John 4:1-26 (NIV)
1 Now Jesus learned that the Pharisees had heard that he was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John— 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 So he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.
4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about noon.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his livestock?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give them will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give them will become in them a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is Spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”
25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.”
26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.”
The Scriptures teach that God actively seeks a relationship with humanity. In Genesis, the LORD walked in the garden with the first humans (Gen 3:8). When Jesus was lifted up on the cross He drew all humanity to Himself (John 12:32). The overarching story of the Bible is one in which God actively initiates, restores, and maintains fellowship with us. In the parable of the "Prodigal Son," Jesus paints a picture with words of a Father who seeks out both the foolish and the religious and invites them into the closest relationship with Himself and the rest of the family. When He saw the younger son heading home, He ran to meet him. When the older son refused to come inside, He went out to him and invited him in.
Worship is our response to God's invitation into a relationship. Worship is more than a prescribed form. Our songs, hymns, bodily postures, set days, and meetings in facilities and locations are all ways that we respond in worship, but true worship is more than the sum of all of these. Worship is something that God initiates by grace and we respond to by faith. Worship is about liberty, not bondage. Jesus said that new wine must be put into new wineskins. The first-century Christians initially worshipped in the temple, and some even continued offering sacrifices. But, it did take long until the Spirit broke the mold. This is why over time various genres of music or worship styles have been used by Christians in their corporate worship services. Contrary to what one generation might think worship cannot be confined to Southern Gospel or a particular order of services.
This was the inquiry of the Samaritan woman. She had been taught that true worship took place at the temple on Mt. Gerezim. Jesus's Jewish contemporaries argued to the contrary that true worship could only take place in the temple in Jerusalem. Jesus gave the woman an answer that transcended her question. You cannot place God in a box. He refuses to stay in the confines of the structures we build, for the express reason that He is always actively searching for true worshippers, and true worshippers are not characterized by place or form, but by Spirit and truth. When a form or structure has lost its value God will move on. He did this with the OT system and the synagogue system.
The Object of Worship
Jesus said, "You shall worship the LORD your God and Him only shall you serve" (Matt 4:10).
In our text, Jesus endorsed the concept that the Jewish understanding of God of His day was right (John 4:22). There is only one God, the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob (Deut 6:4). It is this God who is fully revealed in Jesus Christ. Jesus is God manifest in the flesh. In Him, all the fulness of the Godhead continues to dwell in Bodily Form (Col 2:9). He is the embodiment of Yahweh. To see Him is to see the Father. He is the Way, the Truth, and the Life, no one can come to the Father except through Him (John 14:6).
Some Jewish scholars have argued that one of the overarching stories of the OT is a polemic against idolatry. The Ten Commandments begin with the words, "You shall have no other gods before Me" (Exod 20:3).
There are times in our lives when we can realistically declare that we have kept this commandment because we have not crafted any image of God to which we bow, but idolatry is more than this. John Calvin said that the human heart is an idol factory. We can mass produce them. Anything we place ultimate value on and place our hope in can be an idol. We must turn our gaze from all earthly things to the Eternal God whose glory we behold in the Face of Jesus Christ. A. W. Tozer said, "The essence of idolatry is entertaining thoughts about God that are unworthy of Him."
God is Holy. John said that Isaiah saw Yahweh when He saw the Glory of Jesus in Isaiah 6. Isaiah 1-5 is filled with Isaiah pronouncing woes upon his contemporaries. But then he entered the temple courts and had an encounter with God. Read Isaiah 6. God initiated it. Isaiah no longer saw the flaws in those around him. In that moment of encountering God, He saw that he was also deficient in his personal holiness. He moved from, woe are you to woe is me! (Isa 6:5).
To behold His Faithfulness is to see our fickleness. To understand His Grace is to realize our guilt. To see His Glory is our undoing.
Contrary to what we often say in our songs, we worship the LORD not only for Who He Is but also for what He has done. God is not impassible or static. He is a God Who acts. The Psalms throughout the canon of Scripture speak of God's goodness, mercy, and intervention in the lives of individuals and nations. We all have stories of what He has done in our lives and these things are connected to what He has done in salvation history. He is the God of Abraham, Isaac, and Jacob, and because of the cross, my God and your God! We are connected to a long history of a God who is active and we worship Him because of what He has done, is doing, and will do! Paul wrote to the Romans (12) that because of what God has done in history and our own lives it is our reasonable spiritual service to present our bodies as living sacrifices wholly acceptable unto the Lord. We worship because of His Mercy. Like Isaiah, we have seen His Glory and His supreme Holiness and it leaves us in a place of awe and surrender. Like Isaiah, we have been touched and cleansed by His Grace and therefore we are willing to be a part of His mission! "Here am I, send me!"
The Priority of Worship
Mark 12:28-34 (NIV)
28 One of the teachers of the law came and heard them debating. Noticing that Jesus had given them a good answer, he asked him, “Of all the commandments, which is the most important?”
29 “The most important one,” answered Jesus, “is this: ‘Hear, O Israel: The Lord our God, the Lord is one. 30 Love the Lord your God with all your heart and with all your soul and with all your mind and with all your strength.’ 31 The second is this: ‘Love your neighbor as yourself.’ There is no commandment greater than these.”
32 “Well said, teacher,” the man replied. “You are right in saying that God is one and there is no other but him. 33 To love him with all your heart, with all your understanding and with all your strength, and to love your neighbor as yourself is more important than all burnt offerings and sacrifices.”
34 When Jesus saw that he had answered wisely, he said to him, “You are not far from the kingdom of God.” And from then on no one dared ask him any more questions.
"The divine priority is worship first, service second. Our lives are to be punctuated by praise, thanksgiving, and adoration. Service flows out of adoration. Service as a substitute for worship is idolatry. Activity is the enemy of adoration" (Richard Foster).
In Ezekiel 44:15 the LORD says to the Levitical priesthood, "come near to me to minister to me." In the NT book of Acts 13:2 (KJV), we read, "As they ministered to the Lord, and fasted, the Holy Ghost said, Separate me Barnabas and Saul for the work whereunto I have called them." Worship preceded service. As it was for the OT priesthood, so it is in the NT. We are first of all worshippers. Everything else should flow out of our adoration of Him. God is calling us back into fellowship with Him.
Preparation for Worship
There has always been corporate worship. This is why we included it in the corporate disciplines. In the OT economy, the people assembled at family altars or the Tabernacle and the Temple at various times to worship together. When they approached they approached with expectancy. In the NT, from Acts 2 onward we find the first-century Christians gathered for worship whether in the temple, a synagogue, a house, or a prison cell expecting God to show up and act (Acts 2:2).
Expectancy is important in worship. Developing an expectancy is something that we can do by cultivating a personal awareness of the Presence of God in our lives. In his classic work, "The Practice of the Presence of God" Brother Laurence talks about how he learned to worship God in the mundane aspects of his life and therefore was able to experience God on an even deeper level in the acts of worship and forms of worship that he participated in corporately.
When we come together for worship, we should bring along with us an expectancy. It changes the atmosphere when we do. Sometimes when our work for the Lord is out of balance with our worship we can lose the expectancy. We need to cultivate an awareness of His awe in the everyday aspects of our lives and bring it with us when we gather.
This is one reason to show up to our gatherings early to spend some time in prayer. Prayer can set the stage for a manifestation of the Presence of God as we collectively adore Him individually together.
In preparation for worship, we should lift those participating in leading worship into the Presence of God. Praying for worship leaders, singers, musicians, and pastors/preachers while interceding for others who will attend a worship gathering helps set everyone in the mind of worship. Our prayer should be that every person who enters a corporate worship service should have an encounter with the Holiness AND Grace of God. God can engage us all at once. In Acts 2, they were in one place and one accord, when suddenly!
Then there is the gathering part.
Hebrews 10:22-25 (KJV)
22 Let us draw near with a true heart in full assurance of faith, having our hearts sprinkled from an evil conscience, and our bodies washed with pure water.
23 Let us hold fast the profession of our faith without wavering; (for he is faithful that promised;)
24 And let us consider one another to provoke unto love and to good works:
25 Not forsaking the assembling of ourselves together, as the manner of some is; but exhorting one another: and so much the more, as ye see the day approaching.
The purpose of gathering together is to provoke one another unto love and good works and to exhort one another. Corporate worship is essential to Christian spirituality.
We gather for worship and then we are scattered for mission. It is the normal Apostolic way.
The Leader of Worship
The truth is that genuine worship has only one True Leader, Jesus Christ. He is alive and present among His people. In the book of Revelation John sees a vision of Jesus standing in the middle of seven golden candlesticks which represent the church universal of all ages. Jesus is wearing priestly garments.
When we are gathered Jesus is present in all His Glory and in every office that He fulfills. He is the Prophet, Priest, and King. He is the High Priest and the Ultimate Sacrifice!
We do not want the book of Acts to be a history book for us, but an example of what we can experience, but this can only be when we let Jesus lead.
When Jesus is in us we should allow Him to use us to manifest His leadership in our services. The NT Christians were filled with boldness because the Spirit of Jesus inspired their worship. We are to be His Body, His Hands, His Feet, His Voice. When we come together, the gifts of the Spirit should be normative. All that Jesus is is here right now and it is worship that brings facilitates a move of the Spirit!
Each parent is a worship leader. We must learn to draw near to Jesus and teach our children to worship by example.
Avenues of Worship
Silence -- learning to quiet our inner selves is important. There is a reason why Jesus often went away alone to pray. Worship in Spirit and truth is worship that is not merely the noise of our lips, but a divine communion where we are in Him and He is in us.
Singing -- there is a power in praise. Getting out minds and mouths involved in exalting Jesus is a means by which we connect with Him. Singing and music are two of the most powerful things in creation that can shape us. Worship changes us and ministers to the Lord. We become like what we worship and whoever's songs we sing shape our interior life and outward actions.
Posture -- the Bible is filled with examples of lifting hands, clapping hands, sitting, kneeling, standing, and so forth. As with our next avenue, it is important to remember that we are embodied creatures. To be fully human is to be embodied. We use our bodies to do everything and when we use them for worship we use them for the highest purpose for which they are created -- communion with the Lord.
Dancing -- David danced before the Lord with all of his might. Mariam and the women of Israel danced in worship to the LORD after crossing the Red Sea on dry ground.
We should utilize all of these avenues but never think that we can automatically conjure the Presence of God by certain postures or words. The ever-present God manifests His Presence because He wants to first of all and second because of true worship. And worship is a posture of the heart then a posture of the body, actions, and forms.
Steps in Worship
1. Learn to Practice the Presence of God daily. Pray without ceasing (1 Thess 5:17). Gathered worship will be that must sweeter and more powerful if you do.
2. Have many different experiences of worship. Worship alone. Worship with small groups. Worship outdoors. Sing to yourself. All the little worship experiences will heighten the Sunday gathering.
3. Find ways to prepare for the gathered worship experience. Spend time Saturday evening praying and confessing. Go to bed early. Show up early on Sunday and spend time in prayer for the worship service. Pray for the service and those leading and attending.
4. Be willing to be gathered in the power of the Lord. Set aside your own agendas and needs and ask the Lord to help you enter into His Holiness and Grace along with others. Remember we are holy priests unto Him and priests minister to others. Our service to one another will flow out of our devotion to Him together.
5. Cultivate holy dependency. Jesus began the Sermon on the Mout with the words, "Blessed are the poor in spirit, for theirs is the kingdom of Heaven" (Matt 5:3). Without Him we can do nothing. Any work that is done that is beneficial and lasting is because of Him.
6. Absord distractions with gratitude. When children are chatty thank God they are alive and that the church is alive and growing rather than being upset. Reframe all distractions and worship God for them.
7. Learn to offer a sacrifice of worship. Many times we do not "feel" like worshipping. God is our God even if we are not all that we should be. Showing up and putting in the effort matters and it will keep you.
The Fruit of Worship
Worship changes us. Isaiah was changed by his encounter with the LORD and his worshipful acknowledgment of God's Holiness and His personal encounter with God's Grace.
There are things that have had a hold of you that must let go when you worship. Paul and Silas worshipped and sang praises in their prison and the chains fell off of them and those that heard them. The prison doors were opened. The jailor and his household came to faith.
We must not underestimate what will happen if we choose to cultivate an atmosphere of worship in our lives and our church.
Let's start right now.
Maybe someone will walk away from the well different than they came, a true worshipper.
