Good morning. God bless you today. I pray that all of us will find an opportunity for worship today that is pleasing to our mighty God, which is worship in Spirit and in Truth.
Jesus met the fallen woman, a Samaritan, in the heat of the day at the well which was located outside of her town. Her life was a mess. She was lost and had no hope of being found. Her assumption was that this man, who was obviously a Jew, would judge her as harshly as others, even her own people.
Jesus did not judge her, in fact His tone with her was gentle, even though He did not overlook the reality of her sinful life. We pick up the conversation in verse 19:
“Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our ancestors worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.” 21 “Woman,” Jesus replied, “believe me, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 22 You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews. 23 Yet a time is coming and has now come when the true worshipers will worship the Father in the Spirit and in truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.” 25 The woman said, “I know that Messiah” (called Christ) “is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us.” 26 Then Jesus declared, “I, the one speaking to you—I am he.” John 4:19-26
To say that we must worship God “in spirit” means, among other things, that it must originate from within, from the heart; it must be sincere, motivated by our love for God and gratitude for all he is and has done. Worship cannot be mechanical or formalistic. Worship demands that all physical postures or symbolic actions must be infused with heartfelt commitment and faith and love and zeal. This is the work of the Holy Spirit of God, and it is essential that the worshipper is open to His presence, His guidance, and His expression.
Worship must also be “in truth.” This means that our worship must conform to the revelation of God in scripture. Worship must be informed by who God is and what He is like. Our worship must be rooted in and bound to the realities of Biblical revelation. Worship is not meant to be formed by what feels good, but by the light of what’s true.
The life of the Samaritan woman at the well would never be the same after she met Jesus. The task and the joy that we share today is to worship in a way that brings us to His side, in Spirit and in Truth.
Vern