que la hora

viene cuando ni en este monte ni en Jerusalén adoraréis al Padre. 32.  El lugar de la a. Es el corazón humano. Efe. 2.19-22 33.  34.  adoradores adorarán al

Padre en espíritu y en verdad; 

 

35.  Dios es Espíritu; y los

que le adoran, en espíritu y en verdad es necesario que adoren. 36.  El carácter de la a. En espíritu y en verdad   37. En e.se Serefiere refiereala adorador dios- en verdad 38.  En. E. Porque dios es e. Debes ser de la misma naturaleza 39.  En e. Porque debe dejar de lado el ritual,las formas y ceremonias que la carne es capaz.

 

40.  En e. Porque solo puede ser producida en el poder del e.s. 41.  En verdad porque el se ha revelado y lo conocemos 42.  En verdad es hacerlo de corazón, sin fingimientos, ni formulas 43.  Los judíos adoraban en verdad pero no en e. 44.  Los samaritanos ni en verdad ni en espíritu. 45.  46.  porque también el

Padre tales adoradores busca que le adoren 

 

47.  la búsqueda de a..clasificados en el cielo 48.  49.  (21-24) Jesus contrasts real worship with ritual worship! 50.  Y. Here we see the intent of Jesus’ ministry: to bring people to a realization of the state of 51.  their life; in order to lead them to repentance; & a new life in him; where they would 52.  honor & worship God; in Spirit & Truth daily. 53.  Z. (23) (Message) But the time is coming - it has, in fact, come - when what you’re called 

 

54.  will not matter and where you go to worship will not

matter. “It’s who you are and the 55.  way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit 56.  of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply 57.  and honestly themselves before Him in their worship. 58.  AA.Not the Location of worship but the Object of

 

worship. Not Where you worship but 59.  How you worship. Not just How you worship but ultimately Who you worship! 60.  3 61.  1. Q: Why should we do Missions & Evangelism? A: Because the Father is 62.  seeking such to worship him! {Let’s give Him what He deserves!} 63.  2. Sincere & Spiritual Worship = the submission of all our nature to God;

 

64.  It’s the quickening of conscience by His holiness; the nourishment of mind 65.  with His truth; the purifying of imagination by His beauty; the opening of 66.  the heart to His love; the surrender of will to His purpose.2 67.  BB.You don’t need to find God in a special place, true worship finds Him in every place! 68.  1. True worship is not a certain place, a certain time in the week, or a certain

 

69.  format. True worship is a relationship. 70.  EXPERIENCING GOD THROUGH PRIVATE WORSHIP  71.  Intro: Ill. The context of this story. As Jesus ministers to this woman, she finds herself under deep conviction of her sins. She realizes that she has a desperate need to get right with the Lord and that she needs a time of  personal worship in her life. She  perceives that Jesus is a prophet and supposes that He might be able to help her understand

 

when, where and how she should approach God. Although her intentions were admirable, her concept of worship was flawed. She, like millions of other, thought that worship had to take  place in a certain place, at a certain time and in a certain manner. However, Jesus clears up her misunderstanding and at the same time shares one of his greatest truths with her. He teaches her that genuine worship cannot be relegated and isolated to a single place or to some  process or the other.

 

72.  Many people have that idea about worship. Some people feel that worship is something you do in church and that it can only be done there. Some think that worship is going to a church and sitting quietly while religious exercises are conducted. That concept is about a million miles from the truth! Others see worship as a time of good singing, preaching, testifying and shouting. You hear statements like, "Man, we really worshiped last Sunday! Why, our preacher didn't even get to preach!" They

 

may have had a great time, but was there genuine worship that took place? Someone else may remark, "Our service Sunday was so sublime. The Minster's words were so touching, everyone left the service uplifted and encouraged." Again, they may have been blessed, but was there genuine worship? 73.  Let me remind you today that everyone worships! It is as natural for man to worship as it is for him to breath. Mankind will find an object to direct his worship toward. Even the atheist

 

worships, he just directs his adoration toward himself. For the Christian, worship is vitally important. Worship is to the  believer what an engine is to a car or what a mainspring in to a watch. Worship is an absolutely indispensable part of the Christian experience. 74.  Our great need then, is to discover what genuine personal worship involves, so that we might be able to experience God and His fullness in our lives. To do this, we must try and get a

 

handle on this thing called worship. 75.  What is worship? That is a good question to ask, but if 100  people were asked what worship is, there would be just about as many answers. Ask a Pentecostal, a Roman Catholic and a Baptist and you will get three distinct answers. William Temple defines worship this way, "To worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of

 

God, to open the heart to the love of God, and to devote the will to the purpose of God ." ." That is a good working definition of worship. 76.  The word worship comes from the old Anglo-Saxon word "worthship". It literally mens to attribute or ascribe worth to some one. It carries the idea of declaring the object of worship

as being worthy of honor. The Greek word in the New Testament that is most often translated "worship" in the word " proskuneo." This word means

 

to "kiss the hand to one in a token of reverence, also by kneeling or prostration to pay homage." The second most common word is "sebomai ", ", this word means "to revere". Other words are used, but these are sufficient to teach us that the Bible sees worship as an act of honoring God because of His great worthiness to be honored.

77.  With these thoughts in mind, let's spend some time in this  passage as our Lord reveals some great, fundamental truths about this matter of worship. Because,

 

in the end, it will not matter what we think about genuine worship, all that will matter is what the Lord says in His Word. 78.  I. V. 24 GENUINE WORSHIP MUST COINCIDE WITH THE NATURE OF GOD  79.  A. In this verse, Jesus reveals the truth that God is Spirit. That is, God does not have a physical substance as we perceive it. He is a Being Who transcends the  physical world with all of its limitations. God is Spirit. As a result, any worship that is to

 

reach God must therefore be spiritual in nature. The rituals and practices of the flesh will not suffice to produce spiritual worship that is acceptable in the sight o the Lord. 80.  B. We can find several instances of worship in the Bible that were spiritual in nature. 81.  1. There is the Worship of Repentance - 2 Sam. 12:20. David lost his son as chastisement for his sin with Bathsheba. Instead of rebelling against the hand of the Lord in his life, David repented un der

 

the lash and worshiped the Lord. He wasn't angry with God, but it would seem that his heart was repentant and his life changed. Perhaps this event was the catalyst that brought Psalms 51 ans 32 into existence. This is a worship that is consistent with the omnipotent nature of God, 2 Sam. 12:23. This is a true example of genuine spiritual worship. 82.  2. There is the Worship of Submission - Job 1:20. Job has  just received word that his children, along with all his

 

earthly possessions and wealth are gone. Instead of fighting against the Lord in rebellion, Job displays all the classic signs of mourning, but he also falls down  before the Lord and worships him. He submits to God's plan for his life even though he doesn't like it or understand it. Yet, his is a worship that is conformed to the nature of God. Job knew Rom. 8:28 in his heart. This is spiritual worship at its highest plain. This kind of worship does not come from some fleshly ritual, but from a

 

heart overflowing with love for the Lord. 83.  3. There is the Worship of Devotion - Gen. 22:1-18, esp. v. 5. Abraham has been asked by God to take his beloved son Isaac to Mt. Moriah and offer him up as a sacrifice to the Lord. Abraham does not question God's command, but willingly goes to do as the Lord has said. It is worthy to note that verse 5 shows Abraham as a man on the way to worship not, not a man who is about to slay his son. Abraham pictures for us the great

 

truth that personal worship may  be a costly thing, but that genuine devotion to the Lord overshadows that and produces a willingness in the worshiper to  pay the price to participate in worship of such a great God. 84.  C. These are merely three instances. Others could be mentioned, but these are sufficient to teach us the truth that genuine worship of God must be an absolutely spiritual  practice. Did you note that in each of these three events, the flesh and its desires were placed

 

on the back burner? The worshiper was more interested in doing the will of the Lord from the heart than in gratifying the flesh. And that, is the true essence of spiritual worship. It comes from the spirit of man and ascends to God. It ascribes worth to in spite of personal feelings, fleshly ambitions, or personal desires. It has the glory of God as its highest aim. 85.  I. Genuine Worship Must Coincide With The Nature Of God 

 

86.  II. V. 24 GENUINE WORSHIP MUST BE CENTERED IN THE SPIRIT  87.  A. In conversing with this woman, Jesus tells her that those who worship God must do so in "spirit." Genuine worship of God is not the fleshly displays we sometimes call worship. Though worship may indeed manifest

itself in vocal and visible forms. (Ill. David - He worshiped the Lord in two distinct manners, and both were perfectly acceptable to the Lord. First, he

 

danced before the Lord with  passionate zeal, 2 Sam. 6:14-16, then he sat before the Lord in humbled amazement, 2 Sam. 7:18. Simply stated, you can't tell how much gas in the tank by how loud the horn honks!) Essentially, worship is a spiritual matter. Worship, instead of being an event that happens externally, always begins internally, within the spirit of man. 88.  (Ill. Genuine worship from the spirit can be said to be: 89.  1. Worshiping God with the entire spiritual drive and ability

 

of the soul, seeking the most intimate fellowship and communion with Him. 90.  2. Worshiping God with the spiritual core of one's being, trusting and resting on God's love, acceptance and care.) 91.  B. How then, can a person develop a worshiping spirit? What is required for us to enter into this kind of spiritual realm where we are actively seeking God in fellowship and worship? There are 5 great realties that must be in place for you and me to be able to worship in spirit.

 

92.  1. We Must Be Born Again - Authentic worship of God can only be found in a relationship with the Lord Jesus Christ. Salvation is the first step in developing a worshipful spirit. The only access that any person has to the Father is through the Son - 1 Tim. 2:5. 93.  2. We Must Be Yielded To The Holy Spirit - All genuine worship of God is the work of the Holy Spirit is the spirit of the  believer. Who knows Lord better better than His Holy Ghost - 1 Cor. 2:11? Therefore, as the believer

 

yields to the influence of the Spirit of God in his life, worship will be the result. Worship that is not motivated and directed by the Holy Spirit will be flawed at best and blasphemous at worst. The Holy Spirit must lead in worship! 94.  3. Our Thoughts Must Be Centered On God - Worship is the natural outflow of a mind filled with and renewed by God's truth. We call this process of centering one's thoughts on the Lord meditation. Now, there is a lot of confusion as to what meditation is. To meditate is to

 

simply focus the entire mind on one subject, concentrating reason, imagination and emotion on one reality. The heart and goal of meditation is the discovery of truth. As we meditate on the Word of God we will discover more about Him. As our mind is filled with His glory as revealed in His Word, this will naturally overflow in genuine worship of the Lord God. 95.  (Ill. I am not promoting some metaphysical, mystical kind of meditation. What I am promoting is old fashioned prayer and study

 

of the Word of God. You may call it a quiet time or you may refer to it as devotions, but the goal should be the same. We must all have a time set aside when we get alone with God to meditate on His truth and talk to him in prayer.) 96.  (Ill. Spurgeon said this about the matter of a private devotional time, "Why is it that some are often in the place of worship and yet they are not holy? It is because they neglect their closets. They love the wheat, but they do not grind it; they would

 

have the corn but they will not  go forth into the field to gather gather it; the fruit hangs on the tree but they will not pluck it; and the water flows at their feet but they'll not stoop to drink it.") 97.  (Ill. Sounds like us doesn't it? We get so busy doing the things that we see as being urgent and we take no time for the one thing that is really important. That

thing is spending time at the Savior's feet - Luke 10:42. If it was necessary for Jesus to take time to be alone with the Father, how much more do you and I

 

need those times of meditative solitude? Mark 1:35; Mark 6:46; Luke 4:42; Luke 6:12; Luke 22:39-46. It is virtually impossible to center the thoughts on the Lord unless we are willing to fill our minds with His thoughts on a regular basis. David hit the nail on the head when he described the desire he  possessed in his heart to be near the Lord, Psa.42:1. This is the all consuming love that should fill every heart today. There must be nothing that is allowed to eclipse the Lord in our lives. Do you

 

have a regular, structured time set aside to meet with the Lord? If not, I would suggest that you make that a priority in your life when you return home. It is good to come apart and meet with the Lord in a retreat setting, but you need to remember that when you return home, the arrows will still  be flying, the valleys will still be wide and the canyons dark and gloomy. You will need the Lord and the way to have Him draw closer is to draw closer yourself!) 98.  (Ill. Peter Wagner surveyed 572 pastors across America to

 

find out about their prayer life. The average amount of time these pastors spent in prayer each day is 22 minutes. (This is actual  prayer--not studying the the Scriptures, reading devotional  books, or listening to worship worship tapes.) He found that 57% pray less than 20 minutes daily. One in three (34%) spend between 20 minutes and one hour in prayer,  but only 9% pray for an hour hour or longer every day. -Ministries Today, Nov/Dec 1992 ) 99.  (Ill. He only way to overcome this is by a system of

 

"Planned Neglect". By that, I mean that we need to place our  private time with the Lord above above everything else and then do what is left after we have met with the Lord. He must come first!) 100. 4. We Must Have An Undivided Heart - God, and God alone must be the focal  point of our worship. We must must ever guard against the temptation to allow the Lord to be crowded out by thoughts of a million other things. 101. (Ill. It is easy to allow the mind to wander, but we must

 

learn to have a heart that is as David said "fixed", Psa. 108:1.) 102. 5. We Must Have A Repentant Heart - Just as worship involves all these other things, it also involves the concepts of cleansing, purging,  purifying, confession and repenting. The only person who can enter into the presence of a thrice holy God is that person who's sins have been taken care of. It is absolutely essential for the child of God to allow the Holy Spirit to shine the spotlight spotlight of God's truth into all the deep,

 

dark and hidden recesses of the heart. We all have dark spots and hidden sins and areas of impurity. We all have deficiencies about which only God knows. Only when every nook and cranny of our lives has  been cleansed and the sin done away with can we there be a closeness with the Lord. He  promised that He would draw night to us when we drew nigh to Him, James 4:8. This cannot happen until the sin has been  purged. Sin hinders the flow of of spiritual things between God and

 

man, Psa. 66:18, and therefore must be dealt with. 103. C. When all these things are in place in our lives, then we can enjoy the depths of genuine spiritual worship. By the way, our public worship is absolutely dependent upon what we are and do in private. Until we learn to experience God through private, spiritual worship, we can never hope to worship Him in a corporate sense. 104. (Ill. "Public worship is only the manifestation of private worship. The reason our

 

public services are dead is that our private devotional life is dead. The `quick fix' of injecting more upbeat music into our services may seem to solve the problem, but we have ignored the disease that will destroy us,unless we seek God's cure. Our church congregations fail to sing with conviction because the song isn't in their hearts before they come to the service."--Tim Fisher) 

 

105. I. Genuine Worship Must Coincide With The Nature Of God  106. II. Genuine Worship Must Be Centered In The Spirit  107. III. V. 24 GENUINE WORSHIP MUST BE CONSTITUTED UPON THE REALITY OF WHO GOD IS  108. A. Just as Jesus told this woman that true worship arises

out of the spirit, He also said that true worship must be practiced in truth. This tells us that our worship of God must be built upon a knowledge of Who He is,

 

and that He must be approached through the true path and that He must be worshiped from a true heart. 109. B. As time is spent in the Word of God meditating and learning more about God, the spirit is filled to overflowing. The truth about Him wells up in the spirit of the believer and worship then ensues. You see, the spirit is the subjective factor in worship, while truth is the objective factor. Truth is the catalyst for all genuine worship.

 

110. (Ill. We cannot ascribe true honor to one about whom we know nothing! It is only as we learn more about the Lord and about His greatness, about His grace, about His mercy and His love, etc. that we can truly lift up genuine worship unto Him. Therefore, a systematic exposition of the Word of God is necessary to uncover the truth about God thereby prompting the spirit to burst out in worship. As important as this is in the assembly of the church, its importance can never be over

 

stated in the private worship life of the believer. As we experience God in His Word and learn more about Him, we find ever increasing reason to bow before Him in worship.) 111. C. To put is very simply, worship is an expression of  praise from the heart, toward a God Who is understood as He is truly revealed. Worship is receiving revelation about God and then rendering back homage for His greatness and His glory. The essential nature of worship is to offer God adoration from our

 

inner beings in praise, prayer, song, giving and living always  based upon His revealed truth. 112. (If there is a doubt as to the worthiness of the Lord to receive worship, consider all the wonderful things He has done for us. Think of salvation, grace, love, mercy, His Son, the Spirit of God, the Church, the Bible and so on. God has given us  plenty of good reasons to worship and adore Him.) 113. I. Genuine Worship Must Coincide With The Nature Of God 

 

114. II. Genuine Worship Must Be Centered In The Spirit  115. III. Genuine Worship Must Be Constituted Upon The Reality Of Who God Is  116. IV. V. 23 GENUINE WORSHIP MUST BE CONCERNED WITH THE GLORY OF GOD  117. A. The Lord tells the Samaritan woman that God the Father is actively looking for those who will worship Him. The word "seeketh" is present tense and comes from a word that can mean "to crave." It is my

 

conviction that we cannot give the Lord very many things that will be acceptable to Him, but genuine worship that is in spirit and in truth is one of those things that God desires, and yes, even craves. Therefore, when God gets what He wants, then He is glorified! 118. B. That, my friends, is the chief end of man and ought to be the desire of every child of God this morning, 1 Cor. 10:31. How does our private worship glorify God? Because a life that is

 

totally and absolutely devoted to the Lord and His glory. 119. (Ill. As I prayed and thought about what I would say down here today, I began to wonder  just how much I actually knew about this matter of private worship. So, I began to read the Bible and to meditate on this matter and the Lord taught me something that you may or may not agree with, but it is something nonetheless that I think is true and relevant. What do think is the highest form of worship that can be rendered to

 

the Lord? Certainly it would be that act which would bring Him the most glory, right? OK, if that is true, then what can you and I do personally and privately as an act of worship that will glorify God in a big way? I think the answer can be found in John 15:1-11. In these verses, Jesus talks about the relationship  between Himself and His children. He tells us that without Him, we are totally helpless, but with Him, we are strong in the Lord. Now, to me, the highest form of worship I can render to

 

God is to simply abide in Him. That's right! When we just cease from self and totally yield every aspect of life to the control of the Lord, then we are in a position to glorify Him. I think our highest worship is found in abiding in the Lord. How do we abide? By spending time with Him in His Word and in prayer. We abide by worshiping! You see, worship is not something we do, it is what we are! Worship is all that we are reacting to all that He is! Worship is to be the main activity of every believer's life -

 

Col. 3:17. What I am trying to say is that you don't go to worship, you are to be worship.  Every facet of you life is to exude worship to the glory of God. Every second we live in this world is to be an act of sublime worship before the  Lord. When we are truly abiding in the Vine, when we are drawing every ounce of strength

from Him, when we are totally dependent upon Him for everything we do, have, are and ever hope to be, then we are in a  position to glorify the the Lord. It is

 

my contention that our lives ought to summed up in one word - WORSHIP! I think that was Paul's Idea when he told us that we were to present our bodies a living sacrifice, Rom. 12:1.) 120. C. When this is true in your life and mine, God will be glorified, we will be true worshipers of the Lord Jesus Christ and even our public worship will be profoundly affected. You see, whether we realize it or not, we are responsible to the church to maintain a lifestyle of consistent,

 

acceptable worship before the Lord. When we do, God will be glorified in some very profound ways. His church will be edified,  believers will be purified, and the lost will be evangelized. Private worship, when it is practiced in a manner consistent with the Word of God, has the power to change all of life! 121. (Ill. Everything about us should communicate the truth that we have been with Him! Dr. Charles Weigle composed many lovely hymns and gospel songs, among them

 

the favorite "No One Ever Cared for Me Like Jesus." One day he visited Pasadena, California. Early that morning he had an opportunity to walk through some of the famous rose gardens when the full fragrance of the flowers filled the air. Later in the day he arrived at the hotel where a Bible conference was being held. As he took his seat a man turned to him and said, "Dr. Weigle, I know where you've been. You toured one of our lovely gardens, for I can

 

smell the pleasing aroma on your clothing." Weigle replied, "Yes, that's right. Several others have told me the same thing. Their comments reminded me of Acts 4:13. My prayer is that I may walk so closely with the Lord that the fragrance of His grace will pervade my being. I want them to know by my words, actions, and songs that I have been with Jesus." ) 122. Conclusion: As I try to bring the thoughts together, I feel as though I have given a

 

dissertation on worship rather than just the private aspect of it. However, worship, even in the  public arena is something  between an individual and the Lord. Therefore, all worship is in essence private! Now with that in mind, I would like to conclude with a checklist of sorts whereby one can gage his readiness to worship. 123. This list was given to us by the writer of Hebrews and is found in Hebrews 10:22. There are four basic conditions that

 

stand as a litmus test of our readiness for worship. They are: 124. 1. Sincerity - A mind and a life given over totally to the Lord. 125. 2. Fidelity - Worshiping according to the truth that faith alone is the ground for acceptance by the Lord. 126. 3. Humility - We can come  before the Lord confidently, confidently, in full assurance of faith, Heb. 4:1416, but we must also some humbly, knowing that we have no right to worship Him apart

 

from the power of the cleansing  blood of Jesus. 127. 4. Purity - Not a literal bath,  but a consistent lifestyle of confession and repentance. 128. On a scale of 1 to 10, with 1  being the lowest and 10 the the highest, how would you honestly rate your private worship? Do you need work in this area? I know I do! I would suggest that all those who feel lead of the Lord should come forward just now and let's seek His face. Let's take a few minutes to reflect on everything we have heard and

 

let's rediscover the value of  personal, private worship.

  129. Years ago when the  billionaire Howard Hughes died, his company’s public relations director asked the casinos in Las Vegas, where Hughes owned multiple casinos, to show him respect  by giving him a minute of silence. For an uncomfortable

sixty seconds, the casinos fell eerily silent. Then a pit boss looked at his watch, leaned forward, and whispered, “Okay, roll the dice. He’s had his minute.” (From the

 

 book, Howard  Howard Hughes: The  Hidden Years, cited in “Our Daily Bread,” 11/77.)  11/77.)  130. I wonder if sometimes we treat God as those gamblers in Las Vegas treated Howard Hughes. We interrupt our  busy schedules once a week, rush into church, give God “His hour,” and then forget about Him and get back to  what we’d rather be doing. doing.    131. John MacArthur was certainly correct to title his  book on worship, The Ultimate  Priority [Moody Press, 1983]. God created us for the

 

ultimate priority of  worshiping Him. As the  Westminster Shorter Catechism puts it, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.” Or, as John Piper modifies it, our chief end is “to glorify God by enjoying Him forever” ( Desiring God  [Multnomah  [Multnomah Books], 1996 edition, p. 15).  It’s no accident that the 132. longest book in the Bible, Psalms, is all about praising and worshiping God. When  we get to the end of the Bible,  we see the saints and angels in

 

heaven falling on their faces and worshiping God (Rev. 4:10-11; 5:8-14; 7:9-11). Since

 worship will be our ceaseless activity and greatest joy in heaven, we ought to be practicing it now. 133. Here are a few definitions of worship: 134. John MacArthur: “Worship is our innermost  being responding with praise for all that God is, through our attitudes, actions, thoughts, and words, based on the truth of God as He has revealed Himself” (The Ultimate

 

 Priority [Moody Press], p.

127). Or, he gives a simpler definition: “Worship is all that  we are, reacting rightly to all that He is” (ibid., p. 147). 135. William  William Temple: “To  worship is to quicken the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, and to devote the  will to the purpose of God” (cited in MacArthur, ibid ., ., p. 147).

 

136. My definition is not so eloquent: Worship is an inner attitude and feeling of awe, reverence, gratitude, and love toward God resulting from a realization of who He is and  who we are. 137. Also,  Also, John MacArthur gives this helpful clarification (on gty.org, “Messiah: The Living Water,” part 2): “Worship, by the way, is not music. Worship is loving God.  Worship is honoring God.  Worship is knowing God for  who He is, adoring Him, obeying Him, proclaiming

 

Him as a way of life. Music is one way we express that adoration.” As Paul states (1 Cor. 10:31), “Whether, then,  you eat or drink or whatever  you do, do all to the glory of God.” Thus all of life is to be oriented “God“God- ward,” permeated with a sense of His majesty and glory. 138. Jesus’ words about  worship to this unnamed Samaritan woman occur in the context of His witness to  bring this woman to saving faith. We might not think that  witnessing is the right context

 

to talk about the priority of  worship. But Jesus takes her implicit question (4:20) about  whether Samaritan worship or Jewish worship is correct and uses it to zero in on the aim of the gospel: to turn sinners into true worshipers of God.  We learn:  139.   Since God is seeking true worshipers who worship Him in spirit and truth, we should make it our priority to become such worshipers. 140. Jesus Jesus tells this woman that a significant transition is

 

about to take place (4:23), “But an hour is coming, and now is, when the true  worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth.” Jesus’ presence began this change from the old covenant to the new. Under the old way of worship, place was significant: all Jewish males had to appear before God in Jerusalem for the three annual feasts (Deut. 16:16). But in the new way which Jesus inaugurated, He is the new temple (John 2:19-21). Believers are being built into a

 

holy temple in the Lord (Eph. 2:21; 1 Pet. 2:5). Thus where  we gather to worship is secondary. How and whom we  worship is primary. 141. Unbelievers, such as the Samaritan woman at this point, often mistakenly think that if they go through the proper externals of “worship,” then things are okay between them and God. As long as they go to a church building and go through the weekly rituals, they figure that everything is fine. But they haven’t dealt  with God on the heart level.

 

They haven’t repented of their sins of thought, word, and deed. So Jesus tells her that it’s not the externals that matter as much as the internal. We must make it our priority to become true  worshipers of God in spirit and truth. Note three truths from these important verses: 142.  1. God is seeking true  worshipers. 143. As   As Jonathan Edwards argued, God created the world for His own glory (see John Piper, God’s Passion for His Glory [Crossway Books]).

 

Everything, including the salvation of His elect and even the damnation of the wicked,  will result in glory to God. So God now is seeking  worshipers who will bring Him glory, not just for an hour on Sunday, but every day through all their activities. We can’t properly worship God on Sundays if we’re not  worshiping Him throughout the week. You begin that process by repenting of your sins and trusting in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord. You grow in that

 

process as you bring every thought, word, and deed under His lordship. Note two things: 144. A.   THE FACT THAT GOD GOD SEEKS TRUE  WORSHIPERS  WORSHIPERS IMPLIES THAT THERE  ARE  FALSE   WORSHIPERS.  WORSHIPERS. 145. False worshipers either

 worship something other than God or they may attempt to  worship the true God, but do it in ways that actually dishonor Him. But either way, sincerity is not the only criterion for measuring true

 

 worship. All true worshipers are sincere, but all sincere  worshipers are not true. For example, there are devout, sincere worshipers of Allah or Krishna or Buddha or the Mormon god or the Jehovah’s  Witness god. But they are sincerely wrong, because they are not worshiping the only living and true God, who has revealed Himself in the Bible. 146. There are also Christians  who are sincere, but their  worship is man-centered. Sometimes it’s patterned more after the entertainment

 

 world than after the Bible. It draws attention to the performers, but not to the Lord. Or, on the other end of the Christian spectrum, some go through ancient liturgies  week after week, but their hearts are not in submission to God. They mistakenly think that because they went through the rituals, they’re good for another week. They’re like the Jewish leaders of whom Jesus said (Matt. 15:8, citing Isaiah 29:13), “This people honors Me with their lips, but their heart is far

 

away from Me.” So we need to  be careful not to fall into the category of false worshipers. 147. B. B. THE FACT THAT GOD IS SEEKING TRUE WORSHIPERS MEANS THAT THIS IS OF UTMOST IMPORTANCE: IT IS OUR PRIORITY. 148. In verse 24, Jesus says that

these true worshipers “must  worship  worship in spirit and truth” (italics mine). It’s a necessity. It isn’t optional; it’s essential. A. W. Pink ( Exposition of John John, online at monergism.com) points out

 

that there are three musts in John: “You must be born again” (3:7); the Son of Man must be lifted up (3:14); and “those who worship Him must  worship in spirit and truth” (4:24). The first concerns the Spirit, who imparts the new  birth. The second concerns the Son, who was lifted up on the cross as the atonement for our sins. And the third concerns the Father, the object of our worship. And the order is important. First, you must be born again by trusting in Christ’s death Christ’s death for

 

 you. Only then can you  worship God properly. 149. So the first point is that God is seeking you as a true  worshiper. If you haven’t yet put your trust in Jesus Christ as your Savior and Lord, start there. If you have trusted in Christ and perhaps have drifted off course, come back to this as your priority: God  wants you to become a true  worshiper. 150.  2. The true  worshipers that the Father seeks worship Him in spirit and truth.

 

151.  Jesus repeats this twice so that we don’t miss it (4:23(4:2324): “But an hour is coming, and

now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for such people the Father seeks to be His worshipers.God is spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.” To

 be true worshipers, we must  worship both in spirit and in truth. To worship in spirit  without truth is to worship false gods. To worship in truth  without spirit is to fall into dead orthodoxy. We may be

 

doctrinally correct, but we’re lifeless. And, the Father must  be the focus of our worship. 152. A.   WE SHOULD WORSHIP THE FATHER, WHO IS SPIRIT.  Jesus 153. emphasizes three times to this Samaritan  woman that it is the Father that we are to worship (4:21, 23 [2x]). And, He explains to

her that God is spirit. This is His essential nature. We looked at this last time. It means that God does not have a material body. He is

 

invisible to human eyes (John 1:18; 1 Tim. 1:17; 6:16). The fact that He is spirit means that He is not confined to one locale at a time. He is omnipresent. He has existed as spirit for all eternity, before He created the material universe. When we’re born again, we possess human spirits (John 3:6), which can  worship Him. Because He is the only omnipresent spirit,  we can worship Him anywhere and know that He is there.

 

154. Through Jesus, we come to know God as our Father,  whom we worship. John Piper (“Not in This or That Mount,  but in Spirit and Truth,” at desiringGod.org) suggests three reasons that Jesus emphasizes the Father to this Samaritan woman: First, God is the Father of the Samaritans. This woman mentions “our father Jacob” (4:12) and “our fathers  worshiped in this mountain” (4:20). So Jesus shifts the focus from these human

 

fathers to the Father , who alone is to be worshiped. 155. Second, Jesus is pointing out that the Father has spiritual children. Having children is what makes one a father. We become God’s children through believing in Jesus and being born of the Spirit (1:12-13; 3:5-7). Being children of the Father implies that we have a personal relationship with Him. 156. Third, God is the Father of His unique Son, the Lord Jesus Christ. This does not mean that Jesus became the

 

Son at a point in time. There never was a time when He was not God’s Son. The relationship of God as the Father of Jesus the Son points to Jesus’ sharing the same essential nature as the Father. Jesus is God. John 5:18 states, “For this reason therefore the Jews were seeking all the more to kill Him, because He not only was breaking the Sabbath, but also was calling God His own Father, making Himself equal with God.” In John 10:30 10:30,, Jesus stated, “I and the Father are one.” 

 

In John 17:5, 17:5, Jesus prays, “Now,  Father, glorify Me together with Yourself, with the glory which I had with You before the world was.” God the Father and God the Son have always been equal as God.  157. I’m not suggesting that Jesus intended for the Samaritan woman to grasp the mystery of the trinity in this first encounter! But the Holy Spirit inspired these words so that we would come to worship God in His triune nature. As Jesus says (John (John 5:23 5:23), ), the Father has given all judgment to

 

the Son “so that all will honor the Son even as they honor the Father. He who does not honor the Son does not honor the Father who sent Him.” True worship worships the Father and the Son through the Holy Spirit (Phil. 3:3). 3:3).  158. B. B. WE SHOULD WORSHIP THE FATHER IN SPIRIT.  159. To worship in spirit is to

 worship from the heart or from within. It’s opposed to formal, ceremonial, external  worship by those whose hearts are not right with God

 

(Matt. 15:8). Thus the most important factor in becoming a worshiper is to guard and cultivate your heart for God. John Calvin (Calvin’s Commentaries [Baker] , p. 161) says that worship in the spirit is the inward faith of the heart which produces prayer, purity of conscience, and self-denial, leading to obedience. 160. I believe that worship in spirit is, in part, emotional or felt. This is not to say that we should pump up our emotions  with music or crowd fervor.

 

Genuine emotions for God stem from focusing our minds on the truth of who He is and  what He has done for us at the cross. But if your worship never touches your emotions, something is wrong. It’s like my love for my wife. My relationship with her is not  built on my feelings, but rather on my commitment to her. But when I think about all that she means to me, I feel  love  love for her and I ought to express that love in some outward manner that shows her that I love her.

 

161. C. C. WE SHOULD WORSHIP THE FATHER IN TRUTH.

162. God has revealed Himself to us in His Word of truth and supremely in His Son, who is the truth (John 1:18; 14:6; 17:17).means To worship God in truth that we worship Him for all that He is in the majesty of His attributes as revealed in all of Scripture.

 We worship Him for His love, love,  but also for His justice and righteousness. We worship Him for His kindness, but also for His severity (Rom. 11:22).

 

 We worship Him for His sovereignty and for His grace.  We worship Him when He gives, but also when He takes away (Job 1:20-21). We  worship Him for all His ways. ways. The Bible is our only guide for  worshiping in truth. As I said,  worship in spirit flows out of  worship in truth. Feeding  your mind on the truth of God moves your spirit to praise and love God. 163. Since God is seeking true  worshipers who worship Him in spirit and truth …  … 

 

164.  3. Make it your priority to become a true  worshiper of God. 165. This applies in three directions: 166. A.   IF I’M NOT GROWING  AS A TRUE WORSHIPER, NOT IN LINE WITH WHATI’M GOD IS SEEKING TO DO IN MY LIFE. 167. As  As we’ve seen, personal

 worship is not restricted to a few minutes on Sunday mornings. In the context of 1 Corinthians 10:31, where Paul mentions glorifying God

 

through eating and drinking, he is talking about relationships that do not cause offense to others,  whether to unbelievers or  believers (10:32). So how we treat others should be a matter of worship. Evangelistic or missionary efforts are a matter of worship (Rom. 15:16). Giving to support Christian workers or to help fellow believers is a matter of worship (Phil. 4:18; Heb. 13:16). Godly  behavior is a matter of  worship (Eph. 5:10; Phil. 1:11).

 

 An attitude of praise and thanksgiving is a matter of  worship (Heb. 13:15). The point is, is, you can’t live a self centered, worldly life all week long and then come to church on Sunday and worship. 168. B. B. IF WE’RE NOT GROWING AS A WORSHIPING CHURCH, WE’RE NOT IN LINE WITH WHAT GOD IS SEEKING TO DO IN THIS BODY. 169. Why   do you come to church? If your focus is to get something out of the church

 

service, you’ve got it wrong.  Your focus should be to give praise and honor and thanks  with all the saints to the God  who gave His Son for you. Soren Kierkegaard pointed out that often a congregation  views itself as an audience,  watching the worship leaders and the pastor give their presentation or performance. But the truth is that the congregation is actually the cast of actors, with the  worship leaders and the pastor acting as prompters, giving cues from the wings.

 

The real audience is God and the entire presentation is offered to Him, for His pleasure and glory. So the issue when you come to church is not, “Did I get anything out of it?” but, “Did I give God the heartfelt praise and thanks and glory that He deser ves?” That’s our aim as a church. 170. C. ING C. IF WE’RE NOT SEEK ING TO HELP OTHERS LOCALLY  AND GLOBALLY BECOME WORSHIPERS, WE’RE NOT IN

LINE WITH GOD’S PURPOSE.

 

171.  John Piper wrote ( Let the  Nations be Glad  [Baker],  [Baker], p. 17), “Missions is not the ultimate goal of the church. Worship is. Missions exists because  worship doesn’t. Worship is ultimate, not missions,  because God is ultimate, not man.” His words apply not only to missions in other countries, but also to our efforts to reach the lost in Flagstaff. Our aim is to turn sinners into worshipers. That  was Jesus’ aim with this sinful Samaritan woman. 172.  Conclusion

 

173. Here are seven practical suggestions on how to grow as a true worshiper of the Father: 174. 1. 1. MAKE SURE THAT YOU TRULY BELIEVE IN JESUS CHRIST AS YOUR SAVIOR  AND LORD. 175. You  You don’t worship to gain

eternal life; you worship  because God has given you eternal life. Worship is your response after  you  you have  believed in God’s grace through Christ’s death on  your behalf.

 

176. 2. 2. ESTABLISH A DAILY TIME ALONE WITH GOD IN THE WORD AND PRAYER. 177. I cannot over-emphasize

this. Worship is your response to the truth that God has revealed in His Prayer is a response to Word. the truth of the Word. Without spending consistent time alone with the Lord, your soul will shrivel up.  You won’t worship. worship. 178. 3. 3. ELIMINATE ALL OF THE GARBAGE FROM THE WORLD THAT HINDERS YOUR

 

GROWTH IN WORSHIPING GOD. 179. The world is constantly

competing for our worship. It  bombards us daily through the media. If a TV show or movie defiles crowds out your dailyyou timeorwith the Lord, cut it out. If the computer gobbles up your time, you’ve got to restrict it. If you’re yielding to the temptation to view porn on  your computer, you’re in serious spiritual trouble (Matt. 5:27-30)! You cannot glorify

 

God with your body unless  you flee from immorality (1 Cor. 6:18-20). You’ve got to

discipline yourself for the purpose of godliness (1 Tim. 4:7), because true worship is inseparable from godliness. 180. 4. 4. PREPARE YOUR HEART SATURDAY NIGHT FOR CORPORATE WORSHIP ON SUNDAY MORNING. 181. I have an advantage on  you, in that to survive in the pulpit on Sundays, Ihave to prepare my heart Saturday evenings. I don’t go to social

 

events on Saturday evenings. I’m not suggesting that you do as I do in that regard, but I am suggesting that you should get home early enough to spend some time before the Lord, making sure that your heart is right with Him and praying that He would be honored by our worship as we gather on Sunday. 182. 5. 5. PUT AWAY DISTRACTIONS ON SUNDAY MORNINGS AND DON’T BE A DISTRACTION TO OTHER WORSHIPERS.

 

183. Don’t read the bulletin during singing or the sermon. If you have a medical condition that requires you to use the restroom during the  worship service, sit near the  back and on an aisle so you don’t disturb others. If you’re thirsty, you can wait until the service is over to get a drink. If your child is a distraction to others, take him to the nursery or out of the service. 184. 6. 6. IGNORE OTHERS  AROUND YOU AND

 

REMEMBER THAT GOD IS THE AUDIENCE. 185. There is a balance here.

 We should feel free to express our love to God outwardly  without worrying about what others ofthe us. Lord Davideven dancedthink before though it embarrassed his  wife, but God sided with David (2 Sam. 6:14-23). On the other hand, if you’re so demonstrative that you’re distracting others and calling attention to yourself, you’re out of balance. “All things

 

must be done properly and in an orderly manner” manner” (1 Cor. 14:40). 186. 7. 7. SPEND TIME WORSHIPING GOD IN HIS CREATION.

  187. If you live in a big city,  you’ll have to work harder at this than we who live in  beautiful Flagstaff do. But  wherever you are, pay attention to what God has made: the night sky with its stars; the sun to warm the day and give light (Ps. 19:1-6); the

flowers, the birds, the

 

 butterflies, and even the bugs;  your body, which is fearfully and wonderfully made (Ps. 139:14). In Romans 1:18-21, Paul indicts ungodly people  who have ignored the evidence of the Creator that is all around them in His creation. Their sin was that they did not honor God or give thanks. In other words, they didn’t worship the Creator. But that’s our ultimate priority! 188.