Pastor Gideon
When I mention the word worship, what is the first thing that comes to your mind? What do you think worship is all about? Is it the one hour or 45 minutes that we take time to sing before we hear the word. Or is worship something that when I am in church that I am able to worship God or I come to church to worship God? Well, if those are your answers, I am not saying that the answers are wrong, but I would like this morning to realign some of our thinking with regards to worship. When I talk to Christians, some mature Christians, they have a different idea what worship is all about. This morning I want to make sure that we in Tabernacle of Praise have the right footing or is on the right track when we talk about worship. How many of you know the song “The Heart of Worship”?
You know the guy who wrote this song is Matt Redman. And you know this song came out of the time when the pastor of his church is trying to teach his congregation what it means to worship God. And the pastor was so radical that he wanted to make sure that the people had a right idea of worship. That you know on Sunday they would come and they would sing to God without the instruments, without songs even at a point. And that is what the pastor was doing. He wanted to teach the people the real meaning of worship. And in that course of teaching the people, Matt Redman wrote this song as he finally understood that at the end of the day after everything is said and done, everything is all about Jesus.
It is not about the music, it is not about the songs that we sing, yes it is important. It is not about the worship leader, it is not about the selection of the songs on that morning, it is not how nice the place looks, the auditorium looks, again I want to remind you that all these are important. I want you to know that when you come to Tabernacle of Praise, I want you to experience a wonder atmosphere of worship and all these things, good instruments, good sound system, good ambience contributes to worship but that is not worship.
Our worship to God cannot be dependent on these things. That is what Matt Redman at the end of the whole exercise that his pastor was trying to do, understood it is not about the songs, and they learn to worship God even without singing. I mean you can sing but you worship God without instruments.
This morning I want to talk to you about worship because I feel this is important for our church and the next few weeks I hope that you will never miss Sunday service because I’m going to talk to you about the very basic but fundamental truth for our church. We are going to talk about prayer and fasting coming up very soon, we going to talk about giving, talk about tithing, where does it stand with God. We are going to talk about evangelism, that God had put in my heart. I hope that you won’t miss church because I want you to hear this.
John 4:1-26
Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman
1 The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.
4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
21 Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, 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 spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in 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 who speak to you am he.”
Revelation 22:9
But he said to me, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”
Now it’s kind of ironic in a sense that in the last chapter of the Bible it is to worship God, the last positive command that was given to us is to worship God. Worship is important, it is an integral part of a church, of the Christian life. You can’t be a Christian without understanding worship; you can’t be a Christian without worshiping one true God.
Background
Jesus is going from Judea to Galilee and He has to pass by this town called Samaria. And so it is a place where He takes a break, so He stop at this place, sit at the well, and the disciples had gone into town to buy food. And so, Jesus is alone.
This morning I want to talk to you about worship because I feel this is important for our church and the next few weeks I hope that you will never miss Sunday service because I’m going to talk to you about the very basic but fundamental truth for our church. We are going to talk about prayer and fasting coming up very soon, we going to talk about giving, talk about tithing, where does it stand with God. We are going to talk about evangelism, that God had put in my heart. I hope that you won’t miss church because I want you to hear this.
John 4:1-26
Jesus Talks With a Samaritan Woman
1 The Pharisees heard that Jesus was gaining and baptizing more disciples than John, 2 although in fact it was not Jesus who baptized, but his disciples. 3 When the Lord learned of this, he left Judea and went back once more to Galilee.
4 Now he had to go through Samaria. 5 So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar, near the plot of ground Jacob had given to his son Joseph. 6 Jacob’s well was there, and Jesus, tired as he was from the journey, sat down by the well. It was about the sixth hour.
7 When a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, “Will you give me a drink?” 8 (His disciples had gone into the town to buy food.)
9 The Samaritan woman said to him, “You are a Jew and I am a Samaritan woman. How can you ask me for a drink?” (For Jews do not associate with Samaritans.)
10 Jesus answered her, “If you knew the gift of God and who it is that asks you for a drink, you would have asked him and he would have given you living water.”
11 “Sir,” the woman said, “you have nothing to draw with and the well is deep. Where can you get this living water? 12 Are you greater than our father Jacob, who gave us the well and drank from it himself, as did also his sons and his flocks and herds?”
13 Jesus answered, “Everyone who drinks this water will be thirsty again, 14 but whoever drinks the water I give him will never thirst. Indeed, the water I give him will become in him a spring of water welling up to eternal life.”
15 The woman said to him, “Sir, give me this water so that I won’t get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water.”
16 He told her, “Go, call your husband and come back.”
17 “I have no husband,” she replied.
Jesus said to her, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18 The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you now have is not your husband. What you have just said is quite true.”
19 “Sir,” the woman said, “I can see that you are a prophet. 20 Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem.”
21 Jesus declared, “Believe me, woman, 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 spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. 24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in 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 who speak to you am he.”
Revelation 22:9
But he said to me, “Do not do it! I am a fellow servant with you and with your brothers the prophets and of all who keep the words of this book. Worship God!”
Now it’s kind of ironic in a sense that in the last chapter of the Bible it is to worship God, the last positive command that was given to us is to worship God. Worship is important, it is an integral part of a church, of the Christian life. You can’t be a Christian without understanding worship; you can’t be a Christian without worshiping one true God.
Background
Jesus is going from Judea to Galilee and He has to pass by this town called Samaria. And so it is a place where He takes a break, so He stop at this place, sit at the well, and the disciples had gone into town to buy food. And so, Jesus is alone.
While He is seating by the well, came a Samaritan women. The Bible said she came at about the sixth hour, which is about 12 noon. If you are the person who wants to come to draw water, you will normally do it in the morning, not do it in the middle of the day, or probably you can do it at the end of the day but most of the people will come when it is cool, in the morning. They will come to the well to draw water because of the use for the whole day.
But this lady, she came at about 12 noon, there is a reason that she is coming at 12 noon. She came at 12 noon because she wanted to avoid the crowd, and later on we understood why she wanted to avoid the crowd. She was not a person with a good reputation. She doesn’t want people to look at her, she was probably an outcast in the society. When she came at about 12 noon, she saw Jesus and Jesus saw her, and Jesus ask her this, "can you give me some water to drink". She replied, I am a Samaritan and you are a Jew, according to our custom and normal practice we don’t mix, we don’t talk to one another. And it is not common for a man to talk to another lady in those days directly, especially as Jesus was alone. In fact Jesus is breaking every custom or tradition in that sense back in those days.
Jesus replied, don’t worry about that and the lady said the well is deep and you have nothing to draw from the well. It is true, Jesus have nothing to draw from the well. Whenever Jesus do something, He has a purpose, therefore there is no such thing as a coincidence with Jesus. Jesus planned an appointment with this lady at the well.
Jesus began to tell her in regards to living water, telling her the water that she see in this well will only satisfy you physically for a short time. And Jesus revealing Himself to her that "if you know who you are talking to, you would ask of me, the living water that gives eternal life".
She asked Jesus a very important question, “You Jews say we must worship in Jerusalem, but Jews did not allow them. Jews said we cannot worship in their temple, and the Samaritans built their own temple in Mount Gerizim. There is a debate going on, where should you worship. Should you worship in Jerusalem, or should you worship on this mountain?
Jesus replied, don’t worry about that and the lady said the well is deep and you have nothing to draw from the well. It is true, Jesus have nothing to draw from the well. Whenever Jesus do something, He has a purpose, therefore there is no such thing as a coincidence with Jesus. Jesus planned an appointment with this lady at the well.
Jesus began to tell her in regards to living water, telling her the water that she see in this well will only satisfy you physically for a short time. And Jesus revealing Himself to her that "if you know who you are talking to, you would ask of me, the living water that gives eternal life".
She asked Jesus a very important question, “You Jews say we must worship in Jerusalem, but Jews did not allow them. Jews said we cannot worship in their temple, and the Samaritans built their own temple in Mount Gerizim. There is a debate going on, where should you worship. Should you worship in Jerusalem, or should you worship on this mountain?
So she asked Jesus, where should we worship? Then Jesus gave her a very radical idea, Jesus replied in verse 21, there would come a time no matter where you worship, worship is not about the place, it is not about coming to church (church is a place for corporate worship). Your worship to God cannot be limited to a place. Jesus is actually in fact telling her, worship must be a lifestyle. It must not be only just an one hour or 45 minutes when we come to church to worship God. Everything that we do, everything that we say in our workplace, at home and at college, God considers that as worship. In your giving you are also worshipping God. When you do a good deed, or kindly to someone, you stop by to help someone, it is worship to God.
Worship must be who you are as a person. It is not limited to a place, when you are out of the church, when you driving on the road are you worshipping God? It is not putting a CD or tape, it is every conduct, every work that I receive in my workplace, in my business dealing, am I worshipping God. Back in the old days, God has the temple for the people to worship, but now God has His people for a temple. We are the temple of the Holy Spirit. It is not important where we worship now; God has His people as His temple. Worship must be a lifestyle, in everything we do and in everything we say. As people see us and we are worshipping God in everything that we do and God is pleased with everything that we do. Worship is a lifestyle that continues in a person. Worship is not localized in a place. Worship must happen as a lifestyle. If we understand that worship is a lifestyle, and we come to church it won’t be a problem for us to worship.
Verse 23
Worship is when we really connect with God. Jesus is looking for a people who worship in spirit and in truth. He is looking for true worshippers. Worshipping in a way He want to be worshipped. When we come to church, Jesus should be the focus. It is all about Jesus. Whether we came in a good or bad mood, doesn’t matter who the song leader is, what songs we are singing, whether the band is playing well, the focus is on Jesus. The focus is not about what we can get out of the service, the focus is what we can bring to Him. If we worship God based on what we feel, it won’t go far. Because the focus on worship is never on us, it is about what we can bring to Him. If we know the right worship, all blessings will come and will flow, it is how it works. We come to worship for who He is. He is the King of kings, the Lord of lords. He deserves to be worship. So the focus is not on what we can receive, the focus is on God.
We are here to be a blessing. Blessed to be a Blessing, we are bringing our worship to Him.
The Bible said, He is looking for true worshippers. Only people that can truly worship God are Christians. Because the Father is looking for true worshippers that will worship Him in spirit and in truth, in order for you to have true worship, we want to know who the Father is. Because of the relationship with Him, we are able to call Him Abba Father and because of this, we His sons and daughters are able to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.
As we worship Him, blessings will follow, because this is how God works. God is looking for true worshippers who worship Him in spirit and in truth, it is beyond how we feel, what we think, it is to connect with God at spiritual level with the help of the Holy Spirit. We must worship a God of Revelation. That means, as the Bible say who He is, worshipping Him in truth. We are not worshipping a God of speculation, we are worshipping a God that reveals in the Bible. In spite of what we are going through this morning, what happens in our life, He is still sitting on the throne. We have the capability or the ability to worship Him because we are the sons and daughters of God, we can worship the Father in spirit and in truth. It must not be dependent on how we feel or how our surroundings look, it must be dependent on the fact that He is God and He deserves our praise and worship this morning.
In summary, worship is about Jesus and the focus is on Jesus. The worship team helps us to facilitate in our worship but it is not worship. Worship happens when we come before the Lord and we connect with Him at a Spiritual level and when we worship Him in spirit and in truth. One day we will try to worship God without any instruments, let’s worship God when we walk out from this church. Let's see Jesus in you.
Verse 23
Worship is when we really connect with God. Jesus is looking for a people who worship in spirit and in truth. He is looking for true worshippers. Worshipping in a way He want to be worshipped. When we come to church, Jesus should be the focus. It is all about Jesus. Whether we came in a good or bad mood, doesn’t matter who the song leader is, what songs we are singing, whether the band is playing well, the focus is on Jesus. The focus is not about what we can get out of the service, the focus is what we can bring to Him. If we worship God based on what we feel, it won’t go far. Because the focus on worship is never on us, it is about what we can bring to Him. If we know the right worship, all blessings will come and will flow, it is how it works. We come to worship for who He is. He is the King of kings, the Lord of lords. He deserves to be worship. So the focus is not on what we can receive, the focus is on God.
We are here to be a blessing. Blessed to be a Blessing, we are bringing our worship to Him.
The Bible said, He is looking for true worshippers. Only people that can truly worship God are Christians. Because the Father is looking for true worshippers that will worship Him in spirit and in truth, in order for you to have true worship, we want to know who the Father is. Because of the relationship with Him, we are able to call Him Abba Father and because of this, we His sons and daughters are able to worship Him in Spirit and in Truth.
As we worship Him, blessings will follow, because this is how God works. God is looking for true worshippers who worship Him in spirit and in truth, it is beyond how we feel, what we think, it is to connect with God at spiritual level with the help of the Holy Spirit. We must worship a God of Revelation. That means, as the Bible say who He is, worshipping Him in truth. We are not worshipping a God of speculation, we are worshipping a God that reveals in the Bible. In spite of what we are going through this morning, what happens in our life, He is still sitting on the throne. We have the capability or the ability to worship Him because we are the sons and daughters of God, we can worship the Father in spirit and in truth. It must not be dependent on how we feel or how our surroundings look, it must be dependent on the fact that He is God and He deserves our praise and worship this morning.
In summary, worship is about Jesus and the focus is on Jesus. The worship team helps us to facilitate in our worship but it is not worship. Worship happens when we come before the Lord and we connect with Him at a Spiritual level and when we worship Him in spirit and in truth. One day we will try to worship God without any instruments, let’s worship God when we walk out from this church. Let's see Jesus in you.
Many thanks to Sis Esther for transcribing today's message in my absence
and to Darren for taking the photo. They did an excellent job.
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