Sermon Tone Analysis

Worship in spirit and truth (part 2)

(Week 3 of a 4 week study)

 

Lesson text: John 4:20-24

Preached in Quabbin Valley on 6-14-09

 

*Introduction*:

*/Psalm 95:6/*/ Oh come, let us worship and bow down; let us kneel before the LORD, our Maker!

(Psa 95:6 ESV)/

 

/“‘To worship’, the late Dr. William Temple wrote, ‘is to quicken (stimulate) the conscience by the holiness of God, to feed the mind with the truth of God, to purge the imagination by the beauty of God, to open the heart to the love of God, to devote (dedicate) the will to the purpose of God.’”/

/ /

I would like us to recap what we have looked at over the last two weeks and then we will get into our continued study of worship.

In week one, we looked at the definitions of worship we saw that there were two words translated worship most often in the New Testament.

One of them meant to “bow down” while the other meant “to do service”.

We also saw that God alone was to be worshipped.

The idea of worship is different from respect.

We are to show respect to all people but we worship no one but God alone.

In week two we looked at worshipping in spirit and what that meant.

We saw that to worship in spirit has to do with worshipping from our spiritual nature, we all have a spirit, we were created in the image of God and so we are spiritual creatures and it includes our hearts and our attitude.

We are to worship with our hearts longing for God and with a humble attitude.

This week we will be looking at worshipping in truth and what that means.

1)    *In Truth *

a.    Knowing God

                                          i.

What does it mean to worship in truth?

Worshiping in truth can only mean worshipping in full harmony with the truth of God as revealed in his Word.

If we don’t know the word of God we will never know the God of the bible, how can we?

I am not saying that we must know and understand everything about the bible and about God but we must know the basics of who God is as taught in the bible.

1.

For example we are told that God is love and that God is light and that God is spirit.

These are all telling us about his character.

We know that God is a jealous God.

2.    There are plenty of people who believe in some godish thing out there maybe like the force or they believe in some pagan god but these people are worshipping what they do not know and they are not worshipping the one and only true God.

If we don’t know the bible which is the revealed word from the true God then we will not be able to worship in truth the one true God.

3.    I am not suggesting that we worship the bible but the God of the bible.

ii.

It’s not enough to know some facts about God.

If we don’t know Jesus we will never know God because Jesus exegetes God, anyone know what that word means?

It’s a term used in bible study and it means to draw out.

Jesus explains to us who God is in fact if we look at Jesus we see the Father and get to know the Father.

Jesus revealed God to us.

If we want to know God we have look at Jesus.

The Old Testament and the New Testament show us and teach us things about God but we must never forget that Jesus reveals to us and shows us who God is, after all we are told that Jesus is:

1.    */Colossians 1:15/*/ … the image of the invisible God... (Col 1:15 ESV)/* *

2.    */Hebrews 1:3/*/ He is the radiance of the glory of God and the exact imprint of his nature, and he upholds the universe by the word of his power.

(Heb/ 1:3 ESV)

                                       iii.

We need to know Jesus in order to know God.

1.    */John 14:6-10/*/ Jesus said to him, "I am the way, and the truth, and the life.

No one comes to the Father except through me.

7 If you had known me, you would have known my Father also.

From now on you do know him and have seen him."

8 Philip said to him, "Lord, show us the Father, and it is enough for us." 9 Jesus said to him, "Have I been with you so long, and you still do not know me, Philip?

Whoever has seen me has seen the Father.

How can you say, 'Show us the Father'? 10 Do you not believe that I am in the Father and the Father is in me?... (Joh 14:6 ESV)/

                                       iv.

If we don’t know Jesus we can never worship God in truth because he is the truth.

v.

In times past God called people to worship him by the truth that he revealed to them.

Cain and Able didn’t have the Mosaic law, they didn’t have Jesus but they were called to worship God by what he had revealed to them and so they were to worship God in truth.

Abraham was called to worship God by the truth that was revealed to him but we have Jesus who is the final and full revelation of God to mankind.

1.    */Hebrews 1:1-2/*/ Long ago, at many times and in many ways, God spoke to our fathers by the prophets, 2 but in these last days he has spoken to us by his Son, whom he appointed the heir of all things, through whom also he created the world.

(Heb 1:1 ESV)/

                                       vi.

Jesus the Christ is God in flesh and he alone knows the Father for he and the Father and the Holy Spirit are the one true God.

1.    /Colossians 1:19// For in him all the fullness of God was pleased to dwell, (Col 1:19 ESV)/

2.    */John 1:1/*/ In the beginning was the Word, and the Word was with God, and the Word was God.

(Joh 1:1 ESV)/

3.    */John 1:14/*/ And the Word became flesh and dwelt among us, and we have seen his glory, glory as of the only Son from the Father, full of grace and truth.

(Joh 1:14 ESV)/

4.    */John 1:18/*/ No one has ever seen God; the only God, who is at the Father's side, he has made him known.

(Joh 1:18 ESV)/

                                      vii.

If we are going to know God and worship him in truth we must know Jesus.

There are no exceptions.

b.    Knowing what he wants

                                          i.

Corporate worship

1.

We have spoken in general terms for much of our look at worship but now I want us to turn our attention to the Sunday morning worship, the corporate worship specifically.

I want to warn everyone that this is not the only time or place we are to worship but it is important.

2.    Now I am really only going to be listing the things that we are to be doing during our worship service and I am going to go somewhat quick through these just so you can see what God wants from us in our worship service.

Remember we are both physical and spiritual beings and our worship is to be in spirit and truth which does include physical acts of worship.

3.    It is important that we remember that throughout the different ages and covenants that God has always told his people in what ways he is to be worshipped.

4.    Orderly

a.

The first thing to think about is our worship service must be orderly.

b.

We cannot worship God in truth if the cooperate worship is disorganized and unruly.

God is a God of order and not chaos.

c.

In 1 Corinthians 14 Paul is discussing how the worship service should be conducted.

He is correcting an error.

The Corinthians are out of control.

Let me set the scene for you.

This church had many who were given miraculous gifts like the ability to speak in tongues and prophecy and other gifts but they were disorganized and anarchy reigned in this church and Paul says after a long discussion:

                                                                                          i.

*/1 Corinthians 14:40/*/ But all things should be done decently and in order.

(1Co 14:40 ESV) /or as the New American Standard translates it: */1 Corinthians 14:40/*/ … let all things be done properly and in an orderly manner.

(1Co 14:40 NAS)/

d.    God requires our worship service to be orderly.

It’s not to be out of control and we are not to be acting crazy flying by the seat of our pants but all things are to be done in an orderly fashion.

Why?

Because our worship reflects the one we are worshipping.

If our assembly is out of control we are saying that’s the kind of God we worship but our God is a God of order just read Genesis chapter one and see the order of the creation.