SF664 - GET IT RIGHT THE FIRST TIME (John 4 19-26)
SF664
Get it Right the First Time!
John 4:19-26
Introduction
Why did you come to Church Today?
Did you come hoping to Encounter God?
How will you know if you got what you Came For?
How will you know if you really Worshiped?
The Woman's Dilemma…(John 4:19-26)
She had encounter Christ
She knew she needed something more
She did not know how to put the two together.
How You Can Know If You Have Worshiped!
1A. True Worship is not Simply Going to the Right Church (19-21)
1B. Some people think you have to go to a certain type of church to worship.
Ø What church would Paul attend…Presbyterian, Pentecostal, Baptist…
(Acts 10:34-35) "Then Peter began to speak: "I now realize how true it is that God does not show favoritism {35} but accepts men from every nation who fear him and do what is right."
2B. God is not concerned about "where" we worship!
2A. True Worship is not Knowing some kind of Special Truth (22)
Some people think that worship requires knowledge of special truth…
(Colossians 2:8) "See to it that no one takes you captive through hollow and deceptive philosophy, which depends on human tradition and the basic principles of this world rather than on Christ."
(Colossians 2:9-10) "For in Christ all the fullness of the Deity lives in bodily form, {10} and you have been given fullness in Christ, who is the head over every power and authority."
3A. True Worship is not Simply Keeping a bunch of Rules (Colossians 2:16-17; 20-22)
Not a Matter of diet (16)
Not a Matter of days (16b-17)
Not a Matter of discipline (20-22)
4A. True Worship is not a Matter of a Particular Style or Order
1B. Order is a reflection of style - Style is a reflection of Culture
When we connect our worship to order or style, we get upset when they are changed
2B. In the Bible different people worshipped in different ways… The Greeks did not worship like the Jews
(Acts 15:24, 28-29) "We have heard that some went out from us without our authorization and disturbed you, troubling your minds by what they said." (28) "It seemed good to the Holy Spirit and to us not to burden you with anything beyond the following requirements: {29} You are to abstain from food sacrificed to idols, from blood, from the meat of strangled animals and from sexual immorality. You will do well to avoid these things. Farewell."
5A. True Worship Involves a series of Confessions (25-26)
1B. We must Confess our failure
(Acts 19:18) "Many of those who believed now came and openly confessed their evil deeds."
(1 John 1:9) "If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just and will forgive us our sins and purify us from all unrighteousness."
(Mark 1:15) ""The time has come," he said. "The kingdom of God is near. Repent and believe the good news!""
(Acts 26:20) "… I preached that they should repent and turn to God and prove their repentance by their deeds."
2B. We must Confess our Faith
(Romans 10:9-10) "That if you confess with your mouth, "Jesus is Lord," and believe in your heart that God raised him from the dead, you will be saved. {10} For it is with your heart that you believe and are justified, and it is with your mouth that you confess and are saved."
3B. We must Confess our Fellowship
(Matthew 10:32-33) ""Whoever acknowledges me before men, I will also acknowledge him before my Father in heaven. {33} But whoever disowns me before men, I will disown him before my Father in heaven."
6A. True Worship Involves a Dynamic Connection - "in Spirit" (23-24)
1B. We are Connected to God by Spiritual Birth
(John 1:12-13) "Yet to all who received him, to those who believed in his name, he gave the right to become children of God-- {13} children born not of natural descent, nor of human decision or a husband's will, but born of God."
2B. We are Inhabited by God's Spirit
(2 Corinthians 1:21-22) "Now it is God who makes both us and you stand firm in Christ. He anointed us, {22} set his seal of ownership on us, and put his Spirit in our hearts as a deposit, guaranteeing what is to come."
Ø We can have a little of heaven here
7A. True Worship Involves Settled Convictions - "in truth" (23-24)
1B. Two sources of our Convictions…
The inspired Word
(2 Timothy 3:16) “All Scripture is God-breathed and is useful for teaching, rebuking, correcting and training in righteousness,”
The incarnate Word
(John 1:1-2, 14) “In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God. {2} He was with God in the beginning.”… (14) “The Word became flesh and made his dwelling among us. We have seen his glory, the glory of the One and Only, who came from the Father, full of grace and truth.”
2B. The bottom line…
(Hebrews 11:6) "And without faith it is impossible to please God, because anyone who comes to him must believe that he exists and that he rewards those who earnestly seek him."
Application
How Can I Worship?
Establish a Connection
It begins with a Confession
Ø Of failure
Ø Of faith
Ø Of fellowship
Build some Convictions
Ø Based on His Word
Ø Modeled after His Walk