A Worship without Spirit
John 4:15-26
Intro
The past few weeks we have been looking at how the world has influenced the church. We talked about “A People without Purity” and “A Bible without Trust.” And this morning I want to continue this series, with looking at “A Worship without Spirit.” We have allowed the world to influence us on how we should worship and when we should worship. So what is it that the people say that worship is according to a recent Barna poll?
• It is going to church
• Singing songs
• Listening to a sermon
• Being with fellow Christians
• Enjoying God’s creations
Yet all of those ideas fall short of what the Bible says worship is. So how does the world say about how we are to worship? There are three types of worship styles we see in churches today.
• Traditional (Funeral Service)
o It’s planned out to the to account for every single minute
o It is rigid and there is be no changes to it.
o It is set in stone
• Contemporary (Pep Rally)
o The pastor is no more then a cheerleader
o There is no bible visible
o No offerings
o No sermon, just a lecture
o And definitely not a invitation, because they don’t want any confrontations.
• Spontaneous (Pure Confusion)
o Nothing is planned at all
o They just shot from the hip
o Whatever feels good for the moment
Yet once again those ideas fall short of what the Bible says worship is supposed to be. So what then is Biblical worship? It is Reverence, which is mentioned 66 times in the Bible. It is also Service to God, which is mentioned 27 times in the Bible
Both are always tied to the Word of God, in order to magnify and glorify God individually and as a group. Worship is about magnifying God, serving Him, and allowing God to change you. If you leave the doors of the church following the service the same as you entered in, you have not truly worshipped. It’s not about how the Music director led the church in song or what the Pastor preached. It is about YOU, serving and magnifying God.
I cannot think of a better example for us to follow on how we should worship, then Jesus Christ Himself. So this morning, that is exactly what I want us to do. So what can we learn about worship from Jesus Christ himself?
I. We Worship the Right Person (v. 21)
a. The Father
b. The God of all Creation
i. He is approachable
1. He has a open door policy with everyone.
2. You don’t have to be worried about bothering Him, he loves to hear
from us.
ii. He is affectionate
iii. He always has time for you.
II. Worship is about Relationship, not Religion
a. We don’t have to understand God
i. We couldn’t even start to fully understand God and all His wonder
ii. God doesn’t want us to be over loaded with all that information
b. We only need to trust Him
i. That is what faith is all about, TRUST
ii. You don’t question if there is enough oxygen in the air when you take a breathe, do you?
iii. No, because you trust that there is enough oxygen in the air to fill your lungs.
iv. So stop questioning why God does this or that, just put your full, undivided trust in Him
III. Worship is the Right Place (vv. 20-22)
a. It is not about the building
b. Its about the temple of God’s Holy Spirit resides in (Your Heart)
i. When you are saved, God sends the Holy Spirit to reside in you.
ii. When you come to church you bring God with you.
c. So what reverence are you giving to God’s temple?
i. Bad food
ii. Alcohol
iii. Smoking
iv. Drugs
v. Etc.
IV. We must Worship with the right procedure (v. 24)
a. It should be done in the right spirit
i. You will always find what you are looking for.
1. If you come to church looking for hypocrites, I guarantee you are going to find some.
2. If you come to church to be bored to death, by the songs sung, you will be bored and probably fall asleep.
3. If you come to find something wrong with the pastor’s sermon, then I am sure if you pick at it enough, you will find something you don’t like.
ii. Look for the truth (God’s Word)
1. The bible is the only true source.
2. The worship will only be as good as your knowledge of the Word of God.
b. A lot of people come to church today and worship God in ignorance, because they don’t truly know Him.
i. Open your bibles and discover all you can about God
ii. Because it is only when you truly know the one that can save you from your sins that you can truly worship Him.
V. We must Worship with the Right Purpose (v. 23)
a. We need to come into worship to seek God, that we may become more like Him.
b. But just don’t look, but seek Him passionately with all you have.
c. Have you ever noticed the more you spend time with someone, the more you start to look alike.
i. A true worship is one that leads you to be more like Christ.
ii. You can’t be like Christ, unless you spend time with Him and get to know Him.
Closing
The world today has told us that we need to fit into the mold, so we don’t offend someone. But I tell you that’s just another lie from Satan himself to pull you away from true worship. Remember true Biblical worship is about having reverence for God and serving Him with all you have all the time.
So I challenge each and everyone one of you here today, to truly start to worship God. Let’s all leave here today, better then when we came in.
