Worshipping God in Truth
Notes
Transcript
Opening Prayer
Opening Prayer
Heavenly Father, we come before you today with grateful spirits and humble hearts. We thank you for your grace and mercy, for your love and faithfulness, for your word and your spirit. We ask you to open our eyes and ears, our minds and hearts, to receive your truth and to worship you in spirit and in truth. Help us to honor you with our lives and to glorify you with our praise. In Jesus’ name we pray, Amen.
Introduction
Introduction
What does it mean to worship God in truth? How can we know if we are worshipping God the way he wants us to? What does the Bible teach us about true worship?
These are important questions that every believer should ask and seek to answer. Worship is not just something we do on Sundays, or when we sing songs, or when we pray. Worship is a lifestyle, a response, a relationship. Worship is our highest calling and our greatest privilege. Worship is what we were created for and what we will do for eternity.
But worship is also a serious matter. God is not pleased with any kind of worship. He is not impressed by our rituals, our traditions, our emotions, or our preferences. He is not looking for outward forms, but inward realities. He is not interested in our opinions, but in his revelation.
To worship God in truth is to worship him as he commands.
R. C. Sproul
Jesus said in John 4:23-24
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.
God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth.”
In this passage, Jesus teaches us two essential aspects of true worship: worship in spirit and worship in truth. Today, we will focus on the second aspect: worship in truth. What does it mean to worship God in truth? How can we apply this to our lives? Let us consider three points:
Worship in truth means worship according to God’s nature.
Worship in truth means worship according to God’s word.
Worship in truth means worship according to God’s will.
Point 1: Worship in truth means worship according to God’s nature.
Point 1: Worship in truth means worship according to God’s nature.
The first thing that Jesus tells us in John 4:24 is that “God is Spirit”.
This is a fundamental truth about God’s nature that has implications for our worship. God is not a physical being, limited by time, space, or matter. He is a spiritual being, infinite, eternal, and omnipresent. He is not confined to a temple, a mountain, or a location. He is everywhere, and he can be worshipped anywhere.
This is what Jesus taught the Samaritan woman, who was confused about where to worship God. She asked him, "Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship."
Jesus replied, "Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father."
He was telling her that the place of worship is not as important as the person of worship. God is not bound by geography, but by his own glory.
This means that we cannot worship God with idols, images, or anything that represents him in a physical way. God is invisible, and he cannot be reduced to a visible form. He is transcendent, and he cannot be contained in a human-made object. He is holy, and he cannot be associated with anything that is unholy. To worship God with idols is to dishonor him, to distort him, and to disobey him.
The Bible warns us against idolatry in many places, such as Exodus 20:4-5
“You shall not make for yourself a carved image—any likeness of anything that is in heaven above, or that is in the earth beneath, or that is in the water under the earth;
you shall not bow down to them nor serve them. For I, the Lord your God, am a jealous God, visiting the iniquity of the fathers upon the children to the third and fourth generations of those who hate Me,
Idolatry is not only a problem of the past, but also of the present. We may not have statues or pictures of God, but we may have false ideas or concepts of God. We may have created a god in our own image, a god that suits our preferences, a god that fits our culture, a god that agrees with our opinions, a god that does not challenge us, a god that does not exist. This is also idolatry, and it is an insult to the true God.
To worship God in truth, we must worship him according to his nature, as he has revealed himself to us. We must worship him as Spirit, as the living and true God, as the Creator and Sustainer of all things, as the Lord and Judge of all, as the Father and the Son and the Holy Spirit, as the Savior and the King, as the Alpha and the Omega, as the Holy One and the Loving One, as the God who is, and who was, and who is to come.
Point 2: Worship in truth means worship according to God’s word.
Point 2: Worship in truth means worship according to God’s word.
The second thing that Jesus tells us in John 4:24 is that “those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth”.
This implies that there is a standard, a criterion, a measure for our worship. We cannot worship God any way we want, or any way we feel, or any way we think. We must worship God the way he wants, the way he commands, the way he reveals. We must worship God according to his word.
Worship is in response to truth about God and the truth about God is revealed in his Word.
John F. MacArthur
God’s word is the source of truth, the authority of truth, and the guide of truth. Jesus said in John 17:17
Sanctify them by Your truth. Your word is truth.
God’s word is the ultimate and final revelation of God’s nature, God’s will, and God’s salvation. God’s word is the foundation and the framework of our worship. God’s word is the light and the life of our worship.
Let me read and point out just a few passages
The Lord is near to all who call upon Him, To all who call upon Him in truth.
The entirety of Your word is truth, And every one of Your righteous judgments endures forever.
Let the word of Christ dwell in you richly in all wisdom, teaching and admonishing one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing with grace in your hearts to the Lord.
“You are worthy, O Lord, To receive glory and honor and power; For You created all things, And by Your will they exist and were created.”
Therefore, since we are receiving a kingdom which cannot be shaken, let us have grace, by which we may serve God acceptably with reverence and godly fear.
For our God is a consuming fire.
To worship God in truth, we must worship him according to his word. We must worship him with his word, by reading, studying, meditating, memorizing, and applying his word to our lives. We must worship him through his word, by hearing, preaching, teaching, sharing, and witnessing his word to others. We must worship him in light of his word, by evaluating, testing, correcting, and improving our worship practices according to his word.
Point 3: Worship in truth means worship according to God’s will.
Point 3: Worship in truth means worship according to God’s will.
The third thing that Jesus tells us in John 4:24 is that “the Father is seeking such to worship Him”.
This shows us that God is not passive, but active, in our worship. He is not indifferent, but interested, in our worship. He is not distant, but involved, in our worship. He is not only the object, but also the subject, of our worship. He is not only the one who receives, but also the one who initiates, our worship.
God is seeking true worshipers, those who worship him in spirit and in truth. He is looking for those who love him with all their heart, soul, mind, and strength. He is looking for those who serve him with all their gifts, talents, resources, and abilities. He is looking for those who follow him with all their faith, hope, and obedience. He is looking for those who seek his face, his glory, and his kingdom. He is looking for those who delight in his presence, his grace, and his will.
To worship God in truth, we must worship him according to his will. We must worship him with a sincere and humble heart, that is willing to submit to his authority and to obey his commands. We must worship him with a grateful and joyful spirit, that is eager to praise him and to thank him for his blessings. We must worship him with a faithful and loyal devotion, that is ready to follow him and to serve him in every situation.
Worshipping God in truth is not only about what we do, but also about who we are. It is not only about our actions, but also about our attitudes. It is not only about our words, but also about our thoughts. It is not only about our emotions, but also about our expressions. It is not only about our outward appearance, but also about our inward reality.
Worshipping God in truth is about being transformed by his truth, and reflecting his truth in our lives. This is what Paul means in Rom. 12:1-2
I beseech you therefore, brethren, by the mercies of God, that you present your bodies a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable to God, which is your reasonable service.
And do not be conformed to this world, but be transformed by the renewing of your mind, that you may prove what is that good and acceptable and perfect will of God.
It is about being conformed not to this world but to the image of his Son, and displaying his character in our conduct. It is about being filled with his Spirit, and bearing his fruit in our relationships. It is about being a witness of his gospel, and making disciples of all nations. Its about doing the will of the Father and turning away from our own desires.
Conclusion
Conclusion
We have seen that worshiping God in truth means worshiping him according to his nature, his word, and his will. This is the kind of worship that God desires and deserves. This is the kind of worship that honors and pleases him. This is the kind of worship that blesses and benefits us.
But how can we worship God in truth? How can we know his nature, his word, and his will? How can we apply them to our lives? How can we overcome our weaknesses, our temptations, and our failures? How can we grow in our worship and in our relationship with God?
The answer is simple, but profound. The answer is Jesus. Jesus is the way, the truth, and the life. Jesus is the revelation of God’s nature, the fulfillment of God’s word, and the example of God’s will. Jesus is the one who enables us to worship God in spirit and in truth. Jesus is the one who died for our sins, rose from the dead, and sent us his Spirit.
Jesus is the one who loves us, forgives us, and empowers us. Jesus is the one who invites us, teaches us, and leads us. Jesus is the one who is worthy of our worship, and who is with us in our worship.
Jesus said in John 14:6
Jesus said to him, “I am the way, the truth, and the life. No one comes to the Father except through Me.
To worship acceptably… is to be born anew by the Holy Ghost through faith in the Lord Jesus Christ and have the Holy Spirit of Christ teach us to worship and enable us to worship.
A. W. Tozer
If we want to worship God in truth, we must come to Jesus, and trust in him, and follow him. He will show us the Father, and he will show us how to worship him.
Let us pray.
Closing Prayer
Closing Prayer
Lord Jesus, we thank you for being the way, the truth, and the life. We thank you for revealing the Father to us, and for bringing us to him. We thank you for dying for our sins, and for rising from the dead. We thank you for sending us your Spirit, and for living in us. We thank you for loving us, forgiving us, and empowering us. We thank you for inviting us, teaching us, and leading us. We thank you for being worthy of our worship, and for being with us in our worship.
Lord, we ask you to help us to worship you in spirit and in truth. Help us to worship you according to your nature, your word, and your will. Help us to worship you with our whole being, and with our whole life. Help us to worship you in every place, and in every situation. Help us to worship you with sincerity and humility, with gratitude and joy, with faithfulness and loyalty. Help us to worship you in a way that honors and pleases you, and that blesses and benefits us.
Lord, we love you, and we praise you. You are our God, and we are your people. You are our Father, and we are your children. You are our Savior, and we are your disciples. You are our King, and we are your subjects. You are our Lord, and we are your servants. You are our everything, and we are yours.
Lord, we worship you in spirit and in truth. Amen.