Message
John 4:19-24
Worship In Spirit and Truth
What is it about worship, and the issue of worship, which has the potential to create so much dissension among the people of God? I’m not saying that it is happening in our congregation but I am sure you have heard the stories.
We know of congregations that fall apart because of the issue of worship. And the worship issues they are wrestling aren’t even in the “radical basket”. It’s often about new songs, or different instruments, or wanting some variation to the liturgy.
I know of one congregation that discussed changing the morning service from 11:00am to 10:30am. A number of people voiced a strong protest and when the decision was made to start at 10:30 these they left. But they went to another church which … and you’re not going to believe this … which started at 10:30am!
It is so sad that our individual tastes can put us at odds with others when we worship. You would think coming together to adore the same God who has equally saved all of us would make want to work together as brothers and sisters. But sometimes it seems that the way we bow the knee can cause irritation rather than encouragement.
Why is that? I think part of the answer is that we can sometimes forget that worship is so much more than what happens on a Sunday at church.
Worship is not something that only happens when we sing.
Worship is a life-choice.
It is all about giving God his worth – expressing to God that he is worthy.
Living in response to the fact that God chose us even though we are unworthy.
That is worship.
And it is an activity that happens all the time.
But when we forget this reality – and we only see worship as what happens on a Sunday or in a church service – we can start to become more concerned about how we worship and be distracted from who we worship.
Frank Sinatra sang the song “I did it my way”. I’m a bit young to know the man, but I know the song. He sings about life, and all these achievements, again and again you hear the phrase and I did it my way.
Sadly that is how we can approach the issue of worship. It is only relevant … when? When I do it my way.
Now you may not see the connection just yet, but this is one area where we need to sit up and take renewed notice of the second command.
4 “You shall not make for yourself an image in the form of anything in heaven above or on the earth beneath or in the waters below. 5 You shall not bow down to them or worship them; for I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, punishing the children for the sin of the parents to the third and fourth generation of those who hate me, 6 but showing love to a thousand generations of those who love me and keep my commandments.
Exodus 20:4-6
How does our attitude to worship involve the second commandment?
The moment we have become distracted by the issues of how we worship we are actually starting to idolise the act of worship.
When we idolise the act of worship then God says to us though the second commandment “This is not real worship”.
God says “Real worship happens when you do it MY way”.
What is God’s way? When we worship we shall not make for ourselves an idol in the form of anything … we shall not bow down to them or worship them. At first glance it looks like God is saying “Don’t carve out images and then bow down before them” … and that is true. But the command is saying so much more. To see what this “much more” is, let’s have a look at the history of Israel for a moment.
Let’s read Exodus 32:1-4
Since chapter 24 the people have been witnessing the wonders of God’s presence in the smoke and fire and thunderous roars as they stand at the foot of Mt Sinai. At the same time Moses has been asked by God to come up the mountain to be with God for forty days.
Moses occupied a special place in Israel – he was the link between the people and God.
None of the people had ever seen God but as long as they could see Moses they were satisfied.
But when it seemed that Moses – the visible link between them and God – when it seemed that he had left them the people become restless. They demanded that Aaron make an idol of God which they could see – a golden calf.
By making a golden calf did the people feel they were choosing another God? Then they said, “These are your gods, O Israel, who brought you up out of Egypt”.
Aaron and the people didn't think they were choosing another god; in their mind the golden calf was nothing more than giving a visible form to the one true God. It was a merely representative of God. It was a substitute way to worship. And it made God angry – we read later in the chapter that God was so angry He was going to destroy the people and start again with Moses.
The second commandment is not just about carving out images and then bowing down before them – it is about making substitutes for true worship.
We make substitutes when our whole spiritual journey revolves only around focusing on God for the time we are together on Sunday … and then forgetting Him for the rest of the week.
We make substitutes when the we divide our lives into “sacred time” and “secular time” – and we don’t live realising that God is there all the time.
We make substitutes when we listen to what the Word of God says, but we don’t act on what the Word of God says.
So again we begin to realise that it is quite easy to make substitutes. To look at our attitude … where we are called to give God His worth … and actually end up at a point where we say … I did it my way.
But when we are being called to live a life of worship it has to be God’s way.
And that means worship is not just a matter of instruments, songs, form and liturgy.
Worship is much more about the heart.
In the OT the answer to the question “How should we worship the LORD?” was pretty clear.
It specifies which sacrifices are to be used when certain actions occur.
There are feast days, and festival weeks, which were to be observed.
Answers to community problems were well defined.
And, when you include Psalms into the equation, then even the songs were organised.
It was all clearly regulated. But when we get to the New Testament this is no longer the case.
In the New Testament worship is primarily an issue of the heart.
We see this happening in John 4:19-24
How do we worship? We are to worship in spirit and in truth.
To see how this works we need a bit of context. In chapters 2 through 4 of John a particular theme has developed, “The old has gone, the new has come”.
In John 2, Jesus is at a wedding when he turns 6 stone jars full of water into 6 stone jars full of wine … the best wine. As well as being a physical action it is a symbolic action:- The old ceremonial water is gone, the new wedding wine has come. God is bringing in a new time and a new way of dealing with His people.
Later Jesus talks with Nicodemus, and says, “You must be born again”. Nicodemus wants salvation on the basis of moral improvement, Jesus is calling him to start over.
You don’t need a little more religion, you need a new heart.
The old efforts toward moral improvement are gone, the new birth, the way to a new heart has come.
In His discussion with the Samaritan woman the theme continues. She asks where people should worship, in Jerusalem or Mt Gerizim. This question has been an issue of debate for centuries.
Jerusalem was the spiritual centre for Jews because that is where the temple was.
Mt Gerizim was the spiritual centre for Samaritans because of these words in Deuteronomy 11:26-29.
26 See, I am setting before you today a blessing and a curse— 27 the blessing if you obey the commands of the Lord your God that I am giving you today;28 the curse if you disobey the commands of the Lord your God … 29 When the Lord your God has brought you into the land you are entering to possess, you are to proclaim on Mount Gerizim the blessings, and on Mount Ebal the curses.
Are the Jews right, or are the Samaritans right? In answer to the question Jesus basically says, it doesn’t matter anymore. The old definition of worship by location, or by action, or by sacrifices, or by tradition …it is all gone. The new definition of worship has come – in spirit and in truth. Now, true worshippers are those who worship in spirit and in truth.
When we worship in spirit and in truth it is a recognition that something new has occurred. It’s a recognition that Jesus has come to turn religion upside-down. He has come to bring a fresh breath … and we worship in response to that breath. So what’s changed, what’s so new? Perhaps this story will help you see it.
Robert Dinero was a mercenary who helped slave traders in South America – as time unfolded Robert began to feel guilty about the way he was treating the Indian slaves so he joined a Jesuit order.
As his penance Robert had to drag a board loaded with all his past mercenary tools including his weapons, sword, shield, armour. He was force to drag it through the rain forest, up a waterfall, to a village of Indians he once captured as slaves.
At this point one of the priests cut off the load and said ‘this is enough’ – in other words you have done your penance. The load slide down the hill, but Robert couldn’t leave it. He went down retied it, and continued to climb up the hill. His guilt was so great for him it was not enough
Freedom from the past was not going to come … then one of the Indians came forward and cut the load free from Robert. It feel from the cliff and into the into the water … and as it did so Robert wept, accepting the release and freedom of guilt offered by the Indians.
The way our freedom came points us to the newness.
Not because we have done a good job.
Not because we are faithful people.
Not because we earned the right.
But because we had no hope … and it is against the nature of God to leave us in that state.
God himself comes and releases us.
That is the freedom we have. And that is how worship is transformed.
The religion of Israel, and for that matter of the Samaritans, had become a load around their neck which they never felt they could release.
They were trying to make up for all the wrong things they had done.
They were part of a religion where you were made to feel guilty and where you have to make amends, trying to appease God.
And it was like this because Israel had substituted God’s grace for a set of rules. We have to avoid the same thing at all costs. It’s not about turning Christianity and worship into a substitute.
We’ve done some bad things, so we try to go to church to “make it up”.
We’re trying to purify ourselves, redeem ourselves, pay for our own debt.
We live in guilt and fear, trying to make up lost ground.
That is not worshipping in spirit and in truth. That is building a substitute.
So when God gives us the command to not bow down to idols and worship them what He is doing is making us realise that we don’t have to bind ourselves to a set of laws and rules and regulations – and somehow that will make us free.
Rather the command is a pathway to enjoying God … everyday.
Waking up and saying I can give God his worth now.
I can be in the presence of God now.
It is one thing to say – I went to church.
I know people who go to church.
I’ve seen them fall asleep.
I’ve seen them drool on their Bible.
I know one guy who fell asleep and in the middle of the sermon got a fright, jumped up and loudly proclaimed a swear-word.
It is one thing to say I have been to church. It is totally another thing to say, “I worship”.
God wants you to have the freedom to enjoy worshipping Him.
In church.
At home.
At work.
When you are resting.
When you are together as a family.
When you are alone.
It is not about us doing it … or trying to make up lost ground. It’s not about being physically present. All of these are substitutes.
Worship is about a person
We don’t go to a Temple. Jesus says He is the Temple, that means, we go to a person.
Worship is defined by a person, worship is going to Jesus
Worship is a relationship, not a religion.
Worship that is "in spirit and in truth" is worship that has Jesus at the centre – the same Jesus who ought to be in control of our mind, heart, will and emotions.
Prayer
