34. Worship, John 4:24

Transcription

1 34. Worship, John 4:24 God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth. Question: What does it really look like to worship God? Trajectory Verses: Acts 2:42; Romans 12:1-2; Hebrews 10:24-25 About nine months into his three-year ministry Jesus returned to Galilee from Judea. Galilee is where he would do most of his ministry. En route, he took a detour through Samaria. These people were despised by the Jews. The Samaritans were descendants of the remnant of northern Israel who intermarried with the migrants from Assyria. Their heritage made them hated. Here Jesus met a woman at the local well. She was all alone, as was he. This made their conversation both unexpected and uncomfortable. Though her morals left much to be desired, her chutzpah was admirable. Jesus told her to go fetch her husband. She didn t have one. Her current live-in lover followed a string of five divorces. She was the subject of a lot of raging rumors in that small town. She simply replied, I have no husband. Jesus already knew that. Then, when he revealed the details of her sordid past, she was obviously eager to change the subject. So she asked him to settle a bitter debate between their two peoples. Where is the proper place of worship? She asked. Is it Jerusalem or Mt. Gerizim? The fact that they were standing in the shadow of Mt. Gerizim adds tension to the question. Furthermore, as they looked up, they could still see the rubble of the Samaritans rival temple. It had been destroyed by Jewish nationalists a hundred years earlier. Some old scores were still unsettled. This launched one of the most significant discussions on worship in all the New Testament. Jesus response is worth repeating: Woman, believe me, the hour is coming when neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem will you worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we worship what we know, for salvation is from the Jews. But the hour is coming, and is now here, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for the Father is seeking such people to worship him. God is spirit, and those who worship him must worship in spirit and truth (John 4:21 24). What does real worship look like? Jesus repeated it so we wouldn t miss it. Real worship is in Spirit and Truth. Churches often debate the proper form of worship. Should a priest preside? What style of music? Does the building matter? What elements should it include? These are all practical questions but do not answer the most important question. Jesus dismissed the debate about the location of worship and the questions of style went with it. For Jesus, the question can only be answered by the nature of worship. Valid worship arises from the Spirit and Truth. Both words are deliberately capitalized. In the gospel of John, Spirit and Truth are more persons than virtues. Jesus is identified as the embodiment of Truth (John 1:14, 17; 5:33; 7:18; 8:32, 40, 44-

2 46; 18:23, 37-38) as is the Holy Spirit (John 14:17; 15:26; 16:13). The strikingly new nature of Christian worship is that it honors the Father as experienced through Jesus by the indwelling of the Spirit. Judaism focused only on God. Without Jesus, however, we don t have a clear view of God. Without the Holy Spirit we don t have the true heart of Jesus. Hence, when we worship in Jesus by the Power of the Holy Spirit, it gives us open access to God himself. True Worship Honors God in your Heart The word John used for worship is proskuneō (John 4:24). It is actually a combination of two words: kiss toward. It is easy to imagine an adoring crowd throwing kisses toward a king passing through their village. Or when one entered the king s throne room, he would kneel before the king and kiss his ring. Hence, this word proskuneō, used fifty-four times in the New Testament, implies bowing no less than twenty times. This is actually more important than it first appears. You see, many people equate true worship with love, or peace, or joy. While those emotions can be a by-product of true worship, the New Testament equates worship with a different emotion: Fear. This is not the kind of terror felt from a terrible enemy. It is the kind of fear felt from a kind ruler or a good father. It is ultimate respect, reverence, and honor. Bottom line: True worship is recognizing God s position. He is our king, our dictator, our sovereign. He is not to be trifled with or taken for granted. Hence, the body posture in the Bible most commonly associated with worship is not hands lifted high but heads bowed low. Those who came into close contact with God invariably fell to the ground as though dead. Intimacy and emotion are bi-products of worship but never the goal. Peace and joy are not the best barometers of worship. Fear is. Godly fear is of greater advantage to the worshiper than any other emotion. Why? Because fear places God on his throne. From that position he can truly reign in our lives. True Worship Praises God with Our Lips There are several different Greek words hovering around the idea of verbal praise. Eulogia (from which we get eulogy) means to praise. A second word is doxazō (from which we get doxology) meaning to glorify, honor, or exalt. Strictly speaking, we do not give God glory, we simply recognize God s glory. This glory already belongs to God alone (Romans 1:21, 23). That s why it is so striking that Jesus shares God s glory throughout the Gospels (Matthew 16:27; 19:28; 25:31; Mark 10:37; Luke 4:6; 19:38; John 1:14; 12:28, 41; 13:31-32; 17:1-5). In fact, God seems eager to glorify his son. A third word is aineō simply translated to praise. Specifically, this praise recognizes what God has done historically. It often follows miracles (Luke 18:43; Acts 3:8-9) or momentous moments (Luke 2:20; 19:37; Acts 2:47). This explains why people praise God when they see a Christian live well (2 Corinthians 9:13; Galatians 1:24; 1 Peter 2:12). Our actions cause others to compliment God.

3 These three words, taken together, demonstrate an important truth about worship. Our verbal praise of God runs on two parallel tracks. First, we recognize who God is his character. Second, we recount what God has done his actions. Worship expresses the character of God and his deeds. This kind of worship (proskunō) punctuates the entire book of Revelation. Moreover, as in the Gospels, praise in Revelation is directed to both God and Jesus as if they stand on equal divine footing. This is strikingly new in Judaism. This kind of praise can be offered through a variety of mechanisms including prayer, singing, or bodily postures. Yet these are merely vehicles used to express worship. They must never substitute for worship itself. Worship is not the movement of our bodies but the expression of our spirits. Watchman Nee, in his book Release of the Spirit, made a powerful observation that we are made up of three concentric parts: Body, Soul, and Spirit. The body (our external shell) is animated by the life-giving force of the soul (our internal energy). The soul is driven by something deeper our spirit (the most interior part of our being). It is through our spirit that we truly connect with God. True worship is, therefore, spiritual. It emanates from the deepest part of us. Some people just go through the physical motions of worship stand, sit, sing, kneel. All of this involves the body and may involve nothing more. Others worship with great emotion or intellectual concentration. Both of these are functions of the soul. Singing can move our hearts (soul). The message can shape our mind (also soul). Neither may penetrate further. Physical, emotional, and intellectual worship may only reach our body and soul. Spiritual worship, however, passes through all three. What starts in the spirit inevitably touches our emotions and mind and ultimately is expressed through our physical bodies? Looking from the outside, it is impossible to know how deep another s worship goes. Two people, standing side by side in church may both pray, sing, weep, and shout, and yet have two very different experiences with God in their spirits. This is why Jesus statement to the Samaritan woman is so critical. True worship is in Spirit and in Truth. This is why most people s prayers never reach the depth of worship. They tend to start with petitions (requests) and end with thanksgiving. Every parent knows how important these two are. We should feel comfortable asking our Heavenly Father for what we need. Moreover, we should be a grateful people expressing thanks fully and freely. Nonetheless, requests and thanksgiving fail to reach the level of praise because they both focus inward on ourselves. Proper praise focuses on God. If we start with true worship what God has done and who he is our requests and thanksgiving will grow to have more depth and maturity. True Worship Serves Other People This last word on worship is the most important for Christians. It is leiturgeō (from which we get liturgy). In the Old Testament this word described the vocational duties of priests. They

4 offered sacrifices. They cleaned up blood. They lit fires and locked doors. In the New Testament, this same word describes what all Christians do in the New Temple the Body of Christ. It is not about buildings but about people. When we feed, protect, counsel, and coach, we leiturgeō the church. That s why connecting with the church is essential for personal worship. As Scripture commands, Let us consider how to stir up one another to love and good works, not neglecting to meet together, as is the habit of some, but encouraging one another, and all the more as you see the Day drawing near (Hebrews 10:24-25). In fact, Paul and Barnabas were sent out on the very first missionary journey as a direct result of their acts of worship. Acts 13:1, While they were worshiping the Lord and fasting, the Holy Spirit said, Set apart for me Barnabas and Saul for the work to which I have called them. This IS New Testament worship in its highest form. Our words and songs are meaningful only when our lives are sacrificial. In Paul s own words, Romans 12:1, I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. What ups the ante is that spiritual worship is the only thing we will export to the heaven (Revelation 7:15; 22:3) where there is no temple. Worship is our eternal vocation. There is one final word for worship in the Bible. It is sebō. It has mixed reviews. Sometimes it describes paganism in all its idolatry. Sometimes it s applied to Judaism in her rituals. Basically it is what we call piety. The point is that sebō is classic religion. Nothing wrong with that but this is NOT the core of Christianity. We do many things that look like other religions. The framework of our worship services has always been similar to the early church: And they devoted themselves to the apostles teaching and the fellowship, to the breaking of bread and the prayers (Acts 2:42). What differentiates Christian worship from other religious activities is the Spirit. The Spirit leads us to the Truth embodied in Jesus who escorts us directly to the Father. That s what true worship looks like. Key Points: True worship recognizes God s position leading to fear/reverence expressed by bowing. Praise is simply recognizing who God is and what he has done: Character & Deeds. Serving the body of Jesus is the highest form of worship. Action Step: If you haven t yet, find a place of weekly volunteer service in your local church. Further Resource: Watchman Nee, Release of the Spirit (1965). Questions for Discussion: 1. What was your impression of worship growing up? What did you assume it meant? 2. What do you think about this idea that worship leads to fear more than joy or peace? 3. What difference could it make if you worshiped inside out (from your spirit through your body) rather than outside in (from a body posture trying to move your spirit)?

5 4. How have you experienced true worship through service to others?