Worship In Spirit And Truth

Title: True Worshipers

Theme: To show that life is when we worship God. We find hope. We find peace. We have change.

Text: John 4

Opening Scripture

John 4:19-24 The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet. (20) Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship." (21) Jesus said to her, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. (22) You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews. (23) But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. (24) God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."

Introduction

Jesus meets this woman at the well. This is not a chance meeting as the scripture tells us that Jesus “needed to go through Samaria.” This was not a common route as for the Jew they would avoid Samaria to avoid the people. They felt the people were “beneath” them. They felt the Samaritans were compromisers of Judaism.

But Jesus had a purpose. God had called Him to reach all people. To reconcile people to God. I found this scripture this week. What a joy.

2 Corinthians 5:18-20 Now all things are of God, who has reconciled us to Himself through Jesus Christ, and has given us the ministry of reconciliation, (19) that is, that God was in Christ reconciling the world to Himself, not imputing their trespasses to them, and has committed to us the word of reconciliation. (20) Now then, we are ambassadors for Christ, as though God were pleading through us: we implore you on Christ's behalf, be reconciled to God.

Jesus gives an example of what this means. We are God’s ambassador. We have been filled with God’s Spirit. We have been called to “implore” the people to “be reconciled to God”

Jesus meets this “woman at the well” to help her get “reconciled” with God.

The conversation begins on simple terms of water. Natural water. It quickly veers to living water.

You could just sense in her a new hope.

Her life was a mess. She was being shunned by the city (coming to get water in the noon was not normal unless you are trying to avoid the crowds). Her relationships were a mess. She had been married five times and quit on marriage so now she is “shacking up” with a man.

Not sure how she get here but this is not where she began. Life at one time had more hope and joy than this. Especially when you get married for the first time and you believe that your love can solve any problem. There is nothing that can separate you. I am not sure what happened. Maybe an affair, maybe abuse, maybe just life drew them apart but that marriage fell apart.

She finds herself gathering water in the middle of the day, lost hope but then she meets Jesus. Why because Jesus was there to meet her.

Pause: Jesus is here to meet you today also. Plan of Salvation

So, the conversation ensues, and Jesus reveals some things about her. It was unexpected but it was prophetic. He knows her. He knows her heart.

Finally, we get to this passage.

Jesus the Prophet

John 4:19-24 The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that You are a prophet.

That is a start. Jesus is more than a prophet.

Matthew 16:13-19 When Jesus came into the region of Caesarea Philippi, He asked His disciples, saying, "Who do men say that I, the Son of Man, am?" (14) So they said, "Some say John the Baptist, some Elijah, and others Jeremiah or one of the prophets." (15) He said to them, "But who do you say that I am?" (16) Simon Peter answered and said, "You are the Christ, the Son of the living God." (17) Jesus answered and said to him, "Blessed are you, Simon Bar-Jonah, for flesh and blood has not revealed this to you, but My Father who is in heaven. (18) And I also say to you that you are Peter, and on this rock I will build My church, and the gates of Hades shall not prevail against it. (19) And I will give you the keys of the kingdom of heaven, and whatever you bind on earth will be bound in heaven, and whatever you loose on earth will be loosed [78] in heaven."

A Needed Relief

(20) Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."