Sermon Tone Analysis

A Lesson on Worship

John 4:

Introduction:

The Samaritans were a mixed race, part Jew and part Gentile that grew out of the Assyrian captivity of northern tribes of Israel.

The Jews alienated and repudiated the Samaritans because they considered the Samaritans to be unclean.

They refused to accept the claim of the Samaritans that they too were of the tribe of Israel.

The Samaritans hated the Jews because the Jews hated them.

Though they came from the same religious practices and doctrines initially, time and hatred assured some major differences.

Both groups believed their way was the right and only way.

They refused to come to terms with one another.

They had major issues.

One of which was that of worship.

Jesus’ arrival to Samaria is no coincidence.

We find on the heels of a conversation about living water and immorality with a Samaritan woman, Jesus begins a needed lesson on worship.

Jesus clarifies some misunderstandings regarding whom to worship, how to Worship and where to worship.

FCF: We don’t worship God as we should

Propositional Statement: We owe our every breath to God.

He is the source of our all.

Because of who God is we ought to worship God

Transition: The text suggests

Our Opportunity to Worship (23a)

John 4:23

The Jews travelled to Jerusalem to the Synagogue to worship God and the Samaritans built a temple in the mountain Gerizim to worship God.

The belief of the Samaritans was that since God spoke to Moses in the mountain then that was the sacred and holy place to worship Him.

However, in all the debate of where to worship God, both groups missed the point of worship.

They each believed it was the worship place which made the worship experience great but Jesus says it is not the worship place but the worshipper.

Jesus explains that Worship can and must take place everywhere.

Worship is confined to neither the mountain nor the Synagogue.

“But the hour cometh, and now is” He makes it clear that our worshipping moment is a now moment.

We are afforded the opportunity to worship God daily, and are not limited to any particular place to worship.

Now don’t get it twisted there was nothing wrong with them worshipping in the mountain nor the synagogue but they limited their worship experiences to those places.

They didn’t worship at home.

They didn’t worship daily.

They didn’t worship with friends.

They worshiped annually.

It almost appears that worship was inconvenient for both groups worship should never be an inconvenience there is always time to worship!

Worship neither starts nor stops at the church.

Transition: Look, church is a great place to worship and a place you need to go to worship but it isn’t the only place to worship.

That is not to suggest that since you can worship God any and everywhere that you need not go to church.

It’s far from that conclusion as a matter of fact it suggests:

Our Object of Worship (vs 23b)

ILLUS: After attending church with his father one Sunday morning, before getting into bed that evening a little boy kneeled at his bedside and prayed, “Dear God, we had a good time at church today, but I wish you had been there.”

Jesus says the true worshippers shall worship the Father.

Who was He speaking of?

This is an important question because remember He is speaking to this Samaritan.

Their tradition was to refer to Jacob as their father.

They called him great as a matter of fact a few verses earlier this woman asked Jesus did He think He was greater than Jacob.

So it became important that He place worship in its proper perspective in regards to whom to worship.

God is the Father in this text.

Not Jacob not Moses, But God alone.

Look yall, all worship is reserved for God.

Perhaps I should clean that up a bit.

God is the object of all worship.

He is the father.

That alone is enough to worship Him for…He:

Provides as a father

Protects as a father

Loves as a father

Leads as a father

He is the object of worship.

The word worship means to kiss and the custom of worship was that of prostrating oneself before persons and kissing their feet or the hem of their garment, the ground, etc. when we worship God we are placing ourselves at His feet and kissing Him.

Our worship is a kiss at the feet of God.

ILLUS: () God speaks to Moses and gives him a recipe for an aroma which is to be made for only Him…there were three(3) spices that are to be mixed with Frankincense.

Sacte, Onycha, and galbanum…

Our Order of Worship(v23-24)

Jesus makes a little play on words as He continues His dialogue with this woman.

He mentions the True worshippers shall worship.

Not only were the Jews and Samaritans at odds about the place of worship but they were in debate as to which was the true religion.

So, he makes it clear that worship of God was not confined to doctrinal dissertations, to religious rituals, or dogmatic debate.

He says it is a spiritual element.

True worshippers do not worship to be seen but to connect with God.

So the order of worship is:

In Spirit – this refers to the heart of the worshipper.

Worship must be spiritual.

It has very little to do with your dance steps.

In Truth – Worship must be real.

Worship is not entertainment.

It is not done to be seen.

It is authentic and genuine.

It has nothing to do with us or others.

But has everything to do with God!

You cannot have one without the other.