“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” (John 4:19-24).
Introduction
What does the word worship mean? To many it simply means singing songs of praise to God on a Sunday evening. In some churches, after an opening hymn, they will have a worship session. Some believers think that they are worshipping the Lord because they enjoy the songs or have a warm feeling inside. Worship is not about us or the way we feel, instead it is all about God Himself. The Bible uses several words that speak of worship, yet it never actually defines the word. Genuine worship is about pleasing God by praising Him in the way He approves.
Why worship?
God does not need to be worshipped by us, but He does command that we do so in Spirit and in Truth. “For the Father seeketh such to worship him” (John 4:23). Worship does not add anything to God’s sovereignty, and neither does it change Him in any way. Worship actually changes us. “But we all, with open face beholding as in a glass the glory of the Lord, are changed into the same image from glory to glory, even as by the Spirit of the Lord” (2 Corinthians 3:18). We were created to have fellowship with God, and a part of that fellowship is worship. “Truly our fellowship is with the Father, and with his Son Jesus Christ” (1 John 1:3). Man becomes increasingly like that which he worships. Those who worship Islam’s god become violent; those who follow sports and music stars dress and act like them; those who love Christ display His nature. So worship transforms our lives.
God deserves our worship. “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” (Revelation 4:11). As Creator the Lord is worthy of praise and adoration. The majority have chosen to dishonour Him by refusing to worship Him. “Because that, when they knew God, they glorified him not as God, neither were thankful; but became vain in their imaginations, and their foolish heart was darkened” (Romans 1:21).
How to worship
During His conversation with the Samaritan woman, Jesus made it clear how God expects us to worship Him. The Jews and the Samaritans thought that worship took place at a certain time and in a certain location. Many Christians fall into the same religious misunderstanding too. For them worship takes place in a church building between 6.30 and 8.00 on a Sunday evening. They think of it as being the singing of a few hymns and choruses during the church service.
God wants us to worship Him from our heart rather than just our heads. “God does not regard our voices, He hears our hearts, and if our hearts do not sing, we have not sung at all” (Charles Spurgeon). Isaiah 29:13 says, “Wherefore the Lord said, Forasmuch as this people draw near me with their mouth, and with their lips do honour me, but have removed their heart far from me, and their fear toward me is taught by the precept of men.” Genuine worship is both heartfelt and honest. “For man looketh on the outward appearance, but the LORD looketh on the heart” (1 Samuel 16:7). Therefore it is possible to put great gusto into our singing and still not truly be worshipping the Lord. We cannot worship Him unless our hearts have been changed first, and if He does not have our hearts then there is little point praising Him.
Worship has to be according to truth. We have heard people say, “I worship God in my own way.” It is not our way that counts! God has told us that it must be done His way. Sincerity is not enough. The Jews and Samaritans were sincere in the belief that they worshipped God the correct way, but they were sincerely wrong. We must worship the Lord only in the way prescribed by Scripture; otherwise it is unacceptable to Him. For instance, how can we worship Him if we do not have “clean hands, and a pure hearts” (Psalm 24:4)? He demands that we “worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness” (Psalm 29:2).
True worship involves every part of us. “And thou shalt love the Lord thy God with all thy heart, and with all thy soul, and with all thy mind, and with all thy strength: this is the first commandment” (Mark 12:30). This means that we must be worshippers of God twenty four hours of every day. It means that we must dedicate our entire lives to His service. “We should worship him with the truly spiritual worship of faith, love, and holiness, animating all our tempers, thoughts, words, and actions” (John Wesley).
Conclusion
Let us be the worshippers that the Lord God is seeking. True worship must be in the truth of the Father as revealed in His Son and received by the Holy Spirit. Those who set aside the truth cannot acceptably worship God. “For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh” (Philippians 3:3).
© 22/4/2008