Title: HOW TO WORSHIP GOD IN SPIRIT AND IN TRUTH?
Text: John 4: 23-24
Theme: Worshipping in spirit and in truth
By
Mr. Van Ivan
Worship simply means giving honor, adoration and reverent devotion to God.Every born-again Christian has planted within our hearts the desire to worship. There are many styles or ways which the men of God were offered to Him, but God did not accept the worship or sacrifices.
In Old Testament, Cain worship was rejected by God because it was not according to God’s but rather it is the standard of Cain what and how he wanted to worship Him. Genesis 4:3-5.
In New Testament, Jesus said in Matthew 15:8-9, “these people draw near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips but their heart is far from me and in vain they worship Me”.
We have learned from these two examples therefore, we must be very careful in worshipping Him. So how can we worship God in spirit and in truth?
I. We can worship God in spirit by experiencing the following:
1. Liberty: II Corinthians 3:17 tells us “where the Spirit of the Lord is, there is Liberty” if we are entering the presence of God we will have liberty or a free spirit in our praise and worship. The Lord does not us to have a spirit of bondage where our heart seems to be in a prison. Let us learn to have a free spirit like King David who could dance before the lord with all of his strength.
2. JOY: Psalm 16:11 tell us, “In thy presence is fullness of Joy”. As we enter God’s presence, the spirit of heaviness, sorrow, problems, and sighing will flee away. Our Lord Jesus is an example to us of someone who was often so full of the joy of the Lord that his enemies accused oh Him of being drunk, (Mtt: 11:19).
3. The peace of God: Col, 3:15 tells us, “let the peace of God rule in your heart”. After we have experienced the freedom and joy then the peace will come to our heart. It will rule over us. One of the meanings of the word “rule” is arbitrate or referee. In soccer game, the referee will be quiet as long as the game is being played well but if the rules are broken then he needs to disturb the peace by blowing a whistle and he need to solve what is incorrect or problem then the game continues on. In a similar way, if we don’t precede the worship properly, the peace of the Holy Spirit in our heart will be disturbed. Then we need to find out what’s the problem and continue in the flow of the Holy Spirit.
4. Unity: Psalm 133:1-2 tells us that the unity of the brethren is like the anointing oil flowing down. If all the people in the worship are continuing together in unity, this can be another indication that the anointing of the Holy Spirit is flowing.My fellow worshippers, it is very important that we worship God in spirit. If we have these four works of the Holy Spirit operating together in harmony, we will find that our worship in spirit will lead us deeper and deeper into the presence of God. However, if we don’t have all these ingredients working in harmony, then we will go in a wrong direction in worshipping in spirit. Therefore, I like to exhort to accept the work of the Holy Spirit in your heart.
II. We can worship God in truth by experiencing the following:
1. The True Worshiper
To become a true worshiper, we must first be saved believers or we must accept the Lord Jesus Christ as our personal Savior. That is why the lord Jesus told the woman at the well that the Samaritans did know how to have true worship. In the OT times, salvation had been given to the Jews,(Jn4:22). Other religions have followers who attempt many kinds of worship but to be true worshipers we need to receive Christ who is the Truth (Jn 14:6). And we must also have to know that we worship the right God.That is what qualifies us to acceptably going to the presence of God and offer Him true worship. And the highest worship, we can offer is a heart and life that obeys to the will of God.
Furthermore, we must also be walking in the truth(IIIJn 3-4). Salvation is not sufficient unless we are presently seeking to live in light of His truth.
2. True Worship
While our life must qualify us to be a true worshiper, our Lord also said that our worship itself must be in truth. In John 17:17, Jesus said, “Your word is truth”. This means that, our worship must also be according to the truth of the Word of God. We cannot just prepare the worship according men’s standard but only His will.
There are many examples in the Bible, who offer and worship God, but God didn’t accept the worship. It is because the worshiper is not true, which is he does not accept Christ, or God denies the worship because the worship itself is not true according the Word.
Therefore, My fellow worshipers, let’s be aware and pay attention and be true ourselves in worshiping God. So that we become the worshipers that God the Father seeks. Amen!
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