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INTRODUCTION
I am back. Been in/out. The youth mission trip is back. I see some of you are back. The Alaska
Adventures are back. Pastor Jeriah is back - until Thursday then short vacation in Maryland.
We were with Seiberlings last weekend - figure out their family - Eric and Amanda were married
under a tent in outdoor wedding after a day of rain in Dubuque at a park above the Mississippi
River. I am back, just in time to drive the State Fair free bus on Wednesday. A busy fall
coming.
TITLE. Back to the great narrative between Jesus and the Samaritan
woman at the well, she wants to talk about worship. TEXT. We have
seen: He has pointed out her greatest need - to draw from the well of salvation and drink the
living water of eternal life. And He pointed out her greatest problem - sin, 5 broken
marriages and living with one who is not her husband. So her response was to change the
subject - talk about something not to personal, she thought - generic subject of worship.
READ 4:19-20
Entire passage is 4:19-26 the word “worship” 10
times. A key text:
John McArthur: “This passage contains all the essential elements of worship in embryonic
form. It is the most definitive, the most important, and the clearest teaching of the theme of
worship in all the N.T.” (Ultimate Priority, 87)
To study the passage, we are going to approach it like a journalist seeking to understand and
clarify the facts. We will ask the what, the where, the who, the when, the how, and the why of
worship. This will take a few Sundays.
1. What is Worship? v. 19-20
- The woman had an idea of what worship meant. She understood her traditions and
importance of worship and the controversies.
- Broad definition: “a meeting between God and man.” A time we come and
adore God as God. It is for God, about God, and to God.
- N.T. Greek “proskuneo”: pros = toward; kuneo = kiss. To kiss toward, to do
reverence to, to bow down.
- Ancient custom of greeting a king, you bow and kiss his ring. We don’t do that
today in America, not familiar with giving honor to a leader. Worship to us, in a
sense, is almost a foreign concept. Except to ourselves.
- Denotes paying honor and respects, humble adoration to GOD. We tell and show God how
valuable He is to us. Worship is something we do, not something we observe. Active,
not passive. A verb not a noun. Involves:
- Will = we desire to worship, deliberate decision to worship
- Mind = we concentrate on God, intellectual understanding
- Emotions = we have emotional responses, must not leave us
same. From deep sadness for sin, to high joy of salvation/blessings
- Body = we physically respond: bowing, raising hands,
standing, sitting, kneeling. Involves our 5 senses.
- Worship is our whole being telling God we love and depend upon Him.
- Theological definition: “Worship is an active response to God, whereby we
declare His great worth.”
- We were created to worship God, we are redeemed to worship God, we will live forever
worshipping God. Salvation is not an end in itself. The praise of God is the highest
goal. Worship is primary purpose of church.
- “Redemption is the means; worship is the goal. In one sense, worship is the
whole point of everything. It is the purpose of history, the goal of the whole
Christian story. Worship is not one segment of the Christian life among others.
Worship is the entire Christian life, seen as a priestly offering to God. And when we
meet together as a church, our time of worship is not merely a preliminary to
something else, rather, it is the whole point of our existence as the body of
Christ.“ (John Frame, quoted in The Wonder of Worship, p. 26)
- Psalm 95; Isaiah 52:13; Eph. 1:6, 12, 14 “to the praise of His
glory.”
- That is the WHAT of worship. That is what Jesus wants to talk about, probably more
than what the woman wanted to talk about.
- Honestly, worship is more than what we want to talk about too. It is not about us, it
is about God. We often see worship as a spectator sport - we watch. Something formal
we do on Sunday mornings in a big building.
- Worship is a major theme in Bible: around 200 times. It is the primary purpose of the
church. Ultimate Priority. Applies the first and great commandment “Love the
Lord your God...”
- Worship is multidimensional. Range of quiet to loud, still to energetic:
- Hannah wept - 1 Sam. 1:10; David dancing - 2 Samuel 6:14, Solomon
knelt and lifted hands at dedication of Temple - 1 King 8:54. Acts 2:41-47
- pattern for church today, fellowship, praising God, teaching. Acts 16:25 -
Paul and Silas sang hymns of praise to God in prison
- We American Christians have been slow to catch on to worship. Only rediscovered the
central importance of worship in the past few decades.
- Want to change a subject from something too personal - try subject of worship. Like
this woman, you will be surprised about how personal and deep it is. I had time for
point one of six points. Very important - What!
CONCLUSION
So, did you worship today? Was your faith renewed?
# 336 “Jesus, I Come”
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