Expericing the Presence of God (Worship in Spirit-Jn. 4)

John 4:21-24

Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. [22] Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. [23] 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. [24] God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Experiencing the Presence of God

A few years ago the Chicago Tribune ran a story about a New Mexico woman, who was frying tortillas when she noticed that the burn marks on one of the tortillas bore a unique resemblance to known pictures of Jesus. Excited, she showed it to her husband and a few of her neighbors. They agreed that there was picture etched in the tortilla. And they all agreed that it bore a striking resemblance to pictures of Christ. The woman took her tortilla to her priest for him to bless it. She testified that the tortilla had changed her life. Her husband agreed that she had been a happier, more peaceful, submissive wife, since the arrival of the tortilla. Somewhat reluctant, because he had never blessed a tortilla before, her priest decided to go ahead and bless it. She took the tortilla home and put it on a pile of cotton so it looked as though it were floating in air. She built an altar; opened a shrine and in a few months, the paper said, more than 8 thousand people had come to her home and looked at her shrine to see the face of Jesus on a tortilla. Almost everyone, perhaps except for maybe one, agreed that it did look like Jesus. One writer said that to him it looked like the former heavy weight champion Leon Spinks. But even until today people are going by the shrine to see Jesus on a tortilla.

IT IS INCREDIBLE WHAT PEOPLE WILL WORSHIP. It is incredible what people will worship; until you look around this world and see all the strange things that people bow their knee to; Jesus on a tortilla. And somebody quickly says, pastor, why do you poke fun? Perhaps the woman did see Jesus on a tortilla. Well your problem is not with your pastor! Jesus in our text said, “God is a spirit…” And the last time I looked, tortillas didn’t fall into that category. “And they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” WORSHIP! Although the bible is clear about whom we are to worship, how we are to worship and where we are to worship, it is amazing that very seldom does genuine biblical worship take place. With all of these churches in town, seldom does worship take place. I even would suggest that right here in this sanctuary, seldom does worship take place. The bible talks about at least three kinds of worship.

First of all, it talks about false worship.
And then it talks about vain worship.
And then it talks about worship in spirit and truth. {You’re going to walk with me today?}

Just quickly, I want to talk about the first two, because I want to drop anchor on the last one for today and the next time that I preach to you.

FIRST OF ALL THERE IS WHAT THE BIBLE CALLS FALSE WORSHIP. Now preacher what is false worship? False worship is what the bible succinctly calls idolatry. What is idolatry? Idolatry is worshipping the wrong God. Well who and what is the wrong God? The wrong God is any other God other than the one that is in the bible;

any other God other than the God of Abraham, Isaac and Jacob;
any other God other than the God of David;
Any other God other than the Father of Jesus Christ.
Any other God…I don’t care what you call it.

The first commandment is the Old Testament (check it out; Exodus 20), “Thou shalt have no other God…” {I wish I had time, I’d to talk to you!}

Some people say it doesn’t matter if you call Him Allah—nowhere in this book does He ever call Himself Allah. Well He’s still God, He just answers to another name! Do you answer to another name? That’s why you have a name that makes you distinctly different from all others in the world. He tells you what His name is; He says “I am the great I am.” If you want to talk to Me, call Me by My name. {But I don’t have time to deal with all of that.} Worshipping false Gods: and that can be a person; it could be a place; it could be a thing; …could be the wrong spirit.

BUT THEN THERE’S WHAT IS CALLED VAIN WORSHIP. Ah, you need to se this; turn back to Mark 7: 6-7, “He answered and said unto them, “Well hath Esaias prophesied of you hypocrites {you know Jesus wasn’t scared of folks?}, as it is written, This people honoureth me with their lips, but their heart is far from me. Howbeit in vain do they worship me…” I told you the other Sunday that you can worship the right God in the wrong way. It is not enough to worship the right God Jehovah. God has prescribed how He desires His children to come before Him. And if you come any other way it is vain worship. He never said, come before Me and call Me the man upstairs. I don’t know where Christians get that from. The bible says that God is not a man…” Don’t try to put God in human terms, He is bigger than that. He’s more reverent than that.

He says you worship me with your lips… What is He saying? He’s saying they praise Me, and that’s good; they pray to me, and that’s good; they preach for me, and that’s good; but when you put it all together it’s vain worship. Wait a minute preacher; praise, prayer and preaching are biblical. You’re absolutely right. But, He says the problem is that their hearts are far from Me. Vain worship is when you praise, pray and preach and your heart is not in it.

And then He brings us to this all important fourth chapter of John. It’s amazing how much the Holy Spirit has packed into this chapter, because you can preach this fourth chapter so many different ways. You can preach it evangelistically—because here Jesus witnessed to a sinner. Then you can preach it dealing with racial reconciliation—because here was a Jew reaching out to a despised Samaritan. And then you can preach it being gender inclusive—because here was Jesus (a man) talking to a Samaritan woman at a time when men didn’t talk with women in public. There’s so much in this text. It talks about how this woman came as a prostitute; left her water pot {you know we used to shout on that part; how when you come to Jesus you’ve got to leave some things}. She left her water pot and went back as a missionary saying, come see a man that told me everything about my life. So many ways you can preach this! And as I perused over it this week it began to leap out at me that the essential thing this passage is about is distinguishing between right and wrong worship. {Somebody ought to help me here.} It’s about worship. Now, this woman, she was trying to find the right way to worship God. After Jesus had kind of busted her and hung all her laundry out, she tried to get straight. She said how can I worship God; you all worship in Jerusalem, and we worship at Mt. Gerizim. And Jesus let her know that her culture and her history had only presented to her two options, and both were wrong. All she knew about was worship at Mt. Gerizim and worship at Jerusalem. And Jesus said yea you’re right, they do worship at both those places, but you need to understand that the day will come that they will not worship at either place. What He was prophesying about was, He would bring an end to ceremonial, ritualistic type worship. And the day will come when you will have to worship God “in spirit and in truth.” {Can I walk you through this?}

You see the Samaritan way was unacceptable, because they worshipped in ignorance. {I didn’t make it up!} Verse 22; “Ye worship ye know not what…” They worshipped in ignorance. The worship of the Samaritans was unacceptable because they worshipped in ignorance. Now why would the bible say that they worshiped in ignorance or did not know? …Because the Samaritans only accepted the Pentateuch, the first five books of the bible. And even today if you go to Israel and find Mt. Gerizim, you would find Samaritans there today worshiping through the first five books of the bible. That means that they have not looked at sixty-one others. Can you imagine how much you leave out, when you leave out sixty-one books of the bible? Only five! Now what does that mean? It meant that their spiritual knowledge was limited. And if their spiritual knowledge was limited, it translates into this; THEY HAD INSPIRATION WITHOUT INFORMATION. And any worship that is dominated by inspiration without information is unacceptable to God. {Somebody ought to help me here?}But now let’s hurry on to see about the Jews.

Their problem was not a lack of information… their problem was diametrically the opposite of the Samaritans. They had information; they knew the truth. They accepted all the books of the Old Testament. Salvation came through the Jews. They understood that, but they did not have the spirit. And so they knew the truth, but they did not have the Spirit of God. They would fast; they would pray but their hearts were not in it.

Now come on and let me see if I can pull this together and then pull you in. The worship at Gerizim was enthusiastic heresy. The worship at Jerusalem was dead orthodoxy. {Can I work that out for you?} At Gerizim that’s where they had a shouting good time. It’s called shouting without substance. It’s called method without mind. It’s called passion without purpose; excitement without the truth of God. That’s what they had at Gerizim; enthusiastic about nothing. Excited: over their own ignorance. Rollin on the floor; nothing, but an empty wagon making noise. Making noise, noise without power; because they did not know who it was they were worshiping.

But then the other folk at Jerusalem, they were those who were guilty of dead orthodoxy. You know, you have to be careful about knowledge, because knowledge separated from the Spirit will puff you up. Now, the people at Gerizim, they bowed down at the altar of ignorance, but the people at Jerusalem, they bowed down at the altar of intelligence. Now, I did not say that they worshipped intelligently, because you can praise God and bow down at the altar intelligently. But there is a difference in worshiping God intelligently and bowing down at the altar of intelligence. You also need to know that there is a difference between spiritual truth and secular education. Because you have secular knowledge, that does not translate automatically into spiritual understanding.

Now, we have both of these kinds of churches today. What kind of churches do we have today? We have heat without light; and we have light without heat. In every city there are churches that are at one extreme or the other. And it’s like that because people have an inclination towards one or the other. People have a proclivity towards one or the other. We make our churches according to our own biases. And we attend churches that are more like us than we becoming more like the word. And Jesus says both are wrong; both are extremes. He says I’m not interested in a church that just lean towards the head. And I’m not interested in a church that just leans towards the heart. He’s interested in the head and the heart. Cerebral, cardio-logical; head and heart; cognitive and emotive; light and heat: he says I want a balance between the two. Know who it is that you worship and then shout about it. {Somebody ought to help me here! Hold me up Holy Ghost!} And then, even in our own congregation; well pastor that’s just not me! Well now which me are you talking about? Are you talking about the spiritually controlled you, or are you talking about the carnal you? You talking about that ain’t me! Which me, are you talking about? Which me, is in control? God does not change your personality, but He does express Himself through whatever personality you have. You don’t have to act like the pastor, you see, because I have my own personality. But oh! Whatever personality you have, when the Holy Spirit comes, when the power of God gets in your heart, it makes you act different from the carnal you. Doesn’t matter what race you are, what background you have; so often we allow our personality to control whatever is our response. And sometimes it’s our religious orientation. What part of the country we grew up in, that’s how they had church and even though you are here in a bible believing church, you are still acting like where you came from. Sometimes it’s your educational orientation. Because education, you know, polishes you up, and then you can’t act a certain way. But I want you to know I’ve been through school, and as I went through, I discovered something, the school didn’t die for me; Jesus did. Now, you know I’m not degrading education, or putting it down, I believe in that. I believe you ought to get all you can, but, you ought not to let your education eclipse your vision of God. When you can stay at home in the bed and make yourself feel self sufficient because you’ve been to school, but God can snap His finger and you won’t remember your name.

The church world criticizes the charismatic Pentecostals because of their enthusiasm, but sometimes I wish to God that we could get a little of that enthusiasm over here. I wish to God, that some of my members would forget about who they are for just a little while, and think about who God is. You’ll lay that stuff down if you can forget about who you are and think about who He is. So you’ve got one on one side… and some times they do get a little bit far… I call it enthusiastic heresy… Do you know what heresy is? I’m glad you asked. Heresy is an over emphasis on a right emphasis. You find an emphasis that is right and you over emphasize the emphasis until you over emphasize emphasis, and it’s called heresy. In other words you push a right emphasis to the extreme. And both emotion and intelligence can be pushed to the extreme.

Listen un-thoughtful emotion is dangerous, or should I say emotionalism. But just like un-thoughtful emotion, unsanctified intelligence is also dangerous. Unsanctified intelligence is what created bombs; and we’re on the verge of nuclear warfare. It was not ignorance that created those things.

And what God said to this woman, He said now listen, all the while, throughout history, you all have been going from one extreme to another. And the same thing that they were doing in that day, we’re doing today. You go either to the emotional end or to the intelligent end, depending on your orientation, you bias or your prejudice. You know why? It’s easier to do what comes naturally than to cultivate the side of you that does not come naturally. You see, if you are a book worm, if you are a thinker, it’s easier for you to go that way. And then you kind of rare back in your self-righteousness and look down at the other folk who shout; it doesn’t take all of that! I can hear God in the quietness of my soul. Why don’t you all shut it down for a while? And then the folk over here, they get a little sarcastic sometimes—“I wouldn’t have religion that I couldn’t feel sometimes.” And what they really mean is that they want to feel it all of the time. And they get amnesia or they get a little crazy when the bible says “study to show thy self approved.”

So let me talk to you “Jerusalemites” in here. Sometimes we feel that the best way to serve God is through the mind. Now, you have to understand just like emotional people can become cultic, intelligent people can also become cultic. Emotional people usually become cultic around the person; intelligent people become cultic around an idea. {You’re not listening to me this morning!} You see, emotional people could end up in Guiana drinking cool-aid. Intelligent people are seduced by scientology. Scientology is the so called religion for thinking people. Yea, I know what they want us to think, but I’m not studying your scientology, because I heard Jesus say, “…they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.” You’ve got to have the truth and you’ve got to have the spirit. You can’t have biblical worship until you overcome one sidedness. Learn how to be enthusiastic about the truth; don’t shout over nothing.

There have been times when I’ve had preachers in here and they didn’t say anything, yet some of you were up and down the isle. Hadn’t been feed anything and yet you were shouting all over the place. But on the other hand, there are those of you who have the truth, but can’t get excited about it. What’s up with that? You went to the ball game and when Southern scored, you were jumping and shouting and doing the wave, but when you come in here, you can’t get excited about the one who died for your sins. Well maybe if I help you, you can. When Jesus rose from the grave, He scored the winning touchdown. He gained victory of sin, death and the grave. We win! Hey! We’re on the winning side!

“Spirit and truth…” Now, now, now, let me see if I can get through. You be careful what church you join. You see, you want a church where there is light and some heat. Not just light; not just heat; but you want a church where God brings it together. Now I’ve spent so much time on that, I’m going to have to divide this sermon. I’ll talk about worship in “spirit” today, and if the Lord says yes, I’ll talk about worship in “truth” the next time we talk. “Spirit and truth…” And no, Jesus did not say you can vote on it. He said “must,” imperative. If you are going to worship God, you “…must worship him in spirit and in truth.” {Can I hurry now?}

What does it mean to “worship in spirit and in truth?” You need to understand this because there are a lot of misconceptions out there. Especially when folk in charismatic Pentecostal churches will say, you know, “they’ve got the Holy Ghost.” I don’t understand that because the bible says the Holy Ghost has to have you. Being filled with the Spirit is not how much of the Holy Ghost you have; it’s how much of you the Holy Ghost has. That’s what I understand the scriptures to be teaching. {Are you listening? You have to be careful.}

“Worship him in spirit…” Worship is not about you being in church, worship is about the church being in you. You see, if you don’t have any spirit; then I don’t care how Deborah works the crowd, she’s not going to get any worship out of you. You see, you have to bring worship with you. And if there’s no worship in you, it cannot come out. I’ll explain that in a minute. But I tell you, if there is worship in you, it will come out. Worship is not about you being in the right environment, worship is about the right environment being in you. That’s what worship is about. So, how can we cultivate, how can we develop a worshipful spirit. I’m glad you asked! Go back to that 24th verse, “God is a Spirit” (now that’s talking about the Spirit, and I’ll come back to that; but let me to that other spirit in this verse). “…And they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit (small “s” why? Because, this is not talking about the Holy Spirit; when you do an etymological study on that word “Spirit” that is the word that describes the human spirit). Listen, what He’s saying is you worship God with through your spirit. Worship is not primarily an external thing; it must be first of all an internal thing. You see, when God made man, He made man in His own image. And we know that God is a triune God; He’s God the Father, God the Son and God the Holy Spirit. And if He’s triune and we are made in His image, that means that we are made in that same kind of image. We are a trichotomy; man the mind, man the body and man the soul (i.e. spirit). And so what happens is that you worship God through your spirit, and in your spirit. So now, if you don’t have a spirit you can’t worship God. Now that says a couple of things: (1) you cannot worship God unless you have a spirit. (2) Your spirit cannot worship God until you spirit has been infused by the Spirit (that is the Holy Spirit.) What am I saying? I’m saying that the prerequisite for worship is salvation. Unsaved folk cannot worship God, because the Spirit has not empowered their human spirit to worship God. What are you saying? If you never worship God, first of all you ought to check to see if you are saved. Because one of the Paraclete’s roles; one of His jobs is to prompt you to worship God. And every now and then, when nobody is around, when nobody is looking; not for show or for form or of fashion; not because you are in church; every now and then you ought to worship God. When you’re driving down the street; every now and then you ought to hear yourself singing “Amazing Grace.” Grace ought to get all in the car; grace ought to get all in the steering wheel; grace ought to get all in the windshield wipers, because you are prompted to worship God. I don’t have to wait to Sunday morning to get a shout; I can get a shout in all week long. Hey! I feel like shouting right now.

So now if you never feel like worshipping God, go back and check yourself; and see if you are really saved, because sometimes you ought to feel it. You say well I can’t feel preacher what I can’t see. O, yes you can feel it. Have you ever heard the story of the little boy flying the kite? The kite got so high, he couldn’t see it anymore. A man came by and asked what are you doing young man? The boy answered, flying my kite. The man responded, I can’t see anything, how do you know it’s up there. The boy said I know it’s up there because every now and then I can feel it pulling. And can I tell you, I can’t always see Him, but every now and then I can feel Him pulling. I know He’s up there.

So you have to yield to the Spirit of God if you are going to worship. Stop trying to impress folk around you, yield to the Spirit. Get out of yourself and get in Him, let the Spirit have His way.

And then if you are going to worship and have a worshiping spirit, then you have to center your thoughts on Him. Everybody say,

CENTER YOUR THOUGHTS ON HIM

If you are going to worship, you have to center you thoughts on Him. {Can I work on that a minute?}

Listen, worship is an overflow of the heart that is a result of the renewing of the mind. That’s why you’ve got to have both. You can’t worship until the heart overflows (Ps. 45:1). You know, when a glass overflows, it just spills over; that’s what worship is. And that’s why every now and then, you see some of these folk acting the way they do; it’s just spilling over; when you get full of something it overflows. When your heart is full of praise, you can’t help yourself; you’ve got to open your mouth, because the praise that’s in you has to get out of you. But the overflow of the heart does not take place until there’s been a renewing of the mind. You see, some folk just try to manipulate the overflowing of the mind. Let me tell you something, if you haven’t been in the word all week, ain’t no sense in you running up and down the aisle. That’s manipulation, that’s not inspiration. “…Be ye transformed by the renewing of your mind that ye may prove what is that good; and acceptable; and perfect will of God.”

IF YOU ARE GOING TO WORSHIP GOD IN SPIRIT SOME REPENTANCE MUST TAKE PLACE.

You cannot worship God dragging all of your sins into God’s presence. Don’t get quiet now. Now, what were you into last that you didn’t have any business being in? What attitude have you had at home or on your job; that displeased God? What lie did you tell to your husband, your wife, your parents, your children, your friends, your employer? Have you asked God to forgive you for cheating on your taxes? You can’t bring all of that into God’s presence if you have not asked God to forgive you. Now, we’re not talking about somebody who has never sinned, because all of us are guilty. {You can say amen now!} All of us are guilty. But, have you confessed that sin to God, so that you can have true, authentic worship when you enter the sanctuary. You say I’ve confessed everything I know. Well, then you go over to Ps. 139:23-24, “…searched me…;” down in those crevasses I’ve forgotten about, get in between the bone and the marrow. “…try me …see if there be any wicked way in me, and lead me in the way everlasting.” He says 1 John 1:9 “If we confess our sins, he is faithful and just to forgive us our sins, and to cleanse us from all unrighteousness.” Now, guess what? There’s no worship like a clean conscious. I’m talking about when you and Jesus can get together. Not because you haven’t done anything, but you not guilty because He has declared you not guilty. Because I’ve confessed it, I’ve given it to you; and now I’m able to say Holy, Holy, Holy is the Lord God Almighty. Now, that’s what it means to worship in Spirit.