Worship

Will you please turn to the Gospel according to John. John chapter 4 verses 23 and 24. John chapter 4 verses 23-24.

But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth. For also the Father seeks such as his worshipers. God is a spirit, and they who worship him must worship him in spirit and truth.

Let me repeat it. But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers shall worship the Father in spirit and truth. For also the Father seeks such as his worshipers.

God is a spirit, and they who worship him must worship him in spirit and truth. Let's have a word of prayer. Dear Lord, as we continue in thy presence, we look to thee to speak to us through thy word.

Thy word is truth. Thy word is spirit and life. So, Lord, we just pray that this morning, thy word will be living and operative in each of us.

We want to enter into thy word. We want to enter into thy reality. So, teach us, Lord, as we wait upon thee.

We ask in thy precious name, Lord Jesus. Amen. Lately, the Lord seemed to put upon my heart a burden on this important matter of worship.

Now, brothers and sisters, we come here this morning as worshipers. We come to worship the one true and living God and his beloved Son, our Lord Jesus Christ. But I feel that we need to, from time to time, review this whole matter of worship.

Do we really know whom we are worshiping? Do we worship in a way that is acceptable and pleasing to the one whom we worship? Do we understand what worship really is? Are we true worshipers? Now, if we cannot answer these questions, not only mentally, but truly, then we will be just wasting our time. And even worse, it may damage our spiritual life. So, brothers and sisters, I feel very strongly in my spirit that we need to review this whole matter of worship and see where we are.

Now, the Gospel, according to John, chapter 4, shows us much about this matter of worship. I suppose we all know the story. Our Lord Jesus left Jerusalem, Judea, on his way to Galilee.

The Bible said he must pass through Samaria. But we understand the custom of those days, because the Jews had nothing to do with the Samaritans. So whenever they want to go from Judea to Galilee, or from Galilee to Judea, they will not travel through Samaria.

They will cross the River Jordan, travel on the east side of the river, and then recross back to Galilee or Jerusalem. But the Bible says our Lord Jesus must go through Samaria. So we know that this must is not a matter of physical necessity, or even according to the custom of those days.

This must is a spiritual must. Our Lord Jesus felt in his spirit he must do something against tradition, against custom, in order to meet a sinful woman in Samaria. So when our Lord traveled through Samaria, he came to a city called Syca.

And outside of the city was a well that Jacob digged in times past. And our Lord was weary with his travel. So he sat by the well of Jacob.

His disciples went into the city to buy some food. And while our Lord was sitting by the well, a Samaritan woman came out. And it was twelve o'clock at noon.

Now you know according to custom, the women usually will come to the well either in the morning or in the evening. They never came at noon because it was too hot. But here was a Samaritan woman.

He avoided the other women. He came at noontime to draw water, to quench her thirst. And when our Lord Jesus saw her, the Lord did something that a Jew would never do.

He asked that Samaritan woman for a drink of water. That woman was surprised. He looked back at Lord Jesus.

He wondered why this Jewish man should ask a Samaritan woman for water. And our Lord Jesus said to him, if you know who is asking you for water, and if you know what he will give to you, then you will ask him for the water that will become a fountain within you. It will bubble forth for life.

So that woman's curiosity was raised. Well, he said, Sir, you don't have any instrument to draw water. The well is deep.

How can you give me living water? Our forefathers, they all drank out of this well. Now who are you that can give me something better? And our Lord Jesus said, the water that you drink out of this well, you will be thirsty again. But the water that I will give to you, you will never thirst again, because it will be a fountain springing forth within you.

So the woman said, now give me the water that I will not come again. And Jesus said, go and get your husband. And the woman said, I have no husband.

The Lord said, yes, you're right. You already have five husbands, and the one whom you live with is not your husband. In other words, the Lord touched her conscience.

And when the woman's conscience was touched, he asked this question. He said, you must be a prophet. We Samaritans worship at that mountain, Gerasim.

But you Jews worship in Jerusalem. Now where, which is the right place to worship? Now, brothers and sisters, you may be surprised that a sinful woman who never had thought of worship, but suddenly she began to ask such a deep question. Now why is it so? Because man is created to worship.

When one's conscience is awakened, this primary, basic question of worship will come before him or before her. Deep down in our being, there is an instinct to worship. Worship is the most basic and primary duty of man.

But brothers and sisters, what is worship? The word worship in Hebrew means to bow down and do homage. The same word in Greek means to go forward and kiss his hand. So the meaning is, you acknowledge the supremacy of the one whom you worship.

You bow down, you kiss his hand, you surrender your life to him, you look to him for everything. That is worship. Worship is putting God in his rightful place and place yourself in a proper position.

That is worship. Worship is the acknowledgement of God, of his nature, of his attributes, of his ways, and of his claim. Whether by the outpouring of your heart in praises and thanksgiving, or in doing some deeds as acknowledgement of God.

Worship is knowing our limitations and knowing the unlimitedness of God. Knowing that we are insufficient and God is all-sufficient. Worship is going to him, looking to him, given to him, and taking him as our all.

That is worship. When one's conscience is aroused, the first question that comes will be worship. That's the reason why you'll find in this world, from the most primitive tribe to the most civilized people, they all worship.

Unfortunately, there is a conflict over worship. It is an age-long conflict. Now God, our maker, our creator, should be the only one that we worship.

We worship our maker, our creator. But we understand that Satan tried to rob God of worship. He tried to redirect our worship to him through many false gods, through many idols.

But thank God, we know whom we worship. And this Samaritan woman, even though he was deep in sin, and yet he knew that only Jehovah God is the only God. The Samaritan worshiped the same God as the Jews.

So the question with her is not whom to worship. That is settled. And very important that it should be settled.

The question with her is where and when to worship. Because in the Old Testament time, our Lord Jesus has not yet come to this world to accomplish the work of redemption. The Holy Spirit has not come yet.

Therefore, you'll find in the Old Testament time, man's relationship with God is remote, distant, awkward, physical. God is in the third heaven, and man is on earth. God needs to be worshipped.

But how? You'll find it is basically physical. You need a place to worship. The Jewish people worship in Jerusalem, because that's a place God has appointed.

The Samaritans in rebellion against the Jews, they set up another place, Mount Gerizim, because Mount Gerizim is where blessing was pronounced. Not only worship is limited by time, by space, but also by time. They are set time to worship.

The Jewish people, three times a year, they will go to Jerusalem to worship God. On Sabbath, they worship. During the feast, they will worship.

So, brothers and sisters, you'll find that in the Old Testament time, worship is more a physical thing than spiritual. It is limited by time and space. God is worshipped afar off.

Even with the temple, you'll find people still worship at a distance. God is so holy, man cannot approach God, but at a distance and indirectly. But that doesn't mean that God's purpose for worship is physical, because again and again you'll find in the Old Testament time, God said we must worship Him with our heart.

You must love the Lord your God with all your heart, with all your mind, with all your soul, with all your strength. The prophet Isaiah, in chapter 29, verse 13, says, these people, they honor me with their lips, but their hearts are distant from me. In vain do they worship me, because they make the teaching of man as commandments.

So, brothers and sisters, even in the Old Testament time, because of the limitation of man, man can only worship God at a distance, and man can only worship God as in time and space, limited, and yet God's desire for worship is, there must be the heart there. There must be something deeper than just the physical, because God is looking upon the heart, not upon the outward appearance. But dear brothers and sisters, our Lord Jesus said, but the time is coming, and now is.

In other words, now the time has changed. Why? Because our Lord Jesus has already come into this world, and He will accomplish that work of redemption. And by the work of redemption, and the coming of the Holy Spirit, the whole situation of worship has changed.

It's changed from that which is outward into something intensely inward. So, brothers and sisters, we are now in the New Testament time. We are not in the Old Testament time.

In other words, our worship is no longer a matter of where and when. It's no longer an outward form. Our worship has now come to the reality.

And that is to say, our worship is intensely spiritual. It must come from the very depths of our being. Why? So, in the conversation of our Lord with a Samaritan woman, He said, the hour is coming, and now is.

You do not worship God at a distance. You are now worshiping the Father. This God, transcendent God, God who dwells in glory, He is now your Father.

He is no longer distant, remote. He is near. He is dear.

He is intimate. He is now your Father. You are worshiping God now as your Father, not as a distant Creator.

Therefore, you shall worship the Father in spirit and truth. For the Father seeks such as to worship us. You who worship God must worship Him in spirit and truth.

Now, I hope these words of our Lord will sink very deep into our being. We are no longer living in the Old Testament time, because in the Old Testament time, to worship God in the real way, in a way that God is really looking for, was impossible. Why? Because man fell into sin.

Our spirit, the only organ within us that can commune with God, the spirit was dead. That's what sin had done to us. You know, when Adam sinned, God said on the day that you eat the forbidden fruit, you shall surely die.

But we know Adam lived hundreds of years, physically speaking. He begot sons and daughters in great abundance, solitarily speaking. Now, what was dead on the day that he ate the forbidden tree? His spirit.

The spirit within him, the only organ in man that could communicate with God, the spirit was cut off. That communication was cut off, dead. And because the spirit was dead, that intimate communing was impossible.

Man could only worship God at a distance, knowing that there must be God somewhere. Worship God in his soul. Worship God with his body.

But his spirit was dead. But thank God, our Lord Jesus came into this world to recover, to restore us back to God. So the first thing when we believe in the Lord Jesus, you know, brothers and sisters, what happened? Our dead spirit was quickened into new life.

He that is born of the Spirit is spirit. He that is born of the Holy Spirit is the new spirit of man. And with this new spirit, also the Holy Spirit comes and dwells in our new spirit.

So the Bible said, the Holy Spirit bears witness with our spirit that we are children of God. We cry out, Abba, that is new birth. So dear brothers and sisters, you know what happened when you believe in the Lord Jesus? A new creation, a new birth.

Your dead spirit was quickened into new life. And the Holy Spirit comes and dwells in your spirit. And jointly, they testify that you are children of God.

You cry out, Abba, Father. A communing with God is restored. That's what happened.

And because this has happened, therefore true worship becomes possible. What was humanly impossible is now divinely possible. So that's why our Lord Jesus said, the hour is coming and now is.

He who worship the Father shall worship in spirit. You know in the Greek text, all the letters are the same. Either in capitals or in small letters.

And that's the reason why when people translate the Bible, they find it very difficult. Whether the spirit, the word spirit, refers to the Holy Spirit, which should be capitalized, or referred to the human spirit, which should be in small letters. You have to look into the context to understand it.

And yet, on the other hand, the Holy Spirit and our new spirit should not be separated. Should be one. Should be together.

And in John chapter 4, verse 23 and verse 24, how are we going to worship God today? We must. Now I hope, brothers and sisters, you will underline that word must. We shall.

Because the possibility is available now. And then we must. Why? Because God is spirit.

How can you contact spirit with your soul? With your mind? With your will? With your emotion? How can you contact spirit with your body? You cannot. The only way to contact God, to commune with God, to worship God, is through your new spirit. Thank God we have a new spirit.

And in this spirit, as we are touched by the Holy Spirit, led by the Holy Spirit, we can draw near to God and be in touch with Him and worship Him. That's the only way. We cannot worship God if we do not exercise our spirit.

Because God is spirit. So, brothers and sisters, there is something very fundamental that we have to learn. You remember that song of praise by Mary, the mother of Jesus.

She said, My soul magnifies the Lord, and my spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. Here you find his soul, her soul magnifies the Lord. In other words, you find in her feeling, in her thought, in her volition, she was magnifying the Lord.

But, don't forget, where does it originate? Not from the soul. He said, My spirit has rejoiced in God my Savior. In other words, worship comes first in our spirit, because our spirit has rejoiced in God our Savior.

And this began to touch our soul. So, our soul began to magnify the Lord, and we raise our voice in praise and worship physically. So, brothers and sisters, the work of God always begins from the center to the circumference.

Never from outside trying to reach inside. This is something we need to understand. Now, today, unfortunately, God's people forget that worship is predominantly, predominantly, primarily, basically, a matter of a spiritual exercise.

So, therefore, you find people, they do not know how to exercise their spirit to worship. And they try to substitute it with physical, or with mental, or with emotional, or with volitional power, as a substitute. But we know, unfortunately, even though with all these stirrings and activities, the spirit is not touched.

And if the spirit is not touched, there is no worship. God is not worshipped. Man may be satisfied.

Our emotion may be satisfied. Our volition, our mind may be satisfied. But God is not worshipped.

It has to come from our spirit. Do you know you have a spirit? You are not just soul and body. Do you know you have something so precious, divine, given by God? The Holy Spirit dwells in your spirit? And there is such a potential there.

And with this, God is worshipped. You must worship in spirit, because it is a worship in spirit. Therefore, it has surpassed time and space.

It is unlimited. We must worship in spirit, as led by the Spirit of God. And then we must worship in truth.

Now, what is truth? You know, Pilate asked a question, but he never waited for the answer. And because of this, he did the wrong thing, condemning our Lord Jesus to be crucified. Now, what is truth? In John 17, verse 17, our Lord Jesus, in His high praise lay prayer, says, sanctify them by thy truth.

Thy word is truth. Sanctify them by thy truth. And thy word is truth.

In other words, the Word of God is truth. We must worship according to the Word of God, not according to the tradition of man. What is truth? Our Lord Jesus said in John chapter 14, I am the truth, I am the way, the truth, and the life.

And no one can come to the Father but by me. He is the truth. In other words, we must worship in Christ, that is in His life, by His life, not by the Adamic life, not by our flesh, but by the life of Christ in us.

That is truth. What is truth? The Holy Spirit is the Spirit of truth. He will bring us into all truth.

In other words, we must be led by the Holy Spirit. And if it's led by the Spirit of God, then there is worship. Brothers and sisters, the Bible said you must worship in spirit and truth.

Otherwise, you are not true worshippers. I believe we all want to be true worshippers. We don't want to just go through emotion, through our life, or even through the Lord's Day.

We want to be true worshippers of God, because that is what the Father is seeking for. Our Father does not seek in us anything else but to be true worshippers. And are we true worshippers? I think this is a very, very serious, solemn matter that we really need to be serious before God.

We do not want to play Christianity. We want to be real with God. So, brothers and sisters, we need to ask ourselves again and again, are we true worshippers? Are we those whom our Father is seeking for? Our Heavenly Father does not seek in us anything else but to be true worshippers.

Are we giving Him the worship that is His due? That is our responsibility. Now, having said this, we want to be practical, because spiritual things are most practical. Worship has two aspects.

There is the personal aspect and the corporate aspect. So, first of all, we want to apply this principle of worship to our personal life. We want to ask the question, if worship is in spirit and truth, if it is not a matter of time and space, in other words, it is unlimited by time or space, then what is our worship? Worship is basically our life.

Our whole life ought to be a worship. God does not want us to be a worshipper just at a certain time. And the rest of the time, whom do we worship? We worship the world, we worship money, we worship our family, we worship ourselves, we worship our career.

What do we worship? Whom do we worship? Worship is not a matter of time, not a matter of place. Do we only worship when we come to so-called church? But when we are in our office, or in our home, at our school, we are not worshipping God. What are we worshipping? Do we separate this whole matter of worship as a matter of time and space, physical, awkward appearance? Are we going back to the Old Testament time? Are we Old Testament saints? Are we New Testament saints? What is worship so far as we, the Lord's people, are concerned? Romans chapter 12, verse 1, I beseech you, brethren, by the mercies of God, present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy, acceptable, which is your spiritual worship.

What is worship? Worship is a consecrated life, a life that has given over to God, a life that has surrendered to God, a life that lives for God, lives by His life, lives for Him and for Him alone. That is worship. Do not confine worship to a certain time and a certain place.

That is not a spiritual reality of worship. Worship is your whole life. Is your life wholly given to God? Surrender to Him.

Are you doing the will of God in your daily life? Do you exercise your spirit in your daily life as a Christian? Are you allowed to spirit dormant, go to sleep, and you live by your soul or even by your body? People of this world, the high class people live by their soul. The low class people live by their body. The high class people, they live by their mind, their feeling, their will.

The low class people live by the passion, lust of their body. But we as Christians, how do we live our daily life? Do we exercise our spirit in living our daily life? Is our so-called spiritual life limited to that short period of devotion, when we read a little of the Word and say a few prayers? That is our spiritual life, and the rest of our life we live on our own, by our flesh. Nothing is a surrendered life.

Brothers and sisters, what is worship? Are we true worshippers? Should we be ashamed of ourselves? Is God really worshipped by us? Is the only thing God is looking for in us? We fail to give Him. Are we taking up our cross and follow Him? Or do we just go after our own flesh? I, my, mine. Brothers and sisters, what is worship? Are we truly a worshipping people, true worshippers? I feel there's much.

I need to repent before God. Where are you? Where am I? What am I doing? Am I wasting my life in doing my will? Or am I a true worshipper? The word worship in the Bible, when it's first used in Genesis chapter 22, verse 5, Abraham took his only son Isaac when he was asked of God to offer his son, his heir, only heir, son born when he was 100 years old, the only hope. When God challenged him, Abraham took his son Isaac, three days journey to Mount Moriah.

And we saw when he saw Moriah, he left the servants behind. Lest they interfere, he took his son and said, we go up to the mountain to worship and we'll come back. That's worship.

Not withholding anything from God. Acknowledging God as supreme as all. Historically speaking, the first word used, worship, is in Job chapter 1, when Satan took away all the wealth of Job.

Even all his sons, Job shaved his head, bowed down and worshipped and said, God gives and God takes away. Blessed be the name of God. That's worship.

Our Lord Jesus, He labored day and night in Galilee, in Capernaum, in Chorazin, in Bethsaida, and people rejected Him. He lift up His eyes and said, Father, I thank you for this is your will. That's worship.

Brothers and sisters, in our individual life, do we worship? Are we worshippers? Where is worship? It is something that we need to think very deeply before God and to repent before Him. Do we live in the Spirit? Walk by the Spirit? Do we live a surrendered life? Every moment of the day, every step of the way, we uplift Him, obey Him, listen to Him, honor Him. That's worship.

No wonder A. W. Tudor said, worship is a missing jewel. People do not know what is worship. Worship today has become a religious thing, not a spiritual reality.

And then, brothers and sisters, worship is more than personal. There is a personal side, important, basic. Each one of us has to answer that question.

But there is a corporate side. Why? Because we are called to be the body of Christ. The word church, ecclesia, means call out ones gathered together.

We are called out of the world to be gathered together unto the name, blessed name, of our Lord Jesus. We gather together to do what? To worship Him. There is a blessing when God's people come together.

There is an additional portion of the Spirit of God, of the presence of Christ in the midst of His people. Not only He is in every one of us, He is in our midst. Therefore, the Bible said, forsake not the assembling of the saints as the custom which some, but encourage one another in view that the day is short.

Brothers and sisters, we come together. Whether it is what we call a worship time, in the breaking of bread, or whether it is listening to the word of God, or whether it is coming together to pray, or to read the Bible, or to have fellowship. Brothers and sisters, basically it is worship.

We are worshiping our God together. And of all the gatherings of God's people, the most important and the best occasion to worship together is the breaking of bread. Brothers and sisters, when we come to the breaking of bread, have we prepared ourselves for this sacred time? Do we come casually, with no preparation of our heart? On the night of His betrayal, it was a solemn night.

Our Lord gathered with His own for the Passover feast. That was the last Passover feast with our Lord. And, spiritually speaking, with us.

And towards the end of that Passover feast, our Lord Jesus took the loaf, blessed, and gave to His disciples, take, eat out of it, in remembrance of me. And afterwards, He took the cup, He blessed it, and gave it to the disciples, and said, this is the cup of the new covenant, sealed by my blood. Do this in remembrance of me.

Our Lord Jesus is the Paschal Lamb. The Lamb of God was to be slain. The blood was shed.

The body was broken. The Passover was over. No more Passover.

What remains is the Lord's table, the breaking of bread. You know the Jews still keep the Passover, as if the work of redemption is still unfinished. The Catholics still have the Mass.

Do you know what Mass is? It is the re-crucifixion, as if it is not finished. But we know it is finished. No more crucifixion.

It is done. It is finished. He is now in glory.

Brothers and sisters, our Lord loves us so much, He is afraid we may forget Him. That is why He wants us to remember Him. It is a time we come together to remember Him.

Not to remember our sins, but to remember Him. Our focus is upon Him, not upon us. We may express our love to Him, but this is not our focus.

Our focus is in love, His love for us, what He has done for us. It is a time that we do not enjoy ourselves, but we allow Him to enjoy us. We remember Him, remember His love.

It is our public testimony to exhibit His death, what His death has done for us. His death has conquered sin, conquered death, conquered us, conquered the world, conquered the enemy, conquered everything. This is our testimony.

As we take the Lord's table, we look forward to His return. Expectation, our hope, knowing that He is coming back. It is a communion, even though the bread remains bread, the fruit of the vine remains fruit of the vine, they have not been transubstantiated.

And yet, in our spirit, we are in communion with His blood, knowing the value of His blood. We are in communion with His body, His life. We live by the strength of His life.

We are in communion with all the saints, the body of Christ. Brothers and sisters, we need to come in a worthy manner. That is to say, we need to come to know what we are doing, examine ourselves, lest we be judged.

It is serious, sacred, important, real. It is not a ritual, not a formality. It is a heart worship to the One, only One, who is so worthy.

We owe Him everything. It is a time to open our hearts to Him, to pour forth our worship to Him, to say, thank you, Lord. We appreciate it.

Brothers and sisters, our time together is not a formality. Go through the motion. We need to prepare before we come, to examine ourselves before we come, whether we have any controversy with Him that has to be settled.

If we have any controversy with our brothers and sisters in our heart, we need to be settled. We need to come with open heart, open spirit. The young as well as the old are all the same before God.

There is no more experience or less experience. Everyone is before Him to worship. Brothers and sisters, according to the Word of God, this time of the breaking of bread, there is no rule or regulations.

The Bible never tells us how to break bread together. Very simple. All we are informed was the Lord took up the loaf, bless it, give to us, say, this is my body, broken for you, do this in remembrance of me, and the same with a cup, that's all.

Why? Because the Holy Spirit is here leading us to worship. Because our spirit needs to be opened. Let the Holy Spirit lead our spirit, that we may worship Him in spirit and truth.

That's why in 1 Corinthians chapter 14, verse 14, let all things be done in an orderly way and calmly way. You know, when the Holy Spirit is moving, there is an order there, a divine order. It is not just a mess, a chaos.

There is an order there. The Spirit moves in a certain way, and it is beautiful, not ugly, not jarring, but harmonious. Brothers and sisters, have you ever experienced when the people of God are really moved by the Holy Spirit, and with our spirit open to Him, there is such beauty and such order there.

There is the liberty of the Spirit, but not the freedom of the flesh. When we sing to Him, we do not choose the hymn that we want to sing and force everybody to sing with us, as you are led by the Spirit to mention Him. It is that we all may sing together as unto the Lord, not trying to hide ourselves behind songs and choruses, but learn to open your hearts in prayers and worship.

A few words is enough. It is the outpouring of the heart. Brothers and sisters, is your spirit ready to break the bread and to drink the cup? Why is it that before the partaking of the bread and of the cup, there are singing, there are prayers? Why? To prepare us that our spirit may be ready to receive Him.

That is why, oh brothers and sisters, there is much that we need to learn yet. Are we willing to learn this art of worship? By art, I do not mean something that we act outwardly. It means the secret of worship.

So may the Lord help us. May we all go to the Lord and review the whole thing before Him. Do not allow anything in the past standing in our way.

Willing to lay down everything and ask the Spirit of God to teach us how to worship, to be true worshippers of the only true God and His Son, Jesus Christ. Let us pray. Dear Heavenly Father, Thou art the only one who is worthy to be worshipped and Thou art seeking for true worshippers.

How few there are! We repent before Thee, we spend time, we try to worship, but Lord, we confess that very little and our worship reaches Thee. Forgive us. As Thy people, Lord, have mercy upon us and teach us anew, even from the very beginning, Lord, teach us to worship.

We want to be true worshippers. Worship Thee in spirit and truth. In Thy precious name we pray.

Amen.