JOHN 4:19-24 WORSHIPPING GOD 5-14-11
Today I want to try and bring a few thoughts to do with worshipping God, and let me say that I am certainly not an expert on this most important subject, I’m sure most of us could apply our selves to worshipping God in more of a reverent and honoring manner.
Most people all over the world worship something, and they believe that what or who they worship is right and that every body that don’t worship the way they do are wrong.
We that believe in Jehovah God and His Son and our Lord and Savoir Jesus Christ believe the way we do because of what we read about God in the Bible, not simple because it’s the bible but because of all the Prophecies in the bible that have come to pass, and since they have come to pass exactly the way foretold we are sure the others will also when Gods set time rolls around. I found this information as I was putting this together.
Ø Dr. Hugh Ross said this:
Unique among all books ever written, the Bible accurately foretells specific events--in detail--many years, sometimes centuries, before they occur. Approximately 2500 prophecies appear in the pages of the Bible, about 2000 of which already have been fulfilled to the letter--no errors. (The remaining 500 or so reach into the future and may be seen unfolding as days go by.) --- The odds for all these prophecies having been fulfilled by chance without error is less than = 1 with 2000 zeros written after it)
Now I don’t know about you but I have no earthly idea what 1 with 2000 zeroes after it is, but it’s a whole lot, as some say around here, “it’s a pretty good smart.”
But I am convinced of this, that people that are sincere about worshipping some other god are sincerely wrong and it’ comes with damming consequences, there’s only ONE True God.
Ø There’s only ONE GOD:
Isaiah 43:6 Thus saith the LORD the King of Israel, and his redeemer the LORD of hosts; I am the first, and I am the last; and beside me there is no God.
8- Is there a God beside me? yea, there is no God; I know not any.
10-11- before me there was no God formed, neither shall there be after me. - I, even I, am the LORD; and beside me there is no Savoir.
Ø Listen to what God said to His chosen people Israel
Isaiah 44:21 Remember these, O Jacob and Israel; for thou art my servant: I have formed thee; thou art my servant: O Israel, thou shalt not be forgotten of me.
Israel is just as indestructible as God’s Word and Covenant are,
Romans 8:31 --If God be for us, who can be against us? Israel will still be here when their enemies are no more. —Osama Bin Laden has now found out that there are no 76 virgins waiting on him.
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Ø Lets get back to our thought of worshipping God. Listen as I read this record of Jesus dealing with the Samaritan woman.
4And he must needs go through Samaria. 5Then cometh he to a city of Samaria, which is called Sychar, near to the parcel of ground that Jacob gave to his son Joseph. 6Now Jacob’s well was there. Jesus therefore, being wearied with his journey, sat thus on the well: and it was about the sixth hour. (12 noon the hottest time of the day, she knew few of the other women would be there)
7There cometh a woman of Samaria to draw water: Jesus saith unto her, Give me to drink. 8(For his disciples were gone away unto the city to buy meat.)
9Then saith the woman of Samaria unto him, How is it that thou, being a Jew, askest drink of me, which am a woman of Samaria? for the Jews have no dealings with the Samaritans.
10Jesus answered and said unto her, If thou knewest the gift of God, and who it is that saith to thee, Give me to drink; thou wouldest have asked of him, and he would have given thee living water.
11The woman saith unto him, Sir, thou hast nothing to draw with, and the well is deep: from whence then hast thou that living water? 12 Art thou greater than our father Jacob, which gave us the well, and drank thereof himself, and his children, and his cattle?
13Jesus answered and said unto her, Whosoever drinketh of this water shall thirst again: 14But whosoever drinketh of the water that I shall give him shall never thirst; but the water that I shall give him shall be in him a well of water springing up into everlasting life.
15The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. 16Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither.
17The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: 18For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly.
19The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet 20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
21Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23But 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. 24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.
25The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. 26Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
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Jesus purposefully was waiting at the well for this woman. Remember we’re thinking on WORSHIP today.
John 4:19-26 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. 20Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.
21Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews.—Jesus was born into this world a Jew from the stand point of His humanity, of the tribe of Judah, Judah was the 4th son of Jacob and Leah.—
Revelation 5:5 He is called THE LION of the tribe of Judah.
Hebrews 7:14 For it is evident that our Lord sprang out of Judah;--
Jesus continues to talk to the woman at the well.
23But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: I want us to be sure and notice that Jesus said, “the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth”
He did not say that the true worshippers would worship BUDDA, ALAH, MOHEMED, CONFUSIOUS, MARY, DEAD SAINTS or any one else, dear heart or you a “true worshipper”?
--for the Father seeketh such to worship him. The Heavenly Father desires the worship of the TRUE WORSHIPPERS.
--24God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. 25The woman saith unto him, I know that Messiah cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. 26Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he.
This dear lady drops her water pots and becomes an instant missionary, she runs into town and gives the great news that she has found a man that knows all about her.
28-30 The woman then left her waterpot, and went her way into the city, and saith to the men, 29Come, see a man, which told me all things that ever I did: is not this the Christ? 30Then they went out of the city, and came unto him.
When people hear and believe the truth about Jesus they’ll drop what they’re doing and come unto Him.
40-42 So when the Samaritans were come unto him, they besought him that he would tarry with them: and he abode there two days. 41And many more believed because of his own word; 42And said unto the woman, Now we believe, not because of thy saying: for we have heard him ourselves, and know that this is indeed the Christ, the Savior of the world. –Not a savior, but THE SAVIOR.
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Well one of these days we that are saved will worship THE LORD and SAVIOR JESUS CHRIST with these very same people, I believe we’ll know this dear sister on site, yes sir.
This account here shows us that this dear lady believed in worship, but she didn’t understand until now Who to worship, she seems like a sincere believer in God, and lets me sure and notice that she was a sinner just like all of us are without any exceptions, she’d had 5 husbands and was living with a man at this time that was not her husband and lets be sure and notice too that Jesus saved her.
Any one that says that a person can’t be saved if they have been married more that once has missed the mark by a long shot.
Matthew 12:31 Wherefore I say unto you, All manner of sin (any and all kinds) and blasphemy shall be forgiven unto men: ---
1 Timothy 1:15 This is a faithful saying, and worthy of all acceptation, that Christ Jesus came into the world to save sinners;--
Ø Jesus is worthy of all praise and worship.
Revelation 4:10-11 The four and twenty elders (the church) fall down before him that sat on the throne, and worship him that liveth for ever and ever, and cast their crowns before the throne, saying, 11Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.
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Ø Just what is WORSHIP?
One dictionary says this,
“The act of paying divine honors to the Supreme Being; religious reverence and homage; adoration, or acts of reverence, paid to God, or a being viewed as God.”
Worship is not about knowing God. The Samaritan woman knew about worship.- We may attend a worship service and go through the motions.
We may sing, raise our hands, and say “Amen,” and other things without ever really being serious; people are sitting there thinking about what they’ll have for dinner.
We may know the order of the service, but that doesn’t mean we worship.-- We can know some of the songs by heart, but that doesn’t mean we worship.
We have grown so accustom to what we think of as worship, but I believe we’ll all be in for a wonderful surprise when we see Him, we’ll then learn how to truly worship God, if we didn’t have glorified ears at that time our ear drums I’m sure would burst, all our bashfulness and pious ways of doing things down here will be over.
Ø Listen to this little poem I found as I was getting this together:
Some go to church to take a walk. Some go to church to laugh and talk.
Some go to church to meet a friend. Some go to church, their time to spend.
Some go to church to meet another. Some go to church, a fault to cover.
Some go to church for speculation. Some go to church for observation.
Some go to church to doze and nod. The wise go there to worship God.
People have different ideas of what and how to worship; some have different ideas on what position a person should be in when they pray.
Ø I found this little humorous poem in “ISRAEL MY GLORY” magazine about prayer
The prayer of Cyrus Brown
‘The proper way for a man to pray said Deacon Lemon Keyes, and the only proper attitude is down upon his knees”
‘ No, I should say the way to pray, said Rev. Doctor Wise, is standing straight with out stretched arms and rapt and upturned eyes”
“Oh no.no.no. said Elder Slow, such posture is too proud: a man should pray with eyes fast closed and head contritely bowed”
“It seems to me his hands should be austerely clasped in front, with both thumbs pointing toward the ground, said Rev, Doctor Blunt.
Las year I fell in Hodgkin’s well head first, said Cyrus Brown, with both my heels a-stickin up, my head a-pinting down, an I made a prayer right then an there—best prayer I ever said, the prayingest prayer I ever prayed, a-standing on my head”.
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We can pray any where at any time, I’ve prayer while setting in the top of a pine tree in a deer stand, driving down the road, we can pray any time, thousands of prayers have been prayed on some battle field, we’re not bound by any thing, we’re free in Christ Jesus.
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And we can worship God any place at any time; we don’t have to be in a Church house, people used to go to these old meetings out in the woods, camp harbor I believe they were called, service men worship God on ships in the middle of the ocean, God wants His people to worship Him, He’d rather hear sincere heart-felt worship than routine ritual.
I’m afraid that a lot of folks have a tendency to make worship mechanical, worship has become a routine, and many think we need a certain order of the service.
We are not under the law as Israel was, back in Israel’s earlier years they could only worship in one place and that was the Tabernacle and later in the Temple. For them being a worshiper of God meant offering the right sacrifices – following the right set of rules – obeying a certain set of guidelines and worshipping on the right day week and in the right place.
God is not limited by our limited concepts of worship. He wants us to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth. Jesus said in Mark 7:6-7 --This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. 7Howbeit in vain do they worship me, teaching for doctrines the commandments of men.
