John 4:20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship. 21: Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father. 22: Ye worship ye know not what: we know what we worship: for salvation is of the Jews. 23: But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24: God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Introduction

One of the most important activities in the church is worship. There is nothing more important in our individual and corporate life than worship. This morning I want to focus on this very important topic by bringing you a series of messages on worship. We are going to be looking together what the Scripture says about worship - What is worship? Why we worship? Who is to be worshiped? How are we to worship? Where are we to worship? When are we to worship? The goal of the series is not merely that we could have more intellectual knowledge about what worship is. But rather that we would learn how to worship as God desires to be worshipped.

My prayer is that as we consider what the Bible says about worship, it will give you and me a new beginning in our private and corporate worship of God and that we would be the kind of worshipers that God Himself desires from His people.

To start off, by way of introduction to this series of messages on worship, there are three truths we need to remember as we think about worship, namely, Worship is Natural to Man, Worship Matters to God, and Worship Begins with God.

I - Worship is Natural to Man

We are all worshipers. Everyone worships something. Whether people are aware of it or not, whether people would admit it or not, everyone worships and worships something or someone. To some it’s religion, to others it money, to some it’s pleasure, to others it’s power, to some it’s science, to others it’s success, to some it’s beauty, to others it’s fame, to some it’s music, to others it’s sports, to some it’s career, to others it’s their family. Everyone has something or someone they value most and hope will give their lives meaning or purpose. We all worship something or someone. The only question is whether we will worship the right One in the right way.

We are all worshipers because we are made to worship and to worship just One. The Bible says in Revelation 4:11, “Thou art worthy, O Lord, to receive glory and honour and power: for thou hast created all things, and for thy pleasure they are and were created.”

We all are worshipers, created to bring pleasure and glory to the God who made us. God created us for the ultimate priority of worshiping Him. As the Westminster Shorter Catechism puts it, “The chief end of man is to glorify God and enjoy Him forever.”

Colossians 1:16 For by him were all things created, that are in heaven, and that are in earth, visible and invisible, whether they be thrones, or dominions, or principalities, or powers: all things were created by him, and for him: 

All things were made by Jesus and for Jesus. The only One who is really worthy of worship is Jesus Christ. If you for some reason decide not to worship Jesus, you will still worship something or someone. But nothing or no one in this world will satisfy. If you choose not to worship Jesus, you will keep looking, you will keep searching, you will keep seeking, you will keep buying, but nothing will bring deep satisfaction that you long for. But if you worship Christ the Lord, you will be doing exactly what you were created to do. You and I were made for God. So don't settle for less. Don’t settle for substitutes. When you settle for substitutes, you will live shallow and empty lives.

To illustrate this let me tell you about an American writer and intellectual David Foster Wallace. He was an award-winning and best-selling novelist known around the world. He once gave a commencement speech at Kenyon College. Listen to what he said to the graduating class, “Everybody worships. The only choice we get is what to worship. And the compelling reason for maybe choosing some sort of god . . . to worship . . . is that pretty much anything else you worship will eat you alive. If you worship money and things, if they are where you tap real meaning in life, then you will never have enough, never feel you have enough. It’s the truth. Worship your own body and beauty and sexual allure, and you will always feel ugly. And when time and age start showing, you will die a million deaths before [your loved ones] finally plant you. . . . Worship power, and you will end up feeling weak and afraid, and you will need ever more power over others to numb you to your own fear. Worship your intellect, being seen as smart, you will end up feeling stupid, a fraud, always on the verge of being found out. Look, the insidious thing about these forms of worship is not that they are evil or sinful; it is that they’re unconscious. They are default settings.”

Wallace was not a religious person, but he understood that everyone worships, everyone trusts in something for their salvation, everyone bases their lives on something that requires faith. A couple of years after giving that speech, Wallace killed himself. And this non-religious man’s parting words to us are pretty terrifying: “Something will eat you alive.”

Even though some people might never call it worship, they can be absolutely sure they are worshiping and they are seeking. So the first thing to remember as we think about this topic of worship is that worship is natural to all men. We are all worshipers. The only question is whether we will worship the right One in the right way.

II - Worship Matters to God

Worship is very important to God. It matters to Him. He is seeking worshipers and He is earnest. It is not a matter of indifference to Him whether you worship Him or not. It concerns Him, and it concerns you.

John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him. 24: God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

If worship is not essential He would not be seeking worshipers. You may be asking, does God really care for my worship? Does He care if I praise Him or not? Does He care if I sing unto Him or blaspheme His name? The answer is a resounding Yes! He cares much. It concerns Him deeply. He is thoroughly in earnest when He asks you to worship Him. He wants your body, your will, your mind, your spirit, your soul, your lips, your talents, your time, and your treasure. He wants them all for Himself.

It was A. W. Tozer who said, “The whole import and substance of the Bible teaches us that the God who does not need anything nevertheless desires the adoration and worship of His created children.”

The Lord Himself declares it clearly in Luke 4:8b, “Thou shalt worship the Lord thy God, and him only shalt thou serve.”

He calls all mankind to worship Him. Listen to how God speaks to the sons of men, Jews and Gentiles: “Make a joyful noise unto God, all ye lands: Sing forth the honour of his name: make his praise glorious. Say unto God, How terrible art thou in thy works! through the greatness of thy power shall thine enemies submit themselves unto thee. All the earth shall worship thee, and shall sing unto thee; they shall sing to thy name. Selah.” (Psalm 66:1-4)

Again He speaks in Psalm 96:1-9, “O sing unto the LORD a new song: sing unto the LORD, all the earth. Sing unto the LORD, bless his name; shew forth his salvation from day to day. Declare his glory among the heathen, his wonders among all people. For the LORD is great, and greatly to be praised: he is to be feared above all gods. For all the gods of the nations are idols: but the LORD made the heavens. Honour and majesty are before him: strength and beauty are in his sanctuary. Give unto the LORD, O ye kindreds of the people, give unto the LORD glory and strength. Give unto the LORD the glory due unto his name: bring an offering, and come into his courts. O worship the LORD in the beauty of holiness: fear before him, all the earth.”

O friends, God is seeking you. He comes up to every sinner upon earth and seeking worshipers. The fact that God is seeking you implies that He truly cares for you and your worship.

This is comforting to know that God is seeking you. He is seeking you so you can know what you were created to do. He is seeking you so you can find Him and discover that He is the greatest treasure on earth. The LORD comes to us as He came and said to Abraham in Genesis 15:1 After these things the word of the LORD came unto Abram in a vision, saying, Fear not, Abram: I am thy shield, and thy exceeding great reward.

He is seeking you because He is God and He knows you cannot live without Him.

III - Worship Begins with God

John 4:23 But the hour cometh, and now is, when the true worshippers shall worship the Father in spirit and in truth: for the Father seeketh such to worship him.

The Father is seeking true worshippers. A true worshipper is a result of the seeking Father. Without the seeking Father there will be no true worshipers.

Psalm 14:2 The LORD looked down from heaven upon the children of men, to see if there were any that did understand, and seek God. 3: They are all gone aside, they are all together become filthy: there is none that doeth good, no, not one.

Romans 3:10 As it is written, There is none righteous, no, not one: 11: There is none that understandeth, there is none that seeketh after God.

A. W. Tozer puts it this way, “Christian theology teaches the doctrine of prevenient grace, which briefly stated means this, that before a man can seek God, God must first have sought the man.

Before a sinful man can think a right thought of God, there must have been a work of enlightenment done within him; imperfect it may be, but a true work nonetheless, and the secret cause of all desiring and seeking and praying which may follow.

We pursue God because, and only because, He has first put an urge within us that spurs us to the pursuit. “No man can come to me,” said our Lord, “except the Father which hath sent me draw him,” and it is by this very prevenient drawing that God takes from us every vestige of credit for the act of coming. The impulse to pursue God originates with God, but the outworking of that impulse is our following hard after Him; and all the time we are pursuing Him we are already in His hand: “Thy right hand upholdeth me.”

God is calling us back to that for which He created us.

Psalm 27:8 When thou saidst, Seek ye my face; my heart said unto thee, Thy face, LORD, will I seek.

God calls David to seek His face and he responded to the Lord’s call. It’s this idea of God longing for fellowship with His children that draws us into His presence. Do you hear your Father calling to you?

I sought the Lord, and afterward I knew

He moved my soul to seek Him, seeking me;

It was not I that found, O Saviour true,

No, I was found of Thee. —Anon.

Closing Exhortations

These are the three truths we need to remember as we think about worship, namely, Worship is Natural to Man, Worship Matters to God, and Worship Begins with God.

The woman at the well brought up the topic of worship and the place where men ought to worship.

John 4:20 Our fathers worshipped in this mountain; and ye say, that in Jerusalem is the place where men ought to worship.

Notice how Jesus begins His answer in John 4:21, “Jesus saith unto her, Woman, believe me, the hour cometh, when ye shall neither in this mountain, nor yet at Jerusalem, worship the Father.”

Jesus opens with the words, “Believe Me.” That’s where true worship begins. It begins by exercising faith. It begins by believing who Jesus Christ is and what He has done on the cross of Calvary which opens the way for us back to God and that we may know Him and glorify Him.

“God seeking for worshipers here on earth. And what is His gospel but the proclamation of His gracious search for worshippers? He sends out His glad tidings of great joy, that He may draw men to Himself and make them worshippers of His own glorious self.” - Horatius Bonar

God through the gospel of Jesus Christ is seeking to make rebel sinners into worshipers. That’s what the power of the gospel is all about.

God today is seeking worshipers who will bring Him glory, not just for an hour on Sunday, but every day through all their activities. We cannot worship God acceptably on Sundays if we are not worshiping Him throughout the week. You begin that process by repenting of your sins and trusting in Jesus Christ as your Saviour and Lord. You grow in that process as you bring every thought, word, and deed under His lordship.

Now, let me address those of us who by the grace of God have already been made real worshipers. God’s goal in history is to seek worshipers. When His disciples came back with food, Jesus says to them in verse 34, “My meat (food) is to do the will of him that sent me, and to finish (accomplish) his work.” Jesus is saying the work of God is to seek real worshipers. Jesus was sent to accomplish this work.

While the disciples were gone, Jesus was doing the work of the Father which is to seek real worshipers. Jesus went at great lengths to go through Samaria. He overcame comfort, gender, and ethnic barrier. He was willing to put Himself to some inconvenience because there was a woman in Samaria to be won, to be saved, to be rescued, and to be turned into a worshiper. That’s why the Father sent His Son; that’s why He sends you and me into the world to lift up our eyes, and look on the fields; for they are white already to harvest. If you love God and care for His glory let’s do the work of the Father. May God this year used us as He has never used as before - instruments in making rebel sinners into real worshipers!

AMEN!