Spirit & Truth
- Review
- More than a Song
- Surveyed the book of Romans leading to our text
- I appeal to you therefore, brothers, by the mercies of God, to present your bodies as a living sacrifice, holy and acceptable to God, which is your spiritual worship. Romans 12:1
- 5 greek words in the NT that we would call praise or worship
- Worship; We tell the story that God alone is the priority by humbly giving him the glory in all of life.
- Context
- Women at the well.
- Jesus sets us straight on the where, what, how and why of worship.
1. “Where” do we Worship? vs. 21
- We become the Temple
Do you not know that you are God’s temple and that God’s Spirit dwells in you? If anyone destroys God’s temple, God will destroy him. For God’s temple is holy, and you are that temple. 1 Corinthians 3:16–17
As you come to him, a living stone rejected by men but in the sight of God chosen and precious, you yourselves like living stones are being built up as a spiritual house, to be a holy priesthood, to offer spiritual sacrifices acceptable to God through Jesus Christ. 1 Peter 2:4–5
But you are a chosen race, a royal priesthood, a holy nation, a people for his own possession, that you may proclaim the excellencies of him who called you out of darkness into his marvelous light. 1 Peter 2:9
- True worship starts with our identity in Christ, GOSPEL!
- “Where” is true worship?
- Everywhere, as an individual, and together as a church.
2. “What” do we Worship? vs. 22
- Worship? yes. But the object of your worship? NOPE.
- Worshiping God in our own image
- Would Jesus be PC today?
- Can we know?
- Unpopular to tell someone they are wrong.
- It almost feels arrogant to say what I believe is true and what you believe is false.
- It’s not “your” truth. It’s not your version of it. Who God is and the fact that the one true God can be known is not an arrogant belief but a rescue mission. It’s not about being right, it’s about eternal life.
I am astonished that you are so quickly deserting him who called you in the grace of Christ and are turning to a different gospel—not that there is another one, but there are some who trouble you and want to distort the gospel of Christ. But even if we or an angel from heaven should preach to you a gospel contrary to the one we preached to you, let him be accursed. As we have said before, so now I say again: If anyone is preaching to you a gospel contrary to the one you received, let him be accursed. Galatians 1:6–9
When Jesus had spoken these words, he lifted up his eyes to heaven, and said, “Father, the hour has come; glorify your Son that the Son may glorify you, since you have given him authority over all flesh, to give eternal life to all whom you have given him. And this is eternal life, that they know you, the only true God, and Jesus Christ whom you have sent. John 17:1–3
- “What” is the object of true worship? The one true God
3. How do we worship? vs. 23a
- Truth
- The truth about the object of our worship is eternal life.
- The truth about the object of our worship is abundant life
- How far off from who God is can you be before you are worshiping a different God?
- Where it be out of fear or wonder, this should be our highest priority.
- “The proper study of God’s elect is God… The highest science, the loftiest speculation, the mightiest philosophy that can ever engage the attention of a child of God, is the name, the nature, the person the work, the doings, and the existence of the great God whom he calls his Father.” Charles Spurgeon
- Our very purpose
- Q1. What is man’s primary purpose?
- Man’s primary purpose is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.
- Q2. What authority from God directs us how to glorify and enjoy Him?
- The only authority for glorifying and enjoying Him is the Bible, which is the word of God and is made up of the Old and New Testaments.
- Q3. What does the Bible primarily teach?
- The Bible primarily teaches what man must believe about God and what God requires of man.
- Q1. What is man’s primary purpose?
- These truths do not simply stay in our heads… it must enter our hearts. The 2 (spirit and truth) are to be distinct but they are not separate points therefore working together to define “true worshippers”.
- Spirit
- Holy Spirit or man’s spirit- The Holy Spirit works with our spirit through the truth of who God is to bring about true worship.
- What we know in our heads connect to our hearts.
- We can believe God is all knowing, all powerful, ever present… but to believe all that is he AND he is good (and is for you); That’s worship.
- Even the demons “believe” in the true God. Satan himself does, but what separates mere belief from true worship is the work of the Spirit, the Holy Spirit speaking to our spirits.
- You hypocrites! Well did Isaiah prophesy of you, when he said: “‘This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me; in vain do they worship me, teaching as doctrines the commandments of men.’” Matthew 15:7–9
4. Why do we worship? vs. 23b
- God is seeking. (GOSPEL)
- BECAUSE HE LOVES US!