THE HEART OF WORSHIP TRUE WORSHIP John 4:19-24

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1 THE HEART OF WORSHIP TRUE WORSHIP John 4:19-24 INTRODUCTION Judi and I are thankful to be home Thank you Pastor Takeshi for the good messages and to the staff for your support in our absence THE BEST OF ROMANS message series and small group study will begin the weekend of February 18 and 19. Sign up today outside at the Welcome Table! PRAYER I want to give you a Bible definition of worship. Psalm 29: 2 is our reason for worship at TBC. Psalm 29:2 2 Praise the Lord for the glory of his name; worship the Lord because he is holy. NCV How do we praise the Lord and worship the Lord? Today I want to introduce you to a new TBC slogan for our large group worship. This is how we worship: SING THE BIBLE, PRAY THE BIBLE, READ THE BIBLE, PREACH THE BIBLE, LIVE THE BIBLE! I want the Bible to be radically in control of everything you and I do in life and everything you and I do when you and I come here for our worship.called the TBC Celebration Service. I believe the Bible teaches that every person is born with a knowledge that there is a God and also there is a desire in the heart of every man and woman to connect with God. Ecclesiastes 3:11 God has planted eternity in the human heart Romans 1:20 For since the creation of the world God s invisible qualities, his eternal power and divine nature, have been clearly seen by men. The point is.every person born in this world is born with a desire to connect with the God that created them. One thing that cannot be denied, God is a concept that appears in human cultures and societies all over the world. Even in areas that are very remote and geographically isolated.you will find entire tribes and groups of people worshiping some kind of god. You see.everyone in the world worships something. You can call yourself secular. You can call yourself anti-religious, you can call yourself an atheist. but everyone in this world values something,

2 2 so highly, that they build their entire lives around it. For some it is God.the God of the Bible. For some it is money. For some it is sex. For some it is success. For some it is fame. For some it is talent and self recognition. But if this thing controls and directs a person s life.it is called worship. Important point EVERYONE WORSHIPS SOMETHING Now, by the way, it is important for you to understand that everyone worships. As believers in Jesus Christ, you and I are not distinct and unusual from everybody else in the world because we worship. Tokyo Baptist Church is not different than others in Tokyo and Japan because we worship. Everybody worships! There is nobody who does not worship. But everybody, even atheists, worship. Happy Science and other cults, worship. Muslims worship; Buddhists worship; Hindus worship; EVERYBODY WORSHIPS! The only question is, and it is a very important question: WHO DO YOU WORSHIP? You and I are not unique because we worship, but you and I are unique because we worship the true and living God through Jesus Christ our Lord. Important point about worship THE GOD OF THE BIBLE IS A ONE-PEOPLE GOD AND YOU AND I ARE TO BE A ONE-GOD PEOPLE The Lord God said in Exodus 20:3-5 You must not have any other god but me. You must not make for yourself an idol of any kind and must not bow down to them or worship them. NLT Over two-thousand years ago, Jesus Christ walked into a world that was full of worshippers everywhere and made one statement that changed the concept of real worship forever. In John 4:4-5 & 7 says, Now Jesus had to go through Samaria. So he came to a town in Samaria called Sychar Jesus sat down by a well when a Samaritan woman came to draw water, Jesus said to her, Will you give me a drink. Jesus and the woman then had a brief conversation and in our Scripture today you will notice the main subject of their conversation was worship. Notice in the Scripture the word worship or worshipers is used 10 times. In this conversation about worship, Jesus said that God is not concerned about where you worship, when you worship, or even the way you worship, because worship is not a matter of externals; it is a matter of internals. What matters to God is why you worship. What matters in worship most to God is not what it looks like or sounds like on the outside as much as what is taking place on the inside.of the heart.

3 3 SCRIPTURE John 4: 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. PRAYER Notice Jesus said in John 4:24 Worship God in Spirit and truth. With that one statement Jesus spoke truth about worship that had never been heard before and has never been duplicated since. That one statement tells you and me that real worship.true WORSHIP is not a matter of style. It is a matter of substance. In other words.it is not a matter of what we do but what we are.when you and I worship. You see.among believers in Christ.usually when the word worship comes up, the first thing thought about is our own preference for the style of music that s used. Some people want to have more contemporary forms of worship and other people want to have more traditional forms of worship. Some people want softer music and others want louder music. Well, let me ask you.how many verses are there in the New Testament about the importance of the style of the music that is used in a worship service? Right! You gave me the right answer: None! Everyone is concerned greatly about his or her own preferences and choices of substance or what is done in worship, but the Bible is concerned about other things. Again, here is the new TBC slogan for large group worship SING THE BIBLE, PRAY THE BIBLE, READ THE BIBLE, PREACH THE BIBLE, LIVE THE BIBLE! The key to real worship is not how you feel about it or what you think about it. The key to real worship is.is worship done in the right spirit and does it conform to God s truth?

4 4 Let me tell you how important worship is to God. You are going to find in the scripture that was just read.that this is the only time in the Bible where you and I are told that God seeks anything from you or from me. Amazingly we are told the one thing that God is seeking from you and me.is worship. More than your wealth, more than your work, more than your ministry and even more than your witness for Christ, God wants your worship. There is only one thing that God does not have unless you give it to Him and God will not take it from you unless you offer it to Him and that is your worship. Think about this WHAT CAN YOU GIVE TO GOD WHO TRULY HAS EVERYTHING? He, God Himself, tells you the only thing you can give to Him is the one thing He does not have, unless you do give it to Him, and that is your worship. This is why you and I must be producers in worship, not just consumers; this is why you and I must be givers in worship and not just receivers. Remember this every week WHEN YOU COME THROUGH THE DOORS OF TBC ON A WEEKEND TO WORSHIP.WHAT ARE YOU BRINGING AS YOUR OFFERING TO GOD? Jesus proceeds to teach this woman the single greatest principle on worship found in the entire Bible. What is that principle? Here it is: Important principle of worship TRUE WORSHIP IS NOT A MATTER OF STYLE BUT A MATTER OF SUBSTANCE What matters in worship most to God is not what you look like or sound like on the outside as much as what is taking place on the inside of your heart as a worshiper. My prayer today is that many of you would learn and apply what Jesus says is the HEART OF WORSHIP.Jesus teaches what is TRUE WORSHIP. 1. REAL WORSHIP IS SPECIFICALLY FOCUSED John 4:23 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. Notice that incredible statement where Jesus says They are the kind of worshippers the Father seeks. God is actually looking for men and women who will worship Him the way He wants to be worshipped. God is not only looking for worshippers. We are told, specifically, He is looking for true worshippers. If there are true worshippers then there

5 5 must be false worshippers. Right? If there is true worship then there must be false worship. The question is What is true worship? True worship must be a matter of worshipping the right God. We are told, here, that True worshippers will worship the Father. That raises the question Whose Father is to be worshipped? Obviously, Jesus was talking about His own Heavenly Father. Important point IF THE GOD THAT YOU WORSHIP IS NOT THE FATHER OF JESUS CHRIST YOU ARE NOT WORSHIPPING GOD Look again at what Jesus said to this woman in John 4:22. You worship what you do not know. That sentence is true of millions and millions of worshippers in Japan and around the world. If what Jesus said is true then neither Muslims, nor Buddhists, nor Hindus, nor any other worshippers of any other group truly worship God, because the only God that can be truly worshipped is the Father of Jesus Christ. That is why the best worship in the world.is not the best style in the world, and is not the most sophisticated language, and the finest music in the world is not worship, at all, if it is the worship of the wrong god. No matter what else is right about your worship if it is directed to the wrong god it is not worship. That is why this matter of being specifically focused is so important. Think about this. How many people come to our worship services, or worship services in other churches, focus on themselves and what they are going to get out of it. Please, I want you to hear me clearly. Worship is not primarily for what you can get out of it. Worship is primarily for what you can put into it and what God can get out of it. It is not about you. It is all about Him. True worship is not a matter of feelings and emotions. It is a matter of focus. Judi and I continually try to grow in our understanding of worship that we can worship God in practically any type of service as long as the music is uplifting and honors Jesus Christ and the message is biblically based. I believe God is pleased. This is one reason why.when Judi and I are in the states.as much as we can.we go to different churches for worship. We want to see what others are doing.so we can benefit TBC. We realize they cannot be like TBC.but remember if they SING THE BIBLE, PRAY THE BIBLE, READ THE BIBLE, PREACH THE BIBLE, LIVE THE BIBLE! They worship the true and living God. Hebrews 12:28 Let us be grateful and worship God in a way that will please Him. TEV

6 6 Did you hear that last part? We are told very plainly here that our worship is to please God. The purpose of worship is not to please you. It is to please God. It is not nearly as important that you get something out of worship as it is that God gets something out of worship. What primarily concerns God is that you and I put our focus on Him. 2. TRUE WORSHIP IS IN SPIRIT AND TRUTH Jesus summarizes worship in a simple statement and He tells us there are only two requirements God ever gives for worship that is pleasing to Him. Amazingly, He doesn t say a word about music, about style, or even what to wear. Jesus said in John 4:24 God is spirit, and his worshipers must worship in the Spirit and in truth. God is Spirit and you must worship Him in your spirit. Worship is when your spirit connects with His spirit through the Holy Spirit. Listen carefully to Isaiah 29:13. The Lord says: These people come near to me with their mouth and honor me with their lips, but their hearts are far from me. Their worship of me is made up only of rules taught by men. Isaiah was talking about people who think that worship is coming to a certain place, dressed in a certain way, with a certain look, sitting in a certain posture and acting in a certain manner. Jesus said something completely different. God does not look at whether you are dressed in a coat and a tie or shirt and slacks. God does not care if TBC has a program or not. God does not look at your outward appearance. God looks at your heart. 3. REAL WORSHIP FOLLOWS THE BIBLE Jesus said in John 4:24 Worship the Father in truth. What does that mean? It means at TBC WE ARE TO WORSHIP THE GOD OF TRUTH ACCORDING TO THE TRUTH OF GOD I have always thought that in Japan.hundreds of years ago.an important mistake was made when the word for the God of the Bible was translated using the same Chinese character that is found all over Japan in Shinto and Buddhist Temples and Shrines. How do unbelievers tell the difference? The kami or god at Meiji Shrine has nothing to do with the God that I find in the Bible. But the kanji is the same. Big mistake, I believe. There is an unusual place of worship in Kyoto called San jusan gendo Temple or The Temple of the Thousand Buddha. It is so unusual, because people can go there and pick out your own little god. This temple is filled with more than a thousand likenesses of Buddha.each one a little different from the next. You can go there and pick out and choose which one you like best. You just go from idol to idol.from statue to statue until you find the

7 7 one you believe most resembles what you feel or what you think God is like and that is the Buddha god you worship. That is not the God of the Bible. Some people today in America custom design their god every day. They will talk about the god I worship and they will say things like this: The god I worship would never allow anyone to go to hell. The god I worship does not care what you do as long as you don t hurt anyone else. The god I worship accepts anybody into heaven if they are good enough or if they are sincere in what they believe. The god I worship would never pass judgment on anyone for anything. That is not the God of the Bible. If your worship does not match the Bible.your worship is not TRUE WORSHIP. Do you worship the God of the Bible? Let me teach you a practical lesson. The most important way to judge music is the same way you judge a message. When you judge a message, the important thing is not whether or not a person has a great style of delivery, or a great vocabulary, or speaks in a dynamic fashion, though all those things are important for good communications, the most important thing about the message is what does the message say and is it true according to God s truth.god s Word or not. We ought to judge music the same way. The most important thing to God about music is not the melody. It is the lyrics. It is not how it sounds, but what it says. Is it Biblical? There is a beautiful song we sing, here, at TBC, that never fails to touch my heart entitled Here I Am To Worship. The writer of that song was Tim Hughes. One of the ways that song came about came from a lesson he learned on worship during a year he spent in South Africa working with kids and leading worship when he was just eighteen. He was going to a church called The Prince of Peace in Durban, South Africa. He noticed there were no drums, no keyboards, no amps, no piano, and no guitars. They didn t even have a sound system. He looked at this situation and asked himself How are we going to worship? He said in a instant as people came in that place was filled with beautiful music as the believers in Jesus Christ, without any music whatsoever, began to sing from the overflow of their hearts. Here they were without any instruments of any kind, and he said it was one of the richest worship experiences he had ever had. He said the people were not just singing with their mouth. They were worshipping with their spirit.from their heart. He said it was that day that he learned his greatest lesson about worship. Here is what he said

8 8 WORSHIP IS NOT ABOUT MUSIC. WORSHIP IS ABOUT JESUS. That Jesus, who sent us His Holy Spirit and who said I am the truth has made it plain what matters to the God that we worship is that we worship Him in spirit and in truth. Do you come to TBC worship for the right reason? To honor and worship God? Maybe you need to confess your sin of not honoring God with your worship. I invite you to go to the JOY CAFÉ after our worship, for prayer. And if you are not a believer in Christ, I invite you to go to the JOY CAFÉ FOR PRAYER FOR SALVATION. Remember.in a moment will be our tithes and offering and that is also a time of worship. Let s pray. DENNIS FOLDS TOKYO BAPTIST CHURCH JANUARY 28 & 29, 2012