True Worshipper

Scripture John 4:15-27

John 4:15–27 KJV 1900

The woman saith unto him, Sir, give me this water, that I thirst not, neither come hither to draw. Jesus saith unto her, Go, call thy husband, and come hither. The woman answered and said, I have no husband. Jesus said unto her, Thou hast well said, I have no husband: For thou hast had five husbands; and he whom thou now hast is not thy husband: in that saidst thou truly. The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 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. God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth. The woman saith unto him, I know that Messias cometh, which is called Christ: when he is come, he will tell us all things. Jesus saith unto her, I that speak unto thee am he. And upon this came his disciples, and marvelled that he talked with the woman: yet no man said, What seekest thou? or, Why talkest thou with her?

Intro

The word ‘true’ in the Greek (John 4:23) is ALETHINOS! (Strong’s Concordance 228) This means ‘being real and genuine; that which has not only the name and resemblance, but the real nature corresponding to the name.’ The word is also used to describe the true nature of God who sent Jesus to redeem mankind; that Jesus fully represented God in every way. (John 7:28 and John 1:9) This word also extends to God’s worshipers. As much as God is true and genuine in all His ways, so should His worshipers be in their worship. The word is also related to the Greek word ‘ALETHES’ which means ‘unconcealed or manifest.’ A true worshiper has nothing to hide. He is true to God in every way and does not fake any area of his life to satisfy religious standards. He is the real thing, the genuine article. The manifestation of true worship is not something that is hidden in a Christian’s life. It is made manifest as a lifestyle, for the world to see that we unashamedly love and worship Him. God is looking for those who worship sincerely, the true worshiper.

Worship is a spiritual exercise that involves both spirit and truth according to Jesus, and you need both for acceptable worship to the Father. The word ‘truth’ in the Greek is ‘ALETHEIA’ and is from the same root as the word ‘true’ in the same verse, and means not hidden or concealed.

“But the time is coming — it has, in fact, come — when what you’re called will not matter and where you go to worship will not matter. It’s who you are and the way you live that count before God. Your worship must engage your spirit in the pursuit of truth. That’s the kind of people the Father is out looking for: those who are simply and honestly themselves before him in their worship.” (John 4:23 The Message)

God wants our worship to be sincere, based on a personal relationship with the Holy Spirit and His word. Worship is the result of the Holy Spirit quickening God’s word in your spirit and mind. This is what Jesus was alluding to above. The Holy Spirit connects with your spirit and brings God’s word alive in you so you can respond with worship. For this reason, worship cannot be manufactured, it has to be a response based on a genuine relationship with God and His word. Worship is such a personal thing between you and God, removing all comparison and competition with others or judgment by them, for no man knows the condition of your heart. You should never feel any condemnation when you worship, even though you might not be in a good place at the time.

God loves it when you put Him first, even in the midst of difficult circumstances, and the Holy Spirit is always ready to help you. He will bring to remembrance God’s promises and His faithfulness as a loving Father toward you.

Posturing Myself Before Him

Passionate Love Displayed Toward God

Prioritizing My Life For God

Closing

In other words, it takes God to worship God. Jesus told the Samaritan woman not only that the Father was seeking true worshipers, but that he came to make her one. Her story is the story of every true worshiper. We begin to worship God by acknowledging our inability to worship him unless he draws us by his grace and reveals himself to us through his word.

Worship with AWE

AWE

Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom that cannot be shaken, let us be thankful, and so worship God acceptably with reverence and awe, for our God is a consuming fire.  Hebrews 12:28-29

Awe is defined as an overwhelming feeling of reverence, admiration, or fear.

Worship with Abandonment

Some of you might say that’s not your personality, but believe it or not, you know how to lose yourself in worship. Just look at the way people respond at a concert or a sporting event. People go nuts when a team makes a great play or a band plays their favorite song.  Those are all great acts of worship, only to a  not so great god. We know how to worship with abandonment but for some reason not to the one and only true God. The Bible has so many examples of how to worship with abandonment. Here’s just a few:

Shout to God! Clap your hands! Lift up your hands! Stand in awe! Bow down! Dance before Him! Make a loud noise!

Worship with our Life

True worship is a whole-life response to God’s greatness and glory. The only fitting response to all He has done is to give back to Him all that we are. Worship is not determined by what we say but how we live. All of us leave a trail with our action. At  the end of that trail sits a throne.You don’t get to the throne by talking about what’s there.  You get to the throne when you follow the trail and find where you put your passion, energy, time, and money. And at the end of the day, you may get to the throne and find your job sitting there. Maybe it’s your brand new car. Or maybe you follow the trail of your achievements and social media and find yourself sitting on that throne.