John
4:20-24 “The Proper Worship of God”
Introduction: In the text last Sunday Jesus gave to the
woman what she needed to receive the living water that He offered and she
requested. He said “Go call thy husband
and come hither.” This woman had no
husband but was living with a man in a sinful relationship. She had been divorced five times. God hates divorce. Men and women today should proceed
cautiously when considering divorce.
God forgives all manner of sin, divorce included. Jesus did not condemn this woman for her life
style. He showed her mercy and
grace. God has and will forgive those
who divorce. We learned also that as far
as God is concerned this woman had no husband.
Divorce ends the marriage relationship.
The qualifications for a deacon require that he be the husband of
one wife. Some hold that if a man has
been divorce and remarried he can not be a deacon. This is not true. This woman had no husband! Neither does a man who is divorced have a
wife.
Lets begin
by understanding what worship is. Let us
examine some examples from scripture of worship. First let us look at a man who was a
leper. He came to Jesus as the scripture
says:
And,
behold, there came a leper and worshipped him, saying, Lord, if thou wilt, thou
canst make me clean. (Matthew 8:2)
The word
“saying” is a present active participle.
It is best translated “while saying.”
His act of worship involved prayer.
He is asking the Lord for cleansing.
He is acknowledging his faith and belief in Jesus’ power. He acknowledges that Jesus is Lord. He confirms his own unworthiness placing the
condition of his cleansing upon the permissive will of the Lord. Thus we learn from this leper that worship of
God is truthful, from the heart, acknowledgment of who God is and our unworthiness
of his benevolence. Worship involves
making our requests known to God and trusting in him to do what is best for
us. We worship by acknowledging the God
is able to grant our requests but He is not obligated to do so. All worship and pray, done properly, says
“Thy will be done.”
The same lessons on worship are
illustrated in the story of a certain ruler whose daughter Jesus raised from
the dead. The text says:
While he
spake these things unto them, behold, there came a certain ruler, and worshipped
him, saying, My daughter is even now dead: but come
and lay thy hand upon her, and she shall live.
(Matthew 9:18)
Again the
word saying is a present active participle best translated “while saying.” His worship involved prayer. His worship involved faith in the power of
God. God requires faith of those who
come to worship Him.
There is an example of worship given
to us of the disciples who, after seeing Jesus walk on the water worshiped
Him. The scripture says”
Then they
that were in the ship came and worshipped him, saying, Of
a truth thou art the Son of God.
(Matthew 14:33)
Again the
use of the word saying is found in connection with worship. Worship involves accepting Jesus for who He
is. He is God’s only begotten Son. He is God almighty. He came to save men from the penalty of
sin. Our worship should always include
praise for who Jesus is.
The Canaanite woman who came to
Jesus seeking help for her demon possessed daughter give
us another example of worship. Her
worship was brief and very pointed the scripture says:
Then came
she and worshipped him, saying, Lord, help me.
(Matthew 15:25)
Again the
word “saying” is used here. In these
simple words she says much. She knows
she is not worthy. She knows she can
claim no promise of help. She appeals to
His compassion. She knows He is a loving
God and a merciful God. Her simple
worship, a prayer for help,
results in Jesus’ praise for her faith and God being praised and
glorified.
The last example of worship is a
heavenly one. There was seen by John
twenty four elders and four beasts worshiping God on His throne. The text reads:
And the
four and twenty elders and the four beasts fell down and worshipped God that
sat on the throne, saying, Amen; Alleluia.
(Revelation 19:4)
Again the
present active participle is used “while saying.” What does their worship teach us? They said “Amen.” This is a term which means “so be it” or “let
it be so.” These heavenly beings desire
the will of God more than anything. Our
worship should follow this example and should agree with the will of God. They also worshiped saying Alleluia. This means “Praise ye
the Lord.” Our worship is therefore not complete unless it results in an
invitation for all men to come and join us in praising the Lord. We worship God when we invite others to come
and praise the Lord with us.
This whole conversation is amazing
to me for Jesus knows just what to say to this woman and He knows just how to
answer her questions. Many times I have
found myself at a loss for words when questions arise. I am often forced to retreat and give time
for a proper response to questions raised.
Jesus never had this problem. He
knew exactly what this woman needed.
Jesus has pointed out her honesty
and her sin. She now is forced to say
something to address her sin. She
chooses to dodge the issue by pointing out the differences between the Jews and
the Samaritans.
John 4:20 Our fathers
worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in
Here is the problem as she sees
it. Here life style is condemned by the Law
of Moses. She does not adhere to all of
the teachings of the Law of Moses for the Law of Moses dictates that the
worship of God is to be in the place were the Ark of the Covenant resides. The Samaritans believed the writings of the
Old Testament but rejected the part which dictated the worship of God at the
This doctrine of the Samaritans
dates back to the time of Jeroboam’s rebellion against Rehoboam. To keep the people under his rule Jeroboam
set up two golden calves in the northern tribes and made the people to worship
there instead of going to
Sin is the transgression of the
law. 1 John 3:4 Whosoever committeth
sin transgresseth also the law: for sin is the
transgression of the law. Her actions are
condemned as sin by the Law of God and her sins had nothing to do with where
her fathers worshiped. She points out
that she is not of the same religious convection as the Jews. She says our fathers worshipped in this
mountain. But what she needed to point
out was that she is a sinner in need of a savior.
Notice how quickly she has changed
the subject to direct it away from her sin.
Guilt is a feeling which most people try to avoid. They do not want to feel guilty. Lost people need to feel guilty. This guilty feeling is caused by the Holy
Spirit of God. It is the Holy Spirit’s
way of convicting the lost to lead them to admit their sin and seek the
Salvation of the Lord.
Both the Samaritans and the Jews
restricted the worship of God to a specific place. To worship God acceptably the Jews needed a
temple, an altar, a basin, a lamp stand, a table of shew bread, an altar of
incense, a vale, an ark, a mercy seat, an animal sacrifice, salt, scarlet,
hyssop, cedar, water, unleavened bread, a priest, and a whole host of other
tools. Their worship was dependent upon
material things. Their worship was
dependent upon a chosen place.
The Samaritans did not feel that
they needed all of those things which the Jews used in their worship. They simply used an altar made of stone for
their sacrifices and used who ever they pleased for a priest. Jesus will address this issue of what is
needed for proper worship.
John 4:21
Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither
in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the
Father.
Jesus said “believe me” and she is
going to believe Him because He has told her all about herself. She will not doubt anything He says. He reveals to her a future event. He tells her that there is soon coming a time
when there will be no one worshiping God in this region. In 70 A.D. the Romans will destroy the
John
The Samaritans would pick and choose
what suited them from the Old Testament books and ignore the rest. The Messiah who is the savior of men comes
from the Jewish race. Abraham had been
told that “in thy seed shall all nations be blessed.” The Messiah the Christ comes from the Jewish
race. Their whole system of worship
points to the coming Christ and He would fulfill all the Law and the
Prophets.
Simeon, the man who held the baby
Jesus, said “I have seen thy salvation.”
Jesus is that salvation. If one
is to be saved he must look to the Jews for Jesus is the son of Abraham, Isaac,
John 4:23 But the hour
cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in
spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.
Jesus tells her now what true
worship is. It is from the heart and it
is without hypocrisy. God condemns
worship that is just outward appearance.
He said “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near [me] with
their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far
from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men: (Isaiah 29:13)
True worshipers do not need material
things to worship God. They need a heart
cleansed from sin and a mind focused upon God and a body which may express its
submission to God. It requires a belief
in truth. There is but one God and He so
loved us that He gave His only begotten Son to die for our sins that we might
be saved.
The father is seeking people to
worship Him. He calls men to come to Him
and be saved. This has been His theme
throughout the ages. Isaiah wrote “Look
unto me, and be ye saved, all the ends of the earth: for I [am] God, and [there
is] none else.” (Isaiah 45:22) The Lord has always desired and sought people
to worship Him with their hearts. The
Psalmist David wrote “For thou desirest not sacrifice; else would
I give [it]: thou delightest not in burnt
offering. The sacrifices of God [are] a
broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.” (Psalms 51:16-17) The purpose of ritualistic worship and strict
adherence to Law was to drive a man to recognition of his hopeless and helpless
condition. If he is to be saved he must
throw himself upon the mercy and grace of almighty God.
John
Worship of God, who is Spirit,
requires worship in spirit. He can not
be contained within the confines of a temple, no matter how large it may
be. He is not confined to material
realm. Our prayers are not material in
nature. Our love is not material in nature.
Our Joy is not material in nature.
Our hope is not material in nature.
Our God is not material in nature.
He is Spirit and we worship Him with our hearts which are not material
in nature. Our minds are more than gray
matter trapped in a skull of bone. Our
hearts are not muscle and blood. We are
spirit beings trapped within a body of flesh and bone. God desires the worship of our inward
man. That portion of us which is not
material in nature is that which God regenerates and makes a new creature. It is that which He makes to be a partaker of
the divine nature. Our flesh will go
back to the dust from which it came for it is material in nature and sinful and
without hope. Our Spirit goes back to
God who gave it. If that Spirit has been
born again and has drank of that living water which Jesus so freely offers it
will worship God in truth.
Pilot will ask Jesus “what is
truth?” Jesus is truth. His truth will set you free and if the Son
shall make you free you are free indeed.
True worshipers worship in truth.
The Truth is that men are sinners and God is Holy and righteous. This difference has separated man from
God. Sin has resulted in death. All men are dead for all have sinned. Men may be made alive spiritually by
repentance and faith in Jesus Christ.
The Body is not regenerated and will die but the spirit which has been
born again will never die.
When Jesus promised living water and
everlasting life He meant just that. One
who confesses his sin and trust in Jesus to save him from the penalty of that
sin will never die. Those who refuse to
repent will suffer the second death which is eternal separation for a Holy God
in the
To worship God acceptably you must
repent and trust in Jesus Christ. Start
your worship of God today. Trust in
Jesus now.
Child of God, learn
from this sermon that your worship is “saying” Lord you are able! Lord help me! If thou
wilt! Amen! and
Alleluia!