John 4:19 The woman saith unto him, Sir, I perceive that thou art a prophet. 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

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.

It is amazing to me that God the Father is seeking worshipers. And God is not merely waiting for us to come to Him. No, He is actively seeking for people who will worship Him truly. Even right now, right here, God is searching and seeking who among us will truly worship Him and declare His worthiness.

What kind of worshiper is the Father seeking? The Father is seeking true worshipers who will worship Him in spirit and in truth.

John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

There is so much packed in this statement that one sermon is not enough. But let me start with two implications. This statement implies at least two things:

1. God Must be Worshiped

John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him ...

God expects our worship. There must be a response to this God. We cannot be indifferent about who God is. Knowing that God is a spirit, that is, He is a spiritual being. He is invisible, immanent, immutable, eternal, transcendent, incomprehensible, incomparable, and indescribable. You and I cannot just say "that's nice" and move on to the next activity. No, there must be a response in our hearts towards this God. As we are being exposed to the greatness of God in His being through the teaching of His word, our hearts should be running to Him in worship and adoration.

2. God Must be Worshiped Rightly

John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Not only must God be worshiped, God must be worshiped rightly. The same God that says we must worship Him also says we must worship Him rightly. The God who expects and desires our worship is not indifferent to the kind of worship we bring Him. There are many who think that they can worship God any way that they choose, and it still be pleasing unto God. This is not true, God cares how we worship Him. There are acceptable and unacceptable worship. If we are to worship God acceptably, we must worship Him the way He has prescribed in His Word. There is no other worship acceptable to Him.

Jesus uses a strong word here. The word "must" is an obligatory word. It's a word of divine necessity. It's a word of divine mandate. It's not an option to worship God in any other way. Anything else is false, and therefore unacceptable worship. The Father is seeking those who will worship Him on His terms. If you want to be a true worshiper, you must worship in spirit and in truth. This is the only worship that God accepts. God does not accept all worship. This emphasizes the necessity of understanding what worship "in spirit and in truth" means? There are two components to a true worship - worship in spirit and worship in truth. It must be both spiritual and scriptural. This morning, I want to focus in on the first component - worship in spirit.

What does it mean to worship God in spirit? What is a spiritual worship? How can I worship God in spirit? To worship God in spirit, you must be spiritually alive, spiritually assisted, and spiritually active.

I — Spiritually Alive

John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

God is a spirit and if God is a spirit, how do you communicate with God? In your spirit. God is a spirit, therefore those who worship Him must worship Him in the realm of the spirit. God is a spiritual being, it follows from this that all true worship must be spiritual.

Only the spirit of man can really commune with the Spirit of God. Therefore, God is not pleased with the mere physical aspects of worship.

Psalm 51:17 The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit: a broken and a contrite heart, O God, thou wilt not despise.

The sacrifice which God really values, and desires are not the physical aspect of sacrifices, such as bulls and goats. God is not pleased with the mere exercise of physical faculties. What God is looking for is a broken spirit and a contrite heart. Sacrifices and offerings mean nothing unless we worship in spirit, unless there is sorrow for sin and a heart that is tender, and receptive to the word of God.

Going back to the idea that we commune with God in our spirit. This underscores the necessity of the new birth. You and I cannot worship Him unless we are spiritually alive in Christ. Dead spirit cannot worship in spirit. All men are spiritually dead until the spirit is made alive by God's powerful work in regeneration. A natural man has no capacity to worship in spirit. True worship comes from the Spirit that dwells in us. It does not originate from man. True worship originates in the Spirit. It is a work of grace of God in the heart of man. True worship comes from the heart that has been recreated by God. True worship is one of the fruits of salvation.

Philippians 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

That is why in His conversation with the woman at the well, our Lord offers Himself as the living water. Until the Samaritan woman drinks of that living water which Christ is and offers Himself, she will never be a worshiper in the realm of the spirit. She cannot be because she is spiritually dead. Therefore, a call to worship is a call to repentance and faith. A call to a new heart, a call to run to Christ the mediator of the new covenant.

II — Spiritually Assisted

Not only do we need to be spiritually alive in order to be true worshipers, we must also be spiritually assisted. You and I cannot worship in spirit without the assistance of the Spirit who indwells us. Having been made alive by way of new birth and indwelt by the Holy Spirit, we must constantly and consciously ask the Holy Spirit to assist and guide us in our worship.

This is one of the ministries of the Holy Spirit, He helps us in our weaknesses.

Romans 8:26 Likewise the Spirit also helpeth our infirmities: for we know not what we should pray for as we ought: but the Spirit itself maketh intercession for us with groanings which cannot be uttered.

We need the Holy Spirit. No one can worship God acceptably without Him. We do not even know how we ought to pray. So, the Spirit comes to help us in our weakness. The Spirit Himself intercedes in ways that cannot be put into words.

Now, if you are having trouble worshiping, and bored in church, the problem is in your inner spirit. It's either you are not spiritually alive by way of new birth or you are not relying on self instead of depending on the Holy Spirit to help you to worship.

Philippians 3:3 For we are the circumcision, which worship God in the spirit, and rejoice in Christ Jesus, and have no confidence in the flesh.

Those who worship in spirit do not place their confidence in the flesh. They have a deep awareness of their total dependence upon God the Holy Spirit for everything, including worship.

Oh, how we need direct and powerful assistance from the Holy Spirit for us to render acceptable worship to God.

Jeremiah 17:5 Thus saith the LORD; Cursed be the man that trusteth in man, and maketh flesh his arm, and whose heart departeth from the LORD.

May we grow in the awareness of our inability to bring God the worship that is pleasing to Him without the Holy Spirit helping us and assisting us.

III — Spiritually Active

John 4:24 God is a Spirit: and they that worship him must worship him in spirit and in truth.

Notice the word "spirit" is lower case "s", it's small "s". It's not referring to the Holy Spirit. It's referring to a human spirit. It is synonymous for heart, or soul, or our innermost being, or our innermost person. This is to say, worship must be intensely internal in our hearts that involves our mind, our emotion and our will. It is a worship that involves the entire heart. A worship in which the spirit of the person, the inner being, the heart, the total man, is involved, active and engaged.

When we come together on the Lord's Day, we should not think ourselves as observers. We are not just to sit on a pew and simply observe what takes place in the service. Real worship is not like going to a theater and sit and watch and enjoy a movie without you getting involved in it. No, true worship requires participation. You are biblically to be a participant. Worship is a participatory event. So, if you come and you sit, and you are passive you have not worshipped. Worship is an active verb.

We consciously will to give our spirit to worship. It's not like you come and pray, Lord come and assist us to worship in spirit and then sit back and wait for something to happen or to come. No. Having prayed you are now responsible to be spiritually active.

If you and I would learn increasingly what it is to worship God in spirit, we must learn to participate with our whole heart in every part of the service. To rightly worship God demands a mental and spiritual activity. The spirit of the worshipper is wholly engaged in the act of worship, the mind, the affection, and the will.

A practical thing you can do is to deliberately and consciously turn your mind away from looking around and notice who is here and isn't here and turn your eyes and behold God! Contemplate on God, His being, His work, His goodness, His greatness. Let your mind run out actively in these directions.

Closing Thoughts

These are some of the marks of a true spiritual worshiper. Those who worship in spirit, are spiritually alive, spiritually assisted and spiritually active. So, the all-important question this morning is, "Are you spiritually alive? Has your spirit been made alive by God the Holy Spirit's gracious and powerful work in regeneration?" Until you are made spiritually alive you have no ability to worship in spirit. You must be born again!

The Puritan of old, George Whitfield was asked why He preached so again and again on the 3rd chapter of John where it speaks about the new birth (some 350x in the course of his ministry). He answered, "The reason why I preached on the subject; you must be born again is because you must be born again."

Except you are born in the Spirit, except there is gracious and powerful work of the Holy Spirit, revealing your need for forgiveness and salvation, revealing Christ as the only remedy to your sin, except you see these truths and wholeheartedly embrace them, you will never and cannot be a true worshipper. This is where you start. You may pray to God to assist you in your worship and you may actively participate but until you are born again you will never be a true worship.

To those who have been born again, alive in Christ, do you come to the service as a passive observer or an active worshiper? When you come to God's house to worship, do you give everything in you, your heart, your mind, your will, your affection, your spirit in the worship of God? Anything less is unacceptable. God must be worshiped in spirit!

O, may we commit ourselves to become the worshipers that the Father seeks. If we really love Him, and care for His glory, we really will not settle for  anything less!

AMEN!