29.9.09

Worship in spirit and in truth 
 


September30 th, 2009
John 4:15-26

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."


I. Message:

Content: 

1>(v15)The Samaritan woman asked Jesus for the living water of which she had not understood.
2>(v16-18)Jesus directly pointed out the main problem of hunger and thirst in the woman’s life.
3>(v19)During their conversation, the Samaritan woman gradually got to know more about Jesus.
4>(v20-24) Jesus and the woman talked about the issue concerning worship.
5>(v25-26)Through their conversation, Jesus’ identity as the Messiah was revealed.


Theme:

Worship in spirit and in truth 
 



II. Who is God, Jesus Christ, and the Holy Spirit?

1>(v16-19)The omniscient Jesus Christ. (He knew that the woman has had five husbands.) 

2>(v20)Worthy of praise

3>(v21) Worthy of trust

4>(v24)God, the Spirit 
5>(v25-26 )Messiah(Savior) --- Jesus Christ


III. What is God teaching me (command, promise, model, rebuke, and warning)?

1>(v15、v19、v25-26)Getting to know Jesus Christ(v15、v19、v25-26)
15The 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." 19"Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet. 25The woman said, "I know that Messiah (called Christ) is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us." 26Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he." 

According to the Scripture, we found that little by little the Samaritan woman got to know Jesus. In the beginning, she was only interested in physical water that she saw instead of living water that Jesus was talking about. Therefore she asked Jesus, “Sir, give me this water so that I won't get thirsty and have to keep coming here to draw water". Up to now, we can see that her knowledge of Jesus is still incomplete. First of all, she called Jesus, “Sir” and secondly, she still did not understand the true meaning of living water.

When Jesus pointed out her relationship with men in detail, at that moment, the woman had a deeper understanding of Jesus. 19"Sir," the woman said, "I can see that you are a prophet”. Her perception of Jesus had evolved from “Sir” to “Prophet”. After the in-depth discussion with Jesus, she had a better understanding of Him and knew that He is the Messiah they expected. The woman said "I know that Messiah (called Christ) is coming. When he comes, he will explain everything to us." 26Then Jesus declared, "I who speak to you am he." 
 
Obviously, the Samaritan woman’s understanding of Jesus is getting deeper step by step.

Reflection: What is my perception of Jesus? Where do I stand? Is it shallow or in depth? 




2>(v16-19)The Omniscient Jesus
16He told her, "Go, get 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. 18The 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.” 
 
Lord Jesus is the omniscient God, He knows everything. He knew of her relationship with different men including the past and the present. Jesus knew this woman’s whole story all too well. During their conversation, the subject was changed and she was asked “Go get your husband, and tell him to come.”

The woman tried to elude him and said, “I have no husband.” However, Jesus immediately said, “You are right when you say you have no husband. 18The fact is, you have had five husbands, and the man you are with now is not your husband. Your remark is quite true." The woman was amazed at his words and said, 19"Sir, I can see that you are a prophet.” 
 
It is obvious that Jesus is omniscient. Thus, nothing is hidden in his presence.

Reflection: How much do I know about the attributes of Jesus? Do I believe that he is omniscient? Am I hiding anything from him? 




3>(v22)Jesus is the one and only Savior

Jesus said to the woman, 22”You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.” Even though the Samaritans built a temple on the Mount Gerizim to worship God, and await the arrival of Messiah, their faith was misplaced. So Jesus emphasized this and said,”You Samaritans worship what you do not know; we worship what we do know, for salvation is from the Jews.”
However, why salvation is from the Jews? According to God’s salvation plan, grace is to be carried out by Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is the Way, the Truth and the Life and there is no salvation other than through Jesus Christ. Jesus Christ is a Jewish descendant, and that is why he said, “Salvation is from the Jews.”

In fact, this means that Jesus Christ is one and only Savior.

Reflection: Do I accept that “there is no salvation except through Jesus Christ” as a truth and receive the grace and salvation through Him? 



4>(20-21、23)Worship in spirit and in truth

The Samaritan woman questioned Jesus,20 “Our fathers worshiped on this mountain, but you Jews claim that the place where we must worship is in Jerusalem." 21Jesus declared, "Believe me, woman, a time is coming when you will worship the Father neither on this mountain nor in Jerusalem. 23Yet 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.

In Old Testament time their worship location was very important, especially when people go to the temple for worship and celebration in Jerusalem. However, the Lord Jesus Christ has made a breakthrough in the concept of worship which completely overturned the concept of the past. Worship is in the human’s mind. Therefore He particularly stressed that the true worshipers will worship the Father in spirit and truth, for they are the kind of worshipers the Father seeks. This is a very important concept or principle on "worship". It serves as a reminder to us when we worship.

Reflection: When I worship, do I focus on external form or inner mind to attend every Sunday’s worship service and my daily devotion?


5>(v24)The Omnipresent God
Jesus continued to say: “God is a spirit, and his worshipers must worship in spirit and in truth." (v24)”God is a spirit” means that God transcends time and space, He is the omnipresent God. Therefore, in any time and in any place, He can be with any person. In the same way, we can worship Him with a sincere heart in any place and time. Therefore, the worship place is not important; what’s important is how we respond during worship. In addition, because God is a spirit, God is omnipresent, so through prayer we can reach Him any time, any where. Also, because God is an omnipresent God, so our every move is in His hand.

Reflection: Can I prove that God is omnipresent through my worship, my service, and my behavior?

IV. Prayer/ Life Application



Translated by 曾秀娟

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