Sermon Tone Analysis

Scripture

John 4:19-2

Introduction

Today we start a new series about the role of the Holy Spirit in worship.

My first or second year here I was in the midst of preaching a series on the Holy Spirit and I overheard 2 gentlemen talking over in the hall next door.

One of them said something like this to the other, “Not getting much out of these sermons, that whole Holy Spirit thing kinda scares me and I don’t like to hear it preached.”

At my first church I was asked to preach on the Holy Spirit because the Pastor before me refused to do it because it would only confuse people.

I am starting this series today because the worship team felt it was time to revisit the fundamentals of worship: spirit and truth.

Today we will look at an important passage in all of the gospels about worship.

let me give you a little context before we start to unpack this scripture.

Many of you probably know that the Samaritans and the Jews did not get along.

The Samaritans were not Jews.

The believed that only the first 5 books, that is the writings attributed to Moses were the only inspired authoritative word of God.

They believed the proper place to worship was Mount Gerizim and this is based on Deuteronomy

Deut 11:

Of course the Jews thought it was Mt Zion in Jerusalem.

Also, when Alexander the great controlled the Middle East he helped the Samaritans build a Temple for YHWH.

In 129BC the Jews led by the high priest John Hyrcanus destroyed that temple.

So you can see why all the animosity between the two groups that claimed descendence from Abraham and worshiped YHWH.

In fact the Samaritan said they were form the tribes of Ephraim and Manasseh In Jesus time even with the Samaritan temple gone the Samaritan High priest still conducted sacrifices on the mountain.

The fact that Jesus traveled through Samaria would have rendered him and his disciples unclean!

it would be a good idea to point out that the Samaritans expected a Messiah too.

They called the Messiah The Taheb or another Moses, the Taheb was found in Torah especially

The did not ascribe any authority to the prophets so all there theology around The Taheb was based on Torah.

Today there are roughly 800 Samaritans left and they still recognize Mt Gerizim as the only place to worship.

Here you see them climbing Mt Gerizim for the Feast of tabernacles

Exegesis

In biblical context this story follows Jesus encounter with Nicodemus.

if you recall Nicodemus had no idea what jesus was talking about when he said you must be born from above.

Jesus was somewhat amazed the Nicodemus well educated and a teacher could not understand what Jesus was talking about.

This is an interesting contrast with a Samaritan woman who understands and goes away from this conversation as an evangelist in the village!

You can see how this story would be scandalous!

And John was writing for a Jewish Christian audience!

More on the significance on that later.

We came into the story in the middle.

Jesus has decide to go through Samaria as a short cut back to Galilee from Jerusalem.

Most Jews would have taken the longer route.

He stops at Jacob’s well to get a drink (Mount Gerizim would have been in view.

As he stops a samaritan woman arrives at a strange time.

Water was usually collected in the morning, but she comes in the afternoon.

This is odd, and would indicate that she is probably a kind of outcast.

I am not goin to talk anymore about that because it would led us down a rabbit trail.

We are going o talk about worship.

Jesus asks for her to get him a drink.

The woman quickly points out that Jesus is breaking a lot of taboos by being a Jew and asking a Samaritan woman for help!

Jesu tells her about living water, tells her to go get her husband.

She replies that I have no husband.

Jesus replies you are right for you’ve had 5 husbands and the man you are living with now is not your husband.

Now we reached our text.

She replies, I see that you are a prophet.

Is he the Taheb, she is probably thinking to herself.

So she asks a question about worship.

It is important to point out that you here is actually plural, all ya’ll we say here in the south.

She of course is referring to the Jews.

Jesus tells here, The hour is coming, in fact its here, that where you worship will not matter its how you worship that will matter.

True worshippers will worship in truth and spirit, and the Father seeks those that worship in that manner.

Application

For John’s community of Jewish Christ followers these were words of comfort.

First the see that Jesus includes everyone in the gospel no one is shut out, even a Samaritan women who has had 5 husbands.

Even though they had been thrown out of the synagogue, they will see that Jesus still accepts them as they are.

Second, they learn that they do not have to be in the synagogue to worship because God is not confined to a place.

Now, John’s gospel, the majority of scholars believe, was written around 100AD, some 30 years after the destruction of the temple.

Most of the Rabbis blamed the Jewish followers of Jesus caused that to happen.

In other words it was God’s punishment for allowing those heretics in the Temple and synagogue.

When Jesus says hour he is referring to his crucifixion, death, and resurrection.

So the hour is coming but is now here when true worshippers will worship in Spirit and truth.

True worship can only take place only in and thorugh him because he is the true temple, the resurrection and the life.

Jesus is the truth and God is the Spirit.

The Holy Spirit.

For us today, I want you to listen closely.

If God seeks those who worship in truth and Spirit, that means we need to bring that on Sunday.

We are here to give worship, not to receive anything.

This isn’t about us, it is about giving God our love.

It is about laying ourselves pn the altar.

I will say in the communion liturgy this morning

When the supper was over he took the cup, gave thanks to you, gave it to his disciples, and said: "Drink from this, all of you; this is my blood of the new covenant, poured out for you and for many for the forgiveness of sins.

Do this, as often as you drink it, in remembrance of me."

And so, in remembrance of these your mighty acts in Jesus Christ, we offer ourselves in praise and thanksgiving as a holy and living sacrifice, in union with Christ's offering for us, as we proclaim the mystery of faith.

We are the sacrifice on this altar.

We sacrifice ourselves to live as jesus would have us to live.

This is Spirit and truth.

God is not going to show up here if we are not worshiping in Spirit and truth.

he’s not goin to show up anywhere.

I have preached in front of congregations that are dead.

No Spirit no truth, and I assure you God is there but no one is in touch with Him at all. it is difficult to preach to those kind of audiences, in fact its impossible.

(Wesley Chapel change of Services)

We are here to lay all on the alter for God, in our worship we give it up for Jesus.

In our consumerist culture when we are always looking for what is in it for us, worship is counter cultural.

You cannot say I got nothing out of worship, you can say I gave God in worship all I had today.

Introduce Quote

"Rob told us that worship isn't the praise band entertaining the crowd, instead, GOD is our AUDIENCE.

It sent shivers up and down my spine, and it still is right now.

I mean, to think that I have been sooo clueless!

I always want to sing the songs and mean it, but ahh!, I'll try to explain.

I pictured God sitting there, watching me and expecting my whole heart.

And I finally understood the awesomeness of God.

I mean, you always hear in the Old Testament how people tremble in fear of God, but I never got it.

I never understood the fearful concept.

And it is a wonderful thing to experience.

To feel that you KNOW God is there, watching you.