Worship: The Response of the Heart
1. Coming suddenly, and unexpectedly, face to face with God (Who is love), is the most profoundly shocking (and life changing), experience any human being can ever have. The Samaritan woman of Sychar had that kind of experience when she met Jesus at the well. She was undone - and then reborn. And in that experience she learned what true worship really was.
2. Jesus had come to the city of Sychar on His way home from Judea to Nazareth. There, at the well, He met the Samaritan woman. It was a strange meeting. What was a Jew doing in Sychar? (The Samaritans and the Jews hated each other.) And why was Jesus, a Jew, asking her (a Samaritan and a woman), for a drink? He spoke of living water. What could that be? And then He uncovered her sin. She was living with a man that was not her husband. (See John 4:3-42)
3. Now the woman faced a dilemma. She could hide her sin by running from this strange prophet. Or she could deal with it. She made no attempt to escape. But dealing with her sin posed another problem. She'd had five husbands, and the man she was living with now was not her husband. How could she approach God? By Old Testament law she needed to make sacrifices for sin. But how? What was the right way? She didn't even know where to begin. Perhaps the location was important... She desperately wanted cleansing, but was it even possible? She asked Jesus a question from the very depths of her heart.
The woman said to Him, "Sir, I perceive that you are a prophet. Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, and you Jews say that in Jerusalem is the place where one ought to worship." John 4:20
note: At the time of Nehemiah, the Samaritans had built a temple on the top of Mt. Gerazim, but it was destroyed in 129 B.C. This was part of the woman's dilemma. She could either worship God (offer sacrifices for sin), on top of Mt. Gerazim, where there was no temple (but sacrifices still took place), or in Jerusalem, where Samaritans were not allowed.
4. Jesus' answer cut through centuries of religious tradition - back to the heart of God.
Woman, believe Me, the hour is coming when you will neither on this mountain, nor in Jerusalem, worship the Father. You worship what you do not know; we know what we worship, for salvation is of the Jews, But the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth; for the Father is seeking such to worship Him. God is Spirit, and those who worship Him must worship in spirit and truth."
John 4:21-24note: In those days no one could worship unless animal sacrifices (for sin) had taken place first. But these sacrifices were exclusive to the temple and its services because they could only be done there, and nowhere else. No one could approach God otherwise. The Samaritan woman knew that. But when Jesus came, He provided the perfect sacrifice to take away sins, once and for all. Thus the temple and its services were no longer needed. That's why Jesus was able to say, "the hour is coming, and now is, when the true worshipers will worship the Father in Spirit and truth;"
5. Jesus had said, "the Father." This meant a lot more to the Samaritan woman than if Jesus had said "God." This lost and lonely Samaritan woman had a Father - Someone who cared for her. God is not impersonal. This was more than the Samaritan woman could have hoped for. But Jesus went on... Her Father was extending an invitation!
This Father is seeking those who will worship Him in spirit and truth.
note: The woman had a deep need. She needed to know that she was loved. In those days women did not divorce their husbands. A woman who divorced her husband would have no means of support for herself or her children. But this woman had been divorced five times. She had been rejected five times. Jesus came to meet her at the point of her need. Jesus told her she had a Father who loved her. If He had said "God" the woman probably would have thought of someone distant and impersonal. But He said "Father."
6. The Greek word for true worship is "proskuneo." It means to "touch with kisses." Worship is our loving response to our Father's love. The Samaritan woman was being invited to touch her Daddy with kisses.
7. True knowledge of God is essential to worship. Those who know His love and forgiveness will be the ones who worship Him. The revealed Truth of God is His covenant grace. Jesus knew who the Samaritan woman was, and what she had done, but more than that, He knew how she was - a lost and hurting lamb who needed to come home. He sought relationship with her. She did not defile Him. He brought her to God. He painted God into her life. This Father had been looking for her! He was Someone she could respond to.
8. Jesus had spoken of "true worshipers." Worship is not something we do. It is something we are. Changed forever by God's grace, we become something we were not before.
9. God is Spirit. God gives us His Spirit so that we can worship Him in Spirit. We do not deserve it. This is of His unmerited grace and favor. He said, "I will put My Spirit within you." (Ezekiel 36:27a)
10. True worship is very much like crawling up into our Daddy's lap. Gazing into His face we are lost in wonder, love and praise. For in Him we find, love, acceptance, forgiveness, healing, restoration, and rest.
But you are a chosen generation, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, His own special people, that you may proclaim the praises of Him who called you out of darkness into His marvelous light. I Peter 2:9
11. True worship is communing with God. It is not our flesh that can do this. The flesh wants food, and drink, and creature comforts. The spirit craves only the presence of God.
12. Now the Samaritan woman had a new problem. She wanted that living water. Her yearning heart turned instinctively to thoughts of the coming Messiah. She said to Jesus,
I know that Messiah is coming. When He comes, He will tell us all things... (John 4:25a)
13. Jesus knew her thoughts and answered without hesitation.
I who speak to you am He. (John 4:25b)
14. Put yourself in the woman's place. Suppose you came suddenly face to face - with God. Suppose you suddenly knew real love - for the first time. Suppose you suddenly knew your most terrible sins were forgiven. You just had a personal audience with Jesus, the Messiah, and He accepted you! How would you act? What would you do? Comb your hair? Try to hide your face? - too late for that! What would you do? There would be only one response of the heart, and it would be - worship. Everyone needs to have that kind of personal encounter with the Lord Jesus Christ.
15. One time I asked God to teach me what true worship really was. The next morning, I had a dream...
I saw a young couple, obviously in love with each other, rejoicing in God. They were holding hands tightly, and singing together. I could hear the words. They were saying, "All that I am, and all that I have is yours, O Lord. I will worship you with all of my strength, for you are my God, and you are my King, etc." First the husband would sing; then the wife would sing. Then they would blend their voices together. Their harmony was perfect. They were facing the altar, just singing with their whole hearts to God. They had become completely unaware that anyone else was in the church. People were stricken with a sense of the presence of God. They knew their unworthiness, and yet His love, and they fell to the floor undone, and in tears. This went on for quite some time. Still, they were singing to God alone, totally oblivious that anyone else was in the church. They had entered the presence of God.
When I woke up I knew this truth: In my dream I had seen true worshippers. I also knew this: There is a difference between singing about God, and singing to God. Worship is to God.
...speaking to one another in psalms and hymns and spiritual songs, singing and making melody in your heart to the Lord, giving thanks always... Ephesians 5:19-20a
note: On another occasion, I heard some teenagers singing songs that were old when I was young. I was disgusted, and made a mental note that I would talk with the youth leader in the morning. But as I drifted off to sleep, the voices of those sweet teenagers carried me to heaven, and into the presence of God. I felt rebuked. God likes the worship of teenagers the best almost no matter what form it takes because they mean it. They don't do it unless they mean it.
note: The Samaritan woman had not approached God. He had approached her. And that is nearly the definition of grace - for grace is undeserved divine favor. God said, "I will be found of those who sought me not." God is the One who did the seeking. And it is obvious that the Samaritan woman became a true worshiper as a result. For she was immediately proclaiming the praises of God in the streets, to all the men and women of Sychar.
If you are a believer, it is because God's grace has found you. Hopefully your response is worship.