The Way to God: Worship

Third Sunday of Easter (May 1, 2022)

John 4:24

The Way to God: Worship

 

○ Today’s text is the Gospel according to John 4:24. Let’s read it together.

“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

 

○ What is the Christian life? What would you say?

It can be defined that the Christian life is walking with God.

Do you agree with me?

 

○ Yes. Walking with God everyday!

This is the Christian life.

To do that we have to seek God first and go forward to God.

 

○ Today I would like to share a message about the method of moving forward to God,

that is, the means of grace!

 

○ OK. Let me start with the story of Adam.^^

Let’s read the verse 7 of Genesis chapter 2. “then the Lord God formed the man of dust from the ground and breathed into his nostrils the breath of life, and the man became a living creature.”

 

○ “God made human as a living creature.” This means original human was created as an intimate being with God.

 

○ But after the fall of Adam, Adam and Eve no longer deserved paradise.

God expelled them from the garden of Eden.

 

○ What does this story symbolize?

It is the fact that sins cut us off from God!

 

○ Let’s read Isaiah 59:2 together. “but your iniquities have made a separation between you and your God, and your sins have hidden his face from you so that he does not hear.”

 

○ Then how did God solve the problem of human sins?

God made the institution of sacrifice offerings for the people of Israel.

 

○ In the book of Leviticus, we can see the instructions for the various offerings God said them.

These offerings required sacrifice of animals or grain for the cost of human sins.

 

○ After many years, Israel’s betrayal of God and corruption reached its peak, and even their worship was corrupted.

 

Let’s read Malachi 1:10. “Oh that there were one among you who would shut the doors, that you might not kindle fire on my altar in vain! I have no pleasure in you, says the Lord of hosts, and I will not accept an offering from your hand.”

 

○ This was a serious warning. God no longer had hope in anyone. And then God opened the new way with his own mercy.

 

Let’s read Hebrews 10:20. “by the new and living way that Christ opened for us through the curtain, that is, through his flesh.”

 

○ It’s a miracle!

By the merits of Jesus Christ, we all, even the Gentiles, we can go forward to God. There is the new way for us to be saved!

 

○ Then, how can we be saved? Let’s read Ephesians 2:8.

“For by grace you have been saved through faith. And this is not your own doing; it is the gift of God.”

First of all, we believers can not live by the grace of God.

 

○ Look at the screen! We need three elements for our salvation.

▶God’s saving grace, ▶the merits of Jesus Christ, and ▶our saving(living) faith.

 

○ The most important element is God’s saving grace. God’s grace is foremost.

Without this grace, we can not be received the merits of Christ.

Without this grace, we can not be received the saving faith.

 

○ So we need to know how to receive the grace of God.

This is what we call the means of grace!

 

○ There are two categories of the means of grace.

The instituted means of grace and the prudential means of grace.

 

○ The instituted means of grace are often referred to as “works of piety.”

They include worship, prayer(asking for, petition, intercession and thanksgiving), searching the Bible(reading, meditating, and hearing), the eucharist and the fellowship of believers...

 

○ And the prudential means of grace are referred to as “works of mercy.”

Works of mercy include as “doing all the good one can and doing no harm,

that is, feeding the hungry, clothing the naked, caring the stranger, visiting the sick, or variously afflicted.”

 

○ Among them, the most important instrument of grace is worship.

Today we want to focus on the worship of God.

 

○ First, let’s listen to the Q and A of the Westminster Catechism.

Q. What is the chief end of man?

A. Man’s chief end is to glorify God, and to enjoy him forever.

 

○ Then how can we glorify God?

By the worship of God!

 

○ What is the worship? Worship is the celebration and praise and adoration of God.

 

Many psalmists proclaimed that worship unto God!

“Sing to the Lord a new song, for he has done marvelous things! His right hand and his holy arm have worked salvation for him.” (Psalm 98:1)

“Give thanks to the Lord, for he is good, for his steadfast love endures forever!” (Psalm 107:1)

"I will extol You, my God, O King; And I will bless Your name forever and ever." (Psalm 145:1)

 

○ Worship is the foremost instrument of grace.

Worship is the supreme and essential and indispensable duty of all believers!

 

○ Finally, let’s reflect on how we should worship.

Let’s read the today’s text John 4:24 one more time.

“God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth.”

This is the proper attitude of the worshipers.

 

○ This is very serious word of the Lord.

No matter how wonderful worship is, without in the Holy Spirit, without led by the Holy Spirit,

that worship is in vain!

No matter how many people gather and worship, without in truth, without in reality,

without in sincerity, without in integrity, that worship is in vain!

 

○ It is not where, it is not when, it is not how many gather we worship that counts.

The most important thing is how we worship.

 

○ We have to worship in the Holy Spirit and in truth!

Only when we worship in the Holy Spirit and in truth, we can receive the grace of God.

 

○ God does not receive the worship in vain. God does not hear the prayer in vain.

God does not rejoice the praise in vain.

 

○ If we want to receive God’s grace, we have to worship in the Holy Spirit and in truth.

God’s grace can make us grow to perfection.

God’s grace can change us into new selves. God’s grace can make us conform to Christ.

 

○ Psalmist David prayed that “let the words of my mouth and the meditation of my heart be acceptable in your sight, O Lord, my Rock and my Redeemer!” (Psalm 19:14)

 

Like David’s prayer, we want our worship to be pleasing to God! Let us worship in the Holy Spirit and in truth so that our worship is satisfactory for God to receive. Amen!

 

○ Let us pray: Gracious God, we know that Father seeks to be His worshipers. We want to be the true worshipers. So Holy Spirit, help us, lead us, guild us, and sactify us.