More Than a Song

Philadelphia Baptist Church

8/29/2007 Wednesday

More Than a Song

John 4:19–24

verse 24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Introduction: I’d like to begin this evening with a word association. The word is “worship”; what comes to mind first? For some of you, it is the word “church.” For others of you, it is singing. For others it may be a particular style of worship. What came to your mind? If you thought about anything but God when I said the word worship, you need to refocus your vision of worship. Worship is all about Him! We tend to evaluate everything through our perspective. How did I like it? What did it do for ME? Was it the kind of music I like? What did I get out of the service? But it is not about us!

1. What Is Worship? In attempting to define “worship,” it is interesting to note that the word “worship” is nowhere defined in Scripture. Some selected definitions include: an encounter with the living God; declaring God’s worth; when we put God first in our lives; communicating to God how much we love Him; when you see God and admire Him. The key to understanding genuine worship is that it’s about giving to God, not getting from God. Genuine worship is about pleasing God, not having God please you.

2. Why Should We Worship?

A. Worship Changes Us (2 Cor. 3:18). What you worship determines what you become. Worship is why we were created; as we worship we become that for which we were created! True worship changes us, but that is not the primary reason we worship.

B.  God Desires Our Worship (John 4:23b). “… for the Father seeketh such to worship him..” Worship pleases God. We bring pleasure to God by worshiping Him.

C. God Deserves Our Worship (Rev. 4:11). “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created..” It is not wrong for someone to want what they truly deserve. God is worthy of our praise because He is our Creator and our Lord.

3. How Should We Worship (John 4:19–24)? The context of this passage is Jesus’ conversation with the Samaritan woman at the well of Jacob. In the midst of the conversation, the subject of worship comes up. Jesus’ statements help us understand how we should worship. The Samaritan woman thought worship was defined by a geographic location. We often do the same. We often think worship is only done at church. We also tend to define worship by a timeframe: 10:45 a.m. to 12:00 p.m. on Sunday mornings, for example. Some define worship as simply singing from a hymn book or worship chorus. Christ explained that worship is more than where you are, what time it is, and whether you sing.

A. God Seeks Those Who Worship Him in Spirit. Our spirit is our inner life, our emotions, our will, our heart. Genuine worship happens only when the very core of our being is involved in worshiping God. That means genuine worship is “heartfelt” and “honest” before God (1 Sam. 16:7). We can sing and not worship. Worshiping in spirit means our heart must be His. You can’t worship God until your heart is changed. The only way you can draw near to God is to connect with Him through His Son. If God doesn’t have your heart, then nothing else you do at Church matters.

B. God Seeks Those Who Worship Him in Truth. Some want to say, “I’ll just worship God in my own way.” No, we must worship God in His way. We must worship according to God’s revelation. We need more than sincerity; we need truth, namely through the Scriptures. That is where the Samaritans got it wrong: they were sincere about their worship, but they had incomplete information about God to base it on. The Samaritans used only the first five books of the Bible, thus limiting God’s complete revelation. Sincerity alone does not make for acceptable worship.

C. God Seeks Those Who Worship Him (Mark 12:30). Another definition: “Worship is responding to all that God is, with all that we are.” Worship isn’t passive but it involves our participation. Giving is a part of worship. Not only this, but we are to dedicate our entire lives: our time and our talents.

Conclusion: Humans are all born as worshipers. Either we worship God, or we will worship or live our lives for created things rather than the Creator (Rom. 1:25). Let’s dedicate ourselves to worshiping God in Spirit and in truth with everything we are.