John 4:20-21
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Those of you who were with us from the beginning and I think that’s the majority of us, when we were looking for a place to move from the small room, there were two places in the community that came to mind. A gym, which I have been using. Nowadays I have stopped, but I have to begin again to keep fit. We all need fitness, you know. Also, there is a pub and night club across the street; they have this roof top structure and I was eyeing it. But we ended up working on this structure which was a shed for worship.
But let me ask you a question, and you need not answer me…just think about it. If we had chosen to meet at the gym or the pub, would you have had any problems attending? Especially the pub. If you know the Geography of this place, it is just across the road. Would you have attended if we were meeting in the pub? How you answer these questions, will tell a lot about your understanding of worship.Â
We are still lingering on around these verses. And last week, I brought our attention to four things in the text (1) The Object of Worship–Who Are We To Worship, (2) The Manner of Worship — How are we to worship (3) The Place of Worship—Where Are We To Worship and (4) The Reason For Worship—Why Are We To Worship? I indicated every single one of them looks like a topic on their own, so I addressed simply the Object of Our Worship. Today, I will address the Place of Worship—Where We Are To Worship. And I will address this under three points. A New Era Of Worship, The State of the Heart in Worship and The Universality of Worship.
The conversation with the women at this point is about worship clearly the two verses is about the Place of Worship—Where Must We Worship? (vv.20-21). Now, you will notice from the texts there were two distinct places of worship between the Samaritans and the Jews (v.20). The Samaritans worshipped on an unnamed Mountain (this mountain)– Scholars identify this as Mount Gerizim and the Jews worshipped in Jerusalem (but you say that in Jerusalem is the place where people ought to worship). Remember at the beginning of Chapter 4, I pointed out a division that existed between the Samaritans and the Jews. Our 1st Scripture reading (1 Kings 12) details the cause of the division. You can have a read again later for context.Â
So the Samaritans and the Jews are the same people with two different places of worship. The controversy then is about where to worship.
A New Era Of Worship
Jesus’ answer to the woman clearly tells us the place of worship was not important (v.21). Why is the place of worship not important? Because A New Era Of Worship Has Come (v.23). But “the hour is coming, and is now here”. What is this hour referencing? It is the arrival of Jesus. The arrival of the coming Messiah (vv.25-26). With his arrival, worship took on a new form. A spiritual form, where worship was no more about rituals or the external things. We don’t need to build altars and offer animal sacrifices. The Old form of worship was done away with and a new worship form of worship inaugurated. Jesus himself was God tabernacled among us (John 1:14). Jesus brought to earth, the grace of God. That now sinners would not have to work their way through rituals to find acceptance with God. Sinners are reconciled through the work of God. Sinners have been given access directly to God through Jesus Christ.Â
Unfortunately today, people still believe they have to go to a special place to find God. Some churches are asking their members to bring one item or the other for a breakthrough etc. If ever you are told to do something special for a blessing, or come to a special place for prayer or direction for your blessings, or even go and see someone with some powers, know that is not Christianity. And dear friends, we have a lot of these things being paraded as Christianity but it is all false Christianity. Jesus is sufficient. He has brought the Grace of God to us. He reconciles sinners to God. Amen
Comparing Jesus and the Old Covenant worship, the writer of Hebrews says:
But as it is, Christ has obtained a ministry that is as much more excellent than the old as the covenant he mediates is better, since it is enacted on better promises (Hebrews 8:6).
But when Christ appeared as a high priest of the good things that have come, then through the greater and more perfect tent (not made with hands, that is, not of this creation) he entered once for all into the holy places, not by means of the blood of goats and calves but by means of his own blood, thus securing an eternal redemption. For if the blood of goats and bulls, and the sprinkling of defiled persons with the ashes of a heifer, sanctify[f] for the purification of the flesh, how much more will the blood of Christ, who through the eternal Spirit offered himself without blemish to God, purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God (Hebrews 9:11-14)
The State of The Heart
In this new era of worship, the state of the heart matters more than the place of worship. Look at the last part of the text we read: “purify our conscience from dead works to serve the living God. This is talking about what Jesus does to our hearts. He purifies it. See, it’s very possible to be in a worship service like this one but your heart and mind is far away, wandering somewhere else. You may be listening to me, but not hearing anything. You may be physically present, but absent. You may have all the external evidence of religion, but your heart is far away from God. Rebuking the Pharisees, Jesus said in Matthew 15:8-9 that
This people honors me with their lips, but their heart is far from me: in vain do they worship; teaching as doctrines the commandments of men
Dear friends, the state of your heart is the most crucial thing in worship. I cannot tell the state of your heart. Perhaps in your heart is envy, jealousy, bitterness, hypocrisy, lust, greed,unbelief, insincerity…. I cannot read your mind, I only see you just a few hours in the week. But God sees everything. He knows the state of our heart and that’s what is important to him. When Jesus told the woman the true worshippers will worship the father in spirit and truth, he was speaking about the state of her heart. He was speaking about sincerity and truth in worship. In a sense, he was saying your heart is the new place of worship.Â
Worship is now spiritual, coming from within not what we see with our eyes. And brethren, only God truly can judge our hearts. And the Scriptures clearly paints the picture of the human heart. It is desperately wicked and deceitful (Jeremiah 17:9). So don’t hide behind only God can judge my heart and continue to live your life to please yourself. Truly, when God judges our heart, what he will see is damning. That’s why we have to be sincere with God. You can hide from everyone around you, but you cannot hide from God.Â
So if your heart is not right with God, settle that matter today. If you have not believed in Jesus as your Lord and Saviour, then you haven’t even started to worship yet. If you are a believer, then be sure your profession is a true profession. And if there are areas in your life which needs addressing, cry out to God to help. Make repentance a constant practise in your life. The sacrifices of God are a broken spirit;Â a broken and contrite heart, O God, you will not despise (Psalm 51:17).
The Universality of Worship
The final implication of the conversation with the Samaritan woman is The Universality of Worship. Worship can take place anywhere. So the answer to the question, where are we to worship is anywhere. If God is spirit, then God is not limited by geography. Anywhere we are, we can worship God. That is why worship is not confined only to the four walls of a church. Apart from the corporate gathering of God’s people, as individuals, we can call on God anywhere.
Jonah prayer from the belly of a big fish. Paul and Silas prayed to God from prison…worship is universal. God is omnipresent therefore he can be worshipped anywhere. So apart from corporate worship, cultivate your own personal worship times. Your devotions; spending time in prayer personally, studying the word and meditating on it personal. Jesus has broken every barrier to worship by his death on the cross for sinners and everyone, anywhere can worship God through faith in Jesus. Amen
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