The Way to Real Worship
(Sermon Series: “Going to the Extreme”)
23. But the hour comes and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeks such to worship Him.
24. God is a Spirit: and they that worship Him must worship Him in spirit and in truth.
John 4:23-24
What is it that God wants?
Are we worshipping God in a manner that pleases Him? Do we really know what kind of worship or praise that is acceptable to God? None of us will find the path to true worship without knowing and possessing the Spirit and the Truth. To say that we know without first possessing something from God is absolutely false. How can a person know what God wants in worship without knowing something about God?
It is my prayer that this information will help the followers of Jesus Christ know more about worship and have the ability to worship and present heartfelt gratitude to God. With that in mind, let us examine seven different concepts in worship. These are the worship practices of people. Many have practiced these worship forms either knowingly or unknowingly. The question is this: was God pleased with our worship? Did we give God what we wanted, or did we give to God what He wanted and expected?
Notice the first point in the text. God is seeking true worshippers: the Father seeks such to worship Him. If God is seeking worshippers, then people should respond to God. Why not just give God worship? While that sounds simple, this is where worship gets confused with a lot of things. On the one hand you have information and on the other, you have inspiration. Both of them can quickly lead to idolatry and will worship. People tend to get confused and base their worship on what they know or believe about God. Others who follow the inspirational path may turn to some experience or emotional event as the foundation for their worship. Who told us that our information or our inspiration was the foundation for real worship? Did God tell us, or did we convince ourselves? This is compulsory worship, and this form of worship is based on obligation that is tied to either what we know or what we feel. Is this real worship?
There are people who believe and worship out of compulsion. If I do this, then God will bless. If I don’t do that, then God will bless. Rather than getting to know God, they believe that an act will serve as a substitute. If we notice the text, God seeks worshippers, that is, people with a heart for worship. Compulsory worship is based on faulty beliefs that God will find me if I do good things or don’t do bad things. How can you love and enjoy worship based on obligation? Wouldn’t it be real worship if you knew the One you were worshipping and knew that He was seeking you?
Man-made Worship
We must never forget that worship involves a sacrifice on the part of the one that worships. We must never come before the Lord empty handed, or better yet, empty hearted. It involves the yearning of the soul that is seeking after God. Abraham, the ancient patriarch, loved God, and was even willing to sacrifice his son Isaac as an act of his love for God. God responded to his worship; I know that you fear me. Gen. 22:12.
Possessing a heart for worship means having a right attitude in worship. If a person does not know God or is unwilling to bring an offering in their worship, that person will not have the proper attitude in worship. This works out in three different forms of man-made worship. One form is Consensus worship. Rather than asking God to lead them into worship, the one who basis the worship on consensus seeks to follow what others have done. If everyone in the Church is up and dancing, then I’ll dance along with them. If everyone is silent, then I’ll be silent also. If people act, perform, or give in a certain way, the consensus worshipper will follow suit. The fault is that the consensus worshipper never draws closer to God, because they are influenced more by others than by the Spirit and the Truth.
Let’s focus now on the second revelation of the Sacred text. The true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth. First and foremost, true worshippers shall worship. Secondly, their worship is real because it is worship in the Spirit and the Truth. The consensus worshipper fails to reach that level because their eyes are fixed on the acts of others rather than the Act of God.
Failure to worship the Father in spirit and in truth can also be attributed to another form of worship called Complacent worship. It follows a natural digression. If I don’t know the Father and am not concerned about worshipping in spirit and in truth, then the worship has no meaning. That is complacent worship. This happens when people are in Church but cannot appreciate why they are there. Their worship is dry and dead. They don’t have the Spirit because of their attitude. True to their form of worship, complacent people are only satisfied with themselves.
If left unchecked, the complacent worship will soon lead to the Compromised worship. That happens when worship is distracted by things of this world. Compromised worship can also happen when people attempt to manipulate God in order to get things. Elijah, God’s Prophet to the people of Samaria, asked those who had compromised their worship a question. How long will you waiver between two opinions … if the Lord be God, then follow Him, but if Baal, then follow him … and the people did not answer him. 1 Kings 18:21. The worst thing about compromised worship is that it fills up time but never draws the person closer to God. We need worship that will draw us closer to God as He seeks for us by His Spirit.
We have considered these other forms of worship. Compulsory worship does not bring a person closer to God, because it is based on obligation and not Grace. Consensus worship gives a feeling of fitting in with others, but it too fails to draw anyone into the presence of God. Complacent worship seeks comfort only, even if it means being distant from God. Compromised worship leaves people torn between distractions and the need for the Living God. How do find the heart of worship?
The Path that leads to Worship
Like other things in the spiritual realm, worship comes to us as a response to God’s revelation instead of any action on our part. Why do I say it is a response to God? First, we cannot worship unless God reveals something. In this verse, Jesus calls out the “true worshippers” as those who worship the Father in spirit and in truth. How can I know what that means unless Jesus shows me?
In His conversation with the woman at the well, Jesus revealed the spirit and the truth. He told her who she was and what she needed in her life. Even though Christ brought the woman through family secrets and a broken family history, she arrived at the place where she recognized Jesus as the Messiah. So what am I saying about worship?
The first step for the true worshipper is that of knowing the truth and what it means to be free from sin. A Committed worshipper is someone who knows and realizes the power of Christ in their life. We are committed to God, because we realize and respond to His commitment to us. God literally sought us out. The verse says so. God is not seeking us out for condemnation. God is seeking us out for Salvation, Redemption, and to give us access to His Kingdom. Why wouldn’t I commit to God’s plan? Why wouldn’t I respond with committed worship. A committed worshipper knows that the only thing we can present to God is our worship. They also know that worship in the spirit and in truth is well pleasing to God.
Not only is it a matter of committed worship, it also embraces complete worship before God. Complete worship is based on the merits of Christ alone. If you base your worship on anything else other than the work of Christ, you are making the Redemptive Work of Christ secondary to man’s work. That is idolatry. Complete worship is to enter the rest that God gives. Complete worship is to be satisfied with God’s answer for my life which is Jesus, the Savior. Please note from the conversation with the woman at the well, that she became satisfied and left her waterpot. She was no longer thirsty because Jesus had completed her search for meaning.
Will you leave your water bucket of vain worship? Will you simply rely on God’s goodness? When you do that, you will offer Complimentary worship. Complimenting God on His Goodness is Truth and Spirit. Complimenting God on His Mercy is Truth and Spirit. Complimenting God on His Power and Strength is Truth and Spirit. We know it because the Spirit has revealed it as Truth. Complimentary worship is to give God all the compliments for His Kindness in Christ Jesus. From this worship flows the living water of the Spirit. We worship because we have found God. We worship because we know God. We worship because we love God.